To Love a Boy ☆ S. Harrington

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𓆉 ⋆.˚𓇼 ⋆.˚𓆟

June 12, 1983 - Long Beach, California

Magnolia took quiet steps toward the side of her house. After seeing the beat up, Toyota truck in the driveway, she knew going through the front door wasn't an option. 

Although coming home a little past two in the morning was never her intention, it was a safer bet that her dad was too busy sleeping to yell at her. She crept to the dark window, opened just enough for her fingers to slide through and push it open the rest of the way. She grabbed the bucket that had been sitting outside her window for almost four years now, and stepped onto it. With a deep breath, she put all her strength into pulling her, slightly inebriated, self into her bedroom. With a thud, her hands and knees made contact with the cheap carpet and the lights turned on–

The lights turned on.

"Where've you been, Magnolia?"

The sound of her father's voices caused her to wince. Through her struggle to reenter the room, she had failed to acknowledge the presence of another person leaning on the doorframe, waiting. Magnolia didn't want to do this right now. She could think of a hundred different things she'd rather be doing at this moment than get lectured by her father, again.

With a small shrug, and a timid voice, she replied, "At a party."

Her eyes never met his, but she could feel the stare of Bobby Henderson burning into her profile.

"We've been over this," he said with a shake of his head. "You're out."

Her eyes would've finally met his, had he not focused his own gaze downwards. "What?" she asked, exasperated, a smile of denial painted on her face. It soon fell as he spoke again.

"I'm not letting you throw your life away, Maggie. You didn't do well your first two years in highschool, fine, we can't change the past. But these habits you have, of running off and disappearing without even so much as telling me. That shit needs to end, that's what the curfew was for."

Magnolia's mouth dropped open. Not in shock, but in desperation for some sort of defense or argument to come out... but she had nothing. So, he continued.

"You're going to be an adult soon, you're going to go to college. How do you expect to get in when you can't even pass your highschool classes! You're smart, Mags, I know you are. I need you to start acting like it."

She nodded and sighed, "I know, Dad, and I will. This year will be different, I promise."

"I know it'll be." her father said, followed by a deep exhale. "I don't think this place is right for you. I think you need a new environment, one with less craziness and excitement. One with more good influences."