home.”
Wow. Nothing makes you feel wanted like hearing people argue over who has to take you. Rosaline reminisced about how things used to be. Shopping trips with Mom and golf lessons with Dad. Sitting around the table discussing their day. Over the past year things had changed, though, and she didn’t think it had been all her fault. Sure she’d been busy with friends and school, but she’d still tried to please her parents. Obviously she’d failed. As much as she tried to joke it away, it stung. They still wouldn’t hear her out—didn’t care what she said about the night she’d ended up in handcuffs. The trust was gone, and she was a problem child they didn’t even want to be around anymore.
And now she’d just peed in a cup so Dafne could test it for drugs. She pushed open the door. “I’m done.”
Dafne stepped inside the bathroom to check the results, and Rosaline sat on her bed.
And I get to do this once a week now. Awesome.
Where did they think she was going to get drugs here? She was in the middle of nowhere, always around Dafne, and it wasn’t like she’d stashed some in a teddy bear or false pocket of her suitcase. When she’d made the same argument to Dafne, her aunt had said, “Sorry, but this is the way it has to be for a while. Your father and mother made it clear that it’s one of the conditions.”
Jeez, I know I’m not perfect—that I did give them reason to doubt me—but they actually think I’m a drugged-out kid. They really don’t know me at all.
“It’s clean.” Dafne re-entered the bedroom and extended the phone to her. “Your parents want to talk to you.”
“No. They want to talk at me. To lecture me on being a failure.” Tears lodged in her throat. “Or maybe I’ll get the threat of military school again.”
Dafne looked sympathetic but still pressed the phone into her hand.
“Hello,” Rosaline said into the phone. She wondered if they’d heard her, and part of her hoped they did.
“You think you can break the rules, go against everything we’ve taught you, and not have any consequences?” Dad asked, his anger seeping through the phone and pressing against her.
So they had heard. Now she wished they hadn’t. “I’ve said I was sorry again and again. I never wanted things to be like this between us, even though they’ve been like this for long before I got into trouble.”
“So now it’s our fault? I’m done, Rosaline. Done with the attitude, done with you making excuses.”
“Yeah, I got that from you sending me as far away as possible.”
“Both of you, stop it right now,” Mom said. It was rare for her to ever chime in on an argument between them. So rare, Rosaline held her tongue.
Dad kept on going, though. “I won’t calm down. Her choices affect us, too. Did you know that before your little stunt I was planning on running for office?”
What? Suddenly he had political aspirations? “How would I know that, Dad? You never talk to me anymore. Besides, I thought we left that to the celebrities these days. And if we’re going by their standards, a daughter who got arrested once is pretty mild.”
“I’m glad it’s all a big joke to you. I have to change my plans for my future, and you’re making snide comments. It’s a good thing you’re not here right now, because I don’t think I could control my anger.” A slam echoed through her ear, then ringing silence.
She was about to hang up, sure Dad had disconnected, when Mom said, “Your father is under a lot of stress right now. It doesn’t help that you never take anything seriously. He had people backing him, promising they’d support him if he decided to run. He’d made them promises, too. Then he had to ask them all for favors to help get you out of trouble.”
Rosaline hung her head, all the fight going out of her. “It was my mistake. I don’t see why it should affect whether or not he decides to get into politics.”
“He knows his opponent and the media will
Wow. Nothing makes you feel wanted like hearing people argue over who has to take you. Rosaline reminisced about how things used to be. Shopping trips with Mom and golf lessons with Dad. Sitting around the table discussing their day. Over the past year things had changed, though, and she didn’t think it had been all her fault. Sure she’d been busy with friends and school, but she’d still tried to please her parents. Obviously she’d failed. As much as she tried to joke it away, it stung. They still wouldn’t hear her out—didn’t care what she said about the night she’d ended up in handcuffs. The trust was gone, and she was a problem child they didn’t even want to be around anymore.
And now she’d just peed in a cup so Dafne could test it for drugs. She pushed open the door. “I’m done.”
Dafne stepped inside the bathroom to check the results, and Rosaline sat on her bed.
And I get to do this once a week now. Awesome.
Where did they think she was going to get drugs here? She was in the middle of nowhere, always around Dafne, and it wasn’t like she’d stashed some in a teddy bear or false pocket of her suitcase. When she’d made the same argument to Dafne, her aunt had said, “Sorry, but this is the way it has to be for a while. Your father and mother made it clear that it’s one of the conditions.”
Jeez, I know I’m not perfect—that I did give them reason to doubt me—but they actually think I’m a drugged-out kid. They really don’t know me at all.
“It’s clean.” Dafne re-entered the bedroom and extended the phone to her. “Your parents want to talk to you.”
“No. They want to talk at me. To lecture me on being a failure.” Tears lodged in her throat. “Or maybe I’ll get the threat of military school again.”
Dafne looked sympathetic but still pressed the phone into her hand.
“Hello,” Rosaline said into the phone. She wondered if they’d heard her, and part of her hoped they did.
“You think you can break the rules, go against everything we’ve taught you, and not have any consequences?” Dad asked, his anger seeping through the phone and pressing against her.
So they had heard. Now she wished they hadn’t. “I’ve said I was sorry again and again. I never wanted things to be like this between us, even though they’ve been like this for long before I got into trouble.”
“So now it’s our fault? I’m done, Rosaline. Done with the attitude, done with you making excuses.”
“Yeah, I got that from you sending me as far away as possible.”
“Both of you, stop it right now,” Mom said. It was rare for her to ever chime in on an argument between them. So rare, Rosaline held her tongue.
Dad kept on going, though. “I won’t calm down. Her choices affect us, too. Did you know that before your little stunt I was planning on running for office?”
What? Suddenly he had political aspirations? “How would I know that, Dad? You never talk to me anymore. Besides, I thought we left that to the celebrities these days. And if we’re going by their standards, a daughter who got arrested once is pretty mild.”
“I’m glad it’s all a big joke to you. I have to change my plans for my future, and you’re making snide comments. It’s a good thing you’re not here right now, because I don’t think I could control my anger.” A slam echoed through her ear, then ringing silence.
She was about to hang up, sure Dad had disconnected, when Mom said, “Your father is under a lot of stress right now. It doesn’t help that you never take anything seriously. He had people backing him, promising they’d support him if he decided to run. He’d made them promises, too. Then he had to ask them all for favors to help get you out of trouble.”
Rosaline hung her head, all the fight going out of her. “It was my mistake. I don’t see why it should affect whether or not he decides to get into politics.”
“He knows his opponent and the media will
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