AllFreeNovel
Share Us
While we drive and Dad prattles on about the features of the vehicle, I stare out the window as my mind drifts back to last night. Teaching Kaden to play pool was pretty fun. After the weird moment with Sloane, she bolted and left me with her nephew. I learned a lot of shit from that kid. His mom’s boyfriend is a meth head and drives him crazy. There’s never any food and sometimes the boyfriend knocks Kaden around. No wonder Sloane has him. She’s not exactly one to sit around while there’s injustice going on.
My fingers twitch to sketch her face again. I feel like I’m almost to where I can recreate the look she gave me. It was warm. No, it was hot.
Hot?
Or is that wishful thinking on my part?
Maybe it was just happiness that someone was entertaining the kid for her. Whatever the look was, I’m curious to see it again.
I open up our messages and stare at our conversation. This morning, I asked her if they had fun last night and she never responded. Sloane stays busy at the police station, but it still hurts not to get a response.
This day fucking sucks.
Needing someone to talk to, I shoot a text to Tate.
Me: Dad got us a car.
He responds immediately as though he was waiting for this moment.
Tate: WHAT?! NO WAY! CONGRATS!
Me: To share. With Gemma. Yay.
Tate: Ohhh. Well, I mean, it’s not uncommon for families to have their children share a car. It’s not a personal attack, Demps.
Me: She can’t drive without me and I can’t drive without her.
The dots move and stop several times before he finally responds.
Tate: Yikes. Okay. We’re definitely going to need to unpack that one. You free for coffee?
Me: Nope. On the way to PMU to check out my new prison. Fun!
Tate: Come over after. We’ll sneak away and chat. Hang in there. Your dad loves you.
I give him a thumbs-up and then shove my phone into my pocket. Gemma, over her disappointment of having to share a car with me, happily talks about how beautiful it is and how excited she is for this campus tour.
My mind is back to last night as I follow my family aimlessly out of the car and toward the admin building where Dad is meeting his friend, who’s the dean. I’ll get through this stupid thing even if I have to pretend to be a robot.
The administration building smells like cheese and I curl my lip up. I already hate this place. Dad asks us to wait in the hallway while he fetches his buddy. Mom and Gemma walk over to the enclosed glass case filled with college memorabilia and trophies. Needing to escape them, I make my way over to a bulletin board that’s littered with fliers.
Several are for people seeking roommates to share rent with. A few are offers for various odd jobs like dog walking or house sitting. Some are job ads for on-campus positions like admin assistant or cafeteria cashier. A cream-colored one with shimmery gold writing catches my eye.
PMU Art Expo - Looking for Artists
I quickly read through the flier. Essentially, the college is having an art expo to display different pieces in varying mediums. They even have a category for digital realism. The event will happen in a few weeks and influential artsy people all over the Pacific Northwest will be invited to attend. You can even opt to have your art available for purchase. It then provides an email and contact number.
The only requirement. You must be enrolled as a PMU student.
As much as I don’t want to go to college, this art expo sounds interesting to me. Maybe I could supply a really awesome piece and get noticed. Would Dad take my passion seriously then?
He might…
“Ready?” Dad calls out.
I glance over to see him, an older man, my mom, and Gemma all staring at me. “Yup.”
They turn to walk down the hallway. I start to follow, but my feet don’t want to budge. Without second-guessing myself, I rip the flier off the bulletin board and cram it into my pocket.
