On making choices (Part 2).

“What dad said isn’t wrong,” Alice said. “Maybe it’s because that’s how I was raised, but I do get his points. Money IS important. It’s true that without Luke Allen’s patronage, we wouldn’t be here. Our relationship could’ve ended after summer vacation, with all of us going our own ways. And who knows? Maybe even staying here, all could end after a single fight over something stupid. We could all grow to hate each other, and all the effort we’ve committed to this relationship would be wasted.” Alice then bit her lip hard, and finally her eyes glittered with the threat of tears. “But that idea pisses me off so much! That my dad would think that you, my chosen fucking family, are just a passing fling I can just toss away…! I’m so fucking pissed!” Her voice nearly cracked, but tears still didn’t fall. It was more that her anger was overriding her sadness. “I didn’t get into this thinking I would just walk out the moment it got inconvenient! I… I…!”

We knew. We all knew, but none of us tried to stop her. She needed to vent, to say it and let it out.

Alice hugged Cake closer, and the cat simply rubbed her head against Alice’s cheek. “I’m sorry… I didn’t want to cause trouble.”

“We’ve caused trouble before,” Sarah said. “And we’ll all continue to. Think about this. This could be your chance to get away from us,” Sarah teased, making Alice giggle.

“I’d… rather stay, if you’ll still have me.”

“You’re family. We’d be heartbroken if you left,” I told her. “You don’t need to decide now, but think about what you really want to do. We’re all behind you.”

Alice swallowed. “I don’t want you to quit music.”

“I never said I’d quit music. I’d just drop out of university,” I told her. “It’s something I’ve considered for a while, to be honest. Our parents are still helping us a bit, but we have to be able to fully support ourselves. It’d take away whatever leverage your dad has over you, save for, of course, emotional ties.”

“I agree,” Grace said. “But I also understand that those emotional ties aren’t easy to sever. But to be clear, we’re not saying you should cut ties with your parents or something like that, not if you don’t want to. We want you to have the freedom to do whatever you want to do, without the weight of your parents’ expectations.”

“Should it come to it, I’m in a good position to ask for a loan to pay for your studies,” Diana said.

Alice’s eyes went wide. “N-No! No loans! Not from any of you, at least. I’d take one myself if I had to, but…” She took a deep breath. “I’ll… talk to my dad. I’ve been clear with him, but I’ll put my foot down this time.”

“Think you’d need us there?” I offered.

Alice shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

“Want to go back now or wait a bit?” Noelle asked her.

“Could we… wait a bit? I’d like to cool down some more.”

I grabbed my phone and texted Isabelle, asking how things were looking.

-Isabelle: Surprisingly… civil. Mila’s dad keeps telling Alice’s dad how much his daughter has grown with you all and even Noelle’s parents got involved, saying how supportive you’ve been with her. Sarah’s dad said something about how important environment is for development, and that it was possible that Alice wouldn’t reach her full potential away from the people she loves. Oh, shit. He just said something cool. He said ‘sometimes we need to choose the regret we won’t mind living with the most.’ Holy hell, Sarah’s dad is good. That seemed to have hit the hardest for Mr. Knight. How’s Alice doing?”

-Oliver: She’s doing well. She’s pissed, but being level-headed as always. We’ll be back in a while.

-Isabelle: Tell her I love her.

I smiled. “Isabelle says she loves you,” I told Alice. “And your parents seem to be getting through to Mr. Knight, apparently,” I told Mila, Sarah and Noelle.

I felt my chest warm up and the heavy load on my shoulders become lighter.

I’d been telling myself I had to do something for Alice, to convince Mr. Knight that Alice was making the right choices, or at least that those choices were hers to make. I felt that, as the one pulling Alice away from her family’s path, it was my responsibility to do something.

I never expected our parents to back us up like this. I felt… blessed. More so than I did when Luke basically gifted us this huge house. Then I felt lucky and inadequate. Here, though… I felt safe. If we really needed it, our families would have our backs. You can’t put a price on that. But of course, it made it even clearer how much it hurt Alice that it was her parents who needed to be convinced of such.

“Hey, but changing the topic a little bit…” Sarah began. “Someone tried to sneak something past us, but don’t think we didn’t notice.” She smirked and glanced at Diana, who flinched.

“Oh yeah!” Mila and Noelle squealed in unison and ran to hug Diana. “You’re moving in with us?”

Diana sighed and smiled. “Again, if you’ll have me. I’ve… said a lot of things, but haven’t acted on my words as well as I should. I’m committed to this, to Oliver and all of you. So… even if it’ll be a bit weird with our schedules almost switched up, I’d… like to live with you all here.”

Alice opened her car’s door, set Cake on the floor and went to hug Diana, too. “We’d love to have you! But no loans, I’m serious!”

Diana chuckled. “We’ll see.”

And those were more good news. It also made me happy that Diana said it in response to Alice’s struggles. It meant a lot.

After we went back to the backyard, Alice and her parents stepped away, choosing to talk in the library. Yet surprisingly, the mood hadn’t entirely soured. Like Isabelle said, it seems they kept things surprisingly civil…

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