Bet Me

Chapter 4

James POV

"You wanted to see me?" I sit on a leather chair in the living room of my dads house. I only found myself here when I needed something, or when my dad practically made me. Today. my dad had made me. I had my arms folded across my chest, slouching with my legs wide open, clearly not showing any manners. I knew what this was about.

"Yes James, your mother called I---"

I sit up about to get up from the couch. I didn't want to hear about this.

He extends his hand out, flat and strong as if he was pushing up against an invisible wall. "You're not going anywhere, this isn't just about your mother." His eyes were furious. He presses his lips together as he puts his hands behind his back, pacing slowly back and forth his eyes fixed on the ground. I felt like I was in the high school principles office again. I just wanted to get out of here.

"Look whatever it is dad, I'll do better next time I promise." Clearly lying, I would've said anything at that moment to get out of there. 

"Son." His eyes met mine. He may be across the room but the disappointment in his eyes sure feel like he is right in front of me.  "What are you doing with your life?"

"That's easy I--"

"Get caught wasted at parties?" He holds up the newspaper with a picture of me from the other night. I was passed out on the couch, with a bottle of vodka in my hand. "Look son, you gotta do something with your life. Imagine how bad this makes me look?" My father is a very successful known business man, it isn't much of a surprise that he would be disappointed. 

"So? You  don't care about me then? You rather see me sober because it looks better for your reputation?" I roll my eyes about to get up from the couch again.

"If you walk out of that door, you're not going to have an apartment anymore." His voice raises. 

I sit back down halfway off the couch. My eyes fixed on to his. 

"Okay son, you're a junior in college. What's your major?"

"Uh- Well I was thinking about--" I sigh. "I don't know"

My dad folds his arms across his torso, a hand on his forehead. Although he looked frustrated at my response, I didn't care. I didn't want to be here explaining my lifestyle to him.

"Okay son, I tell you what you're going to do."

Oh boy. I roll my eyes for the hundreth time it seems. 

"If you can't find a major by the end of the month, I'm done paying for your college tuition."

I stand up, this time out of shock from those words. My dad has never said something and not followed through with it. 

"You're really going to do that? What if I can't find anything?"

A lady walks into the room, a black pencil skirt and a white baggy blouse. With those loud clanky high heels, you could hear her from a mile away. My eyes roll again, a frequent habit. One of dad's new girlfriends I have yet to meet. Father like son, right? Although I'm not the girlfriend type.

"Hey Nora do you mind?" My dad tries to say as she puts her hand on his shoulder about to say something.

"Hey, that's fine. Look dad, I understand the jist of it so  I'm gonna get out of here. See ya." I get up and finally make my way to the front door. It felt too good to be true that I finally was allowed to leave.  My hand about to twist open the door, but not until my dad has his final words. 

"Remember our talk, James."

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"Can you believe him?!"  I  pace back and forth my room, similar to how my dad was doing earlier. I sometimes reminded myself of him.

"James I--"

"You know what's incredible? The first thing he said was how I was ruining his reputation. Oh big whoop, I got on the cover of a newspaper. NEWSPAPER. So what? What about all of those celebrities that get caught on television?"

"Well James--"

"He said I wasn't doing anything with my life. If I don't decide on a major by the end of the month, he's going to stop paying my tuition. Ohhh his girlfriend Nora came at the right time."

"James you--"

"Oh and he tried bringing my mother up into all of this. I won't talk to her. He can't make me ever."

"JAMES!"

I snap back to reality. I examine Katie on my bed. Her lingerie is clinging to her body so perfectly. The blankets are messed up in the bed she lay on. We were making out earlier, but in the admist of it all, I stopped her. The conversation from earlier wouldn't leave my mind and I had to get it out, somehow. 

"Oh I'm sorry Katie." I stroll back over to the bed but she stops me.

"No, no. That's fine. I was going to say, maybe he's right." She now sits up on my bed, tying her shiny dirty blonde hair back with a black elastic.

"How could you say that?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked down as I run my hand through my hair. Wearing nothing but my Calvin Klein boxers. 

"Look, you don't work.."

"Do you?" I shot back defensively. 

"No but--"

"Katie he's out to get me!"

"Would you just listen?"

I fold my arms across my chest, then I remember I'm reminding myself of my father again so I drop them back down.

"You don't work, you're getting a free ride to a damn good college.  You party every night. You get any and every girl you want. Yet you don't even know what you want to do with your life. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of college?"

I sit on the edge of the bed as I grab my jeans to slip them back over my legs. I pick my shirt up from the bed and put it over my torso.

"Where are you going?"

"Out"

"Fine James. Run from your dad, your mother, your issues. Run from it all. But I think you're a lot more broken than you put yourself to believe. The partying? The hookups? Is that really how you want to live your life? Have you never thought about settling down? What about a girlfriend?"

"Look Katie. I'm going to go so just get your shit out of my apartment and leave." I slam the door furiously behind me. 

"You had a choice you douche bag!" I hear an angry Katie with the sound of what sounded like a purse or shoe thrown at the door. 

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AN: Question of the day: What's your favorite color?