Mid-October in Northern California brought with it mild temperatures and the forthcoming tide of holiday joy, something to swathe oneself in. It always seemed, as the season returned, that the population in general flipped on a switch to a happy default. Maybe it was the nostalgia heavy in everyone’s heads, but Rose Escalus must have been immune to whatever nostalgia that was, because she’d been in especially impulsive situations lately. She had just turned eighteen a few months prior, and had graduated high school a month after her birthday. And so now she was left with her routine broken. She’d decided not to enroll herself in college yet, claiming she just wanted a year off to relax. Her mother and biological father, Ralynne Cooke and Hayden Escalus, opposed this vehemently, arguing that once she broke the cycle, it’d be significantly harder to hop back on the bandwagon. Which didn’t surprise Rose, considering her parents had actually named her Bambi Rose, after the deer from a children’s movie. Growing up, the girl was ridiculed for her first name, and eventually she told everyone to address her by her middle name. A long time ago, the young woman had concluded her parents had always been airy and dreamy, despite living in a very concrete and rational world.
Her stepfather, Michael Acevedo, in typical Michael fashion, agreed with Rose, but only in private. To please her erratic mother, he openly scolded her for it, but when they were alone he assured the young woman that she wasn’t making as huge of a mistake as her mother and father were acting like she was. That although unpopular, it was a good decision, because not only would she save money, she’d have time for her mental health, and she didn’t have to rush her life.
Rose deeply appreciated this, and in general deeply appreciated Michael. Somehow, in the last two years that he’d been in her life, he’d shown her more acceptance than both her mother and biological father combined. Michael had become something of a safe haven for Rose, and even when she felt like she was doing nothing right, he would always be there at two in the morning to make her “before breakfast”, as he put it, and assure her that life was not so serious, and that she didn’t have to fall in line with the status quo if she didn’t want to. He was largely the reason why she’d made the decision to not go to college yet. Of course, Rose had thought about it for a long time, tentative and unsure, but ultimately she didn’t know what she was interested in because she hadn’t gotten to experience anything yet. Her biological parents didn’t understand that, but Michael did. With her mom and dad, it was like their eyes glossed over when she formed her own opinions. Michael actually heard her, and recognized that a lot of the stuff she said made sense.
But he wasn’t biased, and he scolded her genuinely when she was irrational and erratic — something she must have inherited from her mother. Which was what was happening today. She’d been increasingly more daring as the summer went on, something she hadn’t yet bothered to get introspective about and figure out the why. She was enjoying the ride. That is, until today, when she was abruptly thrown off the ride, and things weren’t fun anymore.
She’d been hanging out with her friends all week, sleeping over at their houses, or impulsively in hotels or airbnbs. Today they’d all woken up restless and itching for experience. Connor had suggested they go rob a store for some extra cash, and then buy some weed and get high that night at the bonfire party that was being held at the beach. They didn’t plan to take much, and they were going to try to finesse it a little bit rather than use violence. Vera had worked as a cashier in places before and was confident she could figure out how to get the box open and closed, quickly and quietly. Rose was going to be the distraction. She was the curviest one, and despite having never actually had sex before, knew how to make a man mad for it. They’d decided on a corner store, early in the morning when nobody would be there. The way they’d planned it out, in theory, it should have been easy. But none of these kids were criminals, and they had absolutely no idea what they were doing.
The second Vera had opened the register, it jostled loudly, and the teenager froze. They all froze, and that cashier whipped around quicker than any of them could grab their wits. Instead, as soon as the cashier realized what they were doing, they all scattered and sprinted out of the store. What they’d forgotten about, stupidly, was that there would be cameras. Two hours later, the police showed up at Connor’s house and they were all taken down to be questioned.
Rose knew her mother would kill her if she found out, and her father wouldn’t be much different. So, she called Michael instead, sobbing and gasping out her words. When he arrived, she’d thrown herself into his arms, pressing her tear-stained face into his chest and soaking up the comforting smell of his cologne. She’d never done something so risky, and she felt safe nestled into him. She wanted to block out the rest of the world and only listen to the rumble of his deep voice through his shirt. He’d wound one arm around her, holding her into him briefly, and smoothing down her dirty blonde mane. An officer then spoke to him privately, where he was told no charges were going to be pressed, but he should keep an eye on his kid. He reminded the officer that she was an adult, and that there was nothing legally he could do to keep her from going out and wreaking havoc. Understandably, the officer met him with disdain and suggested Michael bring her to a facility named Rediscovering Futures, where they might be able to tame Rose’s behavioral problem.
And so the two went on their way, and for several minutes it was silent in the car, aside from the wooshing of the heat blowing out of the vents. Rose had her knees drawn to her chest, hands half-tucked into the sleeves of her sweatshirt, ashamedly gazing down. After a couple minutes of being acutely aware of her sulking, Michael turned into the parking lot of a diner. He was sure she wasn’t ready yet to face her mother, and quite frankly, neither was he. So why not prolong the inevitable and do something progressive in the meantime?
Rose lifted her head to look curiously at him, as if waiting for an explanation. After reaching out to rub the remnants of mascara from her rosy cheeks, Michael just commanded her to “get out”, and they headed into the diner. “Table for two,” he requested, and in twenty minutes they were eating breakfast, like they always did when she was upset. A few bites into her pancakes, and she began sheepishly smiling.
“You’re so stupid,” she laughed.
“*You’re* so stupid,” he countered, raising an eyebrow, but a smile of his own began overtaking his stubbly cheeks. “What were you thinking? You know you could have just asked me for money. I would have given it to you.”
She sighed and pushed her eggs around on her plate. She hesitated, and then: “Not for weed…”
“Maybe for weed.” Michael shrugged, scrolling through a webpage on his phone. “Better than you committing burglary. Either way, what’s done is done.”
Rose fell silent for a few moments, but her big grey eyes didn’t stray from Michael. Again, she was waiting for more.
Setting down his phone, he sighed and reached across the table to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then his hand lingered to keep her cheek cupped in his palm. “I won’t tell your mother–” Rose sighed heavily with relief, “–on one condition.” She perked up again. “You’re going to this… I’m not entirely sure what it is. But they’ll put you on a regimen, and give you some structure. It’s called Rediscovering Futures, I can come along, I’ll just tell your mother the firm is sending me on a business trip. You’ve been hanging out with your little hoodlum friends for awhile anyway. We’ll stay for two weeks, and I want you to take this seriously. I don’t want you to blow this off, alright? You’re gonna do everything they tell you, you’re gonna give them insightful answers during therapy times–”
“Therapy?! Mike, I don’t need therapy!”
“Don’t talk back to me. What did I say?”
Rose huffed and pouted, looking away from the older man angrily.
“Exactly. If for any reason you decide you’re gonna act up while we’re there, I *will* tell your mother — everything — and you’ll be grounded for the next year, or until you decide to move out. Understood?”
Rose nodded, rolling her eyes.
“Good. Now finish your breakfast, Bambi.”
Rose gasped, offended, but now playful. He knew she hated her first name, and only ever used it to tease her. She threw a piece of bread at him, and then stole one of his slices of bacon. “Whatever, *dad*.” She knew he equally hated it when she called him that, which he’d only ever explained as not quite feeling old enough to be her dad, despite him being in his early forties. Maybe he saw them more as equals. Whatever it was, Rose was more relieved to just have to spend two weeks with him in some weird behavioral camp than confront her parents, or worse, go to jail. Once again, even now, the young woman was appreciative of her stepfather. And really, what’s the worst that could happen at this camp?
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Part 2 will be out by the end of the day! This is just some fluff to get the story started :)
Source: reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/d0yemg/enclosed_age_gap_anticipationtension
Nice warm up
? Can’t wait!