Part 73 (1/2)
”So diligent,” she mocked me flirtatiously. ”Okay, I'll text you when I'm done with my last cla.s.s.”
The school day was a breeze, just like all the others, but something was slightly wrong in the air. I wasn't sure what had me uneasy, but whatever it was... I didn't like it.
The feeling only got worse throughout the day. The closer it came to time to leave for the airport, the more agitated I became.
I was so p.i.s.sed off at the end of the day that I skipped my last cla.s.s, resigning myself to failing whatever weekend homework I was getting a.s.signed.
”Are you okay?” Clara asked as we climbed into her car together. ”You look like you're on edge.”
”I'm not really sure,” I conceded with a shrug. ”Something's got me kind of bothered... not really sure what.”
”Is it because of our parents?” She asked, tilting her head. ”I mean, I've been kind of thinking about that all day...”
”What do you mean?”
She turned the engine on and pulled towards the main campus road. ”Well, it's just that we've been able to sort of pretend that they weren't a problem, right? Neither of them were too important to our lives before the wedding, and they've been gone since then on this honeymoon of theirs... but now they're coming back.”
”Well, there is that,” I agreed.
”Listen, Dalton,” Clara turned to me as we pulled up to a red light. ”I know I had my own... misgivings over this union of ours... but I've made my choice. I'm here. You and I, we're in this together, okay? And I'll face down whatever troubles come our way, because we'll always be together.”
I was taken aback by her confidence.
”That's the most conviction I've heard out of you ever,” I observed.
”Yeah, well,” Clara grinned, pulling us forward after the light turned green, ”like I said: I've had a lot of time to think about it today.”
We played music most of the way there, lightening the mood up with some contemporary pop. I didn't really care for the radio all that much, especially since the hot singles were almost entirely electronic music, but I noticed one particular rock song that came on.
”Wait, what's this?”
”Oh, this? It's this rock band that's been dominating the radio waves these days,” she chuckled. ”Trent Masters and the Whiplash. You like it?”
”Sure. Turn that up.”
We listened to the rest of the song, and a smile crossed my face. ”Yeah, that harkens back to the s.h.i.+t I listened to when I was growing up. All that late-nineties grunge music... it's obvious who their influences are.”
”Yeah. It's funny, that Trent guy can come off as a real p.r.i.c.k in the interviews, but he writes all of his own lyrics... and they can be quite deep, actually. He seems like a total misogynistic a.s.s-hat, but there's a rumor that he's dating some mystery bartender chick...”
I noticed her tone. ”Sad that the big rockstar a.s.shole is off the field?”
”Nah,” Clara giggled. ”I'm more into the military types myself. Bonus points if they're foreign. She can keep him. Maybe that chick will even level him out a little.”
”You don't say.”
Another electronic piece came on, and the topic subsided.
It wasn't much longer before we were pulling into the arrival terminals for the airport. Dad and Sarah were waving at us from the curb, their suitcases stacked to the side.
Clara turned to me with exasperation.
”Well... you ready for this trainwreck?”
I faked an overly dramatic sigh. ”Let's just get this over with...”
Our parents seemed surprised that we were picking them up together, although it meant that they could continue sitting in the back together without leaving the pa.s.senger seat conspicuously empty.
”So, how was it?” I asked as we hopped back on the road and headed for the interstate. ”Did you enjoy Hawaii?”
”Oh, it was fantastic,” Sarah cooed.
”Nice and bright. Warm. Very pleasing,” my father added. ”Wish you could have seen it.”
”Well, maybe I will someday,” I replied wistfully, thinking of my intentions to travel the world. ”It sure seems b.l.o.o.d.y nice.”
”How's school going?” Sarah asked quickly.
”Oh, it's fine. Just stressful,” Clara answered, keeping her eyes on the road. ”As I told you before, I scheduled a ton of really tough cla.s.ses this semester... the next one should be a d.a.m.ned sight easier...”
”And you, Dalton?” Father asked.
”Much easier that hers,” I answered him dutifully. ”We even have a cla.s.s together, incidentally.”
Clara flashed me a quick look, and I realized that I'd spoken a little too enthusiastically.
”Picking your parents up together... going to school together... you know what's going on here, don't you, Will?” Sarah asked, a haughty tone entering her voice. ”My G.o.d, I should have seen this coming before... it was inevitable with these two, with their ages...”
Panic gripped at my throat. I turned to Clara, who swiftly shot me a look that told me everything I needed to know about her emotional well-being: f.u.c.k f.u.c.k f.u.c.k f.u.c.k...
”That's right,” Father answered.
I braced myself for it...
”They're just perfect for each other!” Sarah chuckled. ”We should have seen this coming, really. What a pair they make.”
Wait.
What?
”That's right,” Father nodded.
Clara and I shared a bemused glance. Our eyes communicated a flurry of thoughts back and forth, completely taken by surprise that this was happening... and going so well.
”Would you care to elaborate?” I asked.
”Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?” Sarah snootily chuckled. ”You two are excellent together. And here we were, afraid that you wouldn't get along...”
Father chimed in again. ”We were afraid that you'd clash, or just grow to hate each other. But I'm glad that you're apparently getting along. We'd hate for you two siblings to be at each other's throats, or just ignore each other...”
Right, it dawned on me. Siblings.