Chapter 10

Ground Rules

Spinner Mason adjusted a newly buttoned up dress shirt in Darcy's father's condo in the spare bedroom. He of course was wearing one of her fathers dress shirts. His job typically required him to have an abundance to dress a small army with various colors and styles to choose from. Spinner was wearing a light blue one. His hair, still damp and long reminiscent of when he was a junior except he almost never brushed it. The first time she met Spinner he had long curly locks. He combed it in the mirror pursing his lips together as he parted it to the side and stayed still. He didn't know that Darcy watched him from the crook of the door just then and he turned his head around seeing her reflection in the reflection, "I clean up nice, I guess?"

Darcy gestured proudly and dumbfounded, beaming with her hands in her jean pockets, cross-legged about to sit on the bed, "I'm just surprised you can fit in some of my dads clothes."

After Kenya, Darcy moved in with her father opposed to her mother. They never really got along it's been recently turbulent because Darcy refused to come home from Kenya a year ago when her marriage was failing. She sided with her father. Her mother rarely respected her wishes. She really did love it in Kenya. She had met a lot of missionaries and such but then she met a boy there who wasn't any of that and she started embracing other great things. When that went south she got busy with volunteering and then her father reached out to her. It was her time to go. She has no regrets leaving or staying but she did miss her family and worried for her sister. Darcy could hardly remember a civil time between her mother and her. Clare was clearly the daughter she really wanted. Darcy knew it was no secret she hadn't been planned. Although the condo space is small it did have a spare bedroom which was to be for Spinner. Largely the bedroom remained modest and practically unfurnished but it had some knickknacks from her father's now-deceased mother sit on a shelf and basic comforts like a twin bed and a wood chest for clothes, and of course it's no Edward's home without nightstand with a bible in the first drawer.

Jesus doesn't rule her life as much as it used to but she believes it's nice to know he's there and that he cares. Her father is sort of strict so as much as he was weary of a boy moving in, a homeless one at that he was generally accepting of people his daughter brought around. He remembered Spinner, they had plenty of family dinners while Darcy and Spinner were together the first time around but when they had broken up he was quasi-banned from the house for 'breaking his daughter's heart' but that was years ago.

Spinner all clean and dry, not smelling, not anything, "My dad thinks it's cool if you stay, rooms is all yours."

"You mean it? Thank-you Darcy you are my savior - -"

"But . . " She interrupted as the bearer of somewhat of bad news she was unsure he could take. Spinner was aware of the way things were when he was together. Darcy's father was a former minister and a man of God so he had some standards that Spinner had no choice to abide by if he was going to be living with them. He felt like a teenager once again. His mother was much the same except she was a catholic so she wasn't as strict. When he was living at home girls were rarely allowed in a bedroom and if they were doors had to be open to I guess deter him from letting his hormones rage. She raised him well as well as Kendra, by herself after his father died. She was a no bull shit woman though, strong as an ox too. Spinner sometimes feels apologetic that he didn't do as well with how he was raised with the tools he was given. He never made her feel so proud but little things mattered to her the most. As long as he gave it his best. She was always proud of Kendra because she never had gone through some of the stages and horrors of a parent. Kendra was always scholarly and always followed the rules. It seemed as though Darcy and Spinner had similar dealings with siblings. In high school they both were the ones more concerned with friends, social obligations their reputation and who their date would be for the abundance of dances and parties than their younger siblings. Spinner was really protective of his sister though.

"My dad can't be here because he's away on business and he wanted me to lay you down some ground rules. They're basically outlines on mine. I know it sounds crazy."

"No girls, no unexpected pet surprises . . "

"Yeah, you get it. If you do have a girl over, door open no excuses. Turn off all appliances when you're not using them and conserve electricity it's a gift." She almost mocked her father's exact words, "and just let us know where you go because . . now I don't want to be bad cop but I don't know what's been going on with you these days but from what I see you're pretty troubled."

Spinner furrowed his brow, she did have a point where she saw him as quite possibly would be best described at his lowest point, down and out, broke and homeless. At the same time, it just stung hearing it from someone aloud. He looked down at his feet in a pair of clean white socks, beside him were Dockers moccasins he tried on that belong to Darcy's dad, but they don't fit. He then looked at his old shoes, that Darcy had come in to give him. She threw him in the washing machine, good as new. Still looking worse for the wear but at least the soles weren't coming off like his first pair, these were fairly new hocked from a dumpster at the Foot Locker at the mall. A misprint on the pair of Nike's, happens from time to time at the factory. Employees were basically had to toss out any misprints and the brand would send them more. Corporate shit, that he was able to gain from. He slipped his feet in the shoes, as the room managed to fall silent.

"Sorry." Darcy said, "we'll go shoe shopping soon but in the meantime they're not as bad as they were."

"I appreciate everything you've done for me already. I wish there was a way I could pay it forward."

"Spin, just take things one step at a time. I'm just glad you're doing well. There's one thing my dad really wants from you though, you have to promise me you can be clean and sober."

"I-I don't drink." Spinner lied turning around.

"Spinner let's be real. When we hugged at The Dot, you smelled like pure alcohol."

Spinner refused to face her and relented followed by a hopeless sigh. Of all the things she did for him she managed to still catch him in a lie. By his shoulder, she turned him around to face her after she made her way toward him, "Spinner, honesty is the best policy. If you want a place to live you just have to be honest. If you're struggling with the sobriety shit - we don't have to go cold turkey or anything, there's rehab and -"

"I can stop, Darc."

"I believe you. We'll do it together. If it'll help I won't drink either."

"You don't have to make accommodations for me."

"I'll be there for you though, if you need me. We can go to all the AA meetings. It's not a big deal for me."

"Thank-you."

"Oh and, you don't have to get a job right away but my dad does want some help out, monetarily with groceries and such. He might be able to pull some strings if you'd like to work with him."

"You guys are so generous." Spinner says hugging her. Darcy fell into the hug taking in his new clean aroma of clean fresh shampoo and the old familiar scents of the boy she had loved so many years ago. Familiar traces of déjà vu were clear. To Spinner he felt like some stray puppy in someones home. To Darcy he was so much more than that.

…

Sean Cameron had his hands in his pockets keeping them from freezing as he walked up the steps to the apartment he and Jay shared. He opened the door to find his roommate fast asleep on the couch, he put his cold hands on his face to wake him.

"Fuck, dude where were you last night?"

He smelled him, probably for sex concerned about what he or rather who he crashed with the night before or assuming it was a girl involved he scrunched up his nose and looked up at him rather menacingly finally he spoke, "Sean you handsome devil, I see you found Emma Nelson. It's just like old times."

Sean as Jay sat up plopped next to him on the large and roomy checkered couch. Cheap as dirt but none the less comfy it kind of squared off half the room tapering with a large ottoman that was covered with an afghan that Jay compulsively often threw on there when others frequented the couch, he continued "I know that smell from anywhere."

Sean rolled his eyes, "I hear you two are rather chummy."

Jay impersonated a boy scout finger gesture, "Scouts honor, hands were to myself. I'm a gentleman."

"I appreciate that dude." Sean said but then he got a bit more serious in tonality, "but we're all going out tonight where we will be anything but model men."

Jay vibrated his hands together with friction and looked at Sean with primitive eyes, "My girl is back in town once again."

"Calm your loins now and get ready."

"Will do, but first details."

Sean teased Jay when he heard him press for details of the night. "Who are you, Manny? Since you met her you've gone soft."

"I could say the same about you and Emma, you know between you and me she loves you dude."

"I know." Sean hesitated attempting to hide the elated smile that comes around on his face when he thinks of her, the memories and last of course the vanilla.

"Tell me what happened."

"Nothing, we talked, took a walk until it got too cold and then she invited me over, we talked some more and then Manny came over, there was some drama and then she went to bed and then we fell asleep. No Jay, we didn't have sex."

"Always a gentleman, always a gentleman." Jay clapped his hands proud for his friend who finally was reunited with the girl of his dreams, "hats off to you man because you know that's not how I roll."

"Psh, that's for sure."

Jay got up and stretched it appeared he had been on the couch for several hours, a blue screen on the television in front of them showed he had gamed for the majority of the day. Grand Theft Auto was their favorite game, and when they came out with the most recent expansion the two old friends have done nothing but gaming for the first day Sean arrived, "I'm going to hop in the shower and get ready to see my woman, by best friend and my other best friend get shit faced at the bar tonight."

"You do that just don't use all the hot water on yourself though." Sean called, reminding him of the last time Jay showered before he got to and he got in for a rude awakening. Sean wasn't used to the cool temperatures of their locale and became accustomed to the middle-eastern climate, mostly warm and sandy. Sand though disgusted him. He felt like no matter how hard he scrubbed he felt like he was scrubbing himself with sand, rough and plenty sand. He often had rashes occasionally that wasn't an uncommon occurrence.

Jay jokingly flashed him the middle finger as Jay left the room to get ready, lifting his tee-shirt while mobile and Sean leaned back on the couch and smiled to himself with relief that all had gone well. Tonight was going to be great and he couldn't be more excited.