Chapter One: Unsaid
DISCLAIMER: I only own the made up characters: Robbie, Holly, and, Lawson.
Spinner Mason, or Gavin, as he preferred to be called these days, sat across the table from his two teenager children, Robbie, who was seventeen with an athletic build, and Holly, who had recently turned fifteen and was still pissed that she was no bigger than an A32. While, Robbie had no trouble remaining silent across the table and shovel in forkfuls of his pasta that the wonderful people at the Olive Garden had provided him, Holly picked at her plate like a mother bird would when digging in the dirt for worms to bring home to her baby. Spinner watched them both with a slight look of awkwardness in his stare. It was only a month into the seperation between himself and his wife of seventeen and a half years. It was one of the first dinners he had had with both his children and not just one. Holly often stopped by after school at the Sheraton Hotel that he was now the daytime manager of and, he was the assitant coach of Robbie's basketball team but, for the most part, the two Mason children stayed with their mom or just bided their time with friends.
"So, Holly," Gavin cleared his throat and attempted to break the silence. "Your mom mentioned you're going to come to your brother's game tonight."
"Yeah." Holly put her fork down and nodded, eagerly. She was always invited by her father to attend the basketball games since Robbie didn't actually care if she showed up either way but, Holly always found reason to miss the games. Last week, she chose to go to her friend's birthday instead and the game before that she decided she'd rather stay in and watch a Blossom marathon by herself.
"Robbie, that's nice, huh?" Gavin tried to engage everyone in the conversation.
"Whatever." Robbie swallowed and shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly. "It's not like she's coming to see me."
"Who else would she be cheering on?" Both the kids resorted back to silence. "Coming to root for me?" He teased, lightly.
"Well, Mona has to go with her family, so I'm just going to sit with her." It wasn't a complete lie, Holly figured. Mona did have to go watch her brothers on the team and Holly did have every intention to sit with her.
"That's nice," Gavin bought it and smiled, pleased to see his two kids getting along pleasently. "I hope you guys get good seats to watch us cream Bardell."
Robbie grinned like a little boy and lifted his hand in the air to meet his dad's across the table as they both snickered.
"I can't wait to see the look on that Lawson Walters face when our defence blocks him." Robbie hollered, his mouth slightly full.
"Be nice." Holly lightly slapped her older brother's arm. "He's not all bad."
"Oh, whatever." Robbie rolled his thin pale eyes around and went back to concentrating on his meal.
"What's this all about?" Gavin interogated.
"Nothing!" Holly's whole body was alert and upright. She watched her dad watch her very carefully, as she picked apart her meal.
Robbie pushed his plate of pasta away from him and dropped his cutlery on top before letting out a large sigh.
"Holly's got a thing for Lawson Walters."
"Shut up, Rob." She retorted the way fifteen year old girls are programmed to. Her eyes rolled back and she crossed her arms over her chest.
Gavin had a small smug kind of smile on his face. It was cute to him, seeing his daughter crushed out on a boy. Until, he realized she was wearing a particularly thin tank top underneath her red wooly cardigan.
"You know this kid?" Gavin asked his son.
"Yeah, I see him around a lot. His head is bigger than Kentucky. He thinks he's God's gift to the earth."
"He's really nice when you get to know him." Even though that was a line both Robbie and Gavin had heard a million times, Holly made sure she bat her eyes sweetly in her father's direction to help sell her case.
"And how well do you know him?" Gavin asked her between bites.
"Well, I've talked to him a few times because he lives on Mona's street but, I don't know, from what I can tell he's pretty cool."
Gavin chose to drop the subject and trust that his daughter had good judgement skills. Plus, she was fifteen, how serious could things actually be?
Gavin sat on the bench with a few of the Degrassi Panther players while his friend Jimmy was on his feet and yelling commands at the players on court. Everybody was intense and keeping a close eye on every play and every movement the teams were making. Except for Mona and Holly who were sitting in the stands right behind the bench and gossiping about Lawson as they shared a small box of Glosette raisins.
"Time!" The ref called out while the buzzer sounded and filled the whole gymnasium with a noise that made ears bleed. All the players rushed over to their benchs to grab their water bottles and towels. A few of them just needed to find their breath. Gavin sprang to his feet to follow the team into the change room where he and Jimmy would give them another pep talk but, before he could turn the corner he felt a hand on his shoulder and pull him back.
"Gavin Mason, look at you."
And all at once, within a split second, Gavin was Spinner again. Sixteen years old and so pissed off his blood was boiling like tomatoe soup. His eyes narrowed as he stood face to face with Dean Walters, the same no good guy who had haunted Paige through out their high school days.
"Who'd have thought you'd be coaching the Panthers? Didn't we kick your guy's ass back in the day?" Dean kept on chatting like there was no animocity between the two of them. He honestly believed that time had mended whatever was standing between the guys. "So, close game, huh?" He glanced up at the score board that showed that Degrassi and Bardell were only apart by three points on Degrassi's side.
"Your son's got a lot of spunk." Dean swallowed. He was finally starting to get the hint that Gavin had no interest in talking to him. "Well, uh, Lawson's putting up a mean fight at least." He began to slowly back up. "Good talking to you." He waved and went to walk away.
Gavin tried to shake his anger away but, before he could manage to walk away, it all clicked. Dean Walters, Lawson Walters, Dean Walters, Lawson Walters.
He spun around quickly to search the stands that were clearing out since people looked at a game intermission has a chance to load up on sugary treats and catch up with other basketball parents. He took notice to his daughter who was sitting next to one of her friend's and waving over to Bardell's bench of players. He glanced behind him and saw the dark haired boy with eye's that matched his dad winking back at her. It sent shivers up Gavin's spine to read "Walters" on the back of Lawson's jersey.
There was no way he was going to allow either of his kids to spend time with a Walters, let alone date them.
Alright, maybe not the best begining but, read and review please and I hope I'll have another chapter up soon!
Are You Ten Years Ago? - Tegan & Sara
Unsaid - The Fray
