Read That Night for Free Online Page A

put him up to the conversation, one of those see-if-you-can-talk-sense-into-her things, but I felt betrayed. I’d thought my dad would see Ryan for who he really was. It was so unfair—Ryan wasn’t anything like his father. I didn’t speak to my dad for a week, and we never talked about Ryan again, not like that. He left it to Mom now.
    “It’s not about whether I like him,” she said. “I just want you to have a future.” She took a breath, paused for a moment. “Look, when I was your age I had fun too, dated the bad boys, but I got married young and never got an education.” I knew my parents had gotten married when they were still in their twenties, but I didn’t know it bothered my mom. She quickly added, “I don’t regret getting married, but I wished I’d done a few things first, like go to college, so I could get a career of my own. You have lots of time to get serious with someone.”
    “Just as long as it’s not someone like Ryan, right?”
    “I’m saying you should keep your options open.”
    “I love him .” I was near tears, which made me angrier. “Why can’t you see that? Don’t you want me to be happy?”
    “You’re eighteen .”
    “I still know what love is.”
    “So keep dating him, but at least try to get into college this fall, take some courses, see what you want to do, but don’t give up on everything.”
    She was trying to sound like she was on my side, but I knew she just wanted me to go to college so I could forget about Ryan and meet some guy who had a better future, according to her bullshit standards anyway.
    “I don’t want to go to college—I’m not Nicole. I want to work for a while, save some money, then travel. I want to see the world.”
    “That’s all fine, but you should have some sort of a plan.”
    “That is my plan. As soon as I graduate and have enough saved, I’m moving out.”
    “You’re moving out?” Her face looked stunned.
    “I thought you’d be happy about that.”
    “I hope you’re not moving in with Ryan.”
    “You got it.”
    “How—” She stopped, her mouth still parted like she was so upset she couldn’t find the words. “How are you guys going to afford your own place? You have no idea how to manage a budget. You have no money.”
    She was treating me like I was five, as though I had no clue about life.
    “I’ve got enough to fix the car and get insurance soon. Mike from the Fish Shack said I can start waitressing on the weekends this spring, then in the summer I can go full-time.”
    “The Fish Shack? Toni…” She was already shaking her head. “You can’t work there.”
    “Why not?”
    “You really want to waitress? Do you have any idea how hard it is? And you hate taking orders from people. You’ll work late all weekend, then you’ll be tired all week at school. I’d rather you just kept working for your dad.”
    Where she could keep an eye on me, she meant. I was sick of her speaking for me, like she knew everything about me and what was best for me.
    “Well, I’d rather work at the Fish Shack. I need more experience for a résumé, Mom—not just working for my father.” I had her there, and I could see her mind working, trying to figure out her next argument. I quickly added, “Ryan already has a job at the outdoor store and he can start taking people out on some guided tours in the summer. His mom is putting aside some stuff for us too, like towels and linens and kitchen things. We don’t need much to get started.”
    I smiled at her, feeling smug at how well we’d planned everything, and at her look of jealous annoyance when I’d mentioned Ryan’s mom.
    “So you’ve already told his mother? And she approves?”
    “Yeah, she’s happy for us. She likes me.” I dug the knife in a little deeper and was rewarded by the telltale narrowing of my mom’s eyes.
    She tried a new tactic. “Even if you have a job, you can’t just come and go as you please. As long as you’re living here, you need to let