Control

by J. F. Jenkins

  “I’m calling about Thanksgiving. I got into a huge fight with my Dad. He said you aren’t allowed to come anymore. It’s got nothing to do with you. He’s punishing me for not agreeing with him. I...I’m sorry.”

  Not what he was expecting her to say, at all, he wasn’t sure how to react. “I understand.”

  That seemed like the right thing even though he didn’t understand it in the slightest. When he and Lyssa fought, she never punished him for it afterward. He was only punished when he did something wrong. They either worked out their differences, or he grudgingly did as he was told. To ground her simply for starting an argument was extreme, unless she talked back badly to her dad to the point of no return. Orlando could relate to that one. He’d said a number of different things to Lyssa that had angered her. When that happened, she walked away telling him if he disobeyed she’d make him sorry, and she usually did. His sister was good at executing good punishments. As much as they argued, he’d learned a long time ago to not push the wrong buttons. Maybe Tait still hadn’t figured that lesson out.

  “I…” She choked up on the other end. Crying, again. Orlando didn’t like their new conversation pattern. He hated crying.

  She might be hormonal or something. He’d seen Lyssa turn into a blubbering mess over a diaper commercial once because of hormones. Not something he understood well either, but he’d suffer through it if he had to.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked when she didn’t finish her thought.

  “I just know you were probably looking forward to it. Coming and having a real Thanksgiving for a change. I’m sure you’ll have a good time with your sister at her boyfriend’s. He can’t be that bad right?” she asked.

  “No, he’s not,” Orlando said honestly. He didn’t want to tell her he would probably be staying home alone. All of John’s family would be at the dinner, and while that was great for Lyssa it’d be awkward for Orlando. Even more awkward than going to Tait’s house. He would be Lyssa’s accessory, and it wasn’t the ideal atmosphere for him to get to know her boyfriend to begin with.

  Tait let out a soft sigh of relief. “You can come over and meet my parents soon. I promise. Dad is super curious about you. Peyton and I have been talking you up a lot, and he wants to know who’s making me so happy these days.”

  “Happy to the point of tears apparently,” he mumbled.

  “It’s been an overwhelming couple of days. I’m still a little off from everything with Vance. He has his friends spreading things around the school right now. It’s not been fun. Peyton said he’d beat them all up for me so you don’t get in trouble again for it.”

  “Thoughtful of him, but it’s fine. Vance is just jealous, and I’m used to people feeling that way when it comes to me,” Orlando said casually. “They’re words and nothing more. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what a few people from high school think. It’s not like we’re going to be there for forever. Most of us will probably never cross paths again.”

  “Oh,” she said, and the way she said it made him wonder if he had done something wrong.

  “What?”

  “I’m just wondering what all of that means exactly. That statement can be taken a lot of ways you know.”

  Orlando sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I mostly just mean that when we graduate, we’ll only be seeing who we choose to see. Vance will be gone, so will all his evil minions of jerkdom. It’s another year and a half of suffering at this point.”

  “Oh okay.” Tait sounded relieved now.

  He frowned. “What did you think I meant?”

  “I wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean about us. If this was something you considered long term, or just for fun.”

  That had him laughing, hard. “Okay if this was something just for fun for me, you would know by now. Things about our relationship would be a lot different. I can’t say I wanna go pick out rings or curtains or anything with you at the moment, but I’m in it for the long haul. I’m taking it about as seriously as I can. Does that help? Or are you still doubting my motives? I’m not Vance.”

  She laughed too, which was a much pleasant change from the crying. “I don’t think you’re him. We just never had the whole, ‘where we want things to go with this’ discussion. Everyone has different motivations for dating you know. Even in high school.”

  “I don’t know what I want. I just know that...” What did he know? “You’re important to me. I like being with you. What about you? Since we’re talking about this.”

  “Something along the same lines. Call me a romantic, but I don’t enter into anything I can’t see going somewhere. It seems kind of like a waste of time, don’t you think?”

  “Again, that has a lot to do with the goal. Generally speaking though, yes, it is a waste of time.” Hopefully that was a pleasing answer for her, because it was the most honest thing he could say without getting himself into trouble. When it came to things like marriage and family, he couldn’t even begin to think about them. Most seventeen-year-old boys didn’t. Just like a girl to have all of this planned out. What he did know was that given all of his family drama, it wasn’t a situation he would ever enter into lightly.

  Orlando glanced at the clock. Nine-thirty. Alan would be taking JD and Cadence to meet with Dale soon. That thought distracted him from the conversation at hand until Tait spoke again.

  “You’re right. What happens now shouldn’t be such a big deal. The things that don’t kill us make us stronger, or something along those lines right?” she asked.

  “Exactly, so enjoy the ride. You do know what this means right?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  He smirked. “We’re just going to have to start making out in the hallway all the time. Might as well have a little fun messing with his head right?”

  “I can’t say I’d complain about getting to kiss you more than I do. We should do something this weekend.”

  “I thought you were forbidden to see me?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I have a little bit of a rebellious side too sometimes. I could sneak out. Saturday night?”

  He almost said yes, but he’d already promised that day to Angela. “You know what? How about you not get into more trouble with your parents, and instead, come and see me on a night after that. My darling sister wants to cook you dinner and meet you. It’s been almost a month, so I suppose it’s time right?”

  “Yes, it’s a date.”

  “Cool. I need to get going. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Bright and early!”

  “Goodnight Tait.”

  “Night Orly.”

  He slowly hung up his phone, almost saying more again. The original plan of taking a shower was out the window. As much as he tried not to let it bother him, he was upset about not going to Tait’s family Thanksgiving. One of those little things he had built up inside of his head that didn’t pan out. When it came to physical possessions, he had more than enough. What he desired more than anything was a normal family moment.

  Maybe I should go with Lyssa to John’s, he thought as he made his way through his house to the entrance of The Apartment. Time to blow off some steam, and he couldn’t think of a better way to do it than by going into the practice room and causing some glass to break.

  Turning on the lights, he walked back to the room that had been designated for all of them to mess around in. What he didn’t anticipate was for the lights upstairs to be on as well. He could see the glow of them on the walls of the staircase. Creeping up the stairs, he found the source coming from the library. Sitting on top of the desk was Angela.

  “Hello?” Orlando said and watched her jump up.

  “It’s cool that I’m here right? JD said we could come whenever we wanted to. That’s okay? Or is that another one of his made up rules?” she asked, running her fingers through her long, curly, dark hair. Orlando had to look away. It was a bit too sultry of a movement for him.

  He nodded at her, averting his eyes to the device she held in
her hands. “It’s not something he made up. I’m surprised because I didn’t know anyone would be here. Wasn’t expecting it. No one has come off-schedule yet just because they wanted to. More importantly though, what are you doing here?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. With everything going on, I can’t focus on it. I probably won’t be able to until after JD gets back okay. So I thought I’d do something productive and practice some of the stuff in this book...thing.” She pointed to the device which looked a lot like a touch screen computer tablet, only slightly thicker.

  “Worried?” Orlando smirked and leaned against the door frame.

  “No, but something Alan said stuck out to me tonight. With me needing to be comfortable with what I do.”

  “And you told him you were fine, which I’m guessing was a lie?”

  Angela shrugged and closed the book before setting it on top of the desk. “Not entirely, but I could stand to learn a little more self-control. I refuse to be left behind and in the dark. This thing is confusing though, and I thought a change of scenery might help me understand it more. It’s hard to focus at my house.”

  “JD is kind of loud, so I can imagine,” he said.

  “Not only him. Everyone. Anyway, by the time I’m done here, he’ll be home, I’ll feel tired. Everyone is happy right?”

  “Right.”

  “And what about you?” She walked up to him and didn’t once take her eyes off his face. He couldn’t hold her gaze long before shrugging.

  “Frustrated, so I thought I’d practice before hitting the hay.”

  Angela raised her eyebrows and folded her arms in front of her chest. “Porque so frustrated?”

  He stared down at her for a moment and debated how much he wanted to say. There wasn’t much point in lying to her, so he decided on doing what he did best and give blunt honesty. “I got ditched for the holidays. Kind of irritated about it, but I have this thing about people doing that to me. Can’t imagine why.” The last part was sarcastic.

  It shouldn’t have taken anyone who knew anything about him long to figure out why being abandoned would bother him. And that might have been the reason he was more upset than anything. It wouldn’t have been the first time Tait blew him off. At least she called first this time. She’d invited him to the party where everyone had been given injections by The Doctor, and then never showed up because of yet another fight with her parents. No word, so he didn’t know if she had been there and gotten caught by The Doctor, or if something else had happened. He didn’t like worrying.

  “Ouch, that’s too bad. Parents or someone else?”

  “Seeing as how my parents haven’t been home for a holiday in about three years, it was someone else. I’ve stopped expecting them to come home for things. We usually cram all of the special occasions into one day before they go back to wherever again. Happy Christma-birthda-yey-good-grades-whatever-elsemas.” He waved his hand. “My girlfriend invited me to her place, then uninvited me tonight. No big deal. Had some kind of massive fight with her dad.”

  Angela watched him, her eyebrows narrowing. “So she got in trouble and couldn’t bring you, and you’re bummed? That sucks. What was she doing fighting with her parents right before the holidays? Seems like a stupid time to do that don’t you think? Especially when you’re bringing an important guest home. At least, that’s what I do. I’m always on my best behavior until anything I really want passes. Common sense.”

  “One would think.” He hadn’t thought about it from that angle. “Seems to be a common thing, fighting with the parents. You know Tait. She told me you two were cheerleading camp BFFs or something.”

  “No wonder you seemed so familiar. I mean, yeah, you went to Morningtide with me once upon a time, but our paths didn’t exactly cross. You were just talked about, but never seen.”

  “Kind of like now? I’m always the center of the gossip there it seems.”

  “Not so much, but go ahead and think that the world revolves around you. It’s good for your self esteem.” She smirked so he knew she was joking. It rolled right off his back anyway. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone called him spoiled. Angela’s face grew more serious before she continued. “My point is, I saw you with her at the mall. I’ve been looking at you going, ‘now I know I’ve seen him somewhere else that wasn’t school related.’ And that’s why.”

  “Yup, guilty.” He gave an innocent shrug.

  “She’s so sweet, you’ve got a great catch.” But the frown she wore suggested otherwise.

  He glanced her way and saw she was playing with her hair, looping it around a finger. There were a lot of things he could have said about it, but he decided to stay on topic. “Why do you look like someone kicked your dog?”

  “I don’t know how to say this…”

  “You can try opening your mouth and push sounds out through your vocal chords. That’s usually a good place to start.”

  Angela pursed her lips. “I meant…to find the best way to word it.”

  Closing his eyes, he let out a heavy sigh. “Be straight with me. I can take it. I wear big-boy underwear, and tie my own shoes, and everything.” He’d been hoping for her to say something funny to that, to help keep the mood light and prolong whatever bad news she didn’t want to give him. She must have decided to bite the bullet.

  “She’s lying to you.”

  “Why don’t you just cut my heart out,” he said and put his hands to his chest.

  “I thought you were a big boy and could handle it?” Angela did something he didn’t expect and hugged him. She apparently didn’t know him well enough to understand he didn’t enjoy being touchy-feely with random people he barely knew. At the same time, he liked her lack of apprehension. She didn’t treat him as if he were made of glass, or a toxic chemical.

  “I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “Maybe it’s not my place, but I thought you should know. Tait’s parents are hippies. They don’t believe in fighting. The girl could get away with murder, they’d never yell at her. She’s kind of like you and has had to raise herself. Either her parents had a change of technique, or she’s lying and doesn’t want you there.”

  “You got really close at camp,” he mumbled.

  “Her mom was one of the counselors. I got to watch it in action, and it’s not something her parents try to hide. Her mom flat out said she treats Tait like an adult and lets her make her own decisions. Something about it being better to be her friend than superior because it makes for more happiness in the home.” She paused and stepped back so she could look up at him. “You okay?”

  Orlando shrugged, unsure of how he felt. He didn’t quite know what to believe. It didn’t make sense for Tait not to want him to come, especially since she’d been so insistent on it. Unless that had been a lie too? Did something else happen? Was she ashamed of him? Worried he wouldn’t be well behaved or classy enough for her relatives? Or did he give Tait the benefit of the doubt? He had no reason to doubt Angela outside of boyfriend obligation. Shouldn’t he believe his girlfriend over a girl he’d just met? If Angela was anything like her brother, she had no reason to lie.

  “I shouldn’t have said anything,” Angela mumbled and pulled away, back to the desk and got her book. “I’ll go home now.”

  He shook his head. “No. I’m okay. Don’t know what to think, but okay all the same. Stay.”

  “Stay?” Her eyes went wide.

  “Stay,” he repeated, and walked over to her so he could take a look at her book. Without another word, he grabbed it from her hands, and opened it after sitting on the desk. He patted the spot next to him, making sure to have room for her to sit too.

  For a moment, all Angela did was stand and watch him, then her feet shuffled forward and she joined him on the desk. “Again, I’m sorry for—”

  “Let’s get an early start on practice, shall we? If you don’t feel secure in your abilities, then we should remedy that. Wouldn’t want something to blow up or burn down. Speaking of which, next time you come he
re alone to practice, can you please at least text me so I know to expect the house to possibly catch fire? I’m pretty sure all of the fire alarms are linked in the house,” he said. They didn’t need to discuss Tait anymore. He’d figure it out later on his own. Somehow he’d get the truth.

  “I wasn’t planning on actually doing anything, just reading, a lot.”

  “Change those plans because we are going to do a lot. Pretty sure we have a fire extinguisher here somewhere.” He got up and left the room so he could check the kitchen. Sure enough there was one sitting next to the stove. He grabbed it and headed to the practice room making sure to wave for Angela to follow him along the way.

  “So what does the book say?” Orlando asked, getting out a box of cheap water glasses he had bought to practice with. Dangerous and messy to use? Definitely, but there was something satisfying about listening to the crunch. Plus the cleanup allowed him more use of his powers. Sometimes he even got to practice putting up a psychic shield to protect himself from the splay of the glass.

  Angela walked to the middle of the room and waited. “A lot of scientific mumbo jumbo I didn’t understand, about why we have abilities to begin with. I’m sure it’s interesting, but science is not my area of expertise.”

  “Alien science at that. My approach is much more practical. I believe in hands-on learning,” he said and set the glasses on a counter along the far wall. “This might not be true about all superpowers, but mine are triggered by emotions and instincts. At first, I mean, and then I learned how to flip it on and off like a light switch. I’m pretty sure that could be said of a lot of aggressive abilities.”

  “And you think I fall into that category?” she asked, and her eyes stayed on him as he moved about the room. It made him a little uncomfortable to have her be so attentive to everything he did. “What are you doing?”

  “Giving you stuff to practice on,” he said, and put paper inside of the glasses creating a contained area for burning. “Anyway, you start things on fire. That’s pretty aggressive if you ask me.”