Mom:
Emma, we need to talk. Again.
Emma (without looking up):
You always say that.
Dad:
This isn’t a joke. Your grades are slipping, you missed two shifts last week, and you still haven’t applied for that summer internship.
Emma (shrugs):
So?
Mom (raising her voice slightly):
So you can’t just coast through life doing the bare minimum! You’re seventeen, Emma. It’s time to get serious.
Emma (dryly):
Serious about what? Stressing myself out to live a life I don’t even want?
Dad:
No one’s asking you to be perfect. But you do need to try. You can’t keep ignoring school, work, responsibilities—like they’ll just disappear.
Emma:
Maybe I don’t want what you guys want. Ever think about that?
Mom:
We’re not asking you to be like us. We’re asking you to care. About anything.
[A long pause. Emma stares at her phone. Her parents exchange a look—half frustration, half sadness.]
Dad (quietly):
You’re better than this, Emma.
Emma (barely audible):
Maybe I’m not.
