His features go strained. “We’ll discuss it when you get home from school.”
“You can discuss it on your way home,” Beringer interjects, “because I’m suspending Reed for two days.”
“What the fuck?” I demand angrily.
“Language,” the headmaster snaps. “And you heard me. Two-day suspension.” He glances at Steve. “Ella can remain at school, if that’s acceptable to you.”
After a long, tense moment, Steve nods. “It’s acceptable. As long as he’s not here, I’m all right with letting her stay.”
Steve says he like I’m a carrier for Ebola or some shit. I don’t get it. I really don’t. Steve and I never had any problems in the past. We weren’t close, but there was no hostility between us. Now, the air is so hostile I can hardly breathe.
“Then it’s settled.” Beringer walks around his desk. “Mr. Royal, I’m releasing Reed into your custody. Ella, you may return to class.”
She hesitates, but when Steve offers a hard glare, she quickly moves to the door. Right before she walks out, she gives me the most miserable, frustrated look on the planet. I’m pretty sure I’m wearing the same expression.
Once she’s gone, Steve shifts his scowl to me. “Stay away from my daughter, Reed.”
“She’s my girlfriend,” I reply through clenched teeth.
“Not anymore. I asked you to respect her, and when I thought you were going to do so, I was open to the idea of the two of you dating. After what happened this morning, I’m no longer on board with it.” He addresses my father. “Our kids just broke up, Callum. If I see or hear of them together again, you and I are going to have words.”
Then he marches out of the office and slams the door behind him.
18
Ella
For the second day in a row, I go to school angry. Yesterday, Steve and Dinah ganged up on me about my skirt. Today, Reed is suspended because Steve has some kind of parental stick up his ass. The single good thing about my anger at Steve is that I don’t have the emotional energy to worry about Dinah any longer.
I can’t believe he ordered Beringer to tell all the teachers to narc on us. That is so not cool. I’m still fuming about it as I pull into the parking lot. Luckily, I spot Val on the front lawn, which distracts me from my rage.
“Hey, sexy,” I shout out my window.
Her dark bob spins around, her middle finger ready. When she realizes it’s me, she jogs over. “Hey! I was worried about you. Did you have to deal with the never-ending lecture when you got home from school yesterday?”
I maneuver into an empty parking space, then turn off the car. “You have no idea.”
She already knows all about yesterday’s stupidity because I spent the entire lunch period bitching about it. Then I wrapped it up by griping and moaning for a good ten minutes about how I won’t be able to go to the away game and seduce Reed. And have sex for the first time!
“What happened?” Val asks as I grab my backpack and hop out of the driver’s seat.
“There was a lot of arguing, shouting, insults thrown. It ended with Steve telling me that I needed to stop being so easy. That guys didn’t find it attractive.”
Val grimaces. “Wow, that’s harsh.”
“It’s getting so bad, I’m actually thinking I need to spend more time at school.”
“It can’t be that bad,” she says, knowing my great aversion to joining anything here at Astor. “It just seems bad because you’re not used to having a parent who imposes rules and stuff. From what you’ve told me, your mom was the kid in your household, and Callum kind of lets his boys do anything they want as long as they don’t make too big of a mess.”
“So you’re saying that Steve’s behavior is normal?” I challenge.
Val shrugs. “It’s not that abnormal. I think your mom and Callum are more lenient than other parents.”
“You have parties at your house. And you don’t have a curfew.”
She laughs. “Well, sure I do. I have to be home by ten on school nights and midnight on the weekends unless I tell Uncle Mark or Aunt Kathy first. And I wouldn’t be allowed to have a boy spend the night. It was easy to fool around with Tam because he lived in the same house.” Tam is the Carringtons’ housekeeper’s son. “I think most parents don’t allow boys to sleep over. I mean, why do you think Wade has so much sex at school? His mom is kind of strict at home.” She pats me on the shoulder. “Steve might be going overboard, but it just means that he cares. Don’t take it personally.”
Is she right? I mean, I have almost no experience with normal parents, but here’s Valerie, who I presume does, telling me that Steve’s reaction is...well, ordinary. Am I overreacting?
Maybe. But still, I don’t see myself ever being okay with all these rules and shit.