Alterity

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Around the start of winter break, my dad's attitude towards me begins to change. At first, I figure that it's just built-up job stress and his seasonal depressive problems that typically start around late-November. As it turns out, I am very wrong.

I'm sitting in bed, watching Netflix on my iPad when all of a sudden Dad walks into my room. He gives me a wave to get my attention, pulling up my desk chair next to the bed.

"Hey." He says, sitting down. "Put the tablet down. We need to talk."

Confused, I nod and put my iPad off to the side. On the rare occasions my dad wants to talk about something one-on-one, it is hardly ever good news. However, my grades and test scores have all been decent and we haven't hardly any extended interactions, so I've no idea what he wants to discuss with me.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I just had a question for you." He says, giving a small smile that doesn't seem all that sincere.

"Ok. What is it?"

"I've been wondering: Who is this person that you've been spending so much time with recently?"

I raise my eyebrows. "Do you mean Erik?"

He nods, looking down at the floor for a moment. "Erik, right. And who is he exactly?"

I am overcome with immediate panic: My chest tightens, breathing becomes strained and each heartbeat begins to hurt. I tell myself that there's no way he could know anything about Erik—we have been so careful.

I swallow, preparing my lie. "He's my best friend."

Dad nods again, maintaining powerful eye-contact with me. "Best friend, huh? And that's all he is?"

Heart beating faster, I nod my head, trying desperately to seem calm.

"Really?" He says, reaching into his pocket.

To my complete horror, he pulls my cellphone from his pocket, holding it up to me and dangling it in the air in a taunting fashion—the way TV bullies do when they've stolen someone's inhaler or something.

"Because I looked through your phone." Says Dad.

All the air leaves my lungs and a cold sweat breaks out all over my body. I am so unbelievably shocked and afraid that I find myself frozen in place, desperately trying to think of something to say. Dad nods again, grinning slightly, almost as if to say That's right. I know. And then he shouts something at me verbally with such fury that I am unable to read his lips, while simultaneously throwing my cellphone at me.

I raise my arms up defensively but not in time, and one corner of the phone pegs me in the forehead. A burst of dull pain hits me immediately that I feel down the right side of my jaw. I put my hand to my forehead where the phone hit me and it comes away slightly bloody. Knowing it'll just make him angrier, I try so hard not to, but both the shock and overwhelming emotion of the situation are just too much, and I begin to cry.

"Are you insane?!" Dad says, beginning to sign again. "Going out with other guys?!"

I try to lie; to tell him that it's not what he thinks but he cuts me off right away.

"Don't you dare try and bullshit me right now."

Crying even harder, all I can do is say I'm sorry over and over again. I cover my face with my hands to hide my tears and shame, but the second I do so, he slaps the side of my head.

"LOOK AT ME!" He says. "This is done, do you understand? You are never to talk to or see that kid again!"

My whole body shaking, I nod quickly.

"And if I find out the two of you are hanging out together, believe me when I say that I'll have no problem pulling you out of The Ducharme School, and you can go to a mainstream hearing school and read lips all day. Understand me?"

I nod again, crying so hard I start to gag a little.

Dad shakes his head, looking me up and down with total disgust. "Good."

He stands up to leave before turning around and grabbing both my iPad and my cellphone—that he'd just thrown at my face—and tucking them under his arm. "And these are mine now."

He leaves the room and the second the door closes, I throw up.