You'll Be the Death of Me

He stood staring at me for what seemed like an eternity. I couldn't comprehend what was going on. What did my mother think she was doing bringing this creep into the house and announcing him my fiancé? I thought I was supposed to have a say in the matter?
"Hysterical, mother. Get - that - out of our home, and stop playing such stupid jokes on me," I told her, turning on my heel and attempting to leave the room.
"Freda," she snapped.
"Allow me," he smiled to her, turning his focus to me. "Freda, sweetie, we're getting married, isn't that wonderful?"
"Yes, because I clearly want to be married to a creep like you," I said sarcastically, turning back around to face him. "Dream come true."
"You loved me once, why not now?"
"Because I tend not to love creeps who walk out on girls after they've just given them their virginity!"
"YOU DID WHAT?!" My mother lost all her composure at my words, the only time I'd ever heard her should that loudly and ferociously was when it was just she and I arguing over something or other I had done, or refused to do.
"Oh, please, mother, you know fine well I'm not going to be a virgin. I'm 27 for Christ's sake!"
"I thought I brought you up to be a respectable girl! Clearly not!" I laughed harshly; she hadn't brought me up in the slightest. I heard careful footsteps coming up behind me, I turned quickly, shot my father a smile, reassuring him I didn't blame him, and turned back to the pair in front of me lacking any comforting facial expression.
"It's fine," Kyle assured my mother, placing a hand on her arm. "As long as I'm her only, it means nothing about the timing." I snorted; my mother shot me a dark look.
"What is so funny, Freda?"
"You think he was my only one? Please. He was the first; not the last." I smirked triumphantly at the looks upon both their faces. "You can't even force this upon me anyway. In case you hadn't noticed, it's pretty much illegal."
"Don't you remember what you signed when you left school? In the summer before we sent you to finishing school," my mother asked, her falsely sweet voice returning once more. My thoughts turned to what she had just said. What did I sign? I was only sixteen; she couldn't have gotten me to sign anything unless I thought it would never happen. It's a wonder she didn't get me to sign anything earlier in my life when I was less likely to argue. "Oh, come on Freda, you must know. Your sisters signed it, too." I gasped as the realisation hit me. She couldn't possibly...
"But I was sixteen! You can't hold me to that from that age!"
"It's all legally binding, Freda."
"But I'm seeing someone!"
"The agreement was only void if you were engaged or already married, dear." She said it all with that look on her face, as if she was enjoying every moment of pain I had in me at that moment.
"Daddy, tell them!" I pleaded, tears stinging my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks, looking at him. "Please."
"I can't, sweetheart, what she says is true. The only way around it is another engagement," he told me. I looked between my mother and Kyle a few times before turning around for a final time and storming off to my room, tears flowing freely. I tugged my phone free of my pocket roughly, fingers stumbling as I flipped it open. I couldn't make out the screen properly as I collapsed upon my bed, starting a call to Bam.
"Freda!" A voice I knew not to be Bam's answered. I sniffled.
"Novak put him on. I need to talk to him," I ordered the man on the other end. As much as Novak could make me laugh; he was no Bam. I heard a muffled 'who is it?' on the other end, and a scramble to grab the phone as soon as Novak had replied with my name.
"Fred!" A breathless Bam almost shouted down the phone. My heart pounded and a weak smile came to my lips.
"Hey, Bam."
"Baby, I miss you already. Are you coming home soon?"
"N-no, I can't, Bam. I don't know if I can ever come back." The smile that had formed quickly fell back to a frown and fresh tears sprung to my eyes. I didn't like to have to say that to him. It hurt more than leaving him a thousand miles away for two weeks. What I felt this morning was nothing on what I felt now.
"Why? What is it? What happened?" I curled up a little further, phone pressed tightly to my ear. All I could feel were his arms wrapped around me, but it made me feel worse. It didn't feel right, it felt like a ghost, and that hurt more. It was just a shadow of how things really felt.
"I-I'm engaged. I don't even remember agreeing, but I can't get out of it. I'm sorry, Bammy."
"It's fine. I hope you're happy, Freda."
"Ba-"
"I've got to go. I'll talk to you another time."
"You'll come though, won't you?"
"What?"
"To the... the wedding."
"Of course, but I really have to go."
"Bye," I mumbled into the tone now coming out of my phone. I sighed and swiped my finger under my eyes. I looked myself once over in the mirror, tugged my shirt back into its proper place, making myself look like I wasn't a teenager who had just thrown a fit and headed toward my door.
If I was going to do this it was now or never, right?