Fat Chance

Caught

You might be surprised to find out that I didn't flake on the promises I made back in California, the promise to better myself. 

I stayed strong (with the encouragement of Wyatt) and didn't resume being Alecia. 

I told the dozens of guys who messaged Quinn's kik looking for Alecia the truth, that I had been lying to them. Some of them were mad, some were sad, and some couldn't care less. Nonetheless, it was a tough pill to swallow, and I'm proud of myself.

But this wasn't the only area of my life I was bringing change into. 

I started by talking to my parents. 

When I got home, I ended up just staying up until my parents awoke, just so that I could talk to them sooner. 

"Oh," my Mom said when she saw me sitting on the couch. "You're back. How was California?" 

I was surprised she even asked me how my trip was, so I took that as a good sign. 

"Good. How have things been going around here?"

"Decent."

Behind her, I saw my Dad and Alex walking up the stairs. Good, I could talk to them both at once. 

"Hi Dad, Hi Alex," I called. 

My Dad jerked his head up in surprise. "Quinn! You're Home!"

"Yep," I said forcing a smile. 

He asked me about my trip and tried to act interested in what I was saying, but I could tell he would have rather been listening to a farmer talk about the different types of fertilizer he used on his farm within the past few months and how each affected his crop outcome then hear about the weather in San Francisco. 

"So listen," I said. "I need to talk to you guys about something, and it's kind of serious."

Instantly, both of my parents looked at each other, fear in their eyes. 

"What is it?" my Dad asked. 

"Maybe we should go in another room," I said, gesturing to Alex. 

My mom nodded. "Alex, do you wanna watch Max and Ruby?"

After my mom got Alex situated in the living room, we all went into the kitchen to talk. 

"Listen," I started, getting right to the point. "I want to say that I don't appreciate how much you've treated me like shit for no reason over these past few years."

Both of my parents jaws hit the floor. After they recovered from their shock, they jumped right to defending themselves. 

"Now wait just a minute-" my father started. 

"That's hardly a fair accusation-" my mother cried. 

I put my hand up to silence them. "Let me talk, for once in my life, LISTEN to me."

Surprisingly, the obeyed, and sat back to let me talk. 

"Ever since I was very young, I was treated like a nobody. Like someone who wasn't worth love, or kindness, or tenderness. I was always just the retard, the fat kid, the ugly duckling. You let fancy words from doctors and venom filled gossip influence how you treated your own daughter. You let what was in my mind and what was on the outside influence whether or not you were going to treat me with decency, instead of looking into my heart, and seeing that I was just a normal little girl, who loved her parents and wanted that same love back. 

I was never good enough for you guys. No matter what I would do, I could never make you love me. I thought parents were supposed to love you unconditionally, no matter what happened, but as I became more and more of an outcast, you started to treat me more and more like I wasn't your child, but merely a stranger that deserved nothing more than a disinterested glance here and there.