ANIMA

3. Hopeless habit

Mason

Most people look at how much money you have when deciding how to treat you. Because of my family's wealth I am treated pretty well. It also doesn't hurt that I work very hard at school and play sports.

What most people don't see is the constant pressure to live up to expectations. And having your life planned out for you with no input from you of course.

My parents have my life all figured out; I will continue with the rowing club as a show of loyalty and commitment and graduate top of my class. The summer before college Cassie and I will get engaged because according to my parents; we can't let the chance to be officially tied to the Kings pass us by. I will then go off to any college of my liking as long as I major in business and graduate again at the top of my class. Cassie and I will get married and have the requisite 2.5 kids while I work my up in the family business.

Just thinking about it is exhausting.

The reason they are pushing the idea of me and Cassie so hard is because they want the prestige that comes with the King name. If it were up to them I would probably change my last name to King after the wedding.

They take our relationship too seriously.

I pointed out to mom that not everyone stays, let alone marries their high school sweetheart. The way she looked at me you would think I just said I was planning on getting into organized crime or something.

This is my senior year, outside of maintaining my grades I don't plan on marking off any of the items on my parents' to-do list.

Dad will probably throw a fit, threaten to disown me. Mom will try to guilt me into complying by unleashing the waterworks. But this time I will not give in, it is my life after all.

I always do my packing at the last minute because we have a uniform and anything else I will need is either in my dorm room or at the other house. I grab the bag and head to the kitchen for some breakfast.

"Good morning, Mason. Your parents have an early brunch meeting but they said to wish you luck for your first day and make sure you eat something." Beatrice says.

"Morning Ms. Bea. The food looks great." I say.

She has been our cook for longer than I have been alive. She has often been delegated the task of parenting me since was 5 and stopped needing a dedicated nanny. She knows as well as I do that my parents' "meeting" is probably just brunch with one of their many friends were they try and fail to humble brag about how much money they have. It probably didn't even cross their mind that I am heading back to campus today.

Doesn't matter. I am high school senior it's not like I need them to hold my hand or anything. I untaught myself that hopeless habit of expecting my parents to show up for me around the same time I stopped having a fulltime nanny.

After eating my breakfast in silence I drive back to school.

Every time I drive back to Wellington it always feels a bit strange. I spend most of my life here and I am well liked by most of the students and faculty so I should feel like I am returning home in a way but something always feels like its missing. Just one more place that should feel like home but doesn't.

I will miss the familiarity of this place next year though.

I pulling into the parking lot when I notice a car that looks like the one the Kings' driver drives.

I will never understand their need for keeping such traditions. On the first day of school Bertrand always drops off the girls even though Cassie's car will be dropped off by the end of the day. I heard they also offered Kenzie one but she turned it down.

I am grabbing my bag from the back seat when I notice Cassie looking on as Bertrand unloads her luggage. Why does she need so much luggage? Maybe it's because she has never lived in the dorms before.

She catches me watching and waves at me.

There is no better time than the present to put my plan into action. I turn and walk towards the dorms.

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A/N

Thanks for reading.

What is one of your hopeless habits?

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- Oli 💌