“I’m smart and stubborn and won’t let anything get in my way. You have to trust me.”
“I want to, Tristan, but…” He rubs his forehead. “How can I when you haven’t been honest?”
“I didn’t lie. I was trying to keep my grades up. Trinity tutors me all the time. She’s the only reason I made it last semester. I tried.”
“Not what I’m talking about.”
“Then what?”
“Why didn’t you just tell me you didn’t want to go?”
I pull my head back. “I didn’t see it as an option. You’ve been telling me as long as I can remember that I would go to Penn State and I would study business or law or medicine. You never asked me what I wanted. Not once.”
“Because you don’t fucking know. You’re aimless. If it wasn’t for me, you probably wouldn’t have finished high school.”
His words sting, but at the same time, he’s right. “Some people just take longer, dad.”
“You still don’t know. You come in here telling me you dropped school, but to do what? What is your passion, Tristan?”
“I don’t know,” I mutter under my breath.
“What? Speak up. You want to be a man? Well, men don’t mumble.”
“Why do I have to know right now? Why can’t I just figure it out?”
“And live off me or your mom? Is that your plan?”
“What? You don’t want me here?” I do not want to go to my mom’s now that her man is there full time. “Is that the deal, dad?”
“Not rent free. The deal was you go to school full time or you work full time.”
“Jesus, I just got back . Give me a fucking minute, will you?”
“What are your plans? To go down to the hamburger joint and get a minimum wage job flipping burgers?”
“God, you’re hard-headed.” I stand up. “I’m leaving.”
“Where are you going?”
“None of your business, but I’m not staying here and being insulted. I knew you would be a dick about it.”
“Did you just call me a dick?”
I roll my eyes. “I need your support and guidance and all you can do is shove your dreams and your ideas for me down my throat. Maybe I don’t know what I want because I’ve been too busy trying to be what you want. So think about that, dad, the next time you think I’m a loser with no direction. I tried. Okay. I tried.”
I stomp out of the house and get in the car, tearing off before he can stop me. All I want right now is Bishop.
ELEVEN
BISHOP
My phone rings, surprising me when I see the name on the screen.
“Hey, Rocco. What’s up?”
“Is Tristan with you?”
“No. Why?”
