TJ's Plan // Robert Downey Jr.

45 - family disappointment

TW: adult language, mentions of traumas, violence

"Uh... What. What exactly do you mean?", I stuttered, my grip on Elisa's hand getting tighter. I know that she knew I was feeling uncomfortable with his question and the fact that I had no answer to his question..now I knew what Robert meant by his Dad being 'okay'.

It was apparent that he was not fond of the relationship between me and Robert, or he was just joking around. I hoped that he was joking as I looked at him with furrowed brows.

"Listen, nothing against you", he said, taking a sip from his glass of wine. "Robert has had two divorces behind him, obviously he wants to have some fun now and since you're really young – you seem like a good match right now." I looked over to Robert who was glaring at his dad, his expression unrecognizable.

He looked between me and Robert, taking yet another sip. Jenny sighed, scratching her forehead. "Dad, stop drinking for fu-god's sake. You're talking bullshit right now", Robert said quietly. I was still at a loss for what to say, feeling completely exposed and vulnerable. Robert's dad scrutinized me with a critical eye.

"Young girl, you have so much ahead of you, yet you're sitting here with a man who's significantly older than you, what, 10, 20 years? How old are you?", he asked.

I felt offended and wanted to defend myself, but I knew I had to remain composed. "I'm 19, sir," I replied quietly, not meeting his gaze. He scoffed, taking another sip.

"Mr. Downey, I-", I said, regretting it immediately when both Robert and Dad replied at the same time. Robert's dad looked at him with furrowed brows.

"What the fuck?", he said quietly and I bit my lip. Mr. Downey's stern expression made it clear that he was not pleased at all. And when I say not pleased, I mean NOT pleased, because he stood up from the table, his eyes piercing through me.

He glared at us, his face full of anger and disbelief. "Before I go any further with my questions, where did you two meet? Why did you turn your head when she said our last name, Robert? Is this...don't tell me this is one of your students. For heaven's sake, Robert. This is a student of yours, right?" His voice was full of disbelief.

I heard Elisa gasp and Jenny hit her head on the table. I looked over to make sure she was okay, but she was just probably having a time-out like Robert always did. Robert stood up, snatching the glass of wine away from him "Shut up. This doesn't concern you in any wa-" before he could continue, Robert's dad slapped him and I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands. The glass hit the floor, wine spilling all over it.

Okay, that was something I DEFINITELY didn't expect.

"Don't talk to me like that. I wanted you to be a teacher to teach students and not fucking bang them after class.", he was getting angrier and angrier each second that passed.  Elisa's face was getting pale and I was getting worried about her. She seemed shocked, and I didn't know what she was shocked about: either that I was Robert's student or that his dad slapped him. Maybe both.

Jenny stood up, going over to me "Come on, let's go into another room. Let them talk alone", she said quietly, helping me to get up. We quietly left the room, leaving Robert and his dad to talk.

I sat down on the bed, tears escaping from my eyes, feeling like I was the cause of Robert's dad hitting him. Jenny sat down next to me, hugging me. I was sobbing uncontrollably at this point, and Jenny was trying to soothe me."This isn't your fault, Theresa. They've always had their issues. He never approved of any relationship, no matter how old his partner was. He was always this way, don't blame yourself, okay?" Wiping away my tears, she softly added, "He doesn't talk to anyone about that. As his older sister, I've seen their arguments, when he was younger it was worse. Please calm down, Theresa. I understand how uncomfortable this situation is, but don't stress yourself too much, think of the baby."I nodded, putting a hand over my belly. The stress of the situation had been so overwhelming that I felt like I was close to a breakdown.