A Long Road Ahead

Chapter 1

"Massi!" I laugh. "We need to take this seriously, I have to be home in less than a half hour." I remind him.

As far as my parents know, I am at a study group that ends in twenty minutes.

That isn't a complete lie. I am studying. Just not with a group.

I am with my boyfriend, who as far as they know, does not exist.

Massi's parents work full time and are never home until five, so, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I go to a 'study group' until four thirty, as I have every week for the past four years.

"Chloe, I think we have done enough for the day, can we just be done now?" He asks me.

"Sure." I quickly agree, we have already been preparing for this test for an hour and a half today, so I am ready to be done. And after this history test tomorrow, school is over as it is the last grade to go into the books for any of my classes.

I am still kind of upset she is making us take a test on the second to last day of school though.

Quickly, I shove all my things into my backpack that sits on the floor near us.

I then pull my feet up onto the couch and bring myself closer to Massi. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me close as I lean against him.

It makes me sad that we can only be like this for twenty minutes.

All I want is to just sit here for hours, spending time with Massi. I don't even care if all we are doing is sitting in silence, I just want to be here, I just want to be with him.

After about two minutes, I am asleep.

I am woken up by Massi whispering my name on repeat.

"I'm awake now." I tell him, knowing that the time for me to leave must have arrived already.

I just find it so easy to fall asleep next to him, I just feel so safe, and happy when I am near him.

As quickly as I can, I gather all my belongings, not wanting to leave, but knowing I need to get home before my parents call me, asking me why I am not home yet.

"Bye, I love you." Massi tells me, giving me a tight hug followed by a short kiss to follow it.

"I love you too." I tell him, and at that, I am out the door.

Quickly, I throw my backpack in the passenger seat of my car and head off to my house where my parents will be waiting for me.

I hate my parents

I hate how discriminatory they are.

It isn't even like we live in a racist place. In fact, it is just the opposite, the city is so diverse and accepting. The thoughts of my parents are definitely not what aligns with the thought of most people locally.

It has been three years and nine months. Nearly four years. Yet, they still have no clue that Massi even exists.

They would never accept him and I together.

They would never care how much I love him, or how kind, funny, and amazing he is. None of that matters to them.

All they would see is that he is black. Then they would disown me.

Massi's parents would not be too happy either, but we have both agreed that my parents are going to be the issue when it comes time to say something.

His parents will get over it at some point, mine will never talk to me again.

With college starting in just a matter of months, we know we need to tell them sometime soon.

If it were just up to him, we would have just gotten it over with years ago.

I just knew we had to wait a while. Once I tell them, I am going to get kicked out of my house.

I know that telling them this will be the last thing I ever say to them.

I don't care that I am never going to talk to my parents again after I tell them about Massi.

He is the most important thing to me, and I will always chose him over the side of my racist parents.

For the past two year we have both been working all the hours we can, saving up for the inevitable disowning that will soon come, once we tell our parents about each other.

Well, he probably won't get disowned or kicked out of his house. But I will. And I don't want to feel like a burden for his parents.

We are going to have to pay for food, shelter, and school.

The thousands we have saved up between the two of us is going to be gone in an instant. All I have earned from those hours I have spent, coaching the girls at the all-star cheer gym I go to will be gone in the blink of an eye.

Luckily, the city we live in has a rather large, and very good, university in it that we each got accepted to. So, luckily that means we can stay here, not worry about moving to a new city, all while getting a great education from one of the best schools in the state.

"Hey, Chloe, how was study group?" My mother asks me as I walk through the front door and into the kitchen.

"It was great, I am ready to ace this history test." I tell her.

"That's great! And prom is in two days, then graduation! You are getting so old Chloe!" My mother exclaims to me.

"I know, it really did fly by." I tell my mother, high school seemed to go by in an instant, it all went so fast.

At that, I head up to my room so I can throw all of my school materials in there and take my shoes off.

After putting all of my things away and taking my shoes off, I just lie on my bed doing nothing for a half hour until I am called down for dinner.

"You had a good day, Chloe?" My dad greets me as I enter the dining room where the two of them are already sat with their food.

"Yes, I did, how about you?" I ask my father as I make my plate and join them at the table.

"It was rather okay." He tells me.

My father is rather high up in the company he works for, making most of his days rather stressful, he is always relieved to come home.

Dinner is filled will small talk and useless conversation that I partake in just to get it over with quicker.

After eating, I head back up to my room, ready to meet with my phone again after the long twenty five minutes I just spent without it.

The whole 'no phones at the dinner table' rule my parents have is just stupid, I think at least.

I am not addicted to my phone or anything. I am just a clingy girlfriend who wants to talk to her boyfriend at every given chance.

And it's not like we get to see each other as much as we would like. It is hard to find a time where we are both not working, not at school, and when we can both sneak out at the same time. 

We had always agreed that 'the summer after senior year' was when we would finally tell our parents.

But now that it is two days away, I have no idea what to do.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is perfection. It's so amazing.

Also, this book is meant to give a serious message.

I decided to write this months ago.

I came up with this idea because my grandparents are rather prejudice. I wanted to write a book about how there is still so much wrong with people in this world.

This book is mainly about Chloe's battle with her parents, her own morales, and her heart.

Also, I love this couple so much and they are goals and the cutest thing ever and also I want to marry my own character.

But I hope you enjoy and take in the very valuable message of this book.

Just to be clear, that message is 'screw racism'.

Because screw racism.

And homophobia, and literally ever other discriminatory practice there is.