Guys Our Age (Wattys2017) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Chapter 18: Living In Denial (Hailey)

"Where's Hannah?" I asked Dad as I come out for dinner. "I thought it was her night to cook dinner?"

"She left with Justin a little while ago." He didn't turn to look at me as he did the dishes.

"Oh." I leaned against the counter. "So what's for dinner?"

"Meatloaf." He pointed towards the oven before going back to the dishes.

"Okay." I bit my lip as I thought about say to do next. "I'm sorry about Mom's car."

"It's fine." It wasn't fine. "You two are fine and that's all that matters."

I bowed my head knowing it was my fault the car went into the ditch not Hannah's.

"Am I too hard on you girls?" He asked a few moments later.

"Only when we're in a relationship or rumored to be in one." I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice but by the way his shoulders hunched forward, I failed. "But you just want us to be safe, and you're under the impression every boy just wants to put their dick, if they have one, in everything."

"That's because-"

"You're overprotective because we're closer to being grown women than you would like and terrified of losing us to someone else." I ignore his shocked expression in the window and continued talking. "But, Dad, we're gonna be turning eighteen this month and out of the house in less than a year if we get accepted to colleges that offer room and board. Wouldn't you rather us be stupid now with you under the same roof, or when we're possibly on the other end of the country?"

"I rather you never be stupid." He turned to look at me.

"Dad-" I tried to reason with him, but he just shook his head.

"Hailey, I didn't raise either of you to be dumb girls who threw everything away because some boy entered your life." He stated.

"Just say it." I was done with him.

"Say what?" He asked.

"You don't want us to be like you and Mom." I galnced at the oven when it beeped. "Go ahead and eat. I'm not hungry anymore."

*****

"Sorry I didn't tell you I left." Hannah apologizes in Dad's class.

"It's fine." I told her as I unlocked my phone.

"What's going on?" Hannah moved down a row and sat in Mason's usual spot.

"Nothing, just checking something." I looked over at the Gym doors to make sure Dad wasn't entering.

"Checking what?" Hannah flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Seeing if you have a text from your boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." I muttered as I clicked on the basketball schedule.

"Where's the arm candy?" Sophia sat on my other side and tried to see what I was looking at.

"Who?" I moved my phone closer to my body.

"Mason." Sophia and Hannah said together.

"Maybe you two are twins." I groaned internally when I saw that there was a game on the eighteenth. "Goddamnit."

"What?" Hannah asked as Sophia jabbed my side.

"Nothing." I turned my phone off and dropped it in my bag as Dad came in.

"Come on." Han whispered.

"Shh." I pushed her away while Dad took attendance. "I don't want to get yelled at."