Hidden To Free

Chapter 3: Parent Issues

I didn't really pay attention to what happened the rest of the afternoon. I felt kind of numb, from all of my pain. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some of our class was in the nurse's office because they got bloody noses from getting head shots, not by me though. Cade wasn't though, unfortunately. Though whenever he did look at me, he looked scared. Not his usual look of pride. I didn't really understand why though. It wasn't like I had done any serious injuries. I felt kind of good about having him be scared of me, yet at the same time I felt...guilty. Maybe it was that a tiny part of me wished we were still friends, I don't know. I tried not to think about him too much. It wasn't hard, I was too busy thinking about how my parents would be when I got home and told them about the trip. They would be furious, a little bit about the trip but most of it would be about me having to room with Cade. I could already think about the lectures I would get. It's not like I would do anything stupid in the first place, it was Cade of all people, my worst enemy. My life felt like the song "Dollhouse" by Melanie Martinez. Everyone thought that my family was perfect but only if they looked through the curtains, they would see the truth...

 I walked back to my house slowly. I did not want to be there, most of the time I just wanted to die. My only saving grace was that I dreamed about being a marine biologist. It was a stupid dream according to my parents but I kind of felt drawn to the sea. I was always looking at ocean magazines, thinking of ways to help the ocean. I was always at a pond or lake if I wasn't at my house or at school, looking at the marine life. The ocean was my safe haven, I was at peace being there. That's why I had gotten so excited about the trip to Santa Monica. I wanted to help in any way. I needed to protect the place that I had loved for so long. I would die if it meant I could save the ocean and its animals. I couldn't stand to see the ocean and its animals being hurt by the actions of other humans. 

I got home half an hour after school ended. I knew I would probably get in trouble for being late but I had prepared myself for the worst. I slowly opened the door and tried to sneak up to my room. Unfortunately for me,  my parents were waiting in the living room. When my parents noticed my presence, I winced in fear. My mother walked up to me with that type of expression she would give me when I knew I did something wrong. "Why are you late? You know we have these rules for a reason," my mother roared. She was extremely intimidating, when I tried to escape to my room in a silent panic, she grabbed onto my arm. I knew she wanted an answer. I gulped with nervousness, I didn't want to see her upset side. Especially when I knew my father would be the one to quickly back her up if needed. "I was just extremely tired, so it took longer to walk home. I-I'm sorry." My words sounded sincere, which they were. All I left out was one tiny detail she didn't need to know. My mother did not need to know I went slower on purpose to avoid getting home. I couldn't tell her I would be sharing a room with Cade during the school trip.

My mother looked down at me, I felt like I was being crowded by hundreds of people. Even if my mom was the only one in front of me. My mother sighed, the sigh that was mixed with disappointment and annoyance. "You better not be lying or leaving anything out, Sylvie Ann Whitlock." Oh shit, my mother was mad. Worse than mad. I panicked, and I said more than needed. Way more than needed, "Okay Okay!" I spilled. "I was walking slower on purpose! I- I didn't mean to get here late." Small lie but that didn't matter. "I was too scared to tell you about my school trip. ." I said too much. "What school trip? Tell me," my mother lightly yelled. I knew it was too late, I had to tell her about Cade. "My marine biology class is going on a trip to Santa Monica for a week, I have to be at Saint Louis Lambert International Airport on Sunday at 6 o'clock and I. . . I am sharing a room with a boy. ." My mother's eye twitched silently, she now knew and there was no going back on that note. My father heard this, he wasn't as strict as my mother, but he still had his ground rules and supported my mother's strict house rules, "Honey? What did she just say?" I gulped, my father was now involved. "Your daughter  is going on a school trip, rooming with a boy," my mother spoke to my father. Shit. Shit. Shit. "Mom- Dad- I-It's not what it sounds like. It's Cade." Wait, that sounds bad.. "Cade? Who's that?" My mother didn't know? "Is he your friend? Boyfriend? What else are you hiding from me?" This felt like an interrogation. "He's just a classmate! I have no type of relationship with him, not even friendship." I hope this helped.. "Prove it to me," my mother forced, my dad forcing too. "Prove it to your mother." "Okay, I will. it's not a lie. I promise you on my life, we are nothing."

My mother finally gave in, but there were some. . . precautions. "Fine. But you can either go with a binder the entire time, or not go." Binder? I'm not transgender. Even so, I had to agree to be able to go. "Okay, I'll wear the binder." My mother knew that I knew the reason for the binder. It was so I couldn't do anything 'unholy'. It was stupid, but I must. I left the hallway and locked my bedroom door, something I wasn't supposed to do. It was reasonable though, I was pissed. My mother gave up at the point and went back to the tv in the living room with her husband. I sat on my bed criss-cross applesauce on my comforter. I wanted to scream, but I shouldn't I couldn't. I was being forced to wear a binder. I sobbed into my pillow and soon fell asleep. The day was over, finally.

A/N: Shout out to my friend Maisy for helping me write the fight between Sylvie and her parents! Also hi to my math teacher if you're reading this! See you on the flip side!