Party 'til you pass out / When the party's over

Isla

The voices of both mum and dad came incoherently through my closed door. They sounded like they were disagreeing with each other, which they often did, since mum was just as stubborn as dad could be. But they would never fight. My parents would just bicker, then ignore each other for a while until mostly dad would say mum was right and give in – just to do the exact thing he wanted in the first place. It was funny, and literally the base of my parent's marriage. Dad once joked that the success to a healthy marriage was letting your spouse think you did what they wanted, but to just make your own plan, which had earned him a playful whack against his chest from mum. Maybe I just had to let them think that I would stay home tonight, but sneak out to the party my best friend was throwing for her birthday anyway. I could make it back in time to get a couple of hours sleep before we would head to Sunday brunch at my grandparents' house.

With that plan in my mind, I showed up for dinner later that night after mum had called me. Dad gave me a harsh stare when I sat down opposite of him, and I ignored him. Mum threw us both a look and sighed, shaking her head.

'So stubborn, the both of you,' she said. Normally, both dad and me would have chuckled about that, but now neither of us did.

'You're not going to that party tonight. You're still grounded,' he just said to me.

'Fine.' I hardly gave a shit about what he said, because I was going anyway. My short, indulging answer made him frown a bit, as I knew he was expecting another fight. I looked up at him with defiant eyes, rolling them at him. 'Whatever.'

'Isla Olivia Sykes!,' mum now said angrily. 'I will not have you talk like that to your father! Do you hear me?!' My eyes snapped to her now, anger and annoyance bubbling up inside me now she was joining this fight too. Dad put her hand over hers, softly shaking his head at her.

'Ali...'

'No, Oliver, I will not let her be disrespectful like that!' They both looked up when I pushed my chair back and got up. 'Where do you think you're going?!,' mum let out after me when I walked away.

'To my room! And I don't want to see either of you!,' I yelled as I slammed the door shut again. I threw myself on the bed face down, closing my eyes for a moment while I listened whether mum would come after me to talk to me. She didn't, and I sighed in relief.

'M8, play my favourite playlist,' I told the home system hub on my bedside table.

'Playing Isla's favourites right now. Would you like matching ambient lights?,' the hub asked.

'No, thanks...' I rolled on my back and stared at the ceiling, listening to the music of my favourite bands come through the speakers. Then, someone knocked on my door and I heard my father's voice say something I couldn't hear over the music.

'M8, volume up.'

'Okay, Isla.' The volume went up and drowned out another knock on my door. I picked up my phone and sent my best friend Sofie a spoken message while I picked out my outfit for tonight. We messaged back and forth for while as I got ready, and I let out a yelp when suddenly the music turned off and left an ear deafening silence.

'M8 System - Isla's room deactivated,' the hub said.

'DAD!,' I screamed, knowing he had done this on purpose because he was fed up with my loud music. I got no reaction, and I let out a heavy grunt from utter frustration.

'My parents are so unfair, Sof,' I recited to message Sofie. I always called her Sof, since she hated the name Sofie. She comforted me by saying hers could be too, and to forget about it and just have fun on her seventeenth birthday party tonight. I was really looking forward to it, even more because my crush would be there too. The only problem was; how to get out of the house without my parents noticing? The M8 System was integrated throughout the entire house, from the front door to smart fridge, and from the lightbulbs to the preferred volume of the tv. Every movement, every motion or action was documented by the system; shopping lists for groceries were outdated, since M8 kept a log on used produce in the fridge and the pantry, and ordered staple products when we ran out. Lights would go on at the preferred brightness when you walked into a room, it would set your favourite coffee automatically when you woke up, and it could even automatically compile a new playlist with what music you had listened to lately.