55

55
The days dragged on slowly, just as I had expected.

Even though Emma and I texted constantly, it just wasn’t enough. Her words on a screen could never replicate the feeling of her next to me. I missed her. I missed her voice, her laugh, her scent. I missed the way she teased me and how she looked at me like I was the only one that mattered. I even missed our silly little arguments. Being grounded felt like torture, especially with Emma living just a few feet away.

In just a month, I would be turning eighteen.

Finally.

It felt like such a huge milestone, not only because it meant freedom in a legal sense, but because it was the moment I had marked in my head as the time to come out to my parents. I wanted to tell them about Emma and me, properly. No more hiding, no more pretending.

I hadn’t told Emma about my birthday yet. It wasn’t that I didn’t want her to know. I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. But in reality, it was a very big deal to me. I had always pictured being open about our relationship, living our truth, and my eighteenth birthday felt like the door I needed to push open.

College was coming up, too. I will be away soon. Maybe I’d live in a dorm, maybe I’d get an apartment. I didn’t know yet. What I did know was that wherever I went, I didn’t want to be far from Emma.

I had toyed with the idea of going somewhere far, of starting over in a new city. But now, everything had changed. Emma changed everything. If I moved far, I’d be leaving her behind, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.

There were colleges nearby. I could stay here, continue living with my parents and still have Emma as my neighbor. But a part of me still longed for that independence I had always dreamed of.

The uncertainty gnawed at me.

It wasn’t just me who was feeling the pressure. A lot of my classmates had already chosen their colleges. Some had even received early acceptance letters.

Even Sam knew exactly where she was going. My parents had started asking questions too.

What do you want to study? Where do you want to go? We’ll pay for it, just like we did for your sisters.

Their words echoed in my mind.

I didn’t want to feel pressured, but I did. And the biggest factor in all my decisions was Emma.

Just imagining a future where I didn’t see her every day made my chest ache.

But what about my dreams? I had always planned to go far away, to experience life beyond the walls of our quiet neighborhood.

Now everything felt tangled.

Only one day remained in my punishment. It was Thursday. Oddly, my dad decided to join us for dinner that night. That was rare.

"You don’t have work, Dad?" I asked as I helped my mom set the table. He was already seated, thumbing through something on his phone.

"Oh, I do. But I haven’t seen you in forever, so I figured I’d make a point to have dinner at home every night from now on." He said with a small smile.

I returned the smile, touched.

"Also," he continued, "just six more months and you’ll be off to college. Our youngest is leaving the nest, Sue. I feel old."

He reached for my mom’s hand dramatically. She took it with a light laugh.

"You’re so dramatic. She doesn’t even know where she’s going yet."

"You don’t?" He asked, both of them now staring at me.

I sat down across from my mom, my father to my right. Their eyes stayed on me.

"Well..." I started, but I didn’t know how to continue. What was I supposed to say?

My mom raised an eyebrow, clearly sensing the hesitation.

"Honey... This isn’t about our neighbor, is it?" My dad asked.

The blood drained from my face.

I looked at my mom, who wore a strange look—a mix of sternness and amusement, with a hint of a smile curling at the edge of her mouth.

They knew?

"Jennifer," my dad said again, softer this time, "do you think we don’t know? We’re your parents."

My mom slapped his arm suddenly.

"Oww, what was that for?" He asked.

"I knew it! You didn’t! I just told you about it!" My mom hissed.

They bickered for a moment while I sat in silence, mortified. My insides twisted with dread and shame.

So they knew. My mom had known all along.

And she didn’t say anything. Not even when I asked to sleep over at Emma’s. Not when I came home with a dazed look on my face. She just stayed quiet and trusted me.

My eyes welled up.

"I can’t say that it was okay." My mom finally said, her voice calm. "You’re a minor, and Emma is an adult..."

I looked away, the shame deepening.

"You were there often." She continued. "Even had sleepovers. I don't want to go into detail about what you might have been doing there—"

"Mom!" I cut her off, horrified.

"All I’m saying is, you could’ve been honest with us. With me. I’m your mother. You might be a minor, but I know you’re mature for your age."

She sighed, her tone softening.

"And I really like Emma. She’s a good influence on you. I see that. I just... I just wish you had told me."

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears burst out of me. I buried my face in my hands, sobbing, ashamed, overwhelmed by everything.

My mom got up and moved to the chair beside me, wrapping her arms around me. My dad placed a hand on my back, rubbing gently.

"Oh baby, it’s okay." My mom whispered. "We’re not mad. In a way, we understand. I knew you’d tell us when you were ready."

"I just... I just..." I couldn’t finish the sentence. My words were choked up by sobs. Then something clicked in my brain.

"Wait." I said, lifting my head. I looked at my dad, then at my mom.

"Emma is a girl, Mom. Dad. She’s a girl."

They both laughed gently.

"We know, sweetheart. What are you talking about?" My dad said, still smiling.

"Well... she’s a girl. Are you guys really okay with that?"

My mom tightened her hug while my dad leaned in to kiss the top of my head.

"It doesn’t bother us at all, Jen. It was the sleepovers that worried us. Especially with you being a minor."

"Yes, that too." My mom added.

"Oh, you guys!" I cried, laughing through the tears as I threw my arms around both of them.

"You guys are the best. You really are."

My mom laughed as she wiped my tears. "We're your parents, you are perfect in our eyes. Whatever you do, whatever you become, you are perfect! You might like girls but I know you are still the daughter I raised you to be and I couldn't be more proud."

Hearing that melted my heart. It also made me feel a thousand times worse for keeping it all from them.

Dinner continued, but the mood had shifted. The tension had disappeared, replaced by warmth and curiosity. My dad asked about Emma, wanting to know her better, and my mom shared more stories of how polite and thoughtful Emma had always been.

She adores Emma and I love that.
__________________________________

Hello, my lovely and funny readers, I set up a ko-fi account, so if you want to treat me, send me a gift, or just simply motivate me, please feel free to visit my page: Ko-fi.com/lunamarcelo :)
Thank youuuu for always supporting my work, I'm reading all your comments and I love how invested you are in the story :)