Page 52 of To Go
good day so far?
11:27a.m. Stella
Some business bro got upset and threw his drink on the ground because he didn’t get his latte iced when he didn’t ask for it. So, aside from failing as a mind reader, pretty typical day.
11:31a.m. Stud
what a dick.
11:43a.m. Stella
you said it.
Chapter 16
James
I’m drowning in emails.
Sitting in my living room, staring at my inbox, I can see my whole future before me: board meetings, asshole shareholders, suits, late nights, coming home to an empty apartment, no time for a social life…
Ever since I came home, Dad’s been sending reports, contracts, information packets, everything I would conceivably need to take over. Half this shit I can’t do anything with anyway, since I’m still on the outside. It’s almost like he’s taunting me with what’s ahead, showing me a glimpse of my miserable future.
When I left to tour with the band, that was the deal. I would tour until I was thirty, enjoy my life while I could without the control of my parents, and then I would take over the family company so that my dad could step down and retire.
His morally bankrupt company, I should say. Nonoptional to join, moral compass not required.
“It’s the way we do things in this family, and it’s time to fall in line.”I can still hear his voice, the way he shouted at me as I left for my first tour. I negotiated my freedom until thirty. Once that hits, I know the expectation.
Submit and take over, or I’m no longer welcome in their house. No longer entitled to my trust fund.
Maybe it’s an empty threat, but I know what’s at stake. If I’m not there, there’s no buffer between Nessa and my parents, no one trying to help mend the rift between them. I know how badly she misses them, how much she craves their love, their approval, even if she’s not doing anything to earn it. Every time I’ve even considered cutting ties with them, I remember what we both stand to lose.
They’re good at putting a spin on things, and there’s no way I would be welcome with either of their families if I deviate from the plan they’ve made for me, despite how distasteful I find it all.
It's not a huge loss, considering the people, but I can’t convince myself it’s worth it to alienate everyone I know. They’re still my parents.
I pick up my phone to distract myself; it’s not like anything bad is going to happen if these sit for a day, right? I check my unread text notifications. Usually, I’m on top of them, but they’ve built up today.
Jill (Band)
practice today at Laur’s. 3pm. Don’t be late, there’s band business to discuss.
I cringe. I’ve been avoiding Jill’s texts lately. Every time she messages me it sounds ominous. I’ve never missed a practice, so the fact that she thinks that she needs to remind me doesn’t inspire confidence.
That’s a problem for later.I check the next one.
Nessie
hey can I borrow your car? Mine has a flat and I have a date to pick up tonight.
James
You’re a shit driver. No.
The last time I let her borrow my car, it came back scratched to hell because she pissed off someone at the concert she’d been at. It was a bitch to get the keyed paint retouched, even though Nessa paid for it.
Nessie
