Page 44 of Not that Impressed
“You are forbidden from seeing or texting or calling or having any contact with Grayson Hollis,” Dad cuts across her.
Mom shoots him a scowl but then smooths her expression out for Libby. “We love you, Libby. So much.”
I wonder if the good cop-bad cop thing between my parents is intentional.
Libby’s jaw drops. “You can’t cut me off from one of my friends.”
“I definitely can,” Dad counters.
Something hits me in the shin. “Ow!” I cry out involuntarily. Mom’s eyebrows jump and she checks under the table. So that was meant for Dad…
“Sorry,” she mouths. I lean over to rub my leg as Mom turns to Libby, still speaking in her gentle-parenting voice. “Your father has every right to be concerned, sweetie.”
“I’ll ground you for the next year, if I have to,” Dad says, giving Libby a keep-pushing-me-and-see-what-happens stare.
“And we can definitely revisit that somewhat harsh punishment later as well.” Mom widens her eyes. “When you’ve had some time to think about why we’re worried.”
I can’t look over at Janelle. I’ll start laughing if I do. Libby’s safety is serious. But maybe we should’ve had the cameras here to record the comedy of it.
“And furthermore,” Dad goes on.
I squeeze my hands together in my lap, my nails biting into my skin to distract myself from the giggle bubbling up.And furthermore? Dad’s been on TV too long.
“If you even allude to Grayson Hollis or Will Pemberton while cameras are filming, I’ll sue you for defamation myself.” He folds his arms and leans back.
“Rob,” Mom whispers loudly. “Of course, this is all hypothetical,honey,” she assured Libby, though her sweet tone is getting strained. “We want what’s best for you.”
Libby defies Dad’s edict that she stay put and scoots her chair back the rest of the way. “YOU ARE ALL THE WORST,” she cries as she flees the room.
“You forbid her, Rob?” Mom says, arching an eyebrow at him. “For heaven’s sake, this is your third daughter. Have we learned nothing?”
“This is serious, Jules.” Dad rubs his forehead. “You know what he’s capable of.”
Mom softens immediately. “I know,” she says. “I just…” She shakes her head and her shoulders slump in defeat.
I don’t think they need our moral support anymore, and one look at Janelle confirms that we’d both like to flee the room like Libby did, but with maybe less fanfare. Mom and Dad clearly need to regroup.
I stand but lean over to hug Mom. “Good luck. We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
Mom holds onto my arms so I can’t pull away. “Thank you for looking out for her, Ellie.” She leans her head against mine. “I know it’s not fun to be on this side of things, but you did exactly what you should have. I’m proud of you.”
I kiss the side of her head. “Thanks, Mom.”
She lets me move away so Janelle can hug her, and I step over toward Dad. “You’re going to sue her for defamation?” I whisper as I hug him. I think he could use the laugh right now.
He presses his lips together, fighting a smile, even if it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Cut me some slack,” he whispers back.
“See if you can work that into something on air.” I wink at him. “It’s gold.”
He lets out a short laugh and swats me away.
I entertain myself Friday night with a side project I’ve been working on: scrolling Grayson’s Instagram for something in his past that could move the focus off Anna if it comes to that. She can’t have been the first woman Grayson treated this way. I’m already waiting on arrest records requests from his home state of New York and from Florida, where he went to college.
So far I’ve noticed a pattern on his Instagram feed—no long-term relationships. I cross reference anyone I come across, hoping for a clue in their accounts about Grayson, but too many are private, and the others don’t hint at why they parted ways with the former football star.
It’s frustrating, and I glower at my computer when a dive into another relationship from his college days at Miami yields nothing.
I’m surprised out of my frustration with a text from Will.
