No Strings Attached || Grayson Dolan

5. THE ONE WITH THE PARENTS

December 7th
POV Lydia
"Welcome home honey, how was your day?" Mom says as soon as I come inside the door that day. I'm still trying to progress what happened today, come to think of it it's really weird.

"It was fine" I reply and Lacey comes running towards me, throwing herself on me "hey baby"

"Have you heard anything from Yale yet?" Mom asks and I give her a 'really?' look.

"Mom, it's still December. I sent my application like a week ago"

"I know, I'm just so excited because my little baby is gonna go to Yale" she says and dances over to me, embracing me in a warm hug. I think my mom is living her teenage years through me in some ways, since she never had her own after she had me when being 17. She had high ambitions for her life just as me, but teen pregnancy changes things. She never went to college, and it makes her so happy that I'm hoping to attend one of the best colleges in the country. Now she's a receptionist, she isn't too happy with it but at least it puts food on the table.

"Thank you mom" I say as we let go and I start going up the stairs "I have to study so... just yell when the food is ready"

"Work hard! It'll all be worth it honey!" She says as I'm already in my room. Gosh, I know that she only wants the best for me but I don't know for how much longer I can take listening to her talking about college. Sometimes it's like it is her dream, not mine. I'm tired of her acting like the only way I'm good enough is if I get into Yale. Cory is nothing like this, which is so nice. At least I have someone to talk about college with without being pressured.

I connect my phone to my speaker and play my favorite band, Twenty One Pilots. Their songs has helped me through the hardest periods of my life. I open my text books but I just can't focus on history, my mind is always somewhere else. Like on Grayson, I can't believe we have a sex deal. What was I thinking?

How did I even plan to keep this from everyone? But I also know I have to, I can't risk to loose everything I've worked so hard on getting by ruining my reputation. I think I have to tell Sierra, but I don't know how. I know for a fact that Grayson is gonna tell ethan, so how much could it hurt if I tell Sierra? But I can't just call her and say that I'm fucking Grayson, right? That'd be weird.

Suddenly there's a knock on my door, which is weird since my family usually leaves me alone when I'm studying.

"Come in" I say and in comes Cory, looking a bit tired after a long day at work. "Oh, hey"

"Hey. I just wanted to talk to you a bit about your mom's behavior right now. I just wanted to make sure that you don't feel pressured by her talking about college all the time" he says and sits down besides me on the bed. This is what I meant when I said that Cory has a different attitude about college.

"Not really, it's just gets annoying after a while. Sometimes I feel like college is all that matters to her"

"It's not, Lyd. She only wants best for you" he explains and I nod.

"I know that, it's just that for me it seems like it when all she's talking about is college. Right now I feel like you are my safe place, I feel like you don't care as much. You talk to me as if I wasn't a to-be Yale student but as a teenager who hasn't figured life out at all" I admit and dad puts an arm around me. I put my head on his shoulder, this man really is my safe place.

"Mom loves you just as you are, you need to know that. You're not a failure if you don't get accepted to Yale, mom would still be proud of you" he says and strokes my back.

"I know she does" I mumble because deep down I know everything he says is true, and I love her too. I know that I probably will get accepted to Yale, but too her it seems like that's all that matters.

"I will go talk to Emily right now" he stands up and goes to my door "study hard kiddo"

"Will do" I laugh and salute him as he leaves the room. I open the book again, but I have to admit that I don't get much studying done.
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