Most of the time I saw eye to eye with my dad but there were rare times when I didn't understand him.  I got that he was upset with me for lying about going to Jada's, but I still didn't understand why he was so against me staying with Elliott overnight.  He was in college and I was his girlfriend.  We'd lived in the same house for years.  We'd fallen asleep on the couch together many times.  What was so different?

Pippa seemed to be backing my dad up, though I think she was doing it reluctantly.  The only other adult I could possibly get on my side would be my mother.  She was pretty liberal and laissez-faire when it came to letting me do things.  I asked Pippa if I could borrow her phone since Dad took mine away.  I was always allowed to call my mom.

Mom picked up and we talked a little, just catching up.  She was probably a little thrown that I called her without prompting.

"Doing anything fun this weekend?" she asked me.

"Well, Dad grounded me because I went to go see Elliott," I told her, trying to spin my story in the right way.  "I stayed overnight and he didn't like that.  But we've lived together for years.  I don't see the big deal."

"You stayed overnight?" she asked, exasperated.  "Josephine, you're in high school.  You cannot be staying overnight with Elliott."

Not the response I was going for.  "But we've been together for two years, Mom," I reminded her.  "It's not like we haven't had sex."

She let out a troubled breath.  "You should not be having sex.  How old is he anyway?"

"He's eighteen," I told her.  "Two years older.  Mom, that's normal."

Now I was anxious to hang up and get off the phone with her.  This conversation had gone horribly wrong.  As a woman I hoped she would back me up and convince Dad he was being unreasonable.

"I know you've been dating for two years, but now that he's in college maybe you two should take a break," she told me.  "You can date someone in high school."

"Mom, I love Elliott," I told her.  "And he loves me."

I managed to wrap up the conversation in the next minute or so.  I hung up, frustrated, and took Pippa's phone back to her.

"You okay?" she asked me, looking concerned.

"My mom's unreasonable," I told her, setting her phone in her hand.

"Same answer?" she guessed, knowing what I'd been up to apparently.  I sighed and went back to my bedroom to trudge through some more homework.  Junior year was killing me.  I had AP classes in my class load again, and was also doing debate club and yearbook.  I kept very busy.  Now that I was spending less time with Elliott, though, I was able to get my work done faster.

Before dinner, Dad came to my room and pulled out my desk chair, sighing.  "I got a call from your mom just now," he informed me, crossing his ankle over his other leg.  "She's threatening to press charges if you and Elliott continue to have sex."

"What?!" I asked, completely thrown off.  "Why?"

"He's eighteen and you're sixteen," Dad said, crossing his arms.  "Technically it's statutory rape."

"But we've been having sex since..." I stopped myself, feeling my face turn pink.  Dad looked embarrassed too.  "That's ridiculous."

"Pippa's pretty upset," he told me.  "I told your mom that wouldn't be necessary, but she's gonna be on your case now.  She wants us to force you to break up."

I rolled my eyes and collapsed onto my back on my bed.  I scrubbed my hands over my face.  This was just what I needed and it was typical Mom.

"She's so insane!" I complained, and he didn't argue.

"Well, you're grounded for now, but I think we need to have a conversation about this," he went on.  "Are you and Elliott still on the same page?"

"What do you mean?" I looked at him.

"I mean he's in college now," he pointed out.  "He's around all new people.  He'd probably like to date a little and scope things out."

I sat up, appalled.  "Dad, he loves me."

"I know he does," he acknowledged.  "But you're his first serious girlfriend as far as I know.  Most high school couples don't end up together.  They grow apart as they get older and mature."

Was Dad trying to upset me?  Why the hell was he telling me all this?  "You just want us to break up, don't you?" I accused.  "That would make your life so much easier.  You wouldn't have to worry about me staying with him or sneaking around."

He sighed and rubbed at his face.  "I don't want you to break up," he tried to backtrack.  "I'm just saying it's healthy for both of you to want to try out other people.  At your age, you don't need to be committed to someone for life."

I picked up my pencil and turned the page of my math textbook harshly.  "Are we done?" I asked, wanting this conversation to be over.  He was silent for a few moments, leaning forward on his elbows.

"I'm sorry if I upset you," he said gently.  "I just think you and Elliott should have a conversation."

"Noted," I told him shortly, beginning my next math problem.  He quietly stood up and tucked the chair back underneath the desk, leaving me be.  As soon as he left I threw my pencil on the floor and collapsed onto my back again.  Right now, I desperately wanted to talk to Elliott but I couldn't.  Were Mom and Dad right?  Was it unrealistic for me to expect us to stay together while he was away at college?

I knew tons of high school couples broke up, but some stayed together.  Maybe I was being too optimistic, but I'd like to think that Elliott and I had something special.  Why were our families trying to keep us apart?

A while later, Pippa called me for dinner and I reluctantly joined the family.  Alex seemed to be in a funky mood and had already announced she wouldn't eat her vegetables.  She put her fork into her pile of mashed potatoes, apparently not realizing it was also a vegetable.  The kid loved her mashed potatoes.

On the little art table, her two family trees sat, labeled with everyone's picture and name.  She'd done a good job and it was neat that she'd done both families.

"I want crackers," Jack announced after he'd eaten a little bit of his dinner.

"Not now, sweetheart," Pippa told him.  "Eat what's on your plate."

Jack made his body go limp like it was the worst news he'd ever heard.  He whined and repeated he wanted crackers and was told no again.  Jack then hopped down from his booster seat and proceeded to walk over to the pantry.

"Jack," Dad warned him.  "Come back to the table."

"Crackers!" he demanded.  We heard him open the door and grab the bag of Goldfish, his favorite snack.  Dad stood up and started walking over.

"Jack, but them back now," he told him firmly, but Jack looked right at him and put his hand in the bag.  The kid had some nerve.  I'd been the same way as a little kid, always wanting to test the boundaries. 

Soon, he had crackers in both fists.  Dad strode across the room and gently grabbed his wrists, telling him no again.

"Put them back in the bag," he told Jack firmly, kneeling at his level.  Jack didn't move.  It was a showdown.  Alex watched, eyes wide.  Jack tried to move his hands towards his mouth but Dad kept them firm.  He then squeezed his little fists, crumbling the crackers.

"Crushed it," he announced, and Pippa and I both had to put our hands to our mouths to stop from bursting out laughing.  Somehow Dad managed to keep a straight face.  He marched Jack to the trash can and told him to throw the crumbs in.  Jack reluctantly complied and then was taken straight to his room for a time out.

As Dad came back, we all shared an amused look.  He shook his head and sat down.  "Little stinker," Dad commented.  "Alex, how are those peas?"

"Disgusting!" she told him.

After dinner, Alex needed to put the final touches on her family tree project.  Dad sat patiently with her as I helped Pippa with the dishes.  She was still in a bit of a mood.

"Do I get to see Grandma and Grandpa this weekend?" she asked him.

"No," Dad said.  "Three more weeks.  But we can always FaceTime them."

This seemed to cheer Alex up.  Dad got his phone out and then FaceTimed her grandparents.  I listened in as she held up her finished tree.  They oohed and ahhed and told her how good it looked.  When it was time to hang up, she got tearful.

"Can I come visit again?" she asked them.

"Not this weekend," they told her gently.  "We're going on a trip."

Alex listened with disappointment as they told her about where they were going for the weekend, somewhere upstate, to visit some friends.  She was quiet as they wrapped up the phone call.

"Alright, kid," Dad said.  "Let's finish up our family tree then it's bedtime."

Alex stood up and walked over to her little table.  We all watched in shock as she began to rip the paper up.

"Alex!" Dad chided her, rushing over to stop her.  He managed to grab her arm, but not before she'd ripped it into four pieces, damaging the photos as well.  "Why'd you do that?"

"This isn't my family!" she declared, then stomped off to her room.  Dad sighed and set the torn pieces back on the table.  He looked at Pippa, neither of them knowing what to do.  I felt badly for them but mostly for Alex.  She was obviously having a lot of trouble missing her parents right now.  Even though I didn't always agree with my mom and dad, I still loved them and knew I was lucky to have them.

I quietly slipped back to my room, still frustrated about my parents, but grateful I had them.