Chapter 23- The Parents

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

My parents are coming to stay. For my birthday.

My mother sent me a text yesterday, obviously written by my father (who has probably figured out by now that I can't get his messages since I blocked him).

All her message said was... Alexis, your father and I are coming to stay for your 26th birthday. We have a few things to discuss, for example your evident failure to do anything useful and the fact you are still single. Make sure we have a place to sleep, we are already stooping low enough to sleep in a tiny shack, we shall not be sleeping on the floor.... Or a sofa bed.

Your Mother

I keep reading it and trying to figure out a polite way to say... no you may not fucking come and stay in my apartment. Plus, how dare he call my apartment a shack.

I tap my fingernails on my breakfast bar in a satisfying rhythm and throw down my phone.

If that wasn't the only way I could contact Lucia and Alice.... and Theo, then I would smash it to pieces. My parents suck. My father more than my mother. But I could accidentally spill a can of gasoline over both of them, set them on fire and not give two fucks.

My doorbell rings and I get up to open the door. When I do, all I see is a bouquet of flowers. Again.

I sigh and bend down to pick them up. These ones are bigger than the last ones, but they fit in the vase. I'm sure he already knew that though.

I take out the note that was pressed into the flowers and open it.

mio angleo,

Rematch?

Also, forgive me for breaking and entering.

Sebastian can fuck off and die for all I care. He is really starting to get on my last nerves, I'm really starting to run out of fingers to count the amount of things he's done to me lately.

My doorbell rings again.

Please don't be another vase.

When I open the door, two rather annoyingly familiar faces reveal themselves. My mother and father stand looking rather displeased in front of me.

'Alexis-'

'Why are you here?'

My mother pushes past me, into the apartment and my father follows her. A man stands there, with their bags in his arms. I slam the door.

My mother sighs. 'Let him in Lexi.'

'I don't want your servants in my apartment.'

My father scoffs. 'Apartment, there's no such thing.'

Right this moment, I wish a hole would open up underneath them and swallow them whole.

'Why are you here?' I repeat.

'Alexis, we said we were coming today. Your birthday is tomorrow.' My mother says calmly as she steps behind me, opens the door and ushers the man in.

I glare at him as he passes, but he doesn't meet my gaze.

'You literally sent me a message yesterday. Did you want to give me any warning?'

'Stop being dramatic, a day's warning is fine.' My father says.

He looks down at the seats behind the breakfast bar with an expression that could only be disgust, before sitting down. My mother follows. The two of them follow each other around like moths to a flame.

'Where are we sleeping Alexis?'

'Not in my house.' I snap back.

He glares at me and my mother sighs.

I roll my eyes. 'Fine, the guest bedroom.' I point towards it, and they incline their heads in that direction. My father gets up and walks towards the room, takes one look and shakes his head.

'No. We shall take yours.'

'No, you may fucking not. If you are a guest, you sleep in the guest room.'

'Alexis. I don't care. We are not here to listen to your problem.' My father says as he sits back down.

My mother waves him away. 'Don't listen to him, Lexi dear. Listen to me.' She ushers me forward to join them at the breakfast bar, so I take a seat at the head of it.

At this point, I am used to the two of them droning on about me coming back home, so I am going to do what I do best. Ignore them.

'Alexis, of course we care about you, and your wellbeing. That's why we are here. We are here to listen to your problems.' My father sighs next to her and rolls his eyes. 'But, what your father is trying to say is that we think we could listen to them better if you came home. How are we supposed to communicate with you if you are hours away and living in this hellhole.'

I glare at her and much like Sebastian, if I could replace my eyes with lasers, there would be two holes in her head.

'Alexis, come home. So we can look after you. You've had your time, parading around with this charade-'

'Yes,' my father buts in. 'You have. You had it all lined up, a marriage and a family and you went and threw it all away.'

Now, I am at a loss for words. 'Excuse me.' I raise my eyebrows like I'm expecting an answer but I speak before either of them can give a reply. 'He cheated on me and he was going to leave me at the altar. You really think I was going to let him do that.'

'Alexis, you didn't have to run away because of that.'

'I didn't run away.' I say exasperated. 'Why don't you understand, that I decided that I didn't want to sit around like you old rich fucks. I wanted to actually do something with my life.'

'Language.' My father warns.

My mother shifts in her seat.

'You can't force me to come back home.' I say

My father stands up suddenly. To be honest I think he's had enough.

'You haven't done anything of substance and I doubt you will. Alexis, just hurry up and come to the conclusion that you are useless.' He says.

It's not the first time he's said something like that, but it still hurts like it is. 'You haven't even given me a chance to prove myself. Plus, can you not see how much I've already achieved.'

My father walks up to me and points his finger in my face. 'You were made to have children and carry on our family line. You were made to inherit my money. That is what you will achieve. Enough of this nonsense.'

He places his hand on my shoulder. My mother looks down at her hands. I shrug him off.

'We got you a present.'

My mothers head snaps up at the sound of a new subject. She nods excitedly. 'I'll get it.'

She runs off towards their bags to retrieve it.

My father settles back in his seat and my mother comes back with a long rectangular box. I stare at it in disgust. Whatever's in it is probably shiny and ridiculously expensive. And to my distaste, I'm right.

My mother opens the box, revealing a gold signet bracelet with diamonds embedded into it. I stare at it with disgust. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love expensive things. I just hate my parents and I'm smart enough to know that this is just one of their many bids to win me back.

She smiles at me. 'Happy birthday Lexi.'

When I don't make a move to take it out of the box, she takes it out for me. She takes my wrist and fastens it on.

'Do you like it Alexis?' My father asks.

'No.'

He gives me a glare that I know I shouldn't mess with, but I've genuinely had enough. I raise my eyebrows and tilt my head to the side.

He sighs and narrows his eyes. 'Happy birthday Alexis. Since it will be your last birthday in the city, we thought we would take you out for dinner.'

'Oh.' I say, although I'm not entirely surprised that he's trying to control my life.

'Mmmh...and bring your boyfriend.'

'Excuse me.'

At no point did I tell them about Theo.

'You know, the one you've been parading around with. The dark haired one.

'Excuse me.'

At no point did I tell them about Sebastian.

'You know, Lexi,' My mother buts in the conversation. 'Um,' She points at me like she just remembered something. 'Sebastian.'

'Yes, Sebastian Grey.' My father nods.

'What.' I say

It's only now dawning on me that the two of them have been watching me whilst I have been in the city.

'What, what Alexis.' My father says as he stands up from his chair.

'You've been following me.'

My mother tips her head to the side. 'Alexis, you didn't think we would send you all the way to the city by yourself did you.'

'Alexis, we're not that stupid.' My father adds before he walks into my room and shuts the door.

I take two deep breaths in.

'These are nice.' My mother says looking at Sebastian's flowers. She smiles at me.

I glare at her. Get up from my chair and walk out the apartment.

 Being around those people causes more harm than good.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net