Unhinged Love

Chapter 2

Avery's POV

**18 years old, high school graduation. **

I walked off the stage and wanted to vomit. I may have been someone who was loud when they wanted to be, but public speaking wasn't my thing, but as valedictorian I had to give a speech. I tried to make it quick and funny, but I think I failed. Hardly anyone laughed, but it was quick. I took my seat beside Eric. He and I had been dating, but I had broken up with him last night. It wasn't my finest move and I didn't think about it beforehand because now I had to walk with him at graduation and sit by him. I saw him talking to Janis and, well, I lost my s**t. The little fucker was going to cheat with her, and I wasn't going to stand for it, so I dumped his ass and the first place I went was the store and bought the biggest f*****g bottle of glitter that I could find.

I waited until I knew he was good and drunk, and then I broke into his car and dumped glitter into his air vents and on his seats, cup holders and all over the floorboard. Have fun getting this s**t out, I thought, as I laughed and dumped the remaining glitter on the floor and then threw the bottle in the back seat and left.

"How was your night?" I leaned over and whispered to him.

"Screw you, Avery. The god-damn glitter really?"

"You were with Janis."

"I was talking to her, having a conversation, nothing more."

"Sure, it didn't look like nothing more with her hand on your chest."

He didn't speak to me the rest of the time and, thankfully, it wrapped up about ten minutes later. Now that I was officially a graduate, I had to have the hardest conversation with my parents that I ever would. They had expectations of me and, well, I wasn't going to meet them. I walked out of the auditorium of the high school. One of the perks of going to private school is that everything was top-notch and fancy. I honestly could care less. I may come from money, but it didn't mean everything to me like it did my parents. At some point, they started putting their career before us and they expected us to follow in their footsteps. My father was a surgeon and my mother was a highly sought-out therapist.

"Avery, darling," my mom yelled through the crowd. Don't worry, it was fake. She really didn't care but wanted people to think she did. I stayed where I was at and let them come to me.

"Your speech, honey, you really should have run that by me first," my mother said as she fixed my hair.

"Come on, we are going to be late. Everyone is waiting," my father said, and I batted my mom's hand away and looked at my dad.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your graduation party. We have rented out Andersons for a party."

"I told you I didn't want a party."

"Of course, you have a party. It's not every day that we show our friends how smart you are," my mother said, and my brother coughed behind her. He was their golden child. He was six years older than me and was in medical school, following in my father's footsteps. He would never go against them. Always doing what they wanted. I usually did it because it was just easier, but I wasn't going to for the rest of my life. I wasn't going to the four-year university that they had set out for me. I wanted to be a baker or maybe a chief. I loved baking and creating things and taking a bunch of ingredients and making something that tasted delicious, and I loved to make it look pretty. I wanted to go to culinary school. They were going to have a fit, but I didn't care.

I drove to the restaurant by myself, and I was already trying to find an excuse to get out of there as I pulled in, but unfortunately, everyone I called to see if they were busy, was in fact busy. I didn't have any best friends, only people that I would hang out with at times and then Eric, but I wouldn't be calling him.

I sighed and got out of my car and followed my parents inside. The restaurant was empty, but we were led to the back and when I walked some people started clapping but most kept talking. I barely knew a person here. It was all my parents' colleagues and God only knows who else. My parents just walked off and started to talk with the first people they came to. My brother did the same. I scanned the room looking for someone to talk to. It was supposed to be my party, but really it was for them.

My heart soared when I saw the very back table and the two people sitting at it. They said they weren't coming, but the second I saw them, I pushed through the crowd as fast as I could. They both stood the second they saw me. I was swept into a hug and pushed back the tears I wanted to cry. My grandparents were the only ones who saw me for who I was, and always encouraged me to do what I wanted. They moved about three years ago, and I felt so lost when they did. My grandpa was a therapist as well and grandma was a stay-at-home wife, raising my mom, their only child.

"I thought you guys weren't coming," I asked as I held them tighter.

"Surprise." They both yelled.

"Your speech was beautiful," my grandma said.

"My speech sucked, but it's fine, it was quick."

"Sit, let's talk."

I sat there talking with my grandparents for the rest of the party. I was so surprised to see them, and I was so thankful that they were here. Now I had to just hope that they were staying at my parents' house. They could be the buffer between my parents and me because I knew that it was going to be ugly. People slowly dwindled out, and my grandparents finally stood to leave.

"Are you staying with mom and dad?" I asked as my grandpa went to get their coats.

"No honey, we are at The Hilton downtown. You know we don't always see eye to eye."

"You and me both."

"Don't worry love, we will always support what you want to do, and we love you no matter what," my grandma said, leaning in and kissing my cheek. I walked them out to their car and gave them both a hug.

"Let's get breakfast in the morning. I'll take you to your favorite pancake place," Grandpa said as he released me.

"I'll meet you there at nine," I told them, and placed a kiss on his cheek and watched as they drove away.

When I walked into my house, my parents instantly yelled at me to come into the kitchen. I groaned, knowing that they were pissed about something and as much as I didn't want to do this, now was the time to drop the bomb on them. I dragged my feet walking into the kitchen, but as soon as I did, my mother held up my acceptance letter to the school I was planning on attending.

"Want to explain yourself?" my mother sneered at me. Boy she was angry this time.

"It's the school I want to go to. I've already said I would be going," I said as I placed my hands on the back of the kitchen chair.

"Like hell, you are going there. It's a damn cooking school. You are not going there. We've already sent your tuition check to Stanford," my father said.

"And I called them and told them that I had changed my mind and to cancel the check."

"Over my dead body is my daughter going to some damn cooking school. You will go to Stanford and get your medical degree and then we will discuss what medical school you want to go to." My mother said so matter-of-factly.

"I. Do. Not. Want. To. Go," I said with as much authority as I could.

"If you want our support, you will go to Stanford," my father said, and the look on his face held nothing but disappointment. Not the first time I have had this look given to me, but it still doesn't make it easier. I always wanted to do what they wanted me to, but somewhere along the line I wasn't happy, and my grandparents are the ones who told me to do what makes you happy.

"So, you'll cut me off if I don't do what you want."

"Not only will we cut you off, you won't be our daughter. I won't have a daughter anymore," he said, and that one hit right in the heart and it hurt. I could feel the tears sting my eyes, but I took a deep breath to hold them back.

"You would disown me because I don't choose a career that you want me to have?"

"Yes, this is not a future, it's a damn hobby."

"Screw both of you. I don't need you," I yelled and turned and walked out of the kitchen and went straight up to my room. I didn't expect them to do this, but I would leave. I knew that grandma and grandpa would help me. I could stay with them until I had to go to school and my parents had a trust fund set up for me. It was already in my name and I had access to so much when I turned eighteen. I didn't touch it because I didn't have the need to. I packed a bag with everything I wanted to take and went to bed. Not that there was much sleep happening. It was mostly tears about how my parents would disown me like that, but I will prove them wrong. I will do this and I will be a success.

When morning rolled around, I got up early and showered and packed up my car and headed out. I was going to be early for breakfast, but it was better than running into my parents. I pulled into the pancake house and checked my phone. I had no messages from my parents. I doubt they even noticed that I had left. I had hoped that they would, but they didn't.

I went inside and waited and waited and when my grandparents were thirty minutes late, I called them, but they didn't answer, so I waited another twenty minutes when my phone finally rang, but it was my dad and I didn't really want to answer it, but I held a sliver of hope that he was calling to apologize and tell me that he was wrong about last night.

"Hey dad."

"Avery, where are you?"

"I was supposed to meet grandma and grandpa for breakfast. What's up?"

"You need to come home. They were in a wreck and didn't make it," he said, and it was so cold sounding. Like they meant nothing to him. I hung up on him and sat there for a minute in shock. They couldn't be gone. This had to be some ploy to get me to come home and discuss last night. Maybe they called them and asked them to come over and discuss this. Maybe they talked sense into my parents.

When I walked into my parents' house, the air was thick, and I could hear my mom crying and talking on the phone. "Avery, come here," my father yelled. He was in his office this time.

"Please tell me that was a lie to get me to come home," I said, walking inside.

"No. They are gone. Hit by a drunk driver last night. We got a call this morning. Your mother is going to need your help and I don't want to hear anything else about you going to cooking school. I've called Stanford and cleared things up," he said, and I just stood there staring at him. I didn't understand what his problem was. He just lost his in-laws. Part of his family and he was f*****g concerned about my schooling.

I turned and ran out of the house and I planned on never going back.