A Dangerous Friend

A Room With A View

Anyone still reading? Not far to go now.

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They drove towards the West residence in a ponderous silence. Tori's enthusiasm for breaking the news to Mr. West had been founded on the fact that he seemed to like her, it was only now she was beginning to realize that his apparent pleasure in the fact that Jade had found herself a friend was not necessarily going to translate into a fountain of joy at the discovery that his only daughter was gay. Well, gayish. If Jade were to be believed, the only person in the universe she was attracted to was Tori, and she wasn't quite sure how you labeled that. Nevertheless, she was still in uncharted territory. For all she knew, Mr. West had 'views', and they were both about to be tarred and feathered.

Jade, on the other hand, had no such concerns. She knew her dad would be perfectly all right with it. Her disquiet was due to the thought of the colossal smug-fest ahead of them. If there was one thing her dad loved, apart from fishing and - she admitted, grudgingly - her, it was being proved right. She was convinced that if her dad every predicted the apocalypse and it actually happened, the trauma of everything he knew and loved being destroyed in a fiery cataclysm would be nothing compared to the sheer self-satisfaction he'd feel at having been right. This is how the world ends - not with a bang, or a whimper, but a single raised eyebrow. See?

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Mr. West opened the door to find Tori and Jade stood side by side. "Jade," he said. "Tori. How nice to see you."

They both smiled in unison, which gave them a slightly creepy effect. "So, is this a social call?" he said. "Or have you brought the orderlies with you?"

Tori frowned. "Sorry?"

"Just my little joke," Mr. West said. "Jade's planning on having me euthanized so she can get her hands on my money."

"Dad!"

"Jade!"

"I am not!" Jade insisted, as Tori stared at her. She glared at her dad. "Not yet, anyway."

"Then do come in, while we still have a few precious moments."

They followed him into the house. "So, Tori," he said. "Did you enjoy your trip?"

Tori floundered for a moment. "Trip?"

"You went away with your father?"

"Oh." Tori colored at the memory, and avoided Jade's eye. "Um. Yes."

"Always nice to spend a little quality time with your parents," Mr West beamed. "Not many young people are so considerate."

Jade rolled her eyes. "I spend plenty of time here, dad. Anyway, that's not what you said the other night."

"So, girls," he said. "Can I get you anything? Drink?"

"Um... it's a little early for me," Tori said.

"One of the few perks of being a lonely old man in the twilight of his years," Mr. West said, as Jade groaned, "is it gives you the freedom to subvert the rules of society, to break free from the straightjacket of conformity and push the boundaries of normative behavior, to flaunt custom and challenge tradition."

"I'm not sure you can use existential rebellion as an excuse to get tanked at ten in the morning, dad," Jade said. "Anyway, this actually isn't just a social call."

"Oh, I see. Is the wagon on its way? Do I have still have time to feed the cat and write you out of my will?"

"You don't have a cat. Anyway, it's just... me and Tori have something to tell you."