Ripped and Stitched

3: The Apple Fell Far From the Tree

Charles and Liliana Evans named their daughter Juliana Evans, a name that their daughter would grow up to hate unbeknownst to them.

They wanted Juliana Evans to be a sophisticated girl. A girl who woke up at six every morning and stretched to perfect her ballet technique, who ate off of the meal plan her dance teacher made her, who got perfect grades, who had the perfect boyfriend, and perfect friends. She would be her parents' dream child. 

Julia Evans however was far from that. She woke up when she felt like it (she still stretched), she ate whatever she pleased (she still stuck to the meal plan around her parents), she got a B here and there (but often hid it from her parents), her boyfriend was far from perfect but she loved that basketball loving goofball, and her friends were crazy at times but she loved them nonetheless.

There was not a time in her life where Julia regretted the choices she had made. Sure maybe had she studied more for her Biology test she would have gotten an A, but she owned and lived with her mistakes with the pride that she had still learned something. Even if her parents only expected perfection of Juliana, who cared?

Julia had since long learned how to keep them happy while still being herself and in turn, they had come to terms with some of the changes she had made, almost all of the changes. The one thing they hated most about the choices their daughter had made was Brady Carson.

In their eyes he was no good for her. Her parents had chosen to be blissfully ignorant about all her friendships, but when she started dating Brady during freshman year, they began to hate him. Although multiple attempts were made to change their minds, no progress had ever been made.

Julia and Brady learned very early on how to sneak around and avoid her parents. Because Julia knew even the mention of her boyfriend sent them into a world of rage.

So, this morning when the police knocked on her front door, Julia knew she had to be smart about the situation, her parents could not know she had been with Brady.

Unfortunately, her parents beat her to the door.

"Hello officers, how can I help you?" her dad said as he answered the door.

"Are you Charles Evans?" the man asked.

Julia's father nodded. "Yes, what is this about?"

"Is this your car?" the officer asked him.

He showed Julia's dad some paperwork and Julia cringed from the stairs.

"It's my daughter's car," he said, sending her a stern look from the side.

"Sir, we took the license plates down for all the cars that were in the parking lot of a huge bonfire party where there were reports of underage drinking."

Charles and Liliana called out for Julia at once. She meekly came to the door.

"We need you to come down to the station tomorrow," the officer said before handing some more papers to her parents.

They closed the door and Julia stared at the ground as she waited for her punishment.

"Were you drinking?" her mother asked.

"No," Julia lied.

"Juliana," her father said in a warning tone.

"I promise," she insisted.

"Why would you even go to something like this?" Liliana said, shaking her head. "You could have been in ballet class perfecting your solo, but instead you went to a bonfire of all things?"

Julia did not reply. Nothing she said was going to make this any better.

"Did one of your friends make you go?" her mother asked.