Chapter Twenty

                                    

                                          
Michael
[Wednesday 12:23 am]
After the party, Ben and Alma drove me back home in the hopes of my parents still being asleep. The moment Ben parked the car outside, the front door opened revealing my parents.
No second later all three of us were seated on my couch while my parents stood over us, both in their sleepwear. My father was pinching the bridge of his nose while my mother had her hands on her hips.
"Is this really the type of person you're becoming, Michael?" My mother began the upcoming lecture.
Ben and Alma hung their heads, guilt written clear as day. I looked at both of them as I sat in the middle before looking up at my mother.
"Lying to us, sneaking out of the house to go to a party while you are grounded? Is this really what you're becoming? Do you think your father wants to work every single day? You don't think he would like to live stress-free without worrying about where his teenage son is in the middle of the night? Huh? And what about me? I wake up early and work hard so you can go to one of the best private schools in Michigan. And I've accepted a long time ago I'd never get a thank you out of you but this? This is the opposite of a 'thank you', this is a.....this is...a-a 'to heck with you'," Mom huffs as she paces back and forth.
I keep my eyes on her as my eyebrows furrow together. I am not used to being on the receiving end of my parents' lectures. I did what I was told to do. I went to school, got good grades, participated in sports. I've only been an onlooker whenever they would scold Caleb and Mallory.
"Please, Gina, with all due respect this is my fault-" Alma lifts her head but Dad cuts her off.
He lifts his head and lowers his hand, "No, with all due respect, Alma, we are speaking with our son. Despite any ulterior motives for this midnight sneak-out, Michael is an adult and is responsible for his decisions. And while we are on the topic of responsibility, Alma, you are ours until your parents return. Unlike Michael and Emily, you are still legally a minor. And unlike any of us, you are a high-list celebrity. Your security is meant for high-risk threats, not teenage boys drinking at a high school party. I don't care why you three needed to go, I care that my son and our legal dependent snuck out of the house without permission. But by all means, please try and shine a light on why you three saw fit to lie to us," Dad crosses his arms over his chest.
Mom nods her head along with him.
"We didn't lie to you," I correct him.
"Failure of admission is still a lie under the law," he squints his eyes at me. "Don't treat me like a fool."
"Look, Mr. De Rossi, Emily was planning a party with Alma's boyfriend but...he d-didn't invite Alma and Emily didn't invite us and we thought that it was suspicious so me and Michael agreed to take her there as support. She found out that he was cheating on her and so we left right away. We weren't sneaking off just to go to a party, Sir, it was merely for her to confront R-Ryan. I will not apologize for supporting my friend," Ben stutters but sits upright and looks my father in the eyes.
My dad snaps his head to Ben, causing him to cower back a bit. Dad narrows his eyes before slowly looking at Alma.
He sighs, I don't know much about how people feel, but I know my parents have a soft spot for Alma.
"You went in, confronted him, and left right away?" Dad asks.
"Yes," Alma nods.
My father sighs once more before nodding slowly. "Listen, sweetheart, I get you have powerful feelings but you have to let us know when you are doing anything. I may not believe confronting him is the best decision but it's not my job to rule your life but it is to keep you safe. If you had gotten hurt while I didn't know where you were, the responsibility would still fall on me. So, I will overlook it this time on your behalf. But Michael still needs to answer for what he did. He's older and knows better," Dad moves his gaze from Alma to me.