More Than Her
Page 20
When I got up to my room, all my shit was everywhere.
Clothes were thrown all over the place, my mattress was up against a wall. My computer and stereo system had been smashed to pieces.
What the fuck?
Adam, the president of the house walked into my room.
"You're out," he deadpanned.
"What the fuck?"
"I'm sorry, dude. I like you; you're a good guy. But I don't have any sisters. It's been decided. We had a meeting. You're out."
This had to be a fucking joke. "You're kidding right?" He had to be. "Where the hell am I going to live?"
He shrugged.
Fuck.
It was early enough that the rest of the house was still sleeping. Luckily for me, it wasn't too embarrassing.
Once I was in my car, I just sat there.
Where the fuck was I going to go?
Without me realizing it, I started taking the two-hour drive home.
I needed the stable sanity of my own house at the moment. The events of the last few days had worn me out.
I texted Jake and told him what happened. I asked him to get feelers out, see if anyone knew of anywhere I could live. If anyone had connections, it was Jake Andrews.
By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel the lack of sleep mixed with the hangover and just wanted to crash.
I went into the kitchen where Dad was sitting at the counter, eating. It was rare for him to be home on a weekend.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.
"Thanks. Nice to see you too," I joked. I got a soda out of the fridge and sat down on the counter with him.
"You look—uh...good?" he said, a smile pulling at his lips.
"I had a rough night."
He nodded.
It was silent for a few minutes.
Then I said, "I need to talk to you-" the same time he said, "We need to talk-"
We both laughed.
"You go first," I told him.
"Have you spoken to Nathan?"
I shrugged. "Kind of. You know what's happening?"
"Your mother's been asking around for you," He eyed me, waiting for my reaction.
"Huh. That's funny. Last I checked I had no mother." I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting for him to push the issue. He wanted me to say something more. But I didn't. I had nothing more to say.
Finally, he nodded once. "So you had something to tell me."
Shit. I played it out in my head—the words I would use to tell him. But now that I was here, I felt like an idiot. So I decide to just say, "I got kicked out of the frat house."
I wanted him to yell. To tell me he was disappointed. Something. Anything. But he didn't. Instead, he just smiled, "Do I want to know why?"
I shook my head.
"So what happens now?"
I blew out a breath, "I guess I have to find somewhere else to live. I'll get a job there. I could probab-"
"No, Logan." He cut me off. "You can't work with the course load you're taking on. That, plus baseball. No. Just find a place and use the money we have saved."
"You have saved. It's not really fair."
"Logan. Use the money in the account. I keep putting it in there and you never use it. It's there for a reason. Use it." He paused, eyeing me. "And it is fair. You're my son. It's what I do."
I looked away. Because I'm not his son. Not really.
Just then, I got a message from Jake. Apparently one of the guys on the team knows a guy, that knows a guy, that has a spare room. He's desperate for someone to move in ASAP.
Hopefully my luck would change because the last few days had been a clusterfuck of Screw-You-Logan disasters.
I texted the guy who's house it was and told him I'll come by later that evening. I hoped to God it wasn’t a shit hole. But right now, I'd fucking take anything.
I spent a few hours with Dad, and slept some, before taking the two-hour drive back towards campus.
***
I parked outside the house and looked at it a moment before getting out. From the outside, it looked like a standard house. No abandoned cars, no junkies, no odors of meth labs, and no hookers in the front yard. I thought I was safe.
A kid around my age opened the door. We did our introductions and he invited me in. Ethan, his name was.
The house itself was basic. Living room with separate kitchen/dining area, but had an open breakfast bar. There was a hallway to the left where I assumed the bedrooms were. He showed me around the main areas and then walked down the hall.
"So," he started, "The rooms on the left are mine and Dimmy's. We share a bathroom."
"Dimmy?"
"My sister," he said. Then he looks me up and down. "Goes without saying, she's off limits."
I nodded, looking at him a little longer than I should. But he looked familiar and I couldn't place him. So I asked him, "Have I seen you around before? You play anything?" He had an athletic build.
He shook his head. "Nah, man. I was good in high school, but not good enough for college. I was one of those 'good-at-everything-but-not-great-at-any' kind of guys, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it."
"Anyway," he perked up, "this room here," he opened the door, "this is yours. I guess you could call it the master. It's the biggest one, has its own bathroom and little outdoor area. It's more rent than what we pay but you get that. Dimmy and I—we're kind of struggling at the moment, so as soon as you can move in—if you want to move in, that is—the better for us."
I walked into the empty room and looked around, then walked into the bathroom and did the same. It was more than decent.
I walked back to the hallway where Ethan stood. “I can move in right now." I told him. Anything that was worth packing was already in my car.
"Awesome, dude."
We shook hands and started walking to the front door.
"Uh, Logan?" Ethan said from behind me.
I turned to face him.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous. "So, when I said that Dimmy and I were struggling—I wasn't kidding. I mean, she has a job, and so do I, but we need more hours. Anyway, we're a little behind—"
"Dude," I interrupted. "Whatever you need, man. It's fine. Just let me know."
He smiled and nodded, just as I heard the front door swing open. Ethan's voice filled the room. "Oh good, Dimmy. You're home. You can meet our new housemate, this is—"
"No. Fucking. Way." I heard a familiar voice.
I whipped my head to the front door, so fast I almost pull a muscle in my neck.
"No fucking way." She repeated, her head shaking from side to side. She looked from me to Ethan. "No E, no fucking way."
"What the hell?" Ethan said behind me. He walked to stand between us.
Clothes were thrown all over the place, my mattress was up against a wall. My computer and stereo system had been smashed to pieces.
What the fuck?
Adam, the president of the house walked into my room.
"You're out," he deadpanned.
"What the fuck?"
"I'm sorry, dude. I like you; you're a good guy. But I don't have any sisters. It's been decided. We had a meeting. You're out."
This had to be a fucking joke. "You're kidding right?" He had to be. "Where the hell am I going to live?"
He shrugged.
Fuck.
It was early enough that the rest of the house was still sleeping. Luckily for me, it wasn't too embarrassing.
Once I was in my car, I just sat there.
Where the fuck was I going to go?
Without me realizing it, I started taking the two-hour drive home.
I needed the stable sanity of my own house at the moment. The events of the last few days had worn me out.
I texted Jake and told him what happened. I asked him to get feelers out, see if anyone knew of anywhere I could live. If anyone had connections, it was Jake Andrews.
By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel the lack of sleep mixed with the hangover and just wanted to crash.
I went into the kitchen where Dad was sitting at the counter, eating. It was rare for him to be home on a weekend.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.
"Thanks. Nice to see you too," I joked. I got a soda out of the fridge and sat down on the counter with him.
"You look—uh...good?" he said, a smile pulling at his lips.
"I had a rough night."
He nodded.
It was silent for a few minutes.
Then I said, "I need to talk to you-" the same time he said, "We need to talk-"
We both laughed.
"You go first," I told him.
"Have you spoken to Nathan?"
I shrugged. "Kind of. You know what's happening?"
"Your mother's been asking around for you," He eyed me, waiting for my reaction.
"Huh. That's funny. Last I checked I had no mother." I raised my eyebrows at him, waiting for him to push the issue. He wanted me to say something more. But I didn't. I had nothing more to say.
Finally, he nodded once. "So you had something to tell me."
Shit. I played it out in my head—the words I would use to tell him. But now that I was here, I felt like an idiot. So I decide to just say, "I got kicked out of the frat house."
I wanted him to yell. To tell me he was disappointed. Something. Anything. But he didn't. Instead, he just smiled, "Do I want to know why?"
I shook my head.
"So what happens now?"
I blew out a breath, "I guess I have to find somewhere else to live. I'll get a job there. I could probab-"
"No, Logan." He cut me off. "You can't work with the course load you're taking on. That, plus baseball. No. Just find a place and use the money we have saved."
"You have saved. It's not really fair."
"Logan. Use the money in the account. I keep putting it in there and you never use it. It's there for a reason. Use it." He paused, eyeing me. "And it is fair. You're my son. It's what I do."
I looked away. Because I'm not his son. Not really.
Just then, I got a message from Jake. Apparently one of the guys on the team knows a guy, that knows a guy, that has a spare room. He's desperate for someone to move in ASAP.
Hopefully my luck would change because the last few days had been a clusterfuck of Screw-You-Logan disasters.
I texted the guy who's house it was and told him I'll come by later that evening. I hoped to God it wasn’t a shit hole. But right now, I'd fucking take anything.
I spent a few hours with Dad, and slept some, before taking the two-hour drive back towards campus.
***
I parked outside the house and looked at it a moment before getting out. From the outside, it looked like a standard house. No abandoned cars, no junkies, no odors of meth labs, and no hookers in the front yard. I thought I was safe.
A kid around my age opened the door. We did our introductions and he invited me in. Ethan, his name was.
The house itself was basic. Living room with separate kitchen/dining area, but had an open breakfast bar. There was a hallway to the left where I assumed the bedrooms were. He showed me around the main areas and then walked down the hall.
"So," he started, "The rooms on the left are mine and Dimmy's. We share a bathroom."
"Dimmy?"
"My sister," he said. Then he looks me up and down. "Goes without saying, she's off limits."
I nodded, looking at him a little longer than I should. But he looked familiar and I couldn't place him. So I asked him, "Have I seen you around before? You play anything?" He had an athletic build.
He shook his head. "Nah, man. I was good in high school, but not good enough for college. I was one of those 'good-at-everything-but-not-great-at-any' kind of guys, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it."
"Anyway," he perked up, "this room here," he opened the door, "this is yours. I guess you could call it the master. It's the biggest one, has its own bathroom and little outdoor area. It's more rent than what we pay but you get that. Dimmy and I—we're kind of struggling at the moment, so as soon as you can move in—if you want to move in, that is—the better for us."
I walked into the empty room and looked around, then walked into the bathroom and did the same. It was more than decent.
I walked back to the hallway where Ethan stood. “I can move in right now." I told him. Anything that was worth packing was already in my car.
"Awesome, dude."
We shook hands and started walking to the front door.
"Uh, Logan?" Ethan said from behind me.
I turned to face him.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous. "So, when I said that Dimmy and I were struggling—I wasn't kidding. I mean, she has a job, and so do I, but we need more hours. Anyway, we're a little behind—"
"Dude," I interrupted. "Whatever you need, man. It's fine. Just let me know."
He smiled and nodded, just as I heard the front door swing open. Ethan's voice filled the room. "Oh good, Dimmy. You're home. You can meet our new housemate, this is—"
"No. Fucking. Way." I heard a familiar voice.
I whipped my head to the front door, so fast I almost pull a muscle in my neck.
"No fucking way." She repeated, her head shaking from side to side. She looked from me to Ethan. "No E, no fucking way."
"What the hell?" Ethan said behind me. He walked to stand between us.
