I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. Yeah, I had to be. Couldn’t really imagine they’d changed their routines, and more importantly? I didn’t care if they had. Heading over there was just about needing a place to kill some time, not avisit.
And yeah, that’s right. I hadn’t bothered to tell my parentals I was driving down from campus, ’cause why the fuck would I? Kinda like they never bothered to check in with me at school and hadn’t bothered to tell me they’d be in Aspen when I’d come home with Noe for winter break back in December.
Whatever. I could poke around my old bedroom and see if there was anything else I wanted to take back to the dorms, maybe grab a bite to eat or chill with their oversized cable package down in the entertainment room until I heard from my boy.
Except, fuck my life, the minute I pulled into the driveway, a silver Lexus SUV pulled in behind me and blocked me in. And fuckingreally? Jesus. You could get three cars in the driveway side by side and still have room for a goddamn marching band, easy, and on top of my shit timing in deciding to head over here and clearly being wrong about my parentals’ Friday night plans, they had to park right fucking behind me?
“Fuuuuuuucccckkkk,” I muttered, letting my head tip back against the headrest for a second and really wishing I’d just gone to hang at a burger place or the mall or something instead. It wasn’t like Ineededanything from the house here. I had all my essentials already at school, and anything else, I had the use of that credit card that they had their accountant pay off each month to use.
My eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and caught the confused look on my dad’s face through the double layer of my rear window and his windshield, and I immediately tensed up inside. Not that they’d give me shit for being here or anything like that, I just… I’d rather not have to interact, you know? My reaction was like, Pavlovian or whatever. Being around them was neverbad, but it wasn’t good either. It was just… nothing.
And yet somehow, it still always felt like it sucked the life out of me.
Fuck. Nowmyknee was bouncing, and I wouldn’t have minded if Noah were here with me. Actually, I wouldn’t mindleaving, so maybe I should just hop out and get them to move the stupid SUV I didn’t recognize—no surprise, since a friend of my dad’s owned a few dealerships so they were always upgrading—and get the fuck out.
The doors to the SUV popped open.
“Gage?” my dad said the minute I stepped out of my Jeep, his steps slowing as his brow crinkled in confusion.
“Hey,” I said, noting that he was just as happy to see me as I expected him to be.
“Is school out for the summer?” Dad asked instead of, you know, all that how-are-you or how’s-school bullshit that most parentals would lead with.
Also? It wasn’t even actually summer yet. Just sayin’.
Dad had his phone out, but tucked it away as he approached, holding out his hand to me.
I laughed, shoving my own hands in my pockets. I mean, it wasn’t funny, but really? Shaking his hand? Just… no.
“I guess we don’t have to call in an intruder then, Stan,” my mom said to Dad as she rounded the vehicle and headed my way, too. She gave me a bland smile, clearly not caring any more than Dad did that I hadn’t answered the school question as she explained, “We were wondering who had stopped by.”
Well, guess that explained their dickish parking job then. They’d seriously seen my Jeep pull in ahead of them and thought I might be some intruder? Someone they should keep from leaving until the cops came to protect their McMansion? Jesus fuck, they were a couple of pieces of work.
“You look well, Gage,” Mom went on, a throwaway line if I ever heard one. She tipped her chin toward the Jeep. “Did you get a new vehicle?”
“Nope,” I said, popping thep. “Same one you bought me after high school graduation.”
“Oh, that’s right,” she said, even though I could tell she didn’t actually remember… which was maybe fair, since when I said they’d “bought it for me,” I really just meant they’d paid for it. Noah and I had been the ones who’d gone and picked it out when they’d told me to get myself a graduation gift.
The parentals had been off… huh, I didn’t remember where the fuck it had been, actually. Definitely somewhere out of town. Somewhere more important than showing up to see me and Noe in our caps and gowns, but whatever.
“We hadn’t realized you would be here this weekend, Gage,” my dad said, tapping his phone against his thigh.
I just raised an eyebrow. ’Course they hadn’t realized it. Besides, I was fluent in their native language, and what he actually meant was, “we weren’t expecting you and have other shit to do, son, so please kindly explain or, better yet, fuck right off so we can get back to our busy agenda of not paying attention to you.”
No point making it easier on him, though. If he wanted to ask me what I was doing here, he could actuallyask.
“Did you need something, Gage?” my mom said after an awkward beat of silence. “Is there a… a problem at school?”
I smirked. I was fucking killing it at school. I mean, not Dean’s List or anything, but even having fun with Noah and shit, I’d always managed to stay on top of academics.
“All good,” I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Mom said with a smile that didn’t touch her forehead.
No surprise. It was probably more Botox than human flesh.
Dad mumbled something that was probably along the lines of “good, good,” and glanced down at his phone, a frown marring his features at whatever he saw there.
