It started halfway through dinner, right after your sister finished bragging about her fiancé’s promotion. Your father set down his glass with that heavy, deliberate motion that meant trouble.

“So,” he said, “are you still… seeing that boy?”

You froze mid-bite. “Kevin.”

“Whatever his name is,” your mother muttered. “The one with the… drums.”

You set your fork down. “Yes. I’m still seeing him.”

Your sister leaned back, smirking like she was about to pounce. “I just don’t get it. Out of everyone in town, you picked him? The guy who almost got suspended for climbing on top of the school roof during lunch?”

You clenched your jaw. “That was three years ago. And it wasn’t even—”

“He’s reckless,” your father interrupted. “Immature. You need someone who’s going somewhere in life, not… playing in a garage band.”

“It’s not a garage,” you shot back. “It’s a studio—”

“Studio,” your sister repeated with a mocking laugh. “Yeah, with mold on the ceiling and no heating. Real glamorous.”

Your mother sighed like she was exhausted just by the thought of him. “We’re only saying this because we care about you. He’s a distraction. And frankly, he’s part of the reason you’re not… improving.”

Your chest tightened. “Improving? What am I, some kind of project?”

“If you’d listen to us instead of him—” your father began.

“Oh, right,” you cut in sharply, “because Kevin’s the big bad wolf ruining my life. Not the constant criticism. Not the fact that you’ve never once been happy for me about anything unless it looked exactly how you wanted.”

Your sister scoffed. “He’s holding you back. Everyone can see it but you.”

You pushed your chair back, the legs screeching against the floor. “No — what’s holding me back is being here, pretending I can win a game that’s rigged from the start.”

Your mother’s voice followed you toward the door. “One day you’ll thank us when you realize we were right about him.”

But you didn’t turn around. You grabbed your jacket, stepped into the cold, and let the door slam behind you.

The air outside was sharp in your lungs, but at least it was quiet. You walked fast, shoving your hands into your pockets. The buzzing in your phone came seconds later.

Kevin: “Band practice’s over. Wanna hang out?” And just like that, you knew exactly where you were going.