{edited}

"I HONESTLY CAN'T WAIT to get drunk and celebrate tonight!" She whoops earning strange looks from people a good feet away from us.

I chuckle and shake my head. I might be excited for tonight but not that excited. I have single handedly experienced hangover and let me tell you after that I promised myself to never drink again. So far so good.

We walk to where Mary is standing with her large camera. I secretly laugh remembering how she annoyed parents earlier on.

"Hey girls, mind posing for me? I need to remember this day forever." She states.

Penny and I pose together for a handful of pictures until she decides to go and check on her parents. Now it's only Mary and I, but as soon as I look at her, I see a look of distress.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask her.

She sighs. "Babushka, your parents just asked for you."

I groan and roll my eyes. Yes, I wanted them to be here to at least show me that they care for me but I don't want to be in the same room as them. "What do they want?"

A look flashes her eyes before she speaks again but doesn't answer. "Just go and see them."

I look at her a little wary but I don't get a chance to figure out what's wrong with her as Penny walks back. But she too notices the change in the atmosphere between us.

"What happened?" She asks with curiosity.

I sigh once again. "My parents want to see me."

"Well shit." She mumbles causing me to chuckle.

"Yeah, shit indeed." I say. Mary narrows her eyes at us for our bad language causing us to both apologize.

"I would really like to go with you for moral support but my parents want to celebrate. I can tell them th-" I cut her off.

"No no, you can go Penny, it's cool, whatever they want probably isn't bad."

Oh how wrong was I.

••••

Mary parks her truck at the large driveway by the fountain and garage. We both get out the car and drag our feet to the main doors as though we came back from the funeral.

We enter the house and Mary turns to me. "I'm going to change out of these clothes while you go and talk to them. I'll be in my room when you're done." She gives me a tight sad smile.

Why? I have no idea.

I nod and let my legs lead the way. I already know why they would be, they're office that is decorated in mostly brown. Probably father's choice.

I knock thrice waiting for a response. They always scolded at me whenever I waltz in without their knowledge. I didn't know why until one day I saw them doing the dirt. Til this day I can't get that image out.

I hear a faint 'come in' before opening the oak door. Sitting at the brown office couch are my parents while mother drinks champagne and father drinks his favourite scotch.

Mother is the first to acknowledge me and send me one of her Botox smile, but father doesn't even look up from his drink.

"Hey, here you are. Come in and sit down." She gestures at the chair opposite to them.

I arch a brow at how her tone is. Happy. But regardless, I sit down and cross my leg over the other. The action doesn't go unnoticed by her and I see her struggle a little and I know why. She always told me that a princess never crosses her legs, instead she crosses her ankles only. I mentally rolled my eyes whenever she said that.

"I heard you wanted to see me." I state.

She nods and holds my father with her free hand. "Well, baby, I was cleaning in your room and came across your acceptance letter to NYU."

I scoff. Her cleaning is actually her snooping around. But it doesn't bother me because she has done it countless times.

"I was going to tell you whenever we get the chance to talk to each other, which is never until today of course." I say adding a sarcastic smile.

At this, my father raises his head and looks at me. "We wanted to tell you that we don't have the capital to send you to college." He says bluntly.

My heart clenches. Their lying. These two are millionaires. "B-but..."

Mom smiles at me. "Don't worry. A man has decided to come forward and help you out."

I release a sigh of relief at that. Thank goodness, I thought they'd force me to work for them for years. Lord knows I can't do that.

I nod. "That's great. I'm grateful."

They then look at each other for a split second before looking back at me. "Here's the thing, in exchange for helping you out, you have to marry him."

Just like that, my world turns upside down.

I stand up from my sit and stare at them with disbelief. "What!?"

Father shrugs and leans backwards. "You're being melodramatic about this."

I roll my eyes. Then it clicked. "You're getting something out of this 'marriage' aren't you?" I ask them.

Father smirks while mother just smiles at me. Maybe she isn't really smiling. Maybe it's the after effects of the Botox. That was all the answer I needed.

"You're practically selling me!" I exclaim feeling my chest move up and down in anger.

"Baby I wouldn't exactly put it in that way." The woman I call a mother says.

"But we are."

I shake my head not believing a word I am hearing. My own parents are selling me. Sure I knew that they never cared about me and of course I am also going to get something out of this but so are they.

"Is this because I want to go study media?" I ask them.

Mother answers with a 'no' whilst father says 'partially'.

I can't believe this two. All they ever cared for is money and I was too foolish to realise that until now.

"Listen, Alison, you can still get out of this if you are able to pay for your tuition and even pay us 5 million for what the man was going to give us." Father says adding a shrug on his smug face. He's enjoying this. Torturing me.

The anger starts to vanish as it start to get replaced by defeat. "Why?" I finally ask them. When they both stare at me with questionable looks, I know they're don't understand, so I repeat. "Why are you doing this to me? Your own daughter for crying out loud! I knew that you never loved me but at least let me leave you guys forever. Can't you give me that? You don't have to sell me off to a stranger who might even be a perv and turn me into a sex slave. Why can't you just let me be happy for once in my life?"

I'm surprised that as soon as I finish saying that, there are no tears rolling down.

I thought that the speech might change their minds but I know it didn't when father says this, "I told you that unless you can pay us, you're getting married."

I stare at him in disbelief and shake my head before heading to the door. But stop when I hear mother calling me.

"You're leaving in three days so don't even think of escaping, he'll find you." That was her last word before I open the door and run out leaving it wide open.

I let my legs carry me to Mary. I just hope that she'll knock some senses into my parents.

I don't even knock before opening it and running inside. Mary notices me and without a question, engulfs me into a tight motherly hug. One that I never got from my own mother.

"Shh Babushka, it will be alright." She caresses my hair while whispering in my ear.

I then let out the tears that I've been holding onto for some time. I just can't believe this is happening to me. I always read such happening to girls only in books but now that I'm experiencing it, I refuse to believe. Maybe I'm in some weird horrible nightmare and I'm about to wake up?

Nope.

"Hopefully the man you're marrying is handsome?" As soon as Mary says those words, I break the hug and stare at her.

"How did you know that I'm getting married? I didn't tell you that."

She sends sighs and shifts back. "I knew already what they were planning to do."

I blink my eyes a couple of times hoping that what I'm hearing is not true. What's happening today?

"You knew about this and didn't tell me?" I stand up from the bed and move away from her.

Mary sends me a pleading look. "I'm sorry-" I cut her off.

"How long have you known about this?" I ask biting my lower lip in hopes that I don't say something I'll regret.

She sighs. "For a month."

I roll my eyes and release a humourless laugh. "Wow Mary, just fucking wow." I don't even care that I used that language on her. "I'm going to bed, I've heard enough."

With that, I run to my room only tripping twice. I launch myself on the bed and get under the covers. I don't care that I still have clothes on because the events of today are just too much.

Happy Graduation Day indeed.

•••••••••