Kate and Tess were sitting under a tree in the backyard watching Andrew at their mother's request. She had taken Meg to swim practice earlier. Kate, Tess, and Andrew stayed outside until the sky darkened. After that, Tess began to get ready for the basketball game. She waited for Doug to come home.
"I'm going to be late," Tess said with annoyance when her father came in the house, "I don't want to be late to a game."
"No you wouldn't, and you won't be if you help Andrew put on his shoes and coat while I drag Kate out to the car," Doug told her.
Doug opened the basement door and yelled for Kate. After a few vague threats with no response, he went downstairs. Kate was sitting on her bed with her headphones on. He approached her from behind and slid the headphones of her ears.
"What?" she questioned.
"We're leaving now," he replied.
"Have fun," Kate told him.
"Nice try, but you're coming with us," Doug said.
"Fine," she mumbled as she reached for her purse and a book.
Tess already had Andrew buckled up in the backseat of the car. Doug got to the school in record time and dropped Tess off at the front entrance before finding a parking space. He was helping Andrew out of the car when he spotted the cover of Kate's book.
"Where did you get this?" Doug questioned picking up the book to examine it further.
"A bookstore," Kate replied looking her father in the eyes.
"Well, it is to stay in the car," he told her, "and I don't want to see it again."
Kate protested, but he was not going to give in. They walked into the school and made their way to the gym.
Later Kate stared blankly at center court where most of the action was. Neither team had done much in the way of points. She looked over and saw Tess and her fellow cheerleaders were working the home fans with another ridiculous crowd response cheer. Kate decided she had already reached her quota of school sprit for the year and sat patiently while all the students and parents chanted along to the cheer.
"How much longer will I be forced to endure this, Father?" Kate asked. She shifted her weight sitting on the bleachers was starting to get old.
"Until it's over," Doug told her.
"But this is boring," she complained.
Doug ignored her and continued to watch the game. Kate became even more angry when she remembered Doug had forced her to leave a perfectly good book in the car. He insisted the title was too inappropriate to bring into a school. She tried to explain that she was reading "So I Murdered My Family In Cold Blood?" for class, but he did not buy it.
She leaned backward and poked Andrew's shoulder. "Do you want to check out the snack bar?" she asked.
"Okay," Andrew replied.
"Can we have some cash for the concession stand? " Kate asked.
"I suppose just don't spend it all on candy," he warned as he handed her some money.
Kate clutched the crisp bills in one hand and Andrew's palm in the other. Once is front of the concession stand, they examined the selection.
"Anything look good to you?" Kate asked him.
"Starburst," Andrew said pointing to the brightly colored wrapper, "but I want a drink too."
"All right," Kate said approaching the window while she scanned the drinks, "We'll have a Starburst, a bag of Skittles, and fruit punch."
Kate carried their bounty allowing Andrew to navigate the stairs without spilling his drink.
"Give me some of those," Doug said snatching the bag Skittles out of Kate's hand.
"Hey," she protested, "get your own."
"They are mine," he told her.
He took a small handful and handed the bag back to a sulking Kate.
"Where is my change?" Doug questioned.
Kate smirked but handed over all the remaining money.
After the game Kate and Andrew played chuck the rock without hitting any cars, although they ended up hitting a few cars. Doug waited for Tess who came out of the girls' locker room.
"Let's get out of here hopefully Kate and Andrew haven't committed any felonies in the parking lot," he said.
"What did you think of the halftime cheer?" Tess asked as the walked to the car.
"It was…," Doug stalled he understood Meg's swimming, but cheerleading was more confusing than Kate's sense of logic, "great."
"Yeah, even though Haley thought that the left handspring was a left round off you couldn't really tell," Tess explained.
Doug nodded and was thankful that Kate ran over to interrupt.
"I'm hungry," Kate announced.
"Didn't you just have Skittles?" he questioned.
"Yeah, but Skittles are not real food," Kate commented.
"For once we are in agreement, I'll make you something when we get home," Doug told her.
At home, Kate put Andrew to bed, Tess started her homework, and Doug looked for his wife. Meg had been parked in front of the TV eating Fruit Loops out of the box when they arrived. Doug told her to take a bath and get ready for bed.
Doug found Carol facedown on their bed.
"Hey, what is going on?' he asked.
"Not much I decided to lay down before I started dinner," she told him.
"It's almost ten," Doug replied.
"Oh, I must have fallen asleep," Carol said smacking her hand against his chest.
"Are you drunk?" he questioned. He had smelled alcohol on her breath, and he now realized why she was acting out of the ordinary.
"I may have had a few when I got back," she responded.
"Well just as long it was when you got back and not when you were driving Meg around," he said as he got up to leave.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"To check on the kids and make something to eat. Do you want anything?" Doug asked.
"No, I think I'm fine," Carol told him.
While Doug was tucking Meg in, Kate left her basement lair to ask her mom to sign a her progress report. She knocked on the mostly closed door of her parents room. There was no response so she opened it. To Kate's surprise her mother was sprawled out on the bed.
"Umm, Mom, are you all right?" Kate questioned.
"Fabbbbbbulous," Carol responded.
"Can you sign my progress report?" Kate asked holding the piece of paper and a pen.
"Anything for my daughter," Carol said taking the paper from Kate.
Carol signed the form and stared at it blankly. "What is this again?" she questioned.
"Progress report. You know my grades up until this point of the marking period," Kate explained.
"Ahhh yes. Well, keep up the good work, dear, but Mommy is very tired so why don't you run along," Carol told her.
Kate tried to hold a straight once she was in the hall, but she couldn't keep herself from laughing.
"What is so funny?" Doug asked as he closed Meg's door.
"She is drunk," Kate announced pointing toward her parent's bedroom.
"No, she is just tired," Doug argued.
"No, Dad, she is hammered," Kate said.
"Just keep your mouth shut about it," he instructed. "Let's go downstairs so Andrew and Meg can sleep."
Tess was working on her homework at the table.
"Can I tell Tess?" Kate asked Doug.
"Go ahead," he said waving her away. He began searching for something simple to cook.
"Tell me what?" Tess questioned.
"Mom is drunk," Kate said with a smirk.
"Seriously?" Tess asked Doug.
He nodded, and let Kate fill in all the details. Fifteen minutes later Tess, Kate, and Doug were eating their pasta and cheese sauce.
"So is that book you had early actually about killing people?" Doug questioned.
"Yes and no," Kate replied not looking up from her plate.
"I would appreciate it if you could elaborate on your answer," he said.
"It is a fictional story about a women who killed her husband and children to be with her lover," Kate told him.
"Sounds charming," Doug responded.
"Well, Mom wouldn't let me get Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure," Kate explained.
"Why can't you just read normal books?" Tess asked her sister.
"Oh, I know how stimulating those teen romance novels are, but I just can't pull myself away from those trashy classics," Kate sarcastically replied.
"Are two finished eating?" Doug asked.
They both were, and he told them to go to bed. Doug gathered the plates and put them in the dish washer. He set Tess's school book on the counter where she would see it in the morning. He still wasn't ready to deal with Carol so he flipped the TV on and caught the end of a late night drama.
Once again thanks for all the reviews. I already have parts of the next chapter writen so it should be up sooner. Keep reading and reviewing, and I will keep writing.