Athena

52. Out By Monday

Frozen with shock and dismay, I gawk at father and son. 

This is my worst nightmare come true. My heart starts racing a million miles per minute. Ron is glowering at Cruz. Cruz is glaring back at him. An undeniable surge of aggression thrums between them.

What the hell is Ron even doing here?

Briefly, I glance at my phone to check the time. 11:14 am.

Already?

Shit.

Cruz and I totally overslept.

Is that why Ron came barging in here?

Unless the asshole finally wised up to what Cruz and I have been doing right under his nose?

God, I hope not.

What can I say to explain away our guilt?

What to do?

I have no fucking clue!

Ron's voice pulls me from my mini-anxiety attack. His gaze pierces into Cruz as he repeats his question slowly, quietly, "I'm going to ask you one more time, son. What are you doing in Athena's room?"

Refusing to answer, Cruz stares back at his dad with a stoic, defiant expression. Usually, Cruz tries to go with Ron's flow until his mantrums blow over. I've never seen Cruz stand up to his dad in such a stubborn, unrelenting way before. For once, my guy appears to be absolutely fed up with the man.

Ron presses harder, "Did you spend the night here?"

Clenching his jaw, Cruz finally replies, "Yeah, I did⁠."

Shocked, I stifle a gasp at Cruz's admission.

Is my guy planning to come clean?

This feels like a suicide mission. Ron looks ready to gut a bitch. He shrieks, "Are you fucking kidding me!"

To his credit, Cruz manages to stay relatively calm. He goes on to lie through his teeth in surprisingly convincing tones, "After Athena and I came back from Jonathon's party, we hung out for a bit in her room. Just to talk. I accidentally passed out here. It's not a big deal, I swear. But I'll make sure that it never happens again."

Ron doesn't sound convinced at all. "You're a fucking liar."

"I would never lie to you," Cruz lies again.

Ron's face grows even redder. "Listen here, dipshit, I can tell that you're full of bull—"

"Cruz is telling the truth," I insist, making an attempt to support his story, "I know it looks bad, but, I swear, nothing inappropriate happened. It was late. We dozed off by accident. That's all."

Immediately, Ron turns toward me with a nasty gleam in his eyes. I gulp in distress. Before his dad can go apeshit on my ass, Cruz quickly interjects, "I'm curious, dad. What are you doing in Athena's room?"

I expect Ron to lose his shit, but, for some reason, a strained, guilty expression flickers across his face instead. Ron grumbles, "That's none of your business."

Why does it feel like he's hiding something?

Cruz rises from my bed, pulls himself to full height, and takes a few steps toward his dad. Practically tumbling out of bed, I hurry after Cruz to give him some backup, but he mutters under his breath, "No, Athena, stay behind me. Please."

Feeling like a nervous wreck, I look at Ron again and then back at Cruz.

Is Ron about to get violent?

Is Cruz going to fight back?

Worried for Cruz's sake, I protest, "But..."

"You didn't even knock," Cruz accuses his dad. "She's a teenage girl, dad. You need to respect her privacy."

Cruz's remark triggers something incendiary in Ron. His face contorts with rage as he bellows, "I don't owe either of you any goddamn privacy! This is my house. My rules. I can go wherever I want. Whenever I want. And don't try to change the subject, son. I bet you two idiots have been messing around behind my back! How long has this been going on?"

Fearlessly, Cruz challenges Ron, "You have proof?"

"I don't need it," Ron fires back. "I have eyes."

Both of Ron's hands tighten into fists. In response, Cruz's entire body tenses up as though he's getting ready for battle. I start to panic for real.

Oh, God.

Oh, God.

I glance at the doorway. Anxiety continues to claw at my nerves. Aunt Katrina will probably hear the commotion and come running any second now. Once she gets here, I'm scared this entire shitshow might erupt into chaos. Just like that night in the study when Ron threw the glass paperweight at my aunt and shoved her into his desk.

What can I do to deescalate this situation?

Already, I know Ron is a lost cause. He's probably going to explode all over us no matter what. But I have to try to calm him down, regardless. For Cruz's sake. I decide to play into Ron's ego and pray that Cruz will catch my drift. Cringing inwardly, I start kissing Ron's ass as though my life depended on it, "Your dad has every right to be upset with us, Cruz. This is his house, after all. We should've been more respectful of his rules."

At first, confusion pinches Cruz's face at my sudden change of tune. Then, his green eyes sharpen with understanding. "Athena..."

Ron casts a suspicious glance in my direction, but he declares loudly for Cruz to hear, "See? She gets it. All I'm asking for is a little respect in my own damn home."

I turn to Ron with what I hope looks to be a deeply remorseful expression. "I'm so sorry for disappointing you, sir. Especially after you were generous enough to open up your home to my aunt and me."

At the mention of my aunt, a pained look flashes across Ron's face. It disappears quickly, though, and I'm not sure what to make of it. I check the doorway once more. My aunt is nowhere in sight. I don't hear her movements around in the house, either. By now, she would usually be up and about. Doing chores or whatever.

Did Aunt Katrina go out for groceries or something?

Cruz seems to read my mind and asks Ron, "Where's Katrina, anyway? The house sounds kinda quiet."

Grimacing, Ron doesn't answer right away. But his wrath seems to simmer down in an instant. In fact, it's the first time I've ever seen him appear so defeated. Trepidation shoots through me when he finds his voice at last and says, "Katrina... is actually the reason why I'm here. I need to talk to Athena about something."

Fuck. 

This doesn't sound good. I demand, "Is everything okay with my aunt?"

"Actually," Ron replies, "it's not."

My heart drops. "Oh, no..."

Is Aunt Katrina hurt?

"What's going on, dad?" Cruz prompts urgently.

Ron hangs his head. "Katrina and I had a slight disagreement last night. While you guys were at the party. Katrina seemed pretty upset when she left."

Stupidly, I echo, "Wait. My aunt... left?"

"Yes," Ron confirms.

In a cautious manner, I ask, "Where did she go?"

"Your dad's place, I think."

"When will she be back?"

"I don't think she's coming back."

Cruz gasps. "Are you serious?"

Ron ignores Cruz and stares me down with cold, lifeless eyes. "Our engagement is... off. Your aunt and I are no longer together. I need you to pack your bags, Athena. I want you out of my house by Monday. Do you understand?"