"Lucas?" The sound of my name startled me.
I looked up, the light hurt my eyes and I turned away again.
"Lucas! Get up, you have school."
I moaned and rolled over.
"If you miss school, I won't excuse it."
I didn't answer. He sighed. "Come on, Luke, I made breakfast."
Keith grabbed the corner of my blanket and pulled it off, leaving me in only boxers. I curled up in a ball, shivering. Keith lightly smacked my bottom. "Get up, kid."
He left my room, but I couldn't go back to sleep. I sat up and tried to stand. Ow, bad idea. I sat again. I waited until the blood balanced between my head and the rest of my body. My head was pounding. A shower, I needed a shower. My towel was on the floor where I left it. This is why I needed my mom to stay home. My towels were never on the floor when Mom was home.
I hung up my still wet towel and got another one from the bathroom. The cold water felt good against my face. What happened last night? I didn't remember coming home. I was at a bar with Brooke. We were drinking. I looked at my shoulder. Oh, no. It was real. I got a tattoo. For a second, I didn't remember what it was a tattoo of. Keith was going to kill me. No, Mom was going to kill me. I tried to think of ways to hide it from both of them, but thinking was hurting my brain.
"Lucas! Breakfast!"
I turned the water off and got out of the shower. I picked a shirt with longish sleeves. That would cover today. What would happen for the game in my jersey? Oh, well, I didn't have time to think about it now. I had to face Keith and hope he didn't notice what time I got back.
No such luck.
"So you were out late last night." He said when I went into the kitchen. There was a plate of scrambled eggs on my placemat. I sat and started devouring. I didn't realize how hungry I was.
Keith handed me a cup of water and an advil.
"Your headache will go away in about an hour."
"Thanks." I took the medicine and kept eating.
"Woah, slow down, Luke, I can make more."
I smiled.
"So, you're not going to do that again, are you?"
"What?"
"Get drunk and not come home until 2."
I looked down. "No, I'm not planning on it."
"Good. Cause if you do, I'll have to tell your mom."
We eat in silence. Breakfast with two men takes an unusually short amount of time. We cleaned our plates and rinsed them off in less than 10 minutes.
I was loading the dishwasher when Keith said, "Oh and by the way, you're grounded."
"What?" I looked at him.
"You didn't come home or call all night, Lucas. Plus, you're underage. I don't even want to know where you got the alcohol."
"How long?"
"What?"
"How long am I grounded?"
"A week."
"You know, Mom's never grounded me before."
"I believe it. You always behave with her. I promise you though, if you would have come rolling in at 2 in the morning plastered, you wouldn't see the light of day for more than a week."
He had a point. "But you're not going to tell her, right?"
He smiled. "No, Luke, you can resume breathing."
He was trying to be funny. I was not in the mood. My brain was trying to think of ways to fool him, not wanting to laugh. This could be harder than I thought. It would be a hell of a lot easier to lie to Keith if I didn't like him.
It didn't help me not like him when he offered to take me to school.
"No, that's ok, I'll walk."
"Ok," he didn't sound convinced, "Are you okay, Luke? Want to talk about anything?"
I shook my head. He looked at me sideways, but didn't push it anymore. I walked to school, still trying to think of how to either wear sleeves to the game, or stop Keith from going to the game. I wasn't coming up with anything rational. Damn.
I looked up, the light hurt my eyes and I turned away again.
"Lucas! Get up, you have school."
I moaned and rolled over.
"If you miss school, I won't excuse it."
I didn't answer. He sighed. "Come on, Luke, I made breakfast."
Keith grabbed the corner of my blanket and pulled it off, leaving me in only boxers. I curled up in a ball, shivering. Keith lightly smacked my bottom. "Get up, kid."
He left my room, but I couldn't go back to sleep. I sat up and tried to stand. Ow, bad idea. I sat again. I waited until the blood balanced between my head and the rest of my body. My head was pounding. A shower, I needed a shower. My towel was on the floor where I left it. This is why I needed my mom to stay home. My towels were never on the floor when Mom was home.
I hung up my still wet towel and got another one from the bathroom. The cold water felt good against my face. What happened last night? I didn't remember coming home. I was at a bar with Brooke. We were drinking. I looked at my shoulder. Oh, no. It was real. I got a tattoo. For a second, I didn't remember what it was a tattoo of. Keith was going to kill me. No, Mom was going to kill me. I tried to think of ways to hide it from both of them, but thinking was hurting my brain.
"Lucas! Breakfast!"
I turned the water off and got out of the shower. I picked a shirt with longish sleeves. That would cover today. What would happen for the game in my jersey? Oh, well, I didn't have time to think about it now. I had to face Keith and hope he didn't notice what time I got back.
No such luck.
"So you were out late last night." He said when I went into the kitchen. There was a plate of scrambled eggs on my placemat. I sat and started devouring. I didn't realize how hungry I was.
Keith handed me a cup of water and an advil.
"Your headache will go away in about an hour."
"Thanks." I took the medicine and kept eating.
"Woah, slow down, Luke, I can make more."
I smiled.
"So, you're not going to do that again, are you?"
"What?"
"Get drunk and not come home until 2."
I looked down. "No, I'm not planning on it."
"Good. Cause if you do, I'll have to tell your mom."
We eat in silence. Breakfast with two men takes an unusually short amount of time. We cleaned our plates and rinsed them off in less than 10 minutes.
I was loading the dishwasher when Keith said, "Oh and by the way, you're grounded."
"What?" I looked at him.
"You didn't come home or call all night, Lucas. Plus, you're underage. I don't even want to know where you got the alcohol."
"How long?"
"What?"
"How long am I grounded?"
"A week."
"You know, Mom's never grounded me before."
"I believe it. You always behave with her. I promise you though, if you would have come rolling in at 2 in the morning plastered, you wouldn't see the light of day for more than a week."
He had a point. "But you're not going to tell her, right?"
He smiled. "No, Luke, you can resume breathing."
He was trying to be funny. I was not in the mood. My brain was trying to think of ways to fool him, not wanting to laugh. This could be harder than I thought. It would be a hell of a lot easier to lie to Keith if I didn't like him.
It didn't help me not like him when he offered to take me to school.
"No, that's ok, I'll walk."
"Ok," he didn't sound convinced, "Are you okay, Luke? Want to talk about anything?"
I shook my head. He looked at me sideways, but didn't push it anymore. I walked to school, still trying to think of how to either wear sleeves to the game, or stop Keith from going to the game. I wasn't coming up with anything rational. Damn.