Playing With Fire

Jayden Park Point of View.

I'm in a deep, heavy sleep when I hear loud banging that almost knocks down the bedroom door. I opened my eyes reluctantly, feeling a horrible headache probably due to the many bottles of alcohol I dried at the college party last night. 

"Kimberly, open that door now!" a voice demanded.

Finally, I realize I was not in my room. I looked around and saw a brunet girl covered only by a sheet with one leg over me. It looks like I had a good night, even though I don't remember anything. Once again, the voice of an angry man knocking on the door is heard. Despite all the noise, the girl doesn't seem to wake up. I got up, tried to find my clothes and started getting dressed. Finally, I manage to rouse her, and as she stretches and smiles at me, I can't help but wonder what I've gotten myself into.

"Hey, big boy!" she greets me with a grin.

I attempt to recall the name being shouted from outside, but it escapes me until the man's voice echoes through the room once more, causing the girl's eyes to widen in panic.

"Oh my God! You have to get out of here now!" she exclaims.

She got out of bed and opened the bedroom window.  

"Is that your father?" I asked, bewildered.

"Worse, it's my fiancé!" she reveals, her desperation palpable.

"Fiancé? " I echoed, incredulous.

She nods vigorously. "If he catches you here, he'll kill us both!" 

Pushing me towards the window, she implores me to jump to safety. But the sight of the second-floor drop gives me pause.

"Are you crazy? I'm not going to jump!" I protested.

"You don't understand, my fiancé is a police officer! He carries a gun. If he catches you here, he'll kill us both." 

Her words sink in, and I begin to reconsider, hanging outside the window as I contemplate my escape. But before I can plan my descent, a noise startles me.

"Chris, did you break down my door?" the girl shouted in panic.

"Who was here with you?" he asked.

"No one!" she lied, her voice cracking in fear.

"Get away from the window Kim!" he shouted.

Damn it! I had to let go without any preparation, and scratched myself to the point of tearing part of my jeans.  

"Hey! You!" Chris called out, and without a moment of hesitation, I ran for safety, hoping to evade his wrath.

I ran out hoping that my car was around somewhere, but I couldn't find any sign of it anywhere. I took my key out of my pocket to unlock it and heard the noise of it in the next street. I ran there until I saw Cris coming out of Kimberly's gate with a gun in his hand. I ran into the car and heard the first shot smash into my rearview mirror. I started the car and drove off, hearing three more shots hit my car. My heart was beating fast from the adrenaline and I took a deep breath when I finally left Brooklyn and crossed the bridge into New York. When I got home and got out of my car, I could see the damage. I would have to take the car to the garage before my parents saw it. They were getting more and more annoying and demanding of me. When I walked through the living room door and realized that the huge house was completely silent, I thought I'd got away with it, but as soon as I set foot on the first step of the stairs, I heard an authoritative voice coming from the dining room.

"Did you sleep out again Jay?"  

I turned around quickly and could see my father and also the look of panic on my mother's face as she stood next to him. 

"My son, what happened to you? Your leg is bleeding!" my mother exclaimed, concern etched on her face.

"Happened the usual, our son is an irresponsible prick who only knows how to get into trouble." my father's critical tone was present.

"You don't have to talk like that." my mother argued.

"And how should I talk, if he only disappoints us? He's only a few days away from graduating and I only have him to take over the company, but how can I trust this irresponsible young man if he doesn't care about anything? Just partying, drinking and those idiot friends of his." my father continued, his frustration evident.

When my father got angry, I knew there was no point in trying to argue with him, so I just put my head down and accepted it because part of me knew he was right.  

"How about, at least once in our lives, we just have breakfast together like a normal family?" my mother suggested, her voice tinged with sadness.

I stared at my father waiting for his reaction. He just shrugged and went back into the dining room. 

"Come, my love, I've made your favorite pancakes," my mother said as I followed her to the table. She started serving me a glass of orange juice with some pancakes.

"Have you chosen your major?" my father asked.

I took a sip of the juice and felt a shiver run through my body.

"Not yet, actually." I replied.

 The truth was that my grades were so bad that I had simply failed, and I knew that my father would kick me out of the house if that happened, just as he did with my brother when he dropped out of Harvard Law School. So I used all my charisma to try to convince the professors to give me another chance to maybe retake the exams, do extracurricular work or anything that would help me escape the ghost of failing, and today I had a meeting with the dean of the university to find out what she had decided.  

"Better be something that would help me run the company. Your brother was enough of a disappointment. I don't want to have to lose another son." my father affirmed, his tone serious.

He's referring to my brother Jehan, whom he kicked out of the house simply because he married a girl from college that my dad didn't approve. We spent the rest of breakfast in silence, and when I finally managed to get up to my room, I took a shower, bandaged my leg wound and simply slept for most of the day.

"Did you survive? You were pretty crazy yesterday." Finn said in a joking tone.

"Man, don't ever let me drink again. I had to jump out of a second-floor window and almost got shot," I replied, my voice tinged with disbelief.

He laughed before saying, "That's what I call a wild night.“ 

I muttered.

"So, me and some girls from the dance class are here in that diner near the college. Do you want to come and meet us before?" Finn asked.

"Which diner?" I inquired.

"The one opposite the bar where we always buy Soju," Finn replied.

"Okay. I'm on my way!" I said, eager for a change of scenery.

"And you won't believe who works here," Finn added, his voice filled with mischief.

"Who?" I asked, intrigued.

"That quirky nerd you always tease," Finn revealed.

"The carrot top?" I chuckled.

"That's her," Finn confirmed.

"That's going to be fun," I said, feeling a sense of anticipation building within me.