Page 4 of Wasted Oil

"I didn’t get to say hi to your mom after the ceremony, where did she go?” I asked.

"Yeah, she was there, I walked with her to her car cause she had to leave and pick up my niece from my sister Marie so she can go to work. You know mom, she's a superwoman in flip flops.”

We both giggle at that remark because we are more than certain that if there was war or an apocalypse happening her mom Lynn would do it all in her flip flops.

“So are you gonna go stay at your dad's lake house for the summer?” I ask Alex as I reach in the tin to grab a handful of peanuts.

"I don’t know yet, I want to but I also want to work and make money.”

Al isn’t looking at me when she says this, she’s looking down at her hands that’s picking away a peanut shell trying to hide whatever it is she’s hiding.

"When’s the last time you saw or talked to Neil?”

She freezes clenching her jaw and looking at me like she didn’t think I knew where her mind went while talking about the lake house.

"Not since Christmas, besides I see he met someone and it looks like things are going good and I have Johnny so,” she gives a shoulder shrug to me reaching for her virgin strawberry daiquiri.

Al is many things but one thing for sure is she love’s love and gives it her whole heart. I guess you can say she’s a hopeless romantic and she would proudly own that title. Though she’s not proud of many things involving herself and Neil, I know from what she tells me that she never regrets anything when it comes to him.

"So, you finally gonna nut up and tell Rhett how you truly feel about your friendship.” She puts her hands up to air quote the friendship part. I just glare at her.

"Maybe when you fess up on who you truly are in love with” I bite back with an evil smolder. Alex looks at me with her straw sitting between her lips as her left eye twitches.

"Touché.” She breathes out and we both giggle.

Dinner goes by and I ended up staying with Alex. I know I’m safe there and can breathe normally without having to walk on eggshells. With my Father so absent at dinner, I knew someone said something to him that put him in a mood. Which is another reason why I didn’t go home with them. I'm just thankful he was never really mean to Xavier, part of me thinks that I wasn’t wanted in the beginning. Everything that I did he found a way to somehow tell me that I could've done it better or been better.

When we get to the Daniels house Alex and I grab all the snacks from the cupboards and run to the living room. It was movie night for us, a ritual we try to make consistently but opted for every chance we got we jumped on it.

We bounce back and forth between here and her mom's house. I'm always finding ways to not be at home. I would've been stuck in my room all night to escape my father, but thankfully I’m a legal adult as of yesterday and he really can’t tell me what I can do.

She clicks on the TV, awaiting for me to get comfortable.

"Any request for movie night?” I look over to her as we both pause for all of two seconds then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny in here?” RJ walks in with three different drinks in his hands. RJ is like a brother to me, he and Xavier both played on the same Tee Ball team since they were toddlers in diapers. He was with us the first time we had a sleepover so automatically he was to be invited to every movie night we had.

He sets the drinks beside us, taking his normal seat on the floor.

"Oh, just Alex thinking she’s funny and trying to make a joke.” I say still laughing.

"She just asked if I had any movie requests for movie night! Man Alex you crack me up.” RJ gives a chuckle as Alex puts the DVD in.

"Geez, Mel it ain’t that funny ya know.” She throws a pillow at me as I catch my breath, wiping the fake tears and giving them a flick.

"You already know what movie night starts out with so hurry up and press play.” She gives me an eye roll as she starts the movie.

This is what I wanted my house to be like, movie nights as a family and no one fighting or father getting upset. Most nights we all just stay in our rooms and father in his study.

Danger Zone blasts through the speakers as I cuddle into the couch more.

"Ready for this Maverick?” Alex says to me. I look over to see her fist out for me to bump.

"Always Goose always.” I say as I bump her fist.

Out of thirteen years a lot has changed, but the one thing that hasn't was our love for Top Gun.

Step inside.

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