“What?” Sebastian momentarily paused, head tilting to the side as his strong nose scrunched up slightly. He shot a confused look to your mother, as if telepathically asking if she knew what the hell was on.

Mia’s brows were pinched together, her mouth chewing up the last bits of steak in it before she gave the look right back to Sebastian. Slowly she dragged her blue eyes back over to you. “You quit? Honey—w-why? D’something happen?”

Indeed, many things had happened. You didn’t want to act in the school play and you were done with learning piano in band. So you quit. Easy as that. The pressure was too much.

“They making fun of you again?” Your father’s tongue prodded at the piece of meat between his teeth as he sat up from his chair, picking up you and your mother’s empty plates and stacking them on his.

The crickets continued their restless sounds outside in the dark of the evening. The overhead light shined down on the remnants of the dinner you just ate, a few rolls in the center of the table yet and a few pieces of broccoli in the bowl next to the steak pan.

“We-we talked about this remember how it’s supposed to…” Mia’s head tilted to the side as she looked from you back to Sebastian. “We were gonna talk as a-a team before we make big decisions? Remember that?”

“Me?” Sebastian feigned surprise, taking the plates to the sink. “I remember that—and hey, what gives? I thought you liked playing piano.” You tried calming your thoughts as the questions came rapid fire.

You used to love the piano, you used to enjoy acting in school plays but…you want to try new things, find something yourself. Not something your parents have directly influenced you into.

But you could see it on their faces, no matter how much they tried to hide it; hurt. You had spent the earliest years of your childhood on your father’s lap as he taught you piano, hours of performing living room plays with your mom. It hurt to see you grow and change so quickly, they blinked and you wanted to do other things now.