Page 87 of Something Rad
“Would you come here for a moment?” my dad asks. I hesitate, not moving. “Oh, how hard is it to talk to your old man for a few minutes?”
You have no idea.
I step down the couple of stairs I managed to climb already and walk over to where my dad sits, giving us a comfortable ten feet of space apart.
“Where were you tonight?” he asks.
“The Back to School Dance,” I reply stiffly.
My dad blinks. I swear only this man can say so much with a singular blink of his eyes.
“And I assume you were with your typical basketball motley crew?”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes, knowing it won’t get me anywhere. “They were there, yes–”
“Of course,” my dad grunts, rolling his eyes for the both of us.
“But I wasn’twiththem.”
“Right,” he says, reaching for his book again. “Which party bimbo or cheerleader floozy had the honor of your presence this week?”
I grit my teeth. “None of them, actually.”
My dad is fully looking at his book now.
Why did he ask me to come down here again?
“They were all busy? How unfortunate. I hope it didn’t ruin your evening,” he says, sarcastic.
“No,” I shake my head, forcing myself closer to him. “Actually, I was there with my girlfriend.”
My dad’s eyes flick up at me from over top of his book. “Girlfriend?” he questions.
I nod, my fists clenching at my side.
“And who is this girl?”
“Sara Beth Cooper,” I say, practically before he even has the question out.
“And where did we find her?” my dad asks, his brows raising. “The street corner?”
I feel heat rush to the back of my neck.
“Is she maybe president of the lip gloss and glitter club at school?” he continues. “The underage and underachieving drinking society perhaps?”
“Gee, so clever,” I mutter under my breath.
“What’s that?” my dad asks, leaning forward.
“I said she’s neither,” I say, more forcefully this time. “Actually, she’s the valedictorian of our class.”
My dad sits up slightly in his chair, surprise flashing briefly across his face. “Is that so?”
“Yes. And she’s about to be elected as our student body president.”
His eyebrows raise, and I can tell that he is genuinely impressed.
“She’s on the yearbook and newspaper committee and volunteers in the library after school.”
