Page 22 of The First Play

The serious look on Mom’s face is making my stomach knot all over again.

“Don’t fall in love with her, okay? You’re too young. You need to keep things light and easy. Nothing serious. You’re not even eighteen yet.”

“Mom, I’m?—”

“I saw the way your face lit up when approached her tonight. You really like this girl. I can tell. So just… take it easy, okay?”

Great, now I’m frowning again.

Mom’s smile is glum as she trails her hand down my neck and squeezes my shoulder. “I should have taken my time with your father. If I had, we wouldn’t have gotten into the mess we did and then spent years trying to make it work, only to fail. You don’t understand yourself when you’re a teenager. It’s too easy to get caught up in all the emotion and not think clearly.”

She’s looking at me like she’s doing me this huge favor, but it feels like she’s just dumped a bucket of cold water all over my epic night.

I step away from her, refusing to give her any kind of verbal agreement. This is bullshit. She thinks I’m going to end up just like her and Dad, but I’m not.

They don’t even know Sienna.

Neither do you.

Yes, I do! Well, I’m getting to know her, anyway. Which is why taking her out tomorrow is a really good idea.

I don’t care what my parents think. This is my life, isn’t it? And they can’t put all their shit on me.

“It’s late. I’m gonna go to bed,” I mumble, kissing Mom lightly on the cheek.

“Okay, sweetie. Sleep well.”

She looks all proud of herself, like she’s given me this soft lecture that was somehow better than Dad’s. But doesn’t she get that it’s basically the same message?

Stay away from the blonde. She’s gonna ruin your life.

Or she’s gonna make it pure magic.

I walk into my room, shutting the door behind me and plunking onto my bed just as my phone dings with a text message from my sister, Monica.

Dad wants me to tell you to keep your head in the game. Because I value my sanity, I responded with a polite “Will do.” But here is what I really wanted to send him…

My screen starts filling up with one F-you GIF after another. They get funnier and more obscene, and I’m soon lying back on my bed, cracking up at how awesome my big sister is. I text her with a few GIFs of my own before saying…

Thanks for having my back, sis.

Always. Love you, bro.

I smile, knowing it’s true.

Monica might be eight years older than me, but we’ve always been close. Even after she left for college, we kept in touch with daily Snaps to each other and video calls whenever we needed them. She’s never once treated me like her annoying kid brother. And I’ve adored her since the day I was born. Apparently I used to trail her around the house, and she loved it. I was like her own little puppy.

Damn, I miss her.

Biting the inside of my cheek, I hesitate for only a second before texting her again.

What do girls like doing on dates?

It takes less than a minute for my phone to start ringing with a video chat.

I grin and swipe my thumb across the screen.

Monica’s big brown eyes stare me down. “You’re taking out a girl? Tell me everything. Looks. Personality. Meet-cute. I want the full rundown. Go.”

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