Caught in Us (Lost 3)

nothing but get into trouble and hurt yourself since you came here."

"She's been helping me," I say, more to myself than to him.

"And this is how you pay her back, by getting her into trouble, as well? You will hurt that girl. You’re starting at the new school on Monday."

"But it's Thursday. How did you arrange my transfer so quickly?" I ask. He avoids looking at me. I narrow my eyes, forcing myself to take deep breaths and keep my fists behind my back, so I don't punch him. "You've been planning this for some time, haven't you?"

"Yes, a few weeks now. The principal of the new school is a friend of Dani's father. He sped up the process."

"I bet he has," I say through gritted teeth.

"You'll do nothing but hurt that girl, and you know it." The sad thing is, I do know it, but I won't admit it to him, not in a million years.

"The school is in Canada."

"Fuck you, George."

"You will show me respect, damn you. And you will call me Father."

"As you wish. Fuck you, Father."

"I bought you a plane ticket for Sunday. Don't bother going to school tomorrow. I explained to them today that you'll no longer attend there when they called to tell me you and Dani ran off.”

"You can't do this."

"I’m your father. I can do this, and I will."

"How about your promise to Mom?"

"I promised your mother I will take care of you. I'm obviously not good at it, so I'll hand you over to people who can."

"You’re washing your hands of me. Don't kid yourself that you're doing the right thing."

And here I was, thinking the lack of conflict in the past weeks meant he was warming up to me. Instead, he was just plotting to send me away.

"Damon." He drops his voice to a calmer note, but it annoys me more. "I’ll still pay for your school and whatever else you need. If you decide to go to college afterward, you'll have my full support."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"It won't now, I'm sure, but it will later. Start packing."

Chapter Nineteen: Dani

I spend Saturday morning hiding in my room, as the preparations for Mom's yearly themed party take over the house. The guests will arrive in a few hours, and Mom is in a frenzy. I fiddle with my phone, just like I've done since James brought me home from the theater Thursday night. I hope for a sign—anything from Damon. My stomach drops in disappointment when the phone finally chimes. James is calling.

"Hi," I say.

"You could fake being a bit more enthusiastic about my call."

"I'm sorry, I was just hoping Damon would call. He’s not answering his phone."

"You didn't get to talk to him at school yesterday?"

"He wasn't at school, James. I hoped he’d call me, but he completely bolted on me." I take a deep breath. "And Mom and Dad are far too calm about everything. It freaks me out." When James dropped me off at home Thursday night, I was expecting a full-blown fight and got silence in return. It’s not unusual for my parents to ignore me, but since they're against Damon, I was expecting a reaction. I don't get an answer from James. "Have they told you anything?"

"Just that they've got it handled."

My stomach drops. "What's that supposed to mean?"