Keeping Jemima

Am I being harsh?

Matty

I stomped back to Tom and Max's room, annoyed. I didn't want to be the stick in the mud father finger telling her she couldn't have fun with her friends but at the same time she was just so fragile, mentally and physically. She'd been doing so much better and had put weight on, but it was a work in progress still. I'd be stupid if I thought otherwise, problems and issues as big as Jemima's were not fixable over months it would take years, deep down I knew that, I'd been coming to terms with that over the last month, I wasn't convinced Jemima had come to terms with it though, I think she thought she was putting weight on so everything was good, things were far from good. I was still working on getting her to restart therapy when we get back for a start.

"What's up with you?" Tom asked
"Either of you know about a festival called rush?" They both shook their heads baffled
"We playing a festival? I thought we turned them all down this year? Summers over, bit late for music festivals in England init? Did I forget again?" Max asked
"No it's where peter wants to take Jem, she's bloody packing her stuff up with posh boy! I told her no. Am I being harsh? I've never even heard of this rush! They won't even tell me where it is!"
"Google it then dumbass!" Tom waved his arms at me
"Already on it" max mumbled not looking up from his phone "shit, did you say rush?"
"Yeah why, it's not some weird sex cult thing is it, oh god please tell me it's not a dance around a camp fire naked like a hippie where they have sex orgy and eat magic mushrooms festival!"
"Dude, posh boy would never go somewhere like that" Tom laughed at me "he doesn't even like taking his shirt off in front of us, he goes the shade of tomato and looks like he wants the ground to swallow him whole! Even in the pool. He's a good looking lad, god knows why he's so shy."
"No, it's a secret festival, different place each year. You only get the location the morning of the festival. Notorious for underage drinking, damn it they drug busted it five years ago, a fourteen year old overdosed and died!"

"Shit! Right how do I handle this boys? I've already threatened to lock her on the tour bus! It didn't work, mr kinky was helping her pack these tiny lace things"
"Things?" Tom scrunched his face at me
"You know sexy time underwear!" I ushered comically through gritted teeth
"What!" Max sat up to attention "the little shit! We can't let her go on a shagathon camping trip to a drug and drink filled festival Matty!"
"Shagathon?"
"Something I heard Tammy say" he brushed off "she's been seriously ill matty! Camping is last on the list of things she should be doing, no having a shagathon is last on the list! We've got to stop him."
"Dude stop saying shagathon! What does that even mean!"

We got Ed, milo and jack to come over to discuss our next move together, I had no clue how to handle this, I even called Sandra for some parental advice. I was thankful for help over the past two years, she always answered the phone no matter what time it was. I'd even accidentally said ok thanks mum bye love you the other week, we both didn't hang up and were silent, it was the first time I'd called her mum in a non jokey way, with any meaning behind it. I shed a tear when she eventually replied with a chocked up I love you too son, anytime, look after our girl, you're doing a good job and I'm proud of you, your dads proud of you too, we both are. Bye Matty. I think she told Tom because he came bundling into the dressing room saying he loved me randomly, tackling me into a bro hug.

"It says it's happening tomorrow Matty, I found the secret web page" max pointed at his phone "you don't get the location unless you have a ticket though, then you have to follow this trail thing to find it, like clues that they text you, a Err what's it called...scavenger hunt! That's it!"
"You want me to go with them Matty?" Jack offered "I can get you out of the promo work this weekend I reckon."
"I don't want her bloody going at all!"
"You want me to sit on her then?" Jack laughed "you know our fruit loop won't come quietly if she doesn't want to!"
"Wouldn't surprise me if....." Ed trailed off looking at me "errrr Matty"
"What?"
"You don't think she'd sneak off do you?"
"Shit! He had road trip snacks with him!" I darted out of the room and along the corridor back to mine and Jem's room.