Backstreet Boy

|Chapter 51: In Love with a Backstreet Boy|

Isabella

"What's going on?" I queried softly, looking at each of my parents' faces and then to Abigail. She refused to even glimpse in my direction because apparently, something in her lap had attracted a disproportionately high part of her enthrallment.

"Sit down please, Isabella," Mother said. "We would all like to talk to you about the past few months."

My stomach dropped, my chest deflated and my throat began constricting. Heart hammering exceedingly against my chest and having it reverberate in my ears, I sat down on the free sofa and looked at my parents. I dropped my bag on the floor next to me and let my mouth stay shut. Aware of their penetrating gazes, I was conflicted to whether I should act innocent or just come right out and confess everything. In the end, I opted with just silence.

"We've given you time after time to explain yourself, Isabella, but I'm afraid, you've been hiding too much from us and it's tearing us apart. These lies have to cease otherwise it could truly tear this family apart."

As much as I found it odd that Father was home already, I retained my silence and let Mother continue her seminar because when she starts, you never want to interject. Her face becomes rather blotchy with patches of crimson and even sometimes burgundy. Her lips become virtually non-existent due to how pursed they become.

"That night you were late back home after the business meeting for the pier, you saw this boy, didn't you? And you were late arriving to the meeting. You saw him first there, didn't you?" Mother began.

Father kept his eyes on his lap. It seems he was too incredulous to even look up and ashamed of his daughter. Right now, I felt like I had nothing to be apologetic for. I've fallen in love and it's made me the happiest I have been in a long time. This family's foundations had cracked long before I met Jason, but that was merely aiming the gun and even when we fell in love, the trigger was pulled. The cracks split completely.

"Then when you went to the garage he works at the next day, you didn't go to the one in The Valley," continued Mother. Her hands were clasped in her lap. "You went to his garage. Then it was the party. You lied to me about it. You said it was just a few girls and instead, it was nearly half of the population of your year in school. And who else should be there? That boy from The District. And you... canoodled with him, didn't you? Miles came back and told us. We thought you'd see sense afterwards and cease all contact, but I was wrong. I put my trust in the wrong child, didn't I?"

"Mother-"

"Don't "Mother" me!" she snapped, her face in the early stages of blotchiness. "He's from The District! He'll bring shame on our family, you know that, don't you? But you still went with him! And then you thought you'd concoct this plan. Have him amend his identity to someone in The Valley and bring him home, get him to meet us. He was still that boy. You betrayed our trust!"

"You liked him!" I said, indignation bubbling inside of me. "When I brought Jason home, you all liked him!"

"Because you lied to us about his status! You have embarrassed us, Isabella! You have brought shame on our family! This has been going on for months, hasn't it? Behind our backs. You've been laughing at us together, haven't you? You liked the thrill in keeping it hidden. It made it exciting, did it? Running around with a lowlife criminal who is inferior to us?"

"Who the fuck cares about status?" I snapped back, blurting out forbidden profanity because I could stop myself.

"Don't talk to your mother like that!" Father hissed, head snapping up and his eyes narrowing. He was glaring intently at me. If looks could kill, I mused.