Forty-Two

Isobelle

Another day passed, and I still had mentioned nothing to my parents. I avoided social media altogether, partly so I didn’t have to reply to any messages. At one point, I considered updating my relationship status to ‘It’s complicated’ just to wriggle out of divulging all the details. My daily phone calls were brief, making awkward small talk about the weather. When my mother asked me if I had made any progress with the research project, I froze, unsure of what to say on the spot. This was more than a little white lie; it felt deceitful, withholding a huge part of my life from my family. The guilt consumed me like an ugly parasite, feeding off every insecurity that resurfaced. People would judge me. Nobody would understand. I wasn't ashamed of the Bennett brothers, so why was I keeping them stashed away like they were a dirty little secret? It wasn’t fair to them. Throwing caution to the wind, I grabbed my phone from off the arm of the sofa and began typing out a text message.