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“Yes…” said his dad, less excitedly. “He’s given them to us.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that the school contract and the Mayor’s party are now our responsibility.”
Romeo was tentative. “Well, that’s good isn’t it?”
“It’s great!” said Mrs Monty.
“Is it?” asked his dad.
“I could call the Mayor’s office and explain I was involved,” Romeo offered, figuring that’s what his dad was angling after.
“No!” exclaimed Mrs Monty.
“That won’t matter. They already know you were involved.”
“They do?”
“They do. They don’t care.”
“Because the Mayor likes your cheesesteaks the best,” gushed the Mrs as she came around the table and hugged her husband. Then she went to the fridge and began pulling out food.
“No. What’s done is done.”
“I’m sorry dad.”
“I know you are.”
Mrs Monty couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What are you guys so sorry for? We got the contract. We’re number one. This is what we wanted. This is great news.”
Monty sighed. “Sometimes what you get isn’t as important as how you get it. And sometimes, when you get something you don’t deserve you end up paying a price for it you didn’t expect.”
And that made Romeo think of Ant. Maybe it wasn’t just the fight with her brother. Maybe this was why she was ignoring him. Her whole family probably hated him/them even more now. Maybe making things right was going to be harder than he thought.
“Now,” continued his dad. “You want something to eat?”
“No. I gotta go,” Romeo said, looking around for something that wasn’t there.
“Go? Go where?” asked his mom. She was already making him breakfast. The eggs were already in the pan. The toast was already in the toaster. “You just got here.”
“I got something I gotta do.”
“What? What do you gotta do?”
“I have to go talk to someone.”
“Who?”
“A girl,” said his dad.
“A girl? What girl?” asked his mom excitedly. “Is she pretty?”
32
Ant cleaned the counter with a white rag and a blue spray bottle. Nearby, Nikki married ketchups. Placing one on top of another, allowing the remnants to drip together, then throwing away the empties. They weren’t speaking.
In fact, it didn’t seem like anyone was speaking to anyone at Cap’s. The whole mood of the place was off. The news that they’d won the contest but now lost the prize
