People who pay too much attention to other people's lives

"I know we haven't said it yet, but I love you", the text from Mason read. I couldn't contain my grin if I tried. Sure we have only been dating for a few months, and maybe we are rushing things a little, but Mason is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Of course I loved him. As I was about to text him back I heard the door to my room open. 

"What is it Rosy?" I asked my sister. "Dad wants you to take out the trash". "Can it wait?" I sighed. "He said now and you know how he is after he gets home from Jack's house." Grumbling, I threw my phone on the bed to go downstairs. Of course I know what he's like when he gets home from Jack's. He'd been going over every other Thursday since I can remember for poker. Doesn't matter that he always ends up losing at least a few hundred dollars. He's crap at poker and with how much they drink over there he has no chance of winning. So him coming home drunk and angry is a pretty normal poker night routine. 

Of course something would get in the way of me telling my boyfriend I love him for the first time. Our relationship hasn't exactly been a fairy tale what with all of the sneaking around we've had to do. But every moment has been worth it. From the moment I met Mason I felt safe, I felt right. Everything felt like it made sense and I didn't feel so alone. We're planning on getting a place together when we graduate. Somewhere far from our little town full of people who pay a little too much attention to everyone else's lives. 

As I entered the kitchen to grab the trash I could hear my dad in the other room complaining to himself about how "Roy always cheats" and "Jack never has enough whisky". Trying to be fast and go make my romantic declaration, I take the trash out and run back upstairs only to find Rosy sitting on my bed. 

"What do you want now?" "I just want to have a chat, gosh why so mad, "she replies, "It's not like you have a life anyway. All you ever do is school and work. You're so boring." "Some of us actually want to get out of this town one day", I replied, running my hand through my hair. "Why would you want to do that?" she asked, confused and curious. "Who wouldn't want to get out of this town? Everyone is always in your business and being judgy."

"That only matters if you've got something to hide. Do you?" she teased. "Just because I don't want everyone in my business doesn't mean I have something to hide," I defended, probably a bit too harshly. "Sure..." She replied. "Anyway, can you-" she started only to be cut off by my dad yelling my name. 

"What!" I yelled back. I really can't catch a break right now can I. Hearing him stomp up the stairs had Rosy fleeing the scene with a quick glance in my direction. "It's fine" I tell her on her way out. By the time my dad appeared in my door frame he was already yelling about how I forgot to reline the trash can. "Okay, sorry I'll do it now!" I responded, exasperated. "Watch the tone" he replied. "You don't have to make such a big deal about it, it was an accident." "Don't talk back to me like that," he seethed. I couldn't stop myself from replying, "It's not my fault you lost all your money at poker night! You never win, you should have learned that by now." "And you should have learned not to talk back to me!" I saw him eye the phone on my bed and realized a second too late that I really should have kept my mouth shut this time. 

"I'm taking your phone. You can have it back when you learn some respect." "No, that's not fair," I exclaimed. I tried to grab it before he could, but it was too late. Everything happened so fast. I tried to grab it from him, "give it back!", but I was too slow. With a scrutinizing look in his eye he held it out of my reach. "What is with you today, you got something you don't want me to see" he teased. There was nothing I could do, I had peaked his interest. My dad grew up in this town. He too paid too much attention to other people's lives. As quick as the spike in my heart rate he looked down at my phone where I knew Mason's text, Mason's confession, sat. There was nothing I could do but wait. 

I saw the teasing grin fall off my father's face and morph into a look of disgust. And as much as I had prepared myself, as much as I had expected to see that look on his face one day, it still hurt. "What is this?" he demanded,"You some kind of fairy?" 

"I- No! of course not!" I stumbled. "You better not be! I won't tolerate that kind of behavior under my roof. No son of mine is going to be prancing around town with some other boy." "I- I- I'm not, I haven't been. It's a misunderstanding." There was a calculating look in his eye that further filled me with dread. "Good," he said, cracking his knuckles, "This kid better not be trying to turn you. I might have to go teach him not to spread his sick behavior around here." "No!" I yelled, heart racing. "Careful now, or I'll start to think you're lying to me about that boy. Then I'll be teaching a lesson to both of ya." He was challenging me, threatening me. He set me up and he knew it. And I knew it was too late for me, but I could protect Mason, I would protect Mason.

"I don't care about him. I'll make sure he knows to back off I swear." He looked at me, menacingly. He handed me my phone and said, "prove it." He watched me open the message. He stared down at me as I began to type. He grinned at me as I pressed send. He slapped me on the back a bit too hard, saying "That's a good job son, now I better not hear about anything like this ever again or I'll have to find that boy and sort him out." Then he left the room where my eyes hadn't left the phone despite filling with tears.

"I don't love you. I never have and I never will. Don't text me again."