Chapter 17

Chapter 17

After school on Friday, my family and Grayson's family were going to have yet another family dinner, but this time, we were going to a fancy restaurant.

Mom expected me to dress up. I didn't really want to, but I was too tired to object. So, Mom grabbed a simple black dress out of my closet and handed it to me.

"First impressions are important," Mom told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "First impression? Mom, we've had dinner with them many times." Not to mention one of them is my boyfriend.

My family didn't exactly know about Grayson and I. I did tell Tony but made him promise to not tell Mom and Dad. Dad would just be worried because of what happened with Ben and Mom didn't really like Grayson.

"Yes, but Gary's daughter will be there since she's on spring break," Mom said before leaving my bedroom. I wanted to ask her what that had to do with anything, but I decided to just leave it and get changed. After I was changed into the dress, I went down the stairs where the rest of my family was. Mom looked at me and gave me a sigh. "What?" I asked.

"You could have at least fixed your hair," Mom pointed out before shaking head. "There's no time now. We have to get going."

We all got into Dad's car, with me sitting in the back with my arms crossed. My hair was just fine. It wasn't a mess at all.

"Chill, Poppy," Tony said quietly so Mom and Dad wouldn't hear our upcoming conversation.

"I don't know why she's stressing out about all of this," I said with my voice just as quiet. "It will be the first time our families are having dinner with Grayson and I dating."

"Speaking of, when are you going to tell them?" Tony asked.

I shrugged. "Mom already doesn't like him. Grayson and I decided to tell them when the time is right."

We got to the restaurant our families were going to be eating at. Grayson's family were waiting by the door for us. Out of everyone, Grayson probably stood out the most. The rest were dressed up nicely, but Grayson had his everyday look on; jeans, t-shirt, and a leather jacket. And for some reason, he looked a bit angry.

A young woman was with them and I guessed she was Grayson's older sister. She looked a lot like him, but she had a smile on her face, unlike Grayson.

"Shall we go in now?" Gary asked my parents. Mom nodded and we went in.

The restaurant was very classy. Even though my dress was formal, I felt a bit underdressed.

While the adults waited for the table, I pulled Grayson aside. "Are you okay?" I asked. "You seem angry."

Grayson sighed. "My brother's just being stupid. Remember how I told you how he's going to try to get your parent's approval to date you? Well, I heard him talk to his friend and apparently, he's going to ask them tonight."

I scoffed. "So?"

"So my brother knows how to get parents to allow their daughter to date him," Grayson said. "Even if the girl doesn't want to, her parents make them and she later falls for him. It's kind of going to be a problem if my girlfriend has to go on a date with my brother."

"Then we'll tell them about us if my parents make me," I told him.

Grayson still didn't seem convinced, but he couldn't say anything because we were going to sit at our table. Grayson quietly told me to sit at the end and he sat on the other side of me so Graeme couldn't sit beside me at all. However, Graeme decided to sit across from me.

A waiter soon came over and took our order. While we were waiting for the food, Mom started talking to Grayson's sister, Gale. She seemed really nice and genuine, unlike Graeme.

"Hey, Grayson," Graeme said suddenly. "How exactly close are you to Poppy?"

Grayson furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"

"No reason," he said, though the tone he used made me believe he actually did have a reason. "It doesn't matter anyway. You haven't been really close to a girl since, well, ever."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Grayson asked. I could tell he was ready to snap, so I slipped my hand into his under the table.

Graeme shook his head, then faced my parents. "I would actually like to ask the two of you something important."

"Anything," Mom said.

"Well, I've grown a liking to your daughter," he said. "And I would like to ask your permission to take her on a date."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Mom beat me to it. "It's very polite your asking our permission for this. Why not?"

"Whoa," I said. "Shouldn't he have my permission first?"

"Poppy, you do need to get out more," Mom said. "It will be good for you."

"With all due respect, I don't think it's ideal for your daughter to go out with my brother," Gale spoke up. "It's all just part of his game."

"What game?" Graeme asked in a shocked and innocent voice.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Gale said. "And obviously Grayson knows too since it affects him a lot."

"Gale, if Graeme would like to take Poppy on a date, let him," Gary said. "And certainly this 'game' you think is just a misunderstanding."

Grayson scoffed and squeezed my hand tighter. "In your eyes," he muttered.

I face Mom and Dad. "Mom, Dad, shouldn't I decide who I want to date?"

"That is true," Dad said. "If you don't want to go on a date with Graeme, I'm sure he'll understand."

"But going on a date will be good for Poppy," Mom said. "It can help her forget about Ben."

"Mom, please don't bring up Ben," I said. "But I agree that a date will be good for me."

Grayson gave me a weird look as Graeme said, "Is that a yes?"

"Nope," I said. "It's a no."

"Poppy... .." Mom began, but I interrupted her.

"I really appreciate the offer, Graeme, but I can't," I said, hoping the emphasized really would hint the sarcasm.

"Of course you can," Mom said.

"No, really," I said. "I can't."

"And why not?" Mom asked. "Graeme is a great guy."

"I know, but... .."

"He'll treat you right."

"Mom, can I... ."

"He's very caring."

"But he... ."

"Give him a chance."

"I have a boyfriend!" I blurted out, a bit too loudly. Some people in the restaurant looked at me, but I ignored them. "Mom, I have a boyfriend, okay?" I lifted my hand that was holding Grayson's.

Everyone seemed a bit shocked, except for Tony who already knew. The one who seemed the most shocked had to be Graeme.

Mom cleared her throat. "And why haven't you told us?"

I sighed. "Because... I thought you wouldn't have approved of it because of the whole incident." That was part of the reason. I didn't really want to say it was because she didn't approve of Grayson in front of his dad.

"Poppy, we would never think that," Dad said. "If you're ready to date, then you're ready to date."

"I still don't approve of it," Mom said.

"Come on," I said. "Grayson would never hurt me, Mom. I really like him and he likes me. Don't you want me to be happy?" I got up from the table and walked outside of the restaurant. I was tired of Mom constantly disapproving of everything I did or had. Why couldn't she just let me be me?

Grayson ended up following me outside. "You okay, Flower?"

"Not really," I said. "I'm tired of my mom constantly being disappointed of anything I have or do."

"I know what it feels like," Grayson assured.

"What do you usually do?" I asked.

Grayson shrugged. "Depends. Sometimes I call my sister, other times... Hey, how about we head to the beach? Skip the family dinner? I drove here by myself so it's not like my family will be stuck here."

As much as I didn't want to get Mom mad, I agreed. Mom would be extremely pissed that I left during the family dinner, especially since the food had already been ordered, but I didn't care. If she wanted to be disappointed in me, I might as well give her a reason.

While Grayson drove to the beach, he said, "By the way, thanks for not falling for my brother's charm. You're the first one to do so."

"Really?" I asked. "The first?"

Grayson nodded. "I told you, every single girl that had ever been around me, whether we were friends or I felt something more for them, they all fell for him, and they realized it was a dumb thing to do because he just broke their hearts in the end."

"I can't believe your dad thinks your brother is perfect," I said. "No offence."

Grayson raised an eyebrow. "No offence? I agree with you, you know. In my dad's eyes, Graeme is the perfect one of the family, even though my sister has been far more successfully in life and she isn't a lying snake."

"You're sister seems nice," I commented. "She tried stopping Graeme."

Grayson shrugged. "She thinks it's stupid and it is."

My cell phone rang, so I pulled it out of my purse. I sighed. "It's my mom," I told him. "She's probably wondering where I am."

"Don't answer," Grayson said. "I know you're trying to make a point and ignoring her will make her think like you actually are mad."

"I am mad," I said.

Grayson was going to reply, but my phone rang again. This time, it was Tony. Since he was actually on my side, I answered it. "Hello?"

"Poppy, Mom is really worried," Tony said. "Dad went out of the restaurant to see if you were okay and both you and Grayson were gone."

"I'm fine," I said. "And it's not like Mom is actually worried about me. She's probably mad that I left during the dinner or that I'm dating Grayson."

"It doesn't help that you took off and ignored Mom's call," Tony pointed out. "Where are you anyway?"

"Grayson and I are going to the beach," I told him.

Tony sighed. "You're not making things easier, Poppy. You can at least try."

"Try what?" I asked. "I do try to make Mom proud of me, but nothing works. She hates everything I do."

"That's not true," Tony said.

"Okay, name one thing she's proud of that I did," I said.

Tony hesitated before answering. "Didn't you get on the honor roll last year?"

"Yes, and she said something about getting the higher GPA," I said. "Look Tony, Grayson is only taking me to the beach because I feel stressed. Can you tell Mom that I'm fine and Grayson didn't kidnap me if that's what she's wondering?"

Grayson snorted as Tony said, "Yeah, fine. Just expect to get grounded when you get home."

"Kidnapped?" Grayson asked. "Does your mom actually think that I would do that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know what she thinks these days. But that doesn't matter. Let's just enjoy the time at the beach."

***

Grayson pulled into the parking lot of the beach and stopped the car. I was excited to be at the beach, but then I realized something. "Um, Grayson," I said. "I don't really have beach attire clothing."

Grayson reached in his backseat and grabbed a bag of clothes. "Lucky for you, I always keep extra pairs of clothes in my chair." He handed me the bag. "I never know when I'm going to escape to the beach."

We got out of the car and went straight to the washrooms. I went into the girls' bathroom and quickly got changed out of my stupid dress and into Grayson's clothes -a pair of shorts and a tank top. Since Grayson was a lot more muscular than me, the shirt was low cut under the armpits and it was a bit too long for me.

I got out of the washroom where Grayson was waiting. "How can you still wear your jacket?" I asked Grayson. "It's hot."

"It's always hot where I am," Grayson joked.

"Funny," I said with an eye roll. "So, what are we going to do?"

"A few things," Grayson said. "But first... ." He looked over my shoulder and cursed. "We need to go."

"Wait, what?" I asked. "We just got here."

"And now, we have to leave," Grayson said, grabbing my hand and pulling me in the opposite direction that we came from. But he stopped immediately. Devon was blocking his way. "Move."

Devon crossed his arms. "Not likely. My cousin didn't say hi to you yet."

"Hello, Grayson," a voice said from behind us. My guess it was Dedrick.

Grayson turned around. "What do you want?"

"Revenge, simple stuff," Dedrick said nonchalantly. "And I heard that your pretty friend is more than a friend."

"Just let it go," Grayson said. "I didn't mean for anything to happen."

"Yet it did," Dedrick said. "You got me arrested and almost killed Devon."

Grayson took a threatening step towards Dedrick and narrowed his eyes. Wow, he showed no fear. "I'd do it again in a hear beat," he said.

Dedrick glared at Grayson. "Say that again. I dare you."

"Grayson, let's just leave," I said, pulling on his arm. Grayson, however, didn't move. I could see the hatred in his eyes and it was frightening me a bit.

"You do not want to get on my bad side," Dedrick said. "Trust me on that."

"I thought I was already on your bad side," Grayson pointed out with an arrogant smirk.

Dedrick glared at Grayson. "I happen to know your one and only weakness. You better keep your eye on her." After that, he walked passed Grayson, bumping into his shoulder roughly. Grayson just watched his and Devon's retreating figures before walking in the opposite direction. I followed him but he didn't even look at me as he made his way to the car.

"Grayson," I said. "You okay?"

"Just get in the car, Poppy," Grayson snapped. I did not expect that reaction. Him snapping at me was one thing, but calling me Poppy instead of Flower? I was shocked nonetheless but I got in his car anyway.

The ride to my house was silent. I sensed Grayson was very angry about running into Dedrick, mainly because of the way he snapped at me and how hard he was clenching the steering wheel. His knuckles were basically turning white.

When Grayson pulled into the driveway of my house, he uttered words I never expected him to say. "We need to break up."

I looked at him. "What?"

Grayson looked at me with a cold look in his eyes. "We need to break up."

"Why, because of Dedrick?" I asked. I didn't want to break up with Grayson. He was the first boy to ever care for me.

"He'll hurt you, Poppy," Grayson said. "Is that really what you want? To be hurt again?"

I crossed my arms. "I'm not helpless after what happened. Why does everyone keep thinking that?"

"I don't think that," Grayson said. "What Ben did to you will be nothing compared to what Dedrick will do to you if we stay together."

"Whatever he does, I can handle it," I told Grayson.

"Trust me, you can't," Grayson said. "I've seen things he did to people before the crash. Ruthless, brutal, almost murderous. I'm not giving you a choice, Poppy. It's to protect you."

"Poppy?" I asked. "What happened to 'Flower'?"

"Just go," Grayson said.

I scoffed and got out of his car. I couldn't believe how snappy he became all of a sudden. And I couldn't believe he broke up with me. We weren't even together for a week. It made me feel really stupid.

"Where have you been?" Mom asked when I walked inside. "I did not appreciate you leaving dinner to go somewhere with your boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend," I corrected. "He just broke up with me so you got your wish. You didn't approve of it and now, we aren't together."

"He broke up with you?" Tony asked. "Why?"

"It doesn't matter anymore," I said. "All that matters is how stupid I feel for trusting someone when I wasn't ready."

"This is all on you, Poppy," Mom said. "You told me he wouldn't hurt you and look what happened."

"Are you serious?" I asked. "No matter what I do, you always find something wrong." Normally, I wouldn't say that to Mom but I couldn't handle it anymore. I've been holding it in for years and it was time for the truth to come out. "If I get a B in biology, you wonder why I didn't get an A, even if I try my hardest. You want me to be a doctor, but I don't even want to be one. I'm squeamish, you know. Treating someone with an infection will just make me vomit. Not only that, but I want to do something I love. I want to be an astronomer. I love astronomy. That's the only class I get an A in but you don't care because it has nothing to do with being a doctor. You're letting Tony be what he wants to. You helped him afford his education. You supported everything he did, nut nothing I did. I like Grayson a lot, but you didn't seem to care. Instead, you didn't approve of it because he's a 'bad influence'. His brother isn't all that great, you know. He dates every single one of Grayson's friends that are girls and breaks there heart in the end and they wouldn't go anywhere near Grayson. Grayson was the best thing that happened to me, but now it's ruined. Are you happy?" I turned around and went upstairs after seeing the shocked look on Mom's face.