Angel (H.S AU)

Chapter Two

Here I am, back home. I approached the front door of my child hood home and knocked. It feels so strange to knock on the door to your home. Moments later, the door opened, and my parents greeted me. 

"Hi, sweety!" They pulled me into a hug, and my father grabbed my bags, taking them to my room. "Hi, mum. How are you?" I asked. She looks amazing, as usual. I've always wondered why she despises the modelling career so much when she herself could be a model, even at the age of 45. She is so thin and beautiful.

"I'm good, and you?" I shrug, "Alright, a bit tired." I smile. "Do you mind if I take a nap?" She nods, "That's fine, love. Dinner should be ready when you wake up." I give her another hug before going to my room, and on my way there I run into my father.

"How are you, Alexa?" I nod, "I'm good." He sighs, "And how's work?" I knew it wouldn't be long before the topic of my job comes up. My dad isn't so negative about it like my mother, but I know he still wishes I would've chosen a 'better career' as they would say. 

"Great, actually. I'm really enjoying it." He forces a smile, "That's good." We stand there in awkward silence. This always happens when we talk about my job, I wish they would just let it go.

"I'm going to have a nap." I say. "Okay." He heads back downstairs and I go to my room. It still looks exactly how it was when I left it. The same bed cover, same pictures, everything is the same. I know my parents which I'd come home, and they leave my room like this in hopes that I will, but I know I won't be coming home any time soon. 

-

After a refreshing nap, I can smell the amazing scent of a homescooked meal. There's nothing quite like the smell, I've missed it so much. Especially my mothers cooking, it is absolutely amazing.  I rush downstairs and fins the table set and dinner being served.

"You're right on time." My mother says, smiling. I take a seat and start to serve up my food. My parents come and sit at the table, joining me.

"So, Alexa, we wanted to talk to you about something." My father starts off. I look up at him and see my mother and him exchanging looks. This doesn't sound good.

"Uhm, okay..." I say, unsure what they are talking about. My mother clears her throat.

"You know how we feel about your.. career." She says, using a dramatic pause to make it clear what she thinks about my job. I nod, "Yeah, and?" I shove some food in my mouth to stop myself saying something I will regret.

My mother goes to talk again, but hesitates and eventually my dad speaks for her. "We've signed you up to work at the Mental Health clinic for a few months." If I hadn't just swallowed my mouthful of food, I surely would've spat it out. They did not sign me up to work at a Mental Health clinic. They wouldn't, I tell myself.

I laugh, "Very funny." They both sigh, "It's not a joke, Alexa." My mother says, with a serious look on her face. "This will be good for you."

"Are you kidding me? I have a job, I can't just work at a clinic for a few months, you do realise that, righ? This is riculous. What on earth makes you think this will be good for me?" I stop myself saying anything more.

"You need a touch of reality, Alexa." My mother says. Do they think I am a child or something? They can't decide this for me.

"You can't control my life." I say. My father frowns, "Alexa, you need to do this." I'm honestly still in shock that they think they can do this to me. "It'll be good for you to have a proper job, too." My mother adds. 

"You can't do this! I have a job!" I shout. I take a deep breath, in attempt to calm myself down. "I'm not doing it." 

"We've already signed you up." My mother says.

"Well, too bad."

"Alexa." My mother says sternly.

"No." I know simply saying no won't do anything, but it's worth a shot.

"You're doing this. You start next week." My mother says. She continues to eat as if this is such a casual thing. I'd really love it if my parents would just be happy for me. I wish they'd let me have my modelling career. Maybe it won't be a good career choice in the future, but life is about learning lessons and making mistakes. They are constantly controlling me, and it's not fair.

"I have things on next week!" In my mind i run through the photoshoots and other jobs I have next week and start to freak out. Megan will kill me. This will potentially ruin my whole modelling career. I will have to cancel on so much, and it'll give me a bad name. This will ruin my career, in fact, that's probably why my parents are doing this to me.

"Well, you'll have to cancel. You're doing this, and we don't want to hear another word about it." My father says. I go to speak, but he stops me. "Not another word." I huff and go back to eating my food. I avoid eye contact with my parents for the rest of dinner.

I don't know why they actually think they have the right to do this to me. This is insane! When I finish my dinner, I take my plate to the kitchen and wash it up before returning to my room, slamming the door - loud, so that my parents will hear my frustration.

I grab my phone and instantly text Megan, telling her everything that's happened. I put my phone down while I wait for a reply. I close my eyes and try to calm down. It's just a few months, and it will fly by, I'm sure. I take a deep breath, and hear my phone buzz.

*You have jobs next week! You can't do this!* Trust me, Megan, I know.

*I have no choice.*

I shut off my phone and put it away. I just need to shower and sleep right now. I can feel my stress levels getting higher and higher by the minute. Only a few months, I remind myself again. But why on earth, out of all things, would they sign me up for a mental health clinic? I mean, what do I know about mental health. This literally feels like a dream, it's not normal for someones parents to just sign them up for this kind of thing. I know any logical person would simply say 'no' and just go home, but my parents would not allow that,

The biggest problem is the fact that they are my financial support. My work does earn me good money, but not quite enough to live off without any support just yet. So knowing them, if I say no to this I will lose all support and be unable to live.

After having a shower, I hop in bed and close my eyes, hoping to relieve some of the worries going through my mind. I hear my parents arguing downstairs. Dad is saying maybe it's not a good idea, and then mum is telling him 'I need a touch of reality, it'll be good for me', as she said to me earlier. In actual fact, I don't need a touch of reality. I know what real life is like, I'm living alone at the age of 19, if that isn't reality, please tell me what is. 

I attempt to drain out their voices and eventually fall asleep.