I knew my dad loved me a lot. But he was a busy person. It doesn’t make someone a shitty parent just because they don’t remember the names of your friends, right? He’s there for the important things—important things that in the lastfive yearsmy mother has missed.
“Claire, Dad,” I remind him anyway, sort of hoping it might ring a bell. “I told you about her. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you.”
I snap the phone shut just as Niall reaches me. He looks utterly exhausted, his blonde hair damp and water droplets still clinging to his neck and exposed collarbone. He’s dressed down in his usual casual post-game wear, just a loose t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
My outfit is practically the same, except I’m wearing a soft-sleeve denim jacket, and leggings instead of sweats.
“Claire said you were staying the night? Something about a movie marathon.” His eyes seem to roll over me and take me in as he spoke, making me feel suddenly self conscious in my own casual clothes for no apparent reason.
I nod, pushing that stupid flutter in my stomach way, deep down. “If the invitation still stands.”
“Always stands,” he says, and I tell myself his smile is really as genuine as it looks. We both start heading to his car—him informing me JJ is going with the Marshalls’, since they always go for post-game McDonalds after a loss, and JJ Biggs is a leech—which is parked on the other side of the lot.
“Nice game, Niall!” some guy passing us snickers, but based on his tone of voice, and his St. Judes school sweatshirt, he was clearly anything but serious.
Niall seems like the kind of guy to be level-headed and ignore it, but he whips around, nearly knocking me down with his gear bag. “Nice row of teeth you got there, Grigson. Wanna see ‘em laid out on the tarmac?”
The guy cackles, clearly unaffected by the threat. “And here I thought you missed DBS this summer because you were hurt. Lo and behold, you were just having tea-parties to scout a new teammate.”
“Do you have someone else you could bother?” I pipe up, mostly because I don’t appreciate being spoken about like a less-than right in front of my face.
The guy just shakes his head in amusement. “You know maybe your team would’ve played a little better without a handicap. And I don’t mean the girl, Bluey.”
The guy scurries off, laughing and heading back to his group of friends. Niall looks seconds away from following, so I kinda grab his arm and pretend like I’m in a rush to get to my sleepover with Claire.
I don’t know if he knew I was just trying to keep him out of trouble or not, but either way we went to the car.
??` ?? ?´?
KITTENS.
JJ hadn’t been kidding (or trying to kidnap Lorraine and I) the day he and Niall ran into Lorraine and I in that Tesco. They reallydidhave kittens out in the car.
Lorraine, 1 - me, 0 on theStranger Dangerfront.
I’ve seen the little things plenty of times whenever I come over here, the multi-colored fluffballs tripping over each other, jumping all over the furniture and Comet. They’re just the cutest little things, and if I have any soft spot, it’s tiny little animals.
“Ma says we can only keep one,” Claire says, sounding so broken up I could cry. The one she was holding had a mix of copper, grey and black stripes, and a little white belly and feet. “And JJ can take another, but we don’t know what to do with the third. Fitzy’s Ma already has a cat, and it's too mean to have friends. And Finn is allergic.”
“Which one are you guys keeping?” I ask, currently petting the chin of the purring kitten Niall had in his hands. He was mostly black, with only a couple small orange patches.
“Him. Atticus. Because he’s Niall’s favorite,” Claire says, pointing toourthe kitten that Niall’s holding and I’m petting.
I smile at Atticus The Kitten, his purring growing louder as he nuzzles against my hand. “He’s so cute.”
“Could you take one?” Claire asks suddenly, her eyes lighting up like it’s the best idea she’s ever had.
I think about it for a second; the offer’s tempting. “Maybe. I mean, I could bring Lorraine over sometime next week, and let her see if she wants one. I’m sure she’d love it. And my Mom likes to say yes to her.”
Claire squeals, hugging me as if I’ve just solved all the world’s problems, like poverty and the cure to cancer. “Yes! Oh my god, yes! I've gotta call JJ, he'll be thrilled.”
She bolts from the room, leaving Niall and I alone with the kittens, and I can hear the sounds of her feet pounding up the stairs. We sit together on the couch in silence for a moment, just watching Atticus paw at Niall's fingers.
“Are you alright? From the game, I mean. That fall looked nasty,” I ask, breaking the silence and glancing at his knee. I’ve seen him wear a brace on the field, and he’s been rubbing at his right knee since we got back.
He shifts uncomfortably. “Fine.”
I hesitate, before asking, “what did that guy mean? About... about you missing whatever DBS is and calling you a handicap?”
