Judging Books

“I’m glad to hear that.” I leaned against him and put my head on his shoulder.

“What else did your father say?”

“He doesn’t approve,” I said, “but he’s going to have to get used to the idea. That might not happen quickly though. I’ll have to give you the details tonight. I need to get back to my schoolwork.”

“Okay.” Ethan stood and gave me a hug, then a deeper kiss on the lips, which was met by more whistles and cheering. “I’m glad you came by.”

“I am, too,” I said.

“Ashlyn?”

“Yes, Ethan?”

“Thank you for telling him. That really does mean a lot to me.”

I smiled, kissed him once again, and then headed back to the car, trying to ignore the continued comments and raucous clapping. I settled into the seat and pulled carefully out of the parking lot.

My phone rang four times while I was in the car, but when I saw the names come up—Presley, Zoey, Isaac, and then Presley again—I decided I still wasn’t ready to deal with them. I’d see them all Saturday night, and Presley would just have to keep her panties on until then. There was another beep, indicating a text message after I didn’t answer the last call.

I pulled into the parking garage, locked the car, and headed to the lobby of my apartment building, desperately trying to ignore the looks thrown my way from two first-year grad students I recalled from the New Year’s Eve social. Good lord, had Presley already managed to talk to them, too? I was able to dodge both Presley and her phone calls so far, but obviously I couldn’t completely avoid her influence even with people I barely knew. I glanced at my phone and read her last text.

When you are done fucking the little Goth boy LMK.

As soon as I walked through the door of my apartment, my phone started ringing again. I reluctantly looked at the caller ID. It was my father. I sighed heavily and hit the green button.

“Ashlyn, come and meet me for dinner.”

No hello or anything.

“I can’t, Dad. I have to get ready for a presentation Monday.”

“Bull. Is that delinquent with you?”

“Ethan is not with me. I told him the same thing I am telling you. I’m not done with school for a couple more weeks, and I have a lot of work to do tonight.”

There was a long pause before he spoke again.

“Ashlyn, you have no idea what you are getting into with that boy,” Dad said darkly. “He hasn’t even held a job since he got out of high school, and then he dropped out his freshman year! Dropped out, Ashlyn! A college dropout!”

“Dad, I know all of this.” I groaned. I tried to keep the annoyance out of my voice as I realized he had probably spent the rest of the afternoon looking up information on my boyfriend. “If you would just get to know him—”

“That’s not going to happen because you are not going to keep seeing him.”

“You don’t get to make that decision,” I said softly.

“I most certainly do,” Dad said. “When you are doing something stupid, I’m going to do something about it.”

“It’s not stupid!” I yelled into the phone. “You don’t know him, and you do not get to decide who I date!”

“Ashlyn, be reasonable…”

“No, Dad. I’m not having this conversation with you anymore. Ethan and I are together. Maybe it will be short term or maybe it will be longer, but either way, you are going to have to come to terms with it because I am not breaking up with him just because you tell me to!”

I hung up the phone.

I felt my entire body turn to ice.

I hung up the phone on my father.