Unexpected
Jan 6, 2014 21:10:47 GMT -5
Post by Jesse Adams on Jan 6, 2014 21:10:47 GMT -5
December 21st, 2013
As Jesse lay on his bed, reading a scene of Hamlet for the umpteenth time and still finding it made no sense, his cell phone chiming on his desk didn’t faze him much. Though not many people had his number, he had ensured some people did. He’d texted it to Lala and Reese’s numbers from his old phone before destroying it. Fifi had it. Briefly, he wondered if something was going on with his old comrade.
With that on his mind, he twisted around from his textbook and didn’t even bother checking the caller ID. No one outside a very small circle could call him, so why would he bother?
“Hello?”
“Jesse.”
The teenager’s grip tightened on the phone, his knuckles going white. “Dad?” He paused, trying to gather whatever courage hadn’t just scattered. “How did you get this number?”
“You forget I have friends, Jesse. It wasn’t difficult.” Jesse breathed in sharply before what he had said really sank in.
“Did you seriously send a PI after your own son?”
“How else was I supposed to find you? You all but disappeared communication-wise, though I see that your credit card didn’t vanish.” Jesse grit his teeth, trying hard to resist the urge to fling his phone across the room and watch it break. “We were told you’d run away from the freak school, and after that, nothing.” There was a slow pause before he spoke again. “You upset your mother with that little stunt. And your sister.” Jesse’s eyes closed. Sasha.
“If you set one goddamned finger on them I swear – ”
“You swear what, Jesse?” The blond recognized the smug tone in his father’s voice. “Don’t play tough with me. I’m sure you remember who wins when you even try.” Jesse swallowed, his free hand coming up to compulsively run over his hair, tugging lightly as he went.
“What do you want, Dad?”
“I want you to come home. Stop playing games at the school. I need you here. An internship is waiting for you at the firm.” Being that his father knew the nature of his powers, he could only imagine what an ‘internship’ would imply.
“I’m not done yet, Dad. You have to graduate to leave, and I’m not graduating.” He worded it carefully, but it didn’t matter.
“And whose fault is that? You’re eighteen years old, Jesse. It’s time to smarten up and come home.” He didn’t even know how goddamn old he was.
“I told you, I can’t. The rules are different here.” He heard his father inhale slowly. Normally that preceded something that made him flinch, even though they were hundreds of miles away from one another.
“I see.” Jesse’s fingers flexed anxiously on the phone. “Maybe I’ll just have to come and get you myself. I’m sure something can be arranged.”
“Dad, no. I –”
“You what, Jesse?”
“I...” Just like every other time he’d tried to stand up to his father, he failed. His voice simply trailed off.
“That’s what I thought. I expect a progress report soon. If I don’t get it, I WILL drag you home myself.”
With that, Jesse was left with a dial tone, and a cold shiver down his back. His dad knew where he was again. He knew his phone number.
He shuddered as his hand dropped into his lap. His phone fell to the floor, laying quiet on the worn carpet.
Holy shit.
As Jesse lay on his bed, reading a scene of Hamlet for the umpteenth time and still finding it made no sense, his cell phone chiming on his desk didn’t faze him much. Though not many people had his number, he had ensured some people did. He’d texted it to Lala and Reese’s numbers from his old phone before destroying it. Fifi had it. Briefly, he wondered if something was going on with his old comrade.
With that on his mind, he twisted around from his textbook and didn’t even bother checking the caller ID. No one outside a very small circle could call him, so why would he bother?
“Hello?”
“Jesse.”
The teenager’s grip tightened on the phone, his knuckles going white. “Dad?” He paused, trying to gather whatever courage hadn’t just scattered. “How did you get this number?”
“You forget I have friends, Jesse. It wasn’t difficult.” Jesse breathed in sharply before what he had said really sank in.
“Did you seriously send a PI after your own son?”
“How else was I supposed to find you? You all but disappeared communication-wise, though I see that your credit card didn’t vanish.” Jesse grit his teeth, trying hard to resist the urge to fling his phone across the room and watch it break. “We were told you’d run away from the freak school, and after that, nothing.” There was a slow pause before he spoke again. “You upset your mother with that little stunt. And your sister.” Jesse’s eyes closed. Sasha.
“If you set one goddamned finger on them I swear – ”
“You swear what, Jesse?” The blond recognized the smug tone in his father’s voice. “Don’t play tough with me. I’m sure you remember who wins when you even try.” Jesse swallowed, his free hand coming up to compulsively run over his hair, tugging lightly as he went.
“What do you want, Dad?”
“I want you to come home. Stop playing games at the school. I need you here. An internship is waiting for you at the firm.” Being that his father knew the nature of his powers, he could only imagine what an ‘internship’ would imply.
“I’m not done yet, Dad. You have to graduate to leave, and I’m not graduating.” He worded it carefully, but it didn’t matter.
“And whose fault is that? You’re eighteen years old, Jesse. It’s time to smarten up and come home.” He didn’t even know how goddamn old he was.
“I told you, I can’t. The rules are different here.” He heard his father inhale slowly. Normally that preceded something that made him flinch, even though they were hundreds of miles away from one another.
“I see.” Jesse’s fingers flexed anxiously on the phone. “Maybe I’ll just have to come and get you myself. I’m sure something can be arranged.”
“Dad, no. I –”
“You what, Jesse?”
“I...” Just like every other time he’d tried to stand up to his father, he failed. His voice simply trailed off.
“That’s what I thought. I expect a progress report soon. If I don’t get it, I WILL drag you home myself.”
With that, Jesse was left with a dial tone, and a cold shiver down his back. His dad knew where he was again. He knew his phone number.
He shuddered as his hand dropped into his lap. His phone fell to the floor, laying quiet on the worn carpet.
Holy shit.
