Revelations

The phone call with Emily was a blur, as I tried to come up with a convincing explanation for my whereabouts. I told her I had spent the night at my grandmother's house, which was partially true, but I didn't elaborate further. Emily seemed to buy it, and we made plans to meet up later that day. As soon as I hung up, my mom looked at me expectantly. "So, what's going on?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "You and your friends were out celebrating, weren't you?" I hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. My mom had always been protective of me, but I knew she would be worried if she found out about Mike. I decided to keep it vague, not wanting to lie to her directly. "We just had a lot of fun, mom," I said, trying to downplay the situation. "I'll tell you all about it later, okay?" My mom sighed, seeming to accept my response for now. "Okay, but you need to call your dad and tell him what's going on. He's been trying to reach you all morning." I groaned inwardly, knowing that my dad would be even harder to deal with than my mom. I took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen to grab my phone, which was still charging on the counter. As I dialed my dad's number, I couldn't help but think about Mike and what had happened the night before. I had a feeling that my life was about to get a lot more complicated, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it. My dad answered on the first ring, his voice firm but concerned. "Hey, kiddo, where have you been? I've been trying to reach you all morning." I took a deep breath and launched into a similar explanation to the one I had given my mom, trying to keep it vague but reassuring. My dad listened attentively, and I could almost hear him processing the information. "I need to talk to you about something," he said, his voice serious. "Can you come home from school today and we can discuss it?" My heart sank, wondering what I had done wrong. "What's going on, dad?" I asked, trying to sound calm. "Just come home, okay? We'll talk about it then." The line went dead, and I was left standing in the kitchen, feeling anxious and unsure of what the future held. I looked over at my mom, who was watching me with a concerned expression. "What is it, mom?" I asked, feeling a sense of trepidation. But before she could answer, the doorbell rang. It was Emily, come to pick me up for our planned meeting. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, feeling like I was escaping something, but not sure what.