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Chapter 15: Hormonal Teenager

"Absolutely not."

"But—"

"No."

"Dad!"

"Chloe, I'm not changing my mind. The answer was no a minute ago, and it's still no now."

"Dad, we're not gonna do anything!"

"Exactly, so why go there in the first place?"

"I meant anything like that!" I explained without actually explaining. I sighed, frustrated. "Don't you trust me?"

Parker scoffed from the couch. "Of course he doesn't trust you, Chloe. You're a hormonal teenager."

I glared at my brother. "I'm not a hormonal—" I'd begun to argue before realizing it was a lost cause. "Just... Shut up!"

"You shut up," he muttered, turning back to the TV.

I looked back at our father, but he was prepared. "Chloe," he said calmly, "my decision has been made, and it won't be altered. I will not let you spend New Year's Eve alone with your boyfriend."

"I thought you trusted Logan!" I exclaimed, understanding that the 'trusting me' question wouldn't work on my dad. I had to find another way to change his mind.

"Oh, stop it!" he exclaimed, only succeeding in sounding as if he was telling me to stop being silly. I hated being treated like a child. "I trust the both of you," he continued, "just not alone in his house with no supervision whatsoever, especially on New Year's Eve."

"You're being unfair!" I yelled at him, stung. No matter what he said, I knew he didn't trust me to take care of myself. So, I said the only thing I could think of at the moment that had the potential to truly feel like a slap in the face: "I'm not you, Dad!"

I only had the time to see the shock and hurt on his face before I stormed out of the room and into mine, slamming the door shut behind me.

-/~\-

I was watching a video of Kelsey's latest piano recital when someone knocked on my door. Half an hour had gone by since the argument with my dad, and I'd just begun to calm down. Despite my nonexistent drawing skills, drawing a demon eating my dad's left arm had helped. Keeping my eyes trained on Kelsey's fingers as they danced on the keys, I yelled at whoever was on the other side of the door to go away.

"I just got here," my aunt's muffled voice was heard through the thick door. "Mind telling me why your dad seems so upset?"

I rolled my eyes. "Why don't you ask him?"

"He doesn't seem up for lots of talking."

"Do I look more open to conversation?"

"I don't know," she retorted. "I can't see you." Sighing deeply, I shut off my phone and got up from my bed to open the door. I glared at Cora, who narrowed her eyes and chuckled. "Nope, you don't look like you want to talk either." I was about to shut the door in her face when she pushed her way past me and sat on my bed. "So, tell me. I'm gone for two hours and suddenly everyone's in a foul mood. I thought this thing with your brother was over."

"This isn't about Parker," I said, shutting the door. I knew better than to try and kick my aunt out of my room. The last time I had tried, I'd been about twelve, and she'd managed to knock down my door in a single kick. She'd had to pay for a new door as well as a new frame after my dad had yelled at her for the longest time, but I knew she'd be willing to do it again, and I'd learned my lesson. "It's about Logan."

She frowned, concern showing all over her face. "Did you two have a fight? If you did, then maybe I don't like him all that much, after all."

I shook my head, sitting back down on my bed, my legs crossed. "No, Logan and I are fine—"