“Pack everything, Lila.”Mom’s voice carried that familiar bossy edge as she stood in the middle of my dorm room. Her hands were on her hips, surveying my half open drawers like a general inspecting troops.I sighed and rolled my eyes so hard I felt it in my temples. “Mom, why do I have to pack everything for a two-day trip?”I was twenty, had tasted actual freedom for two whole years in this dorm, and now, on the very first day of summer break- she and my stepdad had shown up unannounced to drag me on some “family bonding” getaway. I’d had plans. A beach house with my girls, bikinis, late night bonfires, zero parental supervision. Instead, I was being kidnapped for quality time.Mom ignored my protest and kept folding a sundress I hadn’t even picked out. I glanced toward the couch where Alex, my stepdaddy sat. His one ankle crossed over his knee, arms stretched along the backrest like he owned the place. Which, technically, he kind of did. He paid for half this dorm anyway.Our eyes
Last Updated : 2026-07-30 Read more