I KNOW THE END

1⒈

August 20th, 2023

THE BENNETT RESIDENCE

LILA

The door creaked open, and I immediately recognized the sound of my parents' footsteps as they walked into the house. They'd been gone for a few days on one of their usual "getaways" — the kind that never seemed to make things better between them. I braced myself, knowing that their return rarely brought anything but tension.

I was in the living room with Alex when they walked in. Mom looked tired, her smile strained as she greeted us. Dad, on the other hand, looked as stern as ever, his eyes scanning the room like he was searching for something to criticize.

"Hello, kids," Mom said, forcing cheerfulness into her voice. "How have things been?"

"Fine," I answered quickly, my voice clipped. I wasn't in the mood for small talk. Not after everything that had gone down with the party plans and the drama at school.

Dad didn't seem convinced. He eyed me and Alex with suspicion, his brow furrowing. "What's going on with you two? You're acting strange."

I exchanged a quick glance with Alex, silently pleading with him to stay out of it. But Dad's tone grated on my nerves, and I couldn't help but snap back.

"Nothing's going on, Dad. We're just trying to live our lives, okay?"

His expression darkened, and he crossed his arms. "Don't give me that attitude, Lila. I come back home, and you're already mouthing off? You've been like this for months — constantly disrespectful, always pushing back."

"Maybe because you're never around!" I shot back, my voice rising. "You're always off doing your own thing while we're left to deal with everything ourselves. Do you even know what's been going on with us? Do you even care?"

Mom's eyes widened in alarm, and she stepped forward as if to diffuse the situation, but Dad wasn't about to back down.

"Watch your tone, young lady," he said, his voice cold and sharp. "I'm still your father, and you will show me respect. Just because I'm not hovering over you every second doesn't mean I don't care. I'm out there working to provide for this family, something you clearly don't appreciate."

"Oh, right," I scoffed. "Because throwing money at problems is the same thing as actually being there for your kids. You think we need your money? We needed you, Dad! But you're too busy with whatever it is you're always doing. You never even try to understand us, to actually talk to us instead of just barking orders and criticizing everything we do!"

Alex shifted uncomfortably beside me, looking like he wanted to step in but didn't know how. Mom tried to speak, her voice trembling. "Can we all just calm down—"

"No, Mom," I interrupted, my eyes blazing as I glared at Dad. "I'm sick of this! He always acts like we're the problem, but he's the one who's never here, who doesn't care about what's really going on in our lives!"

Dad's face turned red with anger, and he took a step closer to me. "You think I don't care? You have no idea what I've sacrificed for this family! I've given everything to make sure you have a good life, and this is the thanks I get? Disrespect and backtalk from my own daughter?"

"You don't get it, do you?" I shouted, tears of frustration stinging my eyes. "We don't care about the money or the stuff you buy us! We care about having a father who actually wants to know us, who isn't constantly judging us or trying to control everything! You don't know me, and you don't even care to try!"

The room fell into a tense silence. Mom looked like she was about to cry, while Alex just stared at the floor, fists clenched. Dad's eyes were cold, his jaw tight.

"You're impossible, Lila," he finally said, his voice dangerously low. "You think you know everything, but you're just a spoiled, ungrateful child. You want freedom, but you can't even handle responsibility. You think you're so mature, but all I see is a brat who needs to learn some respect."

I felt something in me snap. All the years of resentment, of feeling like I was never good enough for him, came boiling to the surface. I wanted to scream at him, to say things I knew I'd regret, but I forced myself to hold back.

"Maybe I am a brat," I said, my voice trembling with barely-contained anger. "But at least I'm honest about what I feel. At least I'm not pretending everything's fine when it's not. You can keep living in your perfect little world where money solves everything, but don't expect me to play along."

With that, I turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me. I could hear Mom trying to soothe Dad, her voice wavering as she tried to keep the peace. But I knew it was pointless. Nothing would change.

Upstairs, I collapsed onto my bed, the tears I'd been holding back finally spilling over. I hated that he could get under my skin like this, that he could make me feel so small and worthless. Why couldn't he just see me for who I was, instead of constantly tearing me down?

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on my door. I wiped my eyes, expecting it to be Mom, but when I opened it, Alex was standing there.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, though the tears still clung to my lashes. "Yeah. Just... tired of all this."

He stepped inside and sat next to me on the bed, putting a comforting arm around my shoulder. "I get it, Lila. He's tough, and he never seems to understand. But you're not alone, okay? We're in this together."

I leaned my head against his shoulder, grateful for his support. "Thanks, Alex. I just... I wish things were different."

"Me too," he said softly. "But maybe we can make the most of it. How about we still throw that party? I think we both need a night to forget all this."

I smiled faintly, the idea of the party suddenly seeming like a much-needed escape. "Yeah, let's do it. We deserve to have some fun, even if just for one night."

As we sat there, planning the party and letting go of the tension from the argument, I felt a small sense of relief. Maybe things weren't perfect, and maybe our family was a mess, but at least I had Alex. And for now, that was enough.

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