I snort, used to her no-nonsense responses.
She used to not speak at all growing up but after some speech therapy, she now just says it like it is.
Which I appreciate. Sometimes being knocked down a few pegs is good for my ego.
“Well, I won for you tonight.” I chuckle.
“Not surprised,” Dad says from off the screen. “Griffins always win.”
Mom flips the screen back around, fitting both her and Dad in the frame as if it’s something she just realized was possible.
“No they don’t.” Melody’s voice is still nearby. “They’ve lost six out of the thirty-four games they’ve played.”
Before Melody can start naming off each we lost to and by how many points, Mom gently asks her what she needs.
“There’s no more fruit cups,” Melody explains and Mom is already getting up from the couch, leaving me with Dad.
I can feel him watching me as I set my now-hot food down onto the kitchen island. It’s quiet between us when I move the phone against the can of my energy drink so I can sit down and neither of us say anything when I take a bite of my chicken in the dimly lit kitchen.
The light above me flickers and I remember I told Preston I’d change the bulb before it finally goes out.
Guess that’s one thing I can do to fill at least a minute of my time tomorrow.
Perfect.
I’ll hit the gym then change out this damn light bulb.
My schedule is really piling up here.
“Oh, no.” Dad chuckles. “I know that look.”
My attention turns away from the light and back down to my phone. I tilt my head, popping a piece of broccoli into my mouth. “What look?”
“The one you get when you’re bored.”
Well damn, I didn’t think it was that obvious.
Dad continues. “That’s the look that usually gets you in trouble.”
“Me? Trouble?” I gasp. “Never.”
Dad shifts the phone so his face is closer, almost like he’s trying to see what’s floating around in my head, even from all the way across the country.
“You say that but then I’ll get a call from Brendon Nole himself about how he had to bail you and his son out of jail.”
“It’s not like we committed a crime.”
Dad looks at me, clearly unimpressed. “You were both charged for public indecency.”
I wince at the reminder of getting shit-faced with Preston and a couple of other guys on the team. We somehow ended up at a diner just outside of Ellingbrooke. We then decided that walking ten feet to the bathroom was unnecessary, so we pissed right outside the diner, our junk very much out for everyone to see.
Not my proudest moment but hey, we were only in jail for a few hours before Preston’s dad, the town’s very own governor, had the charges dropped and the fines paid.
“I promise you that tonight is going to strictly consist of me watching TV before passing out,” I reassure Dad, who only shakes his head and chuckles like he half believes me.
“Well in that case, I’ll let you go then.”
Mom shouts my name from the kitchen. “Wait!”