Part 15 (1/2)
”But Deborah is fine, no need to be so formal.” She smiles. ”How about a gla.s.s of water, honey? I'm so thirsty! You know how planes dry you out.”
I sigh, and run a gla.s.s, hand it to her.
”Thank you, Catherine.”
”It's Ca.s.sie,” I say.
”I never did like shortened names,” Deborah sniffs.
I just blink. Whatever, Deb.
Dad walks out to Chance, a hand extended. ”Kyle Shannon,” he says. ”Ca.s.sie's father. Chance is it? Can you please tell me what are you doing in my kitchen?”
I feel the tension in the room grow almost immediately. Before it was just awkward, but now Dad and Chance are already having some kind of mental c.o.c.kfight.
Chance sets down the now-empty plate, grips Dad's hand. I see Dad wince a little as they shake hands.
”Ask Ca.s.sie why I'm here,” he tells Dad.
”I'm asking you, young man.”
Chance laughs, shakes his head. ”Where do you get off using that tone with me? Who are you to me?”
”You're in my house, and I'd like to know why.”
”Kyle!” Deborah says, approaching them. ”Is this really necessary?”
”He's a fighter, isn't he? Wrestling champ, isn't that what you said?”
”Yes, but-”
”I know his type, and most of them would be a bad influence on Ca.s.sie.”
”My type?” Chance echoes.
”Dad, he's just my friend, okay?”
”You never told me he had tattoos,” Dad says to Chance's mother.
”What has that got to do with anything?”
”You ever fight underground MMA, Chance?”
”Yes,” Chance says, stepping closer to Dad. ”Is that something you have a problem with? ”
”As a matter of- ”Kyle!” Deborah yells, her voice strained. ”Come with me right now!”
They leave the kitchen and go to the living room, and I can hear them yelling at each other. I look to Chance, but he just pushes his lips together.
”Well, this is off to a good start, isn't it?” He checks his pockets. ”I think your dad doesn't like me very much.”
”You didn't have to be so combative with him.”
”Did you hear how he talked to me?” Chance asks. ”It's because he's your dad that I-”
”That you what?” I ask, leveling a challenging glare at him. ”That you stopped short? Short of what?”
He licks his lips. ”Let's go,” he says to me.
”Where?” I ask.
”The f.u.c.k out of here.”
”Why?”
”You really want to stay here with them? Right now? Fresh off a plane, grumpy, already at each other's throats?”
I consider it. No, I certainly don't.
”What about you? What about your mother?”
”What about her?” Chance says. ”It's her life, she can do what she wants.”
”Don't you care?”
”Your father is not the first man she's shacked up with.”
”But marriage?”
He shrugs. ”No idea about that, don't much care right now, either. So you coming with me, or staying here?”
I haven't even begun to fully comprehend the implications of Dad getting married again, and to Chance's mother no less!
This is insane.
Getting out is the only palatable choice at the moment.
”Hold up,” I tell him, making up my mind. ”I'm coming with you. Wait here.”
I sprint up the steps, quickly get into some outside clothes, and then run down past Dad and Deborah.
”Where are you going?” he asks me.