Fatal Attraction│WLW

PART I

It was early afternoon when my parents called me downstairs to the living room to talk about something. I was home over the weekend, enjoying my comfy bed since the one I had in my dorm weren’t as much comfortable as mine at home. Being a junior in college looked great from the outside. It looked like my life was together at twenty-one years old, but it wasn’t. I was such a big mess, and that was reflected in my grades. I knew what kind of talk I would be having in a few seconds.

Slowly, I descended the long stairs while holding onto the railing. I looked down and saw my father and mother sitting on our white couch with crossed legs. That’s not a good sign.

I took the last step and took a seat far away from them. “So? I’m all ears,” I said, and quietly laughed.

My father, James, is an old-fashioned person. When it comes to education, it’s the most important thing for him. Well, it’s more like the most important thing for me to have. He wants me to become a doctor because he is a cardiologist.

My mother, Linda, is a bit softer than my father; however, for her, college is a priority as well. You can imagine what kind of expectations they have. My mother is a lawyer, and my father is a doctor.

And I’m failing them horribly; I’m aware of that, but I’m not the kind of girl who loves to spend hours reading dozens of books about chemicals or law.

My father took off his glasses and placed them on the white Marvel table. “Me and Linda think you don’t try hard enough with your studies. We gave you enough time to adjust and be better in school, but your grades are catastrophical, Dove.” Father complained.

“Honey, I know you’re going through hard times, but that’s life. You can’t throw away your whole future because of a few bad moments.” Mother added.

I tore my sight away from them and focused on the wooden floor.

They never took my mental health seriously. For them, it’s just another excuse for me to not study harder.

“What are you trying to say?” I asked and raised my head.

“Is that we will take this into our own hands from now on, and you will do as we say.” My father declared.

I wanted to laugh, but that would make him even angrier. I’m not sixteen anymore. They cannot control me just because I’m living under their roof.

“What’s your plan with me?” I asked, looking straight into my father’s eyes.

“Tutoring, Dove.” My father calmly said, “From now on, you will remain home until we see you studying. Two times a week, you will attend a private lesson with the tutor we hired for you. You aren’t allowed to have any objections because we both gave you your own chance to fix what you’ve messed up.”

I was left speechless. I pushed away tears that wanted to escape my eyes. I couldn’t let them see how weak I really was. How lonely and sad I was. I have only one friend I can speak to. My parents are like strangers to me.

What kind of life do I fucking have?

Even now that I’m home for the weekend, we don’t see each other at all. If we didn’t have this talk going on, I would probably only see them, when passing the living room as they watch TV, but that’s happening occasionally.

They can’t get through me, and I can’t get through them. The mirror is between us. We can see us well, but only our reflections.

“Alright, is that all?” I asked, standing up.

They both looked disappointed in me, but I’m used to seeing that.

Mother nodded, and Father didn’t say anything in reply. I walked up the stairs back into my room, where the cinnamon scent was lingering in the air from the candle I lit before I went downstairs. I inhaled the calming, sugary scent and sat on my king-sized bed.

I grabbed my phone that was lying beside my fluffy pillow and found my roommate’s name in my messages.

“Hey, listen, I will stay at home for quite some time because of my parents...”I clicked on the send button and tossed my phone away.

Alice has been my friend since the first day of college. She’s the opposite of my character. Really outgoing and extroverted. I should be thankful to her for speaking to me on my first day of college. Because if she didn’t, I would probably end up being completely alone. She knows about my situation with my parents. She’s the only one who can truly understand my problems.

The phone screen turned on, and I quickly read her message.

“Hey! I hope you’re doing alright. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here. Will miss you (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠).”

I laughed at the emoji she sent. That made my mood a bit brighter.

Before I knew it, my eyelids had become heavy, and as I slowly closed my eyes, I couldn’t resist the urge to just let myself sleep.

~

The next day, I traveled to my dorm and packed some of my stuff. Thankfully, Alice wasn’t there; that would have made it a little bit emotional for me.

Father helped me with a few boxes, which I carried outside. I’m sure he had this planned for a while. My mom would never come up with such a plan. She tries to be tough because of my father, yet I can always see in her eyes how much she hates being so strict with me. It’s very ironic since she’s a lawyer.

I decided not to go to school on Monday but instead to unpack all the boxes I brought into my tidy room. Weirdly, my parents agreed.

When the clock struck exactly three in the afternoon, a doorbell alarmed me as I was reading a book, that I found in one of the boxes I brought.

I simply ignored it because I knew one of my parents would open the door for whoever was standing outside.

We don’t expect guests at our doorstep often. It’s usually my grandma or my aunt. But even they don’t visit a lot.

I suddenly got curious to see who rang the doorbell, so I quietly opened my door and went down on my knees to crawl until reaching the beginning of the staircase. I was perfectly hidden behind the thick balcony staircase wall.

The front door opened, and my mom’s voice could be heard as she was greeting the person who came inside.

“Thank you for coming. We appreciate your help.” My mom said.

“There is no need to thank me, Ms. Campbell. I’m glad I can be helpful.” A beautifully soft,

but settled voice spoke to my mother.

“Please, take a seat,”my mother said.

“Dove! Come downstairs, please.” She yelled, and I cursed under my breath. With panic, I almost crashed down the stairs. I carefully peeked through the stair railing to see if my mom was sitting on the couch, and she thankfully was. I slowly stood up and walked down the stairs.

I strolled into the living room and saw, sitting on the white couch amongst the beige pillows, a mesmerizing woman dressed in a white shirt and black slack pants. A thin leather belt hugged her waist perfectly. Her hair was slightly wavy in the icy blond color.

I immediately felt embarrassed as I was in my shorts and oversized brown sweatshirt. I looked like a mess, hence my situation.

The woman looked to be in her mid or late twenties. When our eyes locked, I had to look away. I was dressed too casually to greet a guest. Especially such a beautiful woman.

I looked like a bag of potatoes compared to her. I folded my arms under my chest and cleared my throat. “Hello,” I said.

For a split second, I thought I’d seen her smirk, but that must have been just in my head.

“Nice to meet you, Dove.” She stood up and extended her hand to me.

I blinked multiple times and hurried to take her hand to shake it. “Nice to meet you as well, Miss...?”

“Ms. Moore.” She filled in.

I nodded with a smile and let go of her hand. Her gaze, though, stayed on me until I sat down next to my mother.

My mother clasped her hands together and said, “Well, now that you’re acquainted, we should clarify the schedule for you.” She said to me.

I frowned, not understanding what she was talking about. “Schedule?” I asked and glanced at Ms. Moore.

Don’t tell me she’s my tutor, I thought.

“Yes, she’s your tutor that we were talking about. Since we don’t want to waste time, Dad and I thought you should start with your lessons right away, sweetie.”

Yeah, she and Dad thought, but what about me? Does my opinion not matter to them at all? She didn’t even mention to me that it would be a female tutor. I’m always not acknowledged for what’s going on in my life because they’re ruling it.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and acted like everything was great. “Oh yes, I know. Thank you for taking your time with me, Ms. Moore.” I said with a big smile on my face.

She chuckled and pierced her light blue eyes through mine. “Thank me at our last lesson, when you’ll know everything I taught you.” The corner of her mouth lifted.

My heartbeat suddenly changed its pulse, and it beat far faster than normal. I tore my eyes away from her and bore my eyes to the ground.

“So, Ms. Moore will be tutoring you two times a week, always from three to six in the afternoon. Am I right?” Mother shifted her gaze to Ms. Moore.

“You’re correct. If something goes wrong in my schedule, I will text your daughter to let her know she doesn’t need to expect me, but I will send her the materials she can further study without me.” Ms. Moore explained.

“Perfect.” Mother exclaimed. “I have to take my leave now, Ms. Moore. Work won’t wait for me any longer. If you need something, though, contact my personal assistant. Dove has her number.” Mother stated and swiftly stood up.

I stood up as well, as did Ms. Moore. She was much taller when she stood. I couldn’t help but notice her perfect figure. Her slim waist and wider hips. The slack pants perfectly hugged her thighs.

Before I knew it, my mother grabbed her stuff and waved her hand at me as she shut the door. She said something to Ms. Moore, but I was too distracted. Ms. Moore was too distracting, to be precise.

She turned to me and studied my face for a moment. “Should we move to your bedroom?” She asked and stared into my panicked eyes.

“M-My bedroom?”

“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to study there?” She chuckled and grabbed her dark brown satchel.

I didn’t reply to her because I didn’t want to face her. My cheeks were burning from embarrassment. I hurried to the staircase and slowly walked up. I could feel her eyes on my back like she was aiming an arrow at me.

I opened the door to my bedroom wide and let her in first.

“Thank you, darling.” She winked at me, and my legs melted into the floor.