Chapter 5 - Hanging by a thread

                                    

                                          
Kat
The following morning I step into the brunch place with some trepidation. I didn't hear anything from my parents after they left, so I'm not sure if they bought Morgan's lie.
It doesn't take long before I find out that they didn't. The food has barely arrived when my mother clears her throat.
"Your father and I were under the impression that the dorm was female only."
My stomach clenches and I put down the bite of pancake I was about to take.
"It is," I say.
"Well, it certainly didn't look that way last night."
I poke at my food. "Well, JD has come to visit me."
"That is not the same. He's your brother. I'm not sure if that man last night was Morgaine's brother at all."
"I'll ask her not to have him over again." I know there is nothing else that can appease them.
"This is no way for young ladies to behave. What if people think he spent the night?"
I want to tell her that nobody would care, but I stay quiet.
"Has he been in your room before?" Mom is studying me carefully over her omelette.
I shake my head. "No, I haven't seen him before."
"I'm still in shock at the thought of a man being in your bedroom. What if he corrupts you? Did your roommate even take that into consideration?"
"JD's been in there. Weren't you worried he would corrupt her?"
"Don't be silly. I'm just not sure this was a good idea."
I can feel the warmth drain from my skin. "What was?"
"You coming here. Maybe we shouldn't have allowed you to go to a college so far away from home."
Dad barely looks up from his waffles as mom threatens my entire future.
"It meets all of your demands. It has a good nursing program, separate male and female living quarters, and JD is here. And you can trust me."
"But considering the events of last night, I'm just not sure if we can trust this as a suitable environment for you. I am not comfortable with you sharing a room with someone who invites boys in. What if they start... kissing?"
"I'll talk to Morgan and let her know your concerns. I'm sure we can agree that it will never happen again. Everyone makes mistakes in college and apart from this one thing, she's a really good roommate. She studies a lot and we sometimes go to the library together to get work done. We've also become friends. And I'm not sure I would be so lucky if I tried to switch rooms."
To this, my mom only makes a small noise of disappointment. She cuts her eggs into small pieces and then lowers her cutlery to look at me.
"And what if you happen to walk in on her and... see something? What then?"
"I'm studying to be a nurse, mom. That means I probably will see people naked. Even men."
"Kat!" Dad looks at me properly for the first time this entire meal.
"I'll be studying anatomy, dad. We learn about the human body in a clinical sense. I'm certain I won't be walking in on anything inappropriate, but if that were to happen, I would just think of it as a lesson in anatomy."
"We are not talking about this," dad says brusquely and goes back to his food.
I lower my head and take a deep breath.