AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wait, was it the first game of the season? How did it go?”
On cue, my dad slides a section of the newspaper in front of me where I see the headline,THREE CHEERS; WE MEAN TOUCHDOWNS FOR JASON SPENCER!A large black and white photo of Jason in his uniform is displayed underneath.
“Oh my God, Jason! This is so exciting!” I beam with pride for my brother.
“It was nothing,” Jason says casually. “The other team was playing horrible defense, so it really wasn’t difficult to do.”
He’s always so modest about his achievements.
“Well, I think it’s amazing. In fact, I’m taking this section of the paper and framing it.” I rip the section out and hand the rest of the newspaper back to my dad. “Maybe later we can look at your schedule to see what games I can make this season.”
Jason smiles. “Sounds good to me.”
My mom hands me a plate with a grilled cheese sandwich and then a bowl of tomato soup. The smell alone makes my mouth water. “Thanks, mom.” I dip my sandwich into the soup and take a bite. The gooey melted cheese combined with the rich and creamy tomato mixture tastes like heaven.
“Of course,” my mom says with an affectionate smile. She starts preparing Jason’s grilled cheese next. “So, how did you get home today, Natalie? I hope you didn’t take the bus the whole way here. They always have such mechanical issues with those old things. They’re so dangerous and unreliable.”
Shoot. I didn’t think about them asking this question.
“Oh, a friend from school lives in this area, and they were coming home for the weekend, so they offered to give me a ride home too.” I take another bite of my sandwich, secretly praying they drop the subject.
“Oh, I see.” My mom looks to my dad, who is now hiding his face behind the paper in his hands. Most likely trying to avoid where this conversation is going.
“Do we know this friend?” my mom asks, careful not to push the subject too far.
“Umm,” I say, pretending to be thinking hard about this. “No, I don’t think so.”
It was a lie, of course. They know Nathan from constantly being at the Gordons’ home, but for whatever reason, I don’t want them to know it was him who drove me. Maybe because I don’t even know what it is that Nathan and I are doing. Last night was the first time the two of us actually started getting to know each other.
And it was nice.
No, it was better than nice.
It was perfect.
Jason’s voice interjects to rescue me. “So, any plans for today?”
“No, I hadn’t really thought about it. I was just looking forward to seeing you guys,” I respond with a small shrug.
“Oh, good!” my mom exclaims. “Would you want to go on some errands with me? Then maybe we could get our nails done later?”
“I would love that,” I say before putting the last mouthwatering bite of my grilled cheese sandwich in my mouth.
“And then maybe the four of us can go to dinner?” she asks.
“Actually,” I look over at Jason, “I was thinking Jason and I could have dinner at the Lonely Tavern tonight for some brother and sister time.”
Jason looks at me, confused, so I kick him lightly on the shin. “Oh yeah, sounds good to me.” He shakes his head and rubs his shin before turning his attention to the grilled cheese sandwich my mom just placed in front of him.
“That sounds lovely! Maybe your father and I will go out to dinner too. It’s been ages since we have been out, just the two of us.” My mom looks over at my dad with pleading eyes.
My dad lowers the newspapers in his hands and says, “Whatever you want, dear.”
* * *
A few hours later, after accompanying my mom on some errands and getting our nails done, I’m back home.
“I’m going to see if I can find Jason,” I tell my mom as I walk up the stairs.
