Page 5 of In the Middle of No(ah)where
"I think that's a great idea." I slide my phone out of my pocket and hand it to him so he can put in his number, and he does the same. After clicking some buttons, I turn his camera on and take a silly-faced selfie for the contact photo, and he giggles. I hand his phone back to him with a grin. "Call or text me anytime."
"Thanks. You, too." He pockets his phone, and I watch him retreat toward the bus stop. Should I offer him a ride? He's so tiny, and something inside me wants to protect him. But, since Ibarely know him, I refrain from offering him a ride and walk to my car.
It was a good first day.
I roll the windows down in the car and drive home, enjoying the breeze and an unusually cool day for summer. When I pull onto our street, I slow down to breathe in the cooler temperatures and the fragrance of fresh-cut grass of the neighbor's house I mowed yesterday. It feels more like a spring day with the green, lush lawns and flowers, the sounds of birds chirping and dogs barking in the air, and…my dad's home? He's never home this early. Was it his day off? Not overthinking, I park the car along the curb and walk toward the house, stopping stone cold on the front porch when I hear yelling.
My parents are yelling at each other.
Since I don't want to go inside to, whatever that is, I sit on the steps and glance around at the houses on our street. Nobody is out, and I'm thankful for that. I'd hate for my family to be the subject of town gossip. Rockport Ridge isn't small, but it's not a city either. We have approximately 100,000 people in our town, not to mention some of the neighboring nearby cities, which makes it feel much larger.
"You slept with her again!"
"How could you do this to our family?"
"Get the fuck out!"
I've listened to enough information to figure out what their fight is about. My dad's having an affair. But this doesn't explain why he's home. Wait. Did she say again? My dad's a fucking cheater? And he wants to judge me for being gay? The little respect I had for him slipped.
The perfect veneer they portray begins to crack.
I just want to go to my room and hide away from it all.
When the front door swings open and hits the wall, I jump to my feet and turn around to see the disappointment on mydad's face. He doesn't say anything at first; he just stands there looking past me out into the yard. He takes a deep breath. "See ya around, kiddo," he tells me and walks by, tossing a duffle bag in the cab of his truck and driving off without another look.
A few minutes later, I find Mom sitting at the kitchen table, red-rimmed eyes staring back at me when I enter through the arched doorway.
"What are you doing home?" she asks with venom in her tone.
"My shift at work ended." I cross over to the fridge and grab a bottle of water. "Everything, okay?" I flinch at my own comment. Of course, things aren'tokay.
"It's a wonder you didn't apply to college with how smart you are," she lashes out quietly. "Apparently, you got your father's looks and his brains." She takes a sip of whatever's in her cup.
I've never talked back to my parents. I just went along with whatever they wanted and didn't make waves. Why today was going to be the day I grew a backbone, I'll never know. I stand a little straighter and square my shoulders.
"Just because you're mad at him doesn't give you the right to talk down to me," I tell her steadily.
She lets out one of those short, forced laughs and takes another sip. "I know you thought you had a year to figure your shit out, but the due date has moved up. I'm selling the house. You're an adult now. Find a new place to live."
I just stare at her, and the room feels like it's spinning.
"When?" Bile rises in my throat, and I take a sip of my water.
"Preferably sooner than later." She pushes back from the table, grabs her cup, and passes by me with a smirk. She stops in the doorway but doesn't look at me as she speaks. "You think you can talk to me that way; you must be grown. Figure your shit out because I'm done. Oh, and if you ever, ever sass me again, it willbe the last thing you do." She threatens before vanishing around the corner.
I lean against the counter for support.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
I pull out my phone to text Dad, but since he's the reason my world is crumbling right now, I don't dare contact him. My family has created a perfect façade, and I don't know who to turn to right now. I just need someone to talk to about all of this.
My phone vibrates in my pocket as I head up the stairs to my bedroom.
Caleb:It was fun working with you today. Hopefully, we can become friends outside of Steamed.
It would be nice to make a new friend—someone I could talk to and hang out with. Most of my so-called friends are heading off to college, and I will be here figuring out all the aspects of my life. I'm an adult now, and it shouldn't be this hard.
Me:You too. I have a feeling we're going to be the bestestest of friends.
