In five years, after we've won the war and we reveal ourselves as Earth's saviors, I'll be on Letterman. And he'll say, "So, Marco, what was the hardest part about being an Animorph?" And, because it's Letterman, I'll say, "Putting up with Rachel," or maybe, "Lack of health benefits."
If I were on Oprah and she asked the same question, I would probably say, "Hork-Bajir, and Visser Three's crazy alien morphs on crack."
But if I was going to be completely honest with myself, the hardest part about being an Animorph is my dad.
I'm closer to my dad than any other living, breathing thing in the universe. Jake is like my brother, but he's not blood, and there are things about me that he doesn't understand. I know he'd support me and stand by me until the end of the world, but my dad's the only person in the world who really, truly gets me. And lying to him killed me the first few times, and sometimes it still does.
When I got home, he knew something was bothering me. It was 4:00, so I had a couple hours till I had to leave for the meeting. And the question of the night was what I was going to tell Jake. I was sure that Alex taking Billy was important somehow. It had to be. Why else would he insist on taking him this weekend? Billy had something to do with Alex's plan.
But another part of me didn't want to, for a lot of reasons.
I didn't want to admit I'd been at Shannon's house. I also didn't want to reveal a lot of information about her, such as the fact that she's the mother to Alex's kid. Why not? Well, it's simple, really. I knew personal information about her, and when you know personal information about someone of the opposite sex, people figure you're serious. They figure you're dating.
Also, I felt stupid bringing it up. What if it was just useless information? I didn't know what Alex was going to do with the kid, so the fact that he was bringing him didn't tell us much. If I knew what he was doing, I'd definitely let Jake know, but I could see Jake's reaction as a raised eyebrow, a shrug, and a "so?"
But maybe it was important. And if it was important, I should share. Right?
And finally, the fact that I was going to lose my freedom on Saturday and become a Controller, and probably eventually lead to my dad's own infestation, kinda stressed me out.
"Marco, are you okay?"
Man, dad, do I ever wish I could tell you...
I didn't know how to reply. Of course I wasn't okay. I was about the farthest from okay I'd ever been. But he wouldn't understand unless I told him everything. And if I told him everything, he wouldn't believe me. So, my life was reduced to petty lies. But what kind of lie could I tell that would actually come close to the truth?
"No, not really," I admitted. There was no point to lying; he would know.
I was sitting on the couch watching some basketball game... I didn't even know who was playing. To be honest, I wasn't watching. He brought two bowls over to me, one with chili cheese dip and another with chips. He set them down on the table and then sat down next to me.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, there's this girl."
Dad laughed. "The redhead on TV?"
I wish.
"No, the opposite," I replied. "She has short, black hair. Her name's Shannon."
Dad reached for a chip. "Shannon, huh? Is she your age?"
"Yeah. I didn't really like her at first, but I don't know... I keep on ending up in situations with her, and I can never say no when she asks me to hang out, even if I want to."
"Why would you want to?" he asked simply.
Funny, I didn't know. I considered his question for awhile. I didn't know why I didn't want to hang out with her, I just didn't. Was it really because I didn't like her?
I suddenly had a realization. All this time I thought I didn't like her, and that's why I didn't want to hang out with her. But now I knew that I actually did like her, and I had just convinced myself that I didn't want to hang out with her. But I really did, I just didn't want to admit it.
"I guess I... I don't want to admit I like her," I finally said slowly. He picked up the remote, muted the game, and looked at me. I didn't look back, but I felt his stare.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because of what it could mean, I guess," I answered. "I mean, what it could lead to. This may shock you, pops, but I've never been in a relationship. I don't know what to do."
"It's different with everyone," he replied. "Things will progress differently with one girl than the next. You just have to trust your intuition." I looked at him and he smirked at me. "And I know, if you're anything like your old man, you have great intuition when it comes to women."
I chuckled. Yeah, I wasn't bad. "Oh, man," I muttered. "I don't know if I'm ready."
"What to know a secret?"
"Yeah."
He leaned forward and grabbed another chip, stalling, keeping me in suspense for a little while longer. "People are only ready for something the second time around. The first is always a gamble." He popped it in his mouth and chewed, and when he was done with the chip he added, "And if this girl likes you back, she'll understand that and forgive a few slip-ups."
Thanks, but what should I do about the father of her child who took the kid for some kind of weekend plot to kill me and my friends?
I forced a smile. I didn't feel any better. "Thanks," I said.
"Are you gonna be okay?"
"I'll be fine."
He smirked. "It's good to see you going after real women."
I pretended to be more offended than I was, and demanded in a raised voice, "What's that supposed to mean?"
He laughed, but amidst his laughter he added, "Well, maybe if you get a girlfriend you'll leave the house now and then."
A/N: Sorry it was short, but I didn't see the point in dragging out this conversation. Also, the reason I didn't update for awhile was because my internet got shut down. Finals is next week. I might get another update in by the end of this week, but if it's not up by Friday night, you'll have to wait till at least Tuesday. Sorry. Busy weekend.
xxtigergirlxx – it's Thursday in the story, so they have "tonight" to act, or Friday. They better figure something out fast:p Megababy... lol, I like it, but it's not what I had in mind. :p
But Alex IS going to use Billy in his plan, and it's going to be amazing. I can't wait to write it. :-)
