The Best Year - 40. Chapter 40

‘He’s still grounded, nice try,’ I read the response from a text from Luke’s phone from a couple of days ago. It was a risk for me to be texting, but it had been three weeks. What sucked worse is that I was sitting on the other side of the cafeteria from him right now, staring at him. I didn’t know why I just didn’t stand up and cross the space between us and sit down at his table. It was full of the Church school castaways now, only Olivia stayed and reminded me, daily, that Cindy was winning, but I didn’t know fuck all how to change that.

“Dude,” Derek hissed just before Connor and Bailey Fucking Ashton made it to our table.

“What?” I asked, trying to look past him.

“You’re like a puppy with separation anxiety,” he said and I flinched when he shot a pea at me. When I felt it slide across my nipple underneath my shirt I looked down my collar as he laughed.

“Shut the fuck up,” I said as I fished out the pea and flicked it back at him, but it shot an inch or so too far to the left and smacked some blonde haired girl in the back of the head. I watched her jump and look around. Catching me looking at her she smiled. I knew who she was now, Ella. She was the dance team captain and wouldn’t sit with Ally and the cheerleaders, because they were cheerleaders and somehow that meant something.

“I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if you pissed yourself when he starts sitting with us again,” he said, aiming his spoon with another pea locked and loaded.

“Yeah?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yeah dude,” he said as he closed one eye and before I could reach out and block him, the pea smacked me on the forehead and he slammed his spoon on the table laughing just loud enough for people to start paying attention to what was going on at our table. He shot it hard enough to smash it and I reached up and smeared it across my forehead before I grabbed a napkin.

“Leave him alone,” Lily said, shaking her head, but she laughed too, everyone did.

I hated that I was starting to feel like the outsider at my own table. This was the table I chose to sit in when we were freshmen. I was brave enough to sit my ass down right beside the seniors. Toby and Derek bravely followed me, but it took a week or so before anyone else did. By then I had already been in Welker’s office more times than I could count and some of the seniors knew me by name. I also didn’t need Lily defending me, but the only reason she did was because I had played the part of someone needing a rescue.

So when I stuck my finger into my grainy mashed potatoes to see if it was still hot, I glanced up at Derek who was talking to Toby with Lily looking so tiny between them. Turning to my left to look in Connor’s direction I saw that he was talking to Olivia while she was stealing food off his tray. He let her, because he was Connor.

“Don’t,” Ally whispered and I turned around to see her looking down at my finger. It was still about knuckle deep in my mashed potatoes.

“I have to Ally,” I said as she watched me form a cup with my hand and scoop up as much mashed potatoes as I could hold, which ended up being most of it.

“Prom, Jackson,” she hissed, but she looked towards Derek knowing what was going to happen.

“Derek,” I said as I held my hand up. Lily had noticed me first and was already leaning away from him and when his eyes found mine I threw my hand backwards then shot it forward like I was throwing a fastball and watched the mashed potatoes separate like a birdshot from a gun. It splattered all over his neck and chest and I watched him attempt to shield himself with his arms, but it had been a few moments too late.

“Oh my god,” I heard Ella shriek. When she looked at me, I glanced over to my left hand just in time to see that I still had it raised, covered in evidence. Everyone was still laughing and when she smiled and grabbed up a handful of peas I leaned back in my chair and accepted my fate.

That was all it took for the foodfight to really take off and Toby’s mashed potatoes were added to Ella’s peas. I had already grabbed up a handful of my own and threw them back at him. Then I turned to see Ally ducking under the table, her purple underwear peeking out the top of her jeans. Lily was nowhere to be seen, but Heather was in the middle of trying to pour her milk on Olivia who was trying to swat it out of her hand.

“Only you,” Connor said shaking his head and I was about to hold that against him until he grabbed a handful of the salad he was eating and tossing it down the table towards Bailey Fucking Ashton.

In the chaos I tried to find Luke, but he wasn’t where I had last seen him before Derek shot a pea at me. I didn’t see any of them from his table and when I tried to stand and leave the cafeteria to take my chance to look for him without Cindy hovering in the hallway. She still had a room full of kids waiting for their turn to eat, my vision went dark and I nearly fell over my chair, the block wall behind me being the only thing that saved me. Reaching up I wiped the food from my face, it wasn’t recognizable and the culprit wasn’t waiting around for me to see who it was.

Welker came in with a megaphone, quicker than I thought he should have been able to, to stop us. Before he could raise it to his mouth a carton of milk smacked him in the face and splattered all over his sky blue button up shirt. To his credit, he recovered and pressed the button on the megaphone, the squeal that echoed over the fray seemed to freeze everyone all at once.

“The janitors will supply you with the cleaning supplies,” he said as he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dried his face. “After this place is clean I’ll need to see Jackson Forrest and Ella Childress in my office.”

“Don’t argue with him,” Ally said as she poked her head out from under the table, but it hadn’t really spared her. No one was truly safe when close to a hundred people started chucking food.

It also didn’t take very long for that many people to come together and clean the place, but it took us longer than the rest of our lunch period and the other half of the school had to wait. They already knew what had happened, naturally. Welker was also smart enough to threaten anyone dumb enough to start up a second foodfight with a three day suspension and loss of their clubs and extracurriculars. Hearing him warning them, I wondered what he had waiting for me. He couldn’t touch me when it came to swimming, that wasn’t a school sanctioned sport. That was all I cared about, he could take Prom. I didn’t know what that meant for me anymore as it was. I knew I wouldn’t be taking Luke as a date, that wouldn’t have happened if Luke’s mom wasn’t Cindy. I wasn’t ready to make that sort of statement.

Ella met me at the exit to the cafeteria. Her mascara was running, but she offered me a smile. Her chest was soaked with what looked like chocolate milk. Her pink top wasn’t dark or thick enough to hide the color of her bra underneath. When Welker saw that, he handed us both towels and marched us down the hallway.

“Sorry,” I whispered as we rounded the corner to the main entrance where his office was.

“Don’t be, I had fun,” she said, flashing me another smile and I thought I might have an unexpected problem soon if I didn’t find a way out of it.

“No talking,” Welker barked, not turning to look at us as he opened his door. He placed the megaphone down on his desk and we watched him squeeze hand sanitizer into his palm and rub his hands together as he walked around his desk.

When he made it around to his chair he sat down and waved his hand for us to sit. I was already having trouble taking him seriously with the stain of milk on his shirt. Obediently Ella had already moved around her chair and sat, but I smirked before I took my seat and when I did I felt a knee knock into mine and I clenched my jaw muscles.

“So did you just assume that I started this?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.

“Schools have cameras, Jackson,” Welker answered and I smiled when he rolled his eyes and waved his hand towards the security room just down the hall. “But if I didn’t, you would still be on my short list.”

“That’s some kind of discrimination, probably,” I countered and I heard the tiniest of snorts beside me.

“No Jackson, it isn’t,” he said and when I smirked I saw the vein beginning to pop out on his forehead and I knew we were getting close to where I sat silently and he lectured and this felt like the first week of school all over again.

“I should make good on my word and take away all the extracurriculars and school functions for the rest of the year,” he said as he placed his hands on his desk and glanced in Ella’s direction. “That would include Prom.”

“No please,” Ella gasped her knee leaving mine, but I was glad of it. Maybe she would be pissed off at me by the end of this to see me for who I really was. Someone not for her.

“I can’t do that though, since all Jackson would lose is Prom,” he said leaning back in his seat, his own towel falling around his shoulders. “I can’t touch his swimming, unfortunately.”

“Ella was just retaliating really,” I countered, glancing over at her. “I threw the potatoes at Derek.”

“And before that Derek tossed a pea at you, I saw it,” Welker countered as I turned back to him. “Maybe I should call him to my office.”

“I’ll take all the blame, that’s what you want me to do anyway,” I said as I reached up and readjusted my towel around my shoulders. I felt greasy and wet, all I wanted to do was find a change of clothes and a locker room and shower. I still had gym clothes here.

“Okay, if you insist,” he said, waving his hand. “Ella you’re free to go, please call someone to bring you a change of clothes if you don’t have any.”

“Thank you Mr. Welker,” she said and I watched her flash me another smile and I jumped when her hand found my shoulder as she walked around her chair and out the door.

“Don’t drag a good girl like that down with you,” he said as the door gently closed behind her.

“Thanks for that,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip to keep my mouth shut about asking him anything about Ally. Since he had reviewed the security tapes, he would have definitely seen her sitting beside me.

“I’m giving you five days of detention and taking Thursday and Friday away from your Spring Break,” he said as he started opening his desk drawer.

“You can’t!” I said sliding to the edge of my chair. “Districts are that weekend, I can’t.”

“Jackson you should think about some of the consequences before you decide to do what you do,” he said as he continued to fill out my detention slip. He will be emailing all of my teachers after I leave so they can start gathering up my homework and busy work for me to do for the rest of the week.

“I won’t come, my future in swimming is more important, I’m sorry,” I said and he stopped mid-word to look up at me. “I’ll take what you give me as punishment for that after I get back.”

“Fine,” he said as he reached up and took his glasses off his head. I watched him pinch the bridge of his nose closing his eyes.

“Double my detention,” I offered, sliding back to the back of my chair. “Suspend me too.”

“Don’t be too dramatic, there were seventy or so other willing participants today,” he said as he started writing my detention slip again. “Just don’t end up in my office again for what little time we have left of the year.”

“I won’t, I swear,” I said as he signed the bottom of the slip. He pulled the top sheet of the copying paper and handed it to me, then let the other one rest on his desk. Mom would be getting my copy when I got home, she was probably already called.

“If you do, Jackson you will leave me with very few options,” he said resting his hands on his desk. “I will give you saturday detentions and I will hold you responsible if you skip them for swimming.”

“I understand,” I said, swallowing as the bell rang.

“I’ll have someone bring your detention homework, go get changed,” he said and we both stood, my face was getting warm and I realized that maybe this time I had taken things way too far.

I was about to leave when we heard a pair of heels hitting a very fast and staccato sort of rhythm on the tiled floor. I half expected Mom to come through the door, ready to grab me by the ear and drag me outside. I wouldn’t hold it against her, she was pregnant and hormonal. Instead I saw Cindy and I hated myself for taking an involuntary step back.

“Steven we have to talk, the students are telling me about a Gay club,” she said as she stood beside me. She hadn’t noticed me until Welker cleared his throat and nodded in my direction.

“You, I guess I should have known you were behind the mess in the cafeteria,” she said, looking away from me. “Just another day in the life of Jackson Forrest.”

“Mrs. Clarke,” Welker warned and I watched him take his glasses off and pinch the bridge of his nose again. He hadn’t outright told me to beat it yet and Cindy was standing in my way. Her making an attempt to look everywhere else in the room except in my direction, didn’t amuse me like it should have. Maybe if I wasn’t just threatened by Welker and actually feeling like I got lucky. Maybe if she hadn’t told me she hated the air I stole from decent people only a few weeks ago. I would have been able to do more than just stand awkwardly beside her with my heart racing.

“You have to put a stop to this Gay club before it gets out of hand,” Cindy said crossing her arms. “It isn’t right for us to celebrate such a thing in a school.”

“It was co-sponsored by a student and a staff member,” Welker said, turning to glance at me. “Jackson, you’re free to go.”

“Now just a minute,” Cindy said, uncrossing her arms to point at Steven Welker and for once I almost felt sorry for him. “There are rules about clubs in the student handbook, surely you can find one that it breaks.”

“It is perfectly reasonable for there to be a Gay and Straight Alliance club, you have to know there are kids of that nature that go here,” Welker countered as I cleared my throat and took a half step towards Cindy and the exit. She only glanced in my direction, but didn’t move.

“I am aware of that,” she said, “I am also aware that you give final approval to clubs, having that sort of club could be damaging to students and our reputation.”

“Jackson please leave,” Welker said and I noticed the vein making a second appearance and I briefly wondered how healthy a job like this could possibly be. Welker had to be pushing up some high blood pressure throughout the day. “Mrs. Clarke, the rules state that clubs aren’t permitted that threaten harm or malice, or have a hateful message. This club does no such thing.”

“Mrs. Clarke,” I said as I stepped around my chair and directly next to her.

“What do you want?” She asked as she whirled in my direction.

“For you to move out of my way,” I answered as she glared at me and I felt all of that night come back to me. “Please.”

“Go ahead,” she said as she took a small step to the side and watched as I tucked my head and walked around her and out of the office.

“That Connor kid, he isn’t even gay he’s dating my neice,” Cindy said just as I rounded the corner and I rolled my eyes. I should have known it was Connor’s doing. He had his hands in everything this school had going. I didn’t know how the hell he found all his free time, Soccer was still going on, I thought. He also had Olivia who didn’t give two fucks about anything this school had to offer, apart from the gossip and bullshit.

“He would be in the Straight category, obviously.” Mr. Welker explained, and I chewed on my bottom lip as I leaned against the wall.

“So I could make a Christian club and it would be accepted?” She asked as I pushed myself off the wall before I was caught by the secretary. Welker would probably review the tapes and see me eavesdropping and after today I didn’t want to cross the man.

“You’re not a permanent staff member, Cindy,” he countered as I started walking down the administration hallway and into the front foyer. I could only imagine what she would have said about not being staff at the school. This must have been her planning period, but I also knew I had a pissed off Rick Tate waiting for me in the detention room so I took off towards my locker to retrieve my gym clothes.

After washing myself off under the shower head and drying myself as best I could with paper towels, not finding anything else, thankful that no one came in and saw me bare assed. I made my way to detention to start my five day sentence. Cindy pretty much told me everything I needed to know about Luke. He wouldn’t be allowed within a mile of me, not after that night, but definitely not after this. I didn’t think I was adding to her opinion of me, I also didn’t think I cared anymore. There were just some things I would have to accept and Cindy’s hatred of me was one of them.

“About time, Forrest,” Rick growled as he pointed to my five-day stack of busy work. There wasn’t anyone else in here at the moment, but I was sure it would fill up in the coming week. As long as Tuley and is greasy headed fucks stayed out of my way, I could get through the next five days.

“Sorry,” I said as I took a seat directly across from him. Being just the two of us, I hoped there could be some talking to pass the time. The glare he shot me told me that it was a little less likely, unless he got bored.

“I’m just thankful the other two idiots aren’t in here,” he said, shaking his head. “Welker told me Derek instigated it, but you took it to another level.”

“Not really a surprise to you, is it,” I said, glancing down at one of my packets.

“We’ll all breathe a sigh of relief when you three graduate,” he said and I looked up to see the smallest of smiles disappearing. “Now get the hell up out of that seat, there’s chewing gum waiting to be scraped off bleachers.”

“Really?” I asked grimacing as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You know I’m a firm believer in physical punishment,” he said smiling as he opened the door as he fished his phone out of his pocket. Probably shooting a text to Welker telling him to send any other detention kids to the gym until further notice.

Once inside the gym I walked over to the small janitor closet and found the gum scraper and disinfectant spray. I would be sore for practice, but I thought it would still beat sitting at a desk writing a bunch of busy work bullshit until my wrist hurt and my fingers got stiff. That would be tomorrow and the following days, I’m sure. This sort of work allowed me to think, but I hoped Cindy’s new focus on the club put the food fight at the back of her mind. Luke wasn’t involved and she already hated me, so I doubted it really touched him this time. She wouldn’t extend his grounding because of it. I didn’t see him in the midst of the chaos at all and I had tried looking.

This was the start of the third week of not having said more than a quick hello the Monday after we started back. He had looked tired and I wondered what he had been up to and what a grounding in the Clarke house looked like. In mine, I just sat in my room doing homework and trying to figure out how to weasel out of it, which never took much of an effort with busy parents that couldn’t hold me accountable. I had been lucky in that regard, but also a bit of an ass for taking full advantage of that. Luke didn’t have that luxury, I knew that. He had to endure everything they wanted to punish him with.

“What in the hell are you staring at?” Rick asked and I turned and looked down towards the gym floor. The scraper was idle in my hand, raised slightly and I shook my head and bent down to look for my first piece. I didn’t have to look hard and I grimaced and sprayed it with disinfectant then went to work scraping it until it either popped off or got too stuck to the scraper that I swore under my breath and slid it across the rim of the trashcan until it came off.

By the time the last bell rang my arms felt like they were moving without me moving them. My hands were sweaty in the rubber gloves and stunk like them and I had sweated through my gym shirt from the effort. Rick seemed pleased as he followed me to the janitor’s closet so I could put everything away.

“Another good lesson learned, Rick,” I offered, moving both my arms in small circles trying to loosen the tightness in my shoulders.

“Bull shit,” he said, clapping me on the back. “If you learned your lesson from cleaning up gum, you wouldn’t have wanted to come back and do it again.”

“Then why do you make us do it?” I asked as I pulled my left arm up over my head with my right one and stretched it as we walked down the gym hallway to the main hallway where I could see people passing as they scrambled to get their shit then get the hell out of here.

“Because it is probably you idiots putting the gum there in the first place,” he said, shaking his head. “When the shitty ass basketball team that gets too much funding bores the hell out of you.”

“I don’t come to games,” I said, raising my hands.

“And the janitors don’t get paid enough to put up with that nonsense,” he said as we entered the main hallway.

“See ya, Rick,” I said and he nodded and smiled as we parted ways. Glancing around and not seeing anyone, I walked to my locker and retrieved my detention packets and my soiled clothes. Everyone I knew was also involved in the food fight, aside from Luke, and would be searching out clean clothes after a shower. I was starting to smell too ripe for my taste and the rubber smell from the gloves and the bitter smell from the spray was added on top of it. The short shower I took in the locker room barely touched it and I wondered what the hell they were feeding us here.

When I got out to the student parking lot, I walked down the steps and dodged people leaving the school. Most of them smiled and waved, some of them yelled at me from their cars. The story spread that I was the one that started the food fight, that much was obvious. Welker made me that person when he called me to the office. In a way he only solidified my reputation, one that he didn’t want me to have, because I represented everything he didn’t want in his school. Someone who tempted fate and barely toed the lines. Always looking to get into just enough trouble to make a mark, but not be the example of the cost of it all.

I didn’t want to go home, Mom was taking it easier with work and not working overtime and emergency shifts. Unless she could sneak out from under Dad’s watch and go in, but I doubted he would ever catch her with the hours he kept. Welker would have called her about the food fight and when my phone buzzed I looked down to see a message from her.

“Straight home,” I read aloud and shook my head letting my screen lock without a response. Any response now would just make it worse. At least she had waited until after school to send the text.

After waiting in line for the exit and driving the curvy assed rode out of town towards home, I pulled into the driveway. The front door flew open and a blazing haired woman stormed out onto the front porch. The breeze was blowing just enough to send some of it flowing past her and I grimaced seeing that she was barefoot. Killing the engine I grabbed my school bag from the passenger seat and slid out of the car. I walked slower than usual to the bottom step. Mom was never really a yeller; she always waited for me to get into earshot.

“Just what were you thinking?” Mom asked, crossing her arms. It made her baby bump more pronounced and she was already dressed down into more comfortable clothes.

“I wasn’t,” I answered as I started up the stairs. “Please don’t get angry.”

“Do you think the stunt you pulled would have helped with Luke’s grounding?” She asked as I stepped around her and onto the porch.

“Luke didn’t participate,” I answered as she started moving back towards the front door. There was still a bit of a chill in the air and being barefoot couldn’t be feeling good right now. Mom never really got warm in the winter, so seeing her this undressed this time of year was surprising. Winter was waning though, the sun had more of a kick to it.

“Good,” she said, glancing over her shoulder as she entered the house with me still following behind her.

Once inside she kept walking as I closed the door behind us. I toed out of my shoes and put my school bag down beside the door knowing she wasn’t finished with me. The house was chilly and I smelled food and the sound of something frying on the stove. When I walked around the corner I saw her standing at the stove frying up some chicken. Knowing that wasn’t on my diet I cocked an eyebrow. Seeing me she smiled.

“Can you believe it, I’m having a hot flash and a craving,” she said, shaking her head. Her hair was smooth down her back now that the breeze wasn’t blowing it around her face.

“How difficult will you be to live with as this gets going?” I asked hoping that I was getting off easy with the foodfight.

“Depends on the stupid things you do while you’re at school,” she answered offering me a small smile. “Why did you have to start a food fight?”

“I don’t know why I do these things,” I answered, sighing as I pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. “It’s been almost three weeks since I talked to Luke and Derek was hassling me about it.”

“I should’ve known the other two were involved,” she said shaking her head and I watched her put the last piece of fried chicken onto the plate. It was rounded over and smelled like heaven. I didn’t get to eat any of my lunch and when my stomach growled Mom sighed as she placed the plate of chicken in the center of the table. That’s when I noticed that was all there was, just chicken and when I looked up she only shrugged and grabbed a chicken leg.

“Wow,” I said as I watched my mother, who usually would be meticulously trying to cut small pieces off the bone. Who never ate with her hands, now chowing down on a chicken leg like a dog with a bone.

“You have to help me eat this,” she said after she swallowed and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “We have to hide this from your father, he doesn’t want me eating fried food.”

“Okay,” I said as I stood and walked over to the cupboards that held the plates. I grabbed two and set the table then I walked over and grabbed us both a bottle of water. Mom joined me at the table and slid another piece of chicken onto her plate. There was a whole fucking chicken waiting and now that I was sat back down with my own piece I glanced over at her.

“A whole chicken,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What in the world was I thinking?”

“I have detention for the rest of the week,” I said between bites of my chicken thigh. Neither of us really liked white meat, but that was what Dad preferred. Not having this heavy of a food for a long time, the first couple of bites was a bit of a struggle.

“I know,” she said, sighing. “He also explained that you took all the blame for the food fight and let Ella Childress off the hook.”

“Yeah,” I said through a half-full mouth, the memory of battered and fried chicken was slowly coming back to me. I was already hoping this wasn’t going to make Mom sick in the long run, I could live with a few more cravings to be complicite in hiding.

“That was very gentlemanly of you to do,” she said, cocking an eyebrow as she patted her napkin over her lips. She was slowly getting back to the meticulous eater that I knew and when she picked up her fork I knew we wouldn’t be able to finish off this chicken.

“She wasn’t the intended target,” I answered shrugging. “I think she didn’t mind much.”

“You never really have told me, Jackson,” she started and I stopped eating with the careful change to her tone. “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to, but what do you see yourself as?”

“I don’t know,” I answered shrugging. “I liked all the girls I’ve dated, even Heather, but I know you didn’t like her.”

“A bit wild,” Mom said and I laughed when she rolled her eyes. “Lily I liked.”

“Do you like Luke?” I asked and when she finished off her second piece of chicken and slid her plate away from herself, still looking at the half a chicken still left over.

“I love Luke,” she answered smiling. “I didn’t see him in our lives like this, but I have always loved him.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling a slight flutter in my stomach that had nothing to do with the chicken.

“I guess we’ll both be in trouble when your father gets home,” Mom said, sighing as she grabbed up the plate of leftover chicken.

“I’m not responsible for this,” I said pointing my finger between the two of us. “I was just helping you with the evidence.”

“Jackson,” she said and I saw her building herself back up to full on Mom on me. “I don’t want you to get hurt and I don’t want you to miss out on things, so please do try to behave.”

“I swear,” I said, scooting my chair out and grabbing up the two dirty plates. I scraped the chicken bones into the trash and walked over and rinsed the plates in the sink before sliding them into the dishwasher.

“Okay,” she said as she half turned me and wrapped me into an awkward hug. She was still holding onto the plate of chicken and when she broke the hug she looked down at it.

“What are you going to do with that?” I asked and I chewed on my bottom lip when she sighed and walked over to the refrigerator and slid it inside.

“Maybe he won’t even notice it,” she said smiling. “If I start going too crazy, you’ll tell me.”

“Depends on what kind of crazy,” I said as I dodged a playful swat and danced around her to walk into the living room. When she followed me and left me at the foot of the stairs to walk around the couch and settle in, I saw her work briefcase open and some papers waiting for her.

I jumped when my phone vibrated and dinged in my front pocket. I doubted it had anything to do with the food fight, I had already received a lot of videos and pictures from that throughout the day. It was probably all over social media by now, hell it probably went live as the food fight happened. I wouldn’t put it past Connor after he emptied his tray to start filming. It was his dumbass that sent the video of me sliding bare assed across a polished gym floor with only soap to cut the friction. It was the stunt that landed me at the park picking up trash trying to ignore a very talkative Luke. Maybe when this was over I would thank Connor for the part he played.

“I’m not grounded anymore, meet me later at the park?” Was the text sent from Luke’s phone.I read it aloud and when I glanced up at Mom she was adjusting her glasses as she looked over the back of the couch at me. “Do you think that’s really him?”

“It probably is, Henry wouldn’t do that,” she answered, offering me a smile. “I think we would have already been aware if Cindy knew about the phone.”

‘How do I know this is Luke?’ I typed and sent and I was about to slide my phone back into my front pocket and walk to the back of the couch to retrieve my school bag when his response came. After unlocking my screen I opened the message and when I looked down at Luke’s dick just tucked inside a pair of light blue boxer briefs I shot a glance in Mom’s direction before I turned, forgetting all about my homework and darted up the stairs.