The Good Life

*Izzy*

Today was the big day. My date with Vic! I couldn't be more excited if I tried. I've been texting Aunt Cass all day and she's been giving me advice on what to talk about with Vic so I wouldn't sit there staring at him the entire time. It was going to be a little hard for me since we weren't going to see a movie or anything and had to actually make conversation the entire time. My first and only first 'date' was with my ex and I would hardly call that a date because we just went to the movies and didn’t really have to make conversation. It didn't help that Vic was a little older than me because that meant he probably didn't want to hear about high school problems and stuff like that. That's why Aunt Cass was so handy she told me to ask him questions about his band, which was a given, and questions about San Francisco. She also said that I shouldn't worry about what to say about myself because he'll ask whatever he wants to know about me and I could just answer truthfully. No amount of preparation would make my nerves go away though.

Papa and Daddy were downstairs watching some Denzel Washington movie in the living room. I sort of forgot to mention to Daddy about my date with Vic and I asked Papa forget to mention it to him too. I'm sure he wouldn't care if he found out, but just to be sure I didn't want him to find out until the very last minute so he couldn't say no.

I only had fifteen minutes left before Vic and I were leaving. I made sure I didn't over dress for the date since we were just going to get yogurt. I was wearing dark blue skinny jeans a black tank top and a red and black flannel. Usually I would tie the flannel around my waist but since it was starting to get colder outside I opted out of that option.

I was putting on a little more mascara when my phone dinged with a new message from Vic.

To Izzy:
Hey Mike's being a dick and he hid my keys so I might be like 5 mins late haha

To Vic:
Lol its okay I'm sure you deserve it for whatever you did.

To Izzy:
I didn't do anything!! . . . Well I did embarrass him in front of our new band mates but that was an accident.

To Vic:
Oh I’m sure it was

To Izzy:
I could sense your sarcasm through that text -_- just give me a few minutes

I laughed at my phone and threw it on the bed going back to fixing my mascara. I heard a knock on my door a few minutes later and told whoever it was to come in.

"You don't want to come watch the movie with us? It’s really good." Daddy said as he stepped into my room.

"Oh no I'm uh going somewhere." I said and he nodded his head.

"With Lynn?" He asked.

"No." I said nervously.

"Kellin?"

"No."

"Gabe? Justin? Jesse?" He questioned and each time I said no. He was so confused because those were the only people I talked about hanging out to him. "Well if it's none of them then who are you going with and where are you going?"

"I'm g-going to get yogurt with. . . Vic." I said looking anywhere else but at him.

"Vic? As in our neighbor across the street Vic?" He asked. I couldn't tell how he felt about it by his tone of voice.

"Yeah."

"Like a date?" Well now I could tell he didn’t sound too happy about it.

"No not really." I lied. I know I said I was going to try and stop lying to my parents but this didn't count.

"Oh so you’re just going to accompanying each other socially?" He said sounding like he understood.
"Yeah!" I said happily.

"Yeah well that's the definition of a date sooo no."

"What do you mean no?" I hissed.

"I mean no you're not going." He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.

"Daddy please tell me you're joking." I looked at him waiting for him to signal that he was just kidding but he never did. "You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious, Izzy. He's like about to turn twenty isn’t he."

"He's about to turn nineteen." I corrected him.

"That's not much better. You just turned sixteen!! Why the hell would you think I would let you go out with someone that old?" The entire time he yelled at me I felt like I was having a bad nightmare. This was not happening.

"I still don't get what the big deal is." I huffed.

"The big deal is you're sixteen, you're still in high school, and he’s too old. I mean for god sakes isn’t illegal for you two to date anyways because he's eighteen."

"It’s only illegal for us to have sex, it’s not illegal for us to go get yogurt." I stressed ignoring the dinging from my phone of a new message.

"You’re not just going to get yogurt, you’re going on a date which leads to a relationship which leads to sex. So the answer is still no."

"It’s not like he's going to take advantage of me or make me do things I don't want to. I can think for myself."

Daddy was about to say something back but Papa walked in. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Papa, Daddy says I can't go on my date with Vic." I ran to him crying.

"Alex-" Papa started but Daddy cut him off.

"-You can't honestly be okay with this Jack. Tell me what an almost nineteen year old boy would want with a sixteen year old girl. I mean we wouldn't be having this conversation two weeks ago before Izzy's birthday because she would have been fifteen and I don't think a person can change that much in two weeks so why is this an option now." He ranted making me hate him more and more with every word.

"I don't know. I didn't think it was that bad, but when you put it that way it doesn't sound alright." Papa said and I quickly let go of him.

"Papa!!" I yelled disappointedly.

"We're only trying to protect you, Izzy." Papa claimed like he always did.

"No you two aren't trying to protect me you're just trying to ruin my life."

"This is protecting you from making bad decisions. Like letting some older smooth talking guy take advantage of you. This is nowhere near ruining your life." Daddy said pushing me over the edge.
"Ugh you two don't know shit about my life." I yelled without thinking. That was the first time I said any curse word in front of my parents and I could tell by the look on Daddy's face it was going to be the last time I've ever cursed in front of them.

"We don't know shit about your life? Us?" He said slowly, pointing between himself and Papa. The rest he said through gritted teeth because he was so angry. "The people whose whole being is dedicated to making sure everything they do is best for you. The people who've made sure that you have everything you could possibly want and more. Our lives are literally molded around you so I find the idea of us not knowing SHIT about your life hilarious." I was fearing for my life at this point. His jaw was locked and his hands were in fist, he was angry but more importantly he was hurt.

"Fine! Whatever! But as soon as I turn eighteen I'm moving out of this jail house." I said with anger still flowing though my body.

"Izzy you don't mean that. Let's just all calm down." Papa said sadly. Me leaving him and Daddy was one of his worst nightmares.

I went to sit down at my vanity to begin wiping my makeup off; it was already sliding down my face from all the tears. They both left my room closing my door on their way out.

I quickly got up thanking God Daddy forgot to ask for my phone. I had one message from Aunt Cass asking me if I'd left yet and two messages from Vic the last one saying his mom made Mike give him his keys back. I quickly texted Aunt Cass first to tell her how much of a horrible person my father was, then I called Vic so he wouldn't ring the doorbell and make this while situation worse. His phone rang twice before he picked up.

"Sorry! Sorry! I'm about to be right outside your door. I'm sure your parents want to do the whole interrogation thing-" He said.

"-No! Don't ring the doorbell." I sniffled.

"Izzy what's wrong?" He panicked.

"I- we can't go out tonight." I said.

"What? Why not?"

"Daddy thinks you're too old so he said I'm not allowed to see you-" I got cut off by my whimpers.

"Hey hey shhh it'll be okay." Vic said calmly. "Alex is Daddy and Jack is Papa right?" He asked
making me laugh a little.

"Yeah."

"Okay, well I’m sure he's just trying to protect you." He said.

"I'm so sick of hearing that." I mumbled and he laughed.

"Uhhh shit. Maybe he'll change his mind?" He questioned.

"No he's too stubborn." I told him.

"Then I don't know what we can do." He sighed. We stayed silent on the phone for a few minutes just thinking.

"We could see each other without him knowing." I finally suggested.

"I don't want to get you in trouble, Izzy." He said sweetly.

"I'm already in loads of trouble for talking back." I told him and he chuckled.

"I don't know, Alex does seems like the kind of guy who would murder someone for doing this but I guess that's a risk worth taking for you." He said making me blush. Before I could tell him how sweet that was I heard the doorbell.

"Uh Vic you didn't just ring my doorbell did you?" I asked as my heartbeat started racing.

"Nuh-uh. I already went back home." He confirmed making me take a deep breath. But if it wasn't him then who?

"Really Alex?" I heard Auntie Cass yell from downstairs.

"Hey I have to go. I'll call you back later." I said hanging up before he could say bye. I quickly raced to the ledge of the stairs so I could hear better but not be seen.

"What?" Daddy said confused as to what she was talking about.

"Your daughter can't go get yogurt with a boy because he ‘might take advantage of her’?" She scoffed clearly pissed.

"No un un I’m not letting you bell her out this time. What we're the first two words you said? ’Your daughter?’ Yes Cassadee, she's my daughter which means I get to do what I think is best for her." He told her.

"Oh shut the hell up. I'm trying to help you so she won't become rebellious and you not trusting her is going to make things get real bad real fast." She yelled at him.

“Guys calm down.” Papa tried to calm them both down but they ignored him.

"Ooh so if she gets pregnant or her heart broken I can say 'hey at least she isn't rebellious.'" Daddy yelled back.

"You're a fucking asshole." She growled.

"No! I'm a concerned fucking father."

"You would think it would be a good idea for you to take notes from someone who despises her parents, but instead you want to be a stubborn dick. So you know what when she does end up hating you I'll be there to help her through that too." She said.

"You and Izzy are both being so dramatic." Daddy told her.

"Yeah keep telling yourself that." She walked out the door slamming it on her way out.

"Fucking perfect." Daddy said to himself angrily.

"I have a headache." Papa said.

"You still think it’ll be okay to leave us here by ourselves for weeks?" Daddy asked but I could tell he was being sarcastic. Papa sighed loudly not saying anything back.

I had no idea what they were talking about, but I’d rather live on the streets than with here with Daddy. Well maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit. I walked away before I could hear anything else and went back to my bedroom. Auntie Cass texted me a few minutes later.

To Izzy:
I'm sorry you had to hear all of that and I'm sorry I didn't come check on you. Your father is just so ugh there isn't a word to describe him.

To Cass:
It's okay and thank you for that.

To Izzy:
It was no problem, sweetie. Now get some rest and try not to stress yourself out about this. Text me if anything else happens.

To Cass:
Okay goodnight

To Izzy:
Night

I got out of all my clothes and put my pajamas on. It was only seven-thirty but I just wanted to hurry to sleep and forget about this whole day. I laid down and grabbed my phone to text Vic. I had to take advantage of this now because Daddy was probably going to remember to take my phone away in the morning.

To Vic:
I'm sorry I had to take care of something really quick. What were we talking about?

To Izzy:
We were talking about risking our lives to potentially date behind your fathers back lmao

To Vic:
Oh yeah! We just won't be able to go out this weekend or next weekend and maaaaybe even the weekend after that because I'm probably so grounded lol

To Izzy:
How are you texting me? Are you one of those kids that get to keep their phone when their grounded and just have to stay in their room because some studies show that's not a punishment that's a reward.

To Vic:
Calm down Oprah he just forgot to take it. I'm sure he will tomorrow though.

To Izzy:
Hahaha shut up I was just saying. But I guess tell me when you're ungrounded and we can go from there.

I heard a knock on my door before replying back to Vic. I slid my phone under my pillow just in case and got up to answer my door.

"Hey I just wanted to come check on you." Papa said.

"I'm fine." I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him or Daddy.

"Please don't be mad, Izzy. I know you must feel hurt and dissatisfied with what happened, but at least try to understand why that decision was made." He pleaded.

"No." I said catching him off guard.

"Izzy-" he said and I cut him off.

"-I really don't feel like talking about this right now. I'm really tired."

"Okay I um- goodnight." He said and I closed my door. I don't like to be rude or disrespectful but I couldn't help it. Daddy and Papa really pushed my buttons tonight.

I pulled out my phone to text Vic back.

To Vic:
Okay I'll text you when I'm finished with my jail sentence.

To Izzy:
I heard sometimes prison makes you a better person. Do you think that's true?

To Vic:
Obviously not if I'm just going to do the same thing again when I get out haha

To Izzy:
Haha that's true. I guess you'll always be a bad seed.

To Vic:
Gee thanks for the motivation I needed it

To Izzy:
Anytime!

I checked all my social media sites since I knew it would be a while before I could get on them again. Then I rolled over on my side to fall asleep thinking about how Vic and I's date should have been.

Notes

Title credit: The Divine Zero by Pierce the Veil.