Chapter Two
Sara picked up the phone the minute she walked in the door. She didn't even stop to check the answering machine. She punched the speed-dial button for her best friend's house, and silently prayed she'd be home. "C'mon, c'mon, pick up, pick up!" she chanted under her breath. Matt heard his daughter's quiet mantra and couldn't help smiling. She could be so funny sometimes.
The phone rang, and rang, and rang, and with each ring Sara's heart fell. 'Please be home!' she half-thought, half-prayed. Just as Sara was about to hang up, the phone was answered by a familiar voice.
"Roadkill Café, you kill 'em, we grill 'em! How may I help you?"
Sara laughed, "I like it, Liz, that's a good one!"
On the other end Liz giggled, "I know, isn't it? My brother gave it to me!"
"Oh my gosh, you'll never guess what happened!"
"What?" Liz asked, noting the extreme excitement in her best friend's voice.
Sara cleared her throat. "Okay, well, today my dad and I went to Mambo to get me my school clothes--"
"Ooh, Mambo! Tres chic!" Liz interrupted.
"Yeah, but anyways, after I'd tried on, like, half the store and bought half of that, my dad said it was time to go, and I was like, 'Okay, whatever.' So, we were leaving the store and you will never guess who just happened to smash right into me, making me drop all my stuff all over the place!"
"Tobey Maguire!" Liz shouted.
Sara sighed in mock reverie, "If only."
"Then who?" Liz squealed.
"Okay, get ready for this," Sara cleared her throat in a very dramatic manner, "Peter Parker!"
Liz gasped, "NO!!"
"YES!!"
The two girls screamed, and Matt, who stood nearby, cringed at the high- pitched noise.
Liz began laughing triumphantly. "Yes, yes, yes!! He ran right into you?!?!"
"Mmm-hmm!" Sara nodded, even though she knew there was no way her friend could see her, "And of course, since he's such a gentleman."
"He stopped to help you pick up all your things, yes!!" Liz finished ecstatically.
"And of course he had to talk to me while he helped me clean it all up."
"Ooh, you have only been waiting for this since you were in the second grade! This is so exciting!"
Sara laughed happily, "Tell me about it!"
Matt listened ruefully to his daughter's end of the conversation. He hated thinking about her growing up, and dating was definitely a sign of growing up. He cleared his throat. "Sara, get off the phone, I need to talk to you," he told his daughter.
Sara sighed. "Sorry, Liz, I have to go."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later, bye" Liz responded brightly.
"Bye."
Sara set the receiver back in the carriage, and looked up at her father, "Yeah, dad?" she asked him.
"Who is this 'Peter' guy?" he asked her suspiciously.
"Oh," she said quietly, "just.a guy."
"Hmmm, a guy, huh?" he said.
"Yeaaaaah." Sara replied cautiously.
"So, do you like this boy?"
"Daaaaad--" she began to protest, but stopped at the look on her father's face. "Yes." Sara knew what was coming next, and she dreaded having to answer.
"How old is this boy, what grade is he in?" Matt asked, fearing hearing the answer as mush as Sara feared giving it.
"He's a senior," she answered in a voice barely above a whisper.
Matt hadn't heard what she said. "What?"
She cleared her throat and said a little too loudly, "A senior."
For a moment, she thought her father was going to explode. "A SENIOR!??!" he asked incredulously. Matt didn't' want to even think about his baby girl dating a senior.
"So?" Sara tried her best to sound innocent, but Matt wasn't having it.
"There is no way in hell you are going to date a senior!" he told her emphatically.
"Dad, he hasn't even asked me out--"
"Well if he ever does, you tell him I said no!"
"Dad! That's not being fair!" she yelled.
"Don't you raise your voice at me, young lady!"
Sara took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She'd never yelled at her father before, and she didn't want to start a pattern. "Dad," she started calmly, "Peter is going to be a senior this year, but that doesn't mean he's bad news." Matt grunted disbelievingly. Sara glared at him, partly because she knew he couldn't see her. "He's on the honor roll, a science whiz, and he's been a constant volunteer at the homeless shelter for three years!"
"Have you been stalking this guy?" her dad asked her.
"DAD!!" Sara cried.
"Sorry, sorry. Listen Sara, you may like this guy, but I'm not ready to let you start dating yet--especially when a senior is concerned."
Sara groaned. "Dad, he hasn't even asked me out or anything yet, don't go crazy."
"I'm not, I just wanted to make sure we were clear on this subject," Matt stood up, "Now go put up all those new clothes." He grabbed his cane and climbed up the stairs.
Sara sighed and fell back in her chair. She felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. Since the second grade, Sara had admired Peter from afar. From the first time she laid eyes on him, she was madly in love. There was a reason she'd never mentioned Peter to her dad, and that was because she knew he'd never understand. And now she knew she'd been right from the start. "Life is so unfair!" she said out loud, not even knowing who she was talking to.
To Be Continued.
Sara picked up the phone the minute she walked in the door. She didn't even stop to check the answering machine. She punched the speed-dial button for her best friend's house, and silently prayed she'd be home. "C'mon, c'mon, pick up, pick up!" she chanted under her breath. Matt heard his daughter's quiet mantra and couldn't help smiling. She could be so funny sometimes.
The phone rang, and rang, and rang, and with each ring Sara's heart fell. 'Please be home!' she half-thought, half-prayed. Just as Sara was about to hang up, the phone was answered by a familiar voice.
"Roadkill Café, you kill 'em, we grill 'em! How may I help you?"
Sara laughed, "I like it, Liz, that's a good one!"
On the other end Liz giggled, "I know, isn't it? My brother gave it to me!"
"Oh my gosh, you'll never guess what happened!"
"What?" Liz asked, noting the extreme excitement in her best friend's voice.
Sara cleared her throat. "Okay, well, today my dad and I went to Mambo to get me my school clothes--"
"Ooh, Mambo! Tres chic!" Liz interrupted.
"Yeah, but anyways, after I'd tried on, like, half the store and bought half of that, my dad said it was time to go, and I was like, 'Okay, whatever.' So, we were leaving the store and you will never guess who just happened to smash right into me, making me drop all my stuff all over the place!"
"Tobey Maguire!" Liz shouted.
Sara sighed in mock reverie, "If only."
"Then who?" Liz squealed.
"Okay, get ready for this," Sara cleared her throat in a very dramatic manner, "Peter Parker!"
Liz gasped, "NO!!"
"YES!!"
The two girls screamed, and Matt, who stood nearby, cringed at the high- pitched noise.
Liz began laughing triumphantly. "Yes, yes, yes!! He ran right into you?!?!"
"Mmm-hmm!" Sara nodded, even though she knew there was no way her friend could see her, "And of course, since he's such a gentleman."
"He stopped to help you pick up all your things, yes!!" Liz finished ecstatically.
"And of course he had to talk to me while he helped me clean it all up."
"Ooh, you have only been waiting for this since you were in the second grade! This is so exciting!"
Sara laughed happily, "Tell me about it!"
Matt listened ruefully to his daughter's end of the conversation. He hated thinking about her growing up, and dating was definitely a sign of growing up. He cleared his throat. "Sara, get off the phone, I need to talk to you," he told his daughter.
Sara sighed. "Sorry, Liz, I have to go."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later, bye" Liz responded brightly.
"Bye."
Sara set the receiver back in the carriage, and looked up at her father, "Yeah, dad?" she asked him.
"Who is this 'Peter' guy?" he asked her suspiciously.
"Oh," she said quietly, "just.a guy."
"Hmmm, a guy, huh?" he said.
"Yeaaaaah." Sara replied cautiously.
"So, do you like this boy?"
"Daaaaad--" she began to protest, but stopped at the look on her father's face. "Yes." Sara knew what was coming next, and she dreaded having to answer.
"How old is this boy, what grade is he in?" Matt asked, fearing hearing the answer as mush as Sara feared giving it.
"He's a senior," she answered in a voice barely above a whisper.
Matt hadn't heard what she said. "What?"
She cleared her throat and said a little too loudly, "A senior."
For a moment, she thought her father was going to explode. "A SENIOR!??!" he asked incredulously. Matt didn't' want to even think about his baby girl dating a senior.
"So?" Sara tried her best to sound innocent, but Matt wasn't having it.
"There is no way in hell you are going to date a senior!" he told her emphatically.
"Dad, he hasn't even asked me out--"
"Well if he ever does, you tell him I said no!"
"Dad! That's not being fair!" she yelled.
"Don't you raise your voice at me, young lady!"
Sara took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She'd never yelled at her father before, and she didn't want to start a pattern. "Dad," she started calmly, "Peter is going to be a senior this year, but that doesn't mean he's bad news." Matt grunted disbelievingly. Sara glared at him, partly because she knew he couldn't see her. "He's on the honor roll, a science whiz, and he's been a constant volunteer at the homeless shelter for three years!"
"Have you been stalking this guy?" her dad asked her.
"DAD!!" Sara cried.
"Sorry, sorry. Listen Sara, you may like this guy, but I'm not ready to let you start dating yet--especially when a senior is concerned."
Sara groaned. "Dad, he hasn't even asked me out or anything yet, don't go crazy."
"I'm not, I just wanted to make sure we were clear on this subject," Matt stood up, "Now go put up all those new clothes." He grabbed his cane and climbed up the stairs.
Sara sighed and fell back in her chair. She felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. Since the second grade, Sara had admired Peter from afar. From the first time she laid eyes on him, she was madly in love. There was a reason she'd never mentioned Peter to her dad, and that was because she knew he'd never understand. And now she knew she'd been right from the start. "Life is so unfair!" she said out loud, not even knowing who she was talking to.
To Be Continued.
