Page 18 of Riot Act
In another world, in another plane of reality, Dad turns to Jonah right about now and smacks him upside the head. He tells him he was a piece of shit for doing that to me when I was only six, and he’s been a piece of shit a thousand times since then for all of the other terrible things he’s done to me. In yet another parallel universe, my father punished Jonah back there on the boardwalk in Vancouver Island, and the boy learned his damn lesson and never bothered me again.
Trouble is, I live in this reality, and here Robert Witton has always felt too guilty that he was only a part-time father to Jonah to ever reprimand him for his atrocious behavior. And Jonah’s been jealous that Dad alwayshasbeen around for me and has taken it out on me accordingly.
“Ahh come on,Red.With hair that color, you gotta like hot stuff.” Jonah snorts. “Should come and visit me after graduation. I’ll take you to all the best Mexican restaurants. We can drive into Mexico and grab some there if you’re craving authenticity. Not Tijuana, though. TJ’s a shit show. Nah, I’ll take you to Rosarito. Amazing food. Great bars. Even better surfing.” He bounces his eyebrows, shoving a forkful of spaghetti into his maw. The ridiculous amount of food prevents him from talking for a blessed moment. But then he swallows and he’s right back to it. “They have yoga retreats. And you can go digging up rocks down there, too. They let you keep whatever you find. Rose quartz, and…and…” Having already exhausted his extensive knowledge of crystals and precious stones, he waves a dismissive hand in the air. “You’re probably not into that shit anymore, though, right. You’re almost grown up now.”
“Oh, she’s definitely still into the rocks, aren’t you, sweetheart? And tarot reading. She’s got all kinds ofwitchystuff in her room at the academy.”
Jonah finds this very funny. Dad smirks, happy that he’s amused his son; he doesn’t really seem to realize that he’s done so at his daughter’s expense.
“Offering to take Pres on a road trip is really kind, though, Jonah,” Dad says, grinning at him. He’s always been desperate to include Jonah in whatever he can. Always wanted to make him feel like he’s a part ofourfamily. It must be making him all warm and fuzzy inside that Jonah would offer to take me on a cool road trip like that, as if he really does consider me his sister. My father didn’t hear the weird twist in Jonah’s tone when he called meRedthough. Or he did and he chose to overlook it, as he has chosen to overlook so many other snide remarks in the past. Mom used to notice. She’d stand up for me when Jonah was being really nasty, but most of the time she’d simply give him a warning look and keep her mouth shut, afraid of being that woman—thesecondwife, who chides her husband’s other children when she has no real right.
“Thanks, but I can’t,” I say quietly.
Jonah leans across the table, pointing his fork at me. “Why’s that? Don’t tell me you have somewhere more important to be? Are you one of the popular girls now?”
“Haha! Come on. Presley’s far too low key for that,” Dad chips in. The betrayal cuts even deeper this time. Since when has he ever joined in with Jonah’s toxic, low-grade bullying? Carefully, I set my silverware down and pat my napkin to my mouth; the gesture’s unnecessary, but it gives me a second to breathe.
“Actually, I’m going to be traveling through Europe with my friends.”
Dad leans back in his chair. “What?”
“Yeah. I’ll be leaving the day after graduation, so—”
“You haven’t mentioned this to me? How come this is the first time I’m hearing about any of this?”
Jonah, the total fucking sociopath, mirrors Dad’s horrified expression. “Hell no. It’s way too dangerous for you to be traipsing through Europe on your own.” He says this matter-of-factly, likehehas any authority over me.
“Like I said. I’m going with my friends. I won’t be on my own. There’ll be three of us.”
“Who?” Dad demands.
“Carina and Elodie.”
“Elodie? I don’t know any Elodie?”
“She just started at the academy in January. She’s really nice. She—”
“Three clueless girls, backpacking through Europe? Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie,” Jonah says. “One of them’s bound to end up in a bath full of ice, missing a kidney. Or straight up murdered. You’re too young.”
“You literally just said that I was an adult three seconds ago!”
Dad shivers at the mental picture Jonah just painted, though. “Your brother’s right, sweetheart. I’m afraid I’m gonna have to do some serious thinking about this before I agree to anything.”
“I wasn’t aware that I had to get your permission.”
He looks at me over the top of his wine glass, freezing in place. “Sorry?”
“I’ll be eighteen by then. A legal adult. I’ll be free to make my own decisions.” I word it carefully, in a light, airy tone. Last thing I want to do is fight with Dad in front of Jonah, and I don’t want to offend him, either. I love the clueless idiot more than anything, but I shouldn’t have to say this to him. Jonah went off and traveled through Thailand and Australia by himself after he graduated high school. Why shouldn’t I be afforded the same opportunity?
Dad slowly sets the wine glass down without even sipping from it. “Uhh. Presley, sweetheart. I understand what it’s like at your age. To feel like you’re completely grown up. And I know that the prospect of making decisions like that for yourself must be really exciting. But it’s…I hate to say it…” He cringes. “But it’s different for boys. And Jonah does raise a good point. You’ll only be eighteen. And while that affords you some legal rights, it doesn’t mean you can just go galivanting off and do whatever you like, whenever you like.”
“I thought that was exactly what it meant.”
“Dude. Dad’s just looking out for you. You’re not street smart at all. And he can’t just jump on a plane to come grab you when you get yourself in trouble now, can he? The restaurant will be open by then.”
“That’s another good point. I’m gonna need you here. I was counting on your help to get the business off the ground. That way I won’t have to hire a fulltime hostess until you go off to colle—”
A cold, sinking feeling settles in my stomach, tugging at my insides like a lead weight. “Wait. A minute ago, you were fine with me disappearing off to Mexico with him. Now I’m going to be chained to a hostess’s desk for months?”
