"I like people. I don't like these people," he answered, because he couldn't imagine ever liking any of these people. "It's him or Mom. I have no interest in talking to anyone else. What am I going discuss with those two? How to party? How to spend daddy's money? But no, they weren't there, not that it would have made a difference."
Doug snorted. "Complain with the slave masters." The rest of it just made his head hurt, not because he didn't understand, but because he'd played these games all of his adult life and the players were much better. "Are you trying to become a politician now? Saying without saying? That only works when someone is interested in the outcome or if somehow talking affects the outcome. There is no outcome that matters now, so say what you have to say and then we can get ready for another day of torture and stupidity."