“Don’t do this, Karina,” he says, almost pleading. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You let your parents rule your life. You’re afraid to do anything that goes against their wishes.”

I bite my tongue so hard I taste blood in my mouth. “They’re my parents, Ace.”

“Yeah, and you’re their child. Not their prisoner. You don’t have to do everything they say. You’re allowed to do things for yourself.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s not that easy,” I say. I can’t believe how many times I’ve been forced to have this conversation this week. “They’re the reason I’m here. They’ve done so much for me. I can’t—I can’t just throw that back in their faces.”

“You don’t owe them your life in payment, though,” Ace says, leaning forward in his seat. “You shouldn’t live your life for other people. You deserve to live for yourself.”

His expression is so earnest, yet I can’t help but think how naive his outlook is.

“That’s an extremely privileged way to look at things,” I say slowly, willing him to listen to me. “Our worlds are different, Ace. In mine, I can’t just do things because I want to. I can’t let my parents down.”

He sighs, holding his head in his hands. “Karina, I don’t understand. What about what you want? Doesn’t it matter?”

I swallow past the bitterness coating my throat. I believe that he doesn’t understand. I believe that he genuinely wants to help. I think the only way to explain this to him is to turn it around. “Why were you ignoring your family yesterday?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” he asks, gazing at me through his fingers.

“Just answer the question.”

“After I cut class yesterday, the school called my dad to see if I had a piano competition I forgot to mention. My family was just asking where I went. It’s not a big deal.”

“But it bothers you,” I say. The answer is written clearly across his face, from the deep frown and the small indent between his thick brows. “So it is a big deal. It bothers you, because you care what they think of you. They’re your family.”

“But I would never let them rule my life, Karina. That’s the difference.”

“Is it?” I ask. “You said we’re different. We are. But we’re also the same. You know why? Because you do let your parents rule your life. Why aren’t you going to college, Ace? Why won’t you apply to Yale?”

Ace blinks at me, taken aback. “That has nothing to do with—”