X-Kid
Chapter 6: A Daydream Away
The rest of the week was pretty painless. It took awhile to get used to Luna and Alex together, but soon it just seemed normal. Our lovely group of 6 hung out at my house again that Friday, and Jack and I made a plan for me to go over to his house the next day for a study session. I was surprised to find his house was only a couple streets away from mine, so I walked there around 2 in the afternoon, backpack in tow.
I rang the doorbell and stood on the porch awkwardly for a moment. The door quickly swung open, and a friendly looking woman stood there. “Oh, you must be Nora. Come on in,” she greeted.
The inside of the house was normal looking, at least more than mine seemed to be. Pictures hung on the walls throughout the house, depicting the happy family. The living room had a fireplace, a plush couch, and a few game consoles sitting in front of the TV. The smell of food beginning to cook wafted from the kitchen, and there were dishes stacked on the dining room table, ready to be set. I thought of my family and my home, and how atypical they were compared to this. I felt a little inferior.
“Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Barakat,” I said as my eyes continued to survey my surroundings.
“It’s no trouble! After all, you will be helping Jack out so much. Do you plan to stay for dinner?” she wondered.
I shook my head. “I’d hate to be a bother.”
“I insist,” she grinned, before turning toward the stairs. “Jack! Your friend is here!”
“Just a minute,” he called back. “I’m just getting out of the shower.”
Jack’s mom began explaining all of the various pictures on the walls, telling me when and where they were taken. It was only a few minutes before Jack came pounding down the carpeted stairs, hair still damp and clothes a little askew.
“Nice for you to make an appearance,” his mom commented. “I was just showing Nora the pictures from your 5th birthday.”
He threw his head back and groaned. “Really, Mom?”
“Oh come on! You were so cute,” she replied. She headed back to the kitchen to work on dinner some more.
“Yeah, you were adorable. What happened?” I joked.
“Fuck you,” he said.
“You wish,” I mentioned. “Where should I set up?”
“We’ll just go in my room,” he commented.
“Leave the door open!” Mrs. Barakat called as we went up stairs.
His bedroom walls were covered in band posters and old Polaroid photos, t-shirts and pairs of jeans scattered across the floor. He quickly pushed some things off of his bed to give us both somewhere to sit, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Shit, I should’ve cleaned.”
“Oh well,” I shrugged. “Your mom’s really nice though. I like her a lot.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty cool,” he said. “You’re gonna meet my dad, brother, and sister later too.”
“You’re lucky, you know,” I stated.
He tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I love my family more than anything, trust me, but sometimes...” I sighed. “I wish we were a normal family, like you have.”
He laughed. “Nora, my family is not normal.”
“But they are the social kinda normal. You’ve got both parents in your life, and two full siblings. I definitely don’t have that,” I mentioned.
“Full siblings? What do you mean?” he wondered.
“I have a brother, Jack, but he’s only my half brother because we have different dads. And on our dads’ sides we have other half siblings too,” I explained quickly.
Jack took a moment to process this before he spoke. “What happened to your dad, anyway? And your brother’s?”
“My mom got pregnant with Ray her senior year of high school, and she actually ended up marrying the guy, but they ended up getting divorced. He didn’t bother to fight for custody of my brother or anything. But, a year or two ago, Ray looked him up and met with him,” I said, recalling the memory easily. “My mom hasn’t told my dad about me. She didn’t want him to try to fight for me or something. I know a lot about him though. His name’s Craig Hamilton, he lives in a city about 30 miles away from here, and he owns a food processing company.”
“Why didn’t your mom want your dad to know about you?” he questioned.
“She said he was a bad guy or something. I’m not sure I believe that since she’s not exactly the greatest person either,” I commented.
“If you want to meet him, I’ll uh...take you. You know, for moral support and all that,” he replied.
“Thank,” I smiled. “But if I did, my mom would skin me alive. Anyway, how about we get some work done? Mrs. Johnson said there might be a pop quiz this week.”
“She did?!” he exclaimed.
I laughed. “Yeah, she said it like every five minutes. Weren’t you paying attention?”
“I was drawing a picture of the Blink-182 bunny,” he grinned sheepishly.
I rolled my eyes playfully. “You’re a dork. You’re lucky you’ve got me.”
A couple hours of studying and cracking jokes took place before we were called down for dinner. Everyone else was already seated at the table, which made me feel a little awkward for being late. I took a seat between Jack and pretty girl with long black hair, who I could only assume was his sister.
“Everybody, this is Nora, my friend from school. Nora, this is May, Joe, and my dad,” Jack introduced.
I waved nervously at them all. “Hi,” I croaked.
“Jack, is this that girl you haven’t stopped talking about lately?” Mr. Barakat wondered.
“No, honey,” Mrs. Barakat cut in. “Nora is just a good friend. Kasey is the one he likes.”
“Mom,” Jack groaned, hiding his face in his hands.
“Jack, if you’ve been talking about her so much, you should just ask her out already,” I mentioned.
“This girl’s right, little brother. You need to grow a pair and get the girl already!” Joe said.
“Yeah, whatever happened to that kindergartner that got sent home from school because he kept kissing all the girls in his class?” May joked.
I snorted with laughter. “Jack! You little player, you! Did you have to get a cooties shot?”
Joe grinned at me. “I like her already.”
Jack shot a glare at me. “You’re my friend. It’s your job to support me.”
“No, my job is to tease you, help you out, and slap you upside the head when you need it,” I replied. “Ask. Her. Out.”
“I WILL,” he shouted, before leaning back in his chair with a huff. “Give me a break.”
I suddenly felt bad, and I continued to eat dinner, only participating in the conversation a little bit. I kept glancing over at Jack, trying to make sure he was okay. Once dinner was over, I helped clean up before suggesting I should head home.
“Jack, walk home with her,” his mom stated.
“It’s fine,” I commented. “I can get there by myself.”
“It’s not a big deal. Jack will take you home,” she said, with some finality in her voice.
I grabbed my things from upstairs, and Jack and I left his house quickly. It was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Jack,” I said. “I didn’t mean to piss you off.”
He sighed. “I know you were just joking around, and usually I’m all for that, but...I really like this girl. It just, I dunno, made me panic a little. I’m not even sure why, but I felt like I had to defend her or something.”
I paused. “You know, I will never understand how you and Luna can fall in love with people so fast.”
“Why? Don’t you get crushes?” He asked.
“Of course I do, but with how much you talk about her, whatever you have on this Kasey girl is clearly more than a crush,” I replied.
“Let me guess, the only time you’ve been in love was with that Drake guy,” he mentioned.
“Well, yeah. He’s my first love. It really takes a lot for me to fall for someone, and even them I still don’t seem to find the right ones,” I explained.
“I doubt I’m in love with Kasey. It would take a hell of a girl to make me fall in love,” he commented.
I laughed. “Just you wait, Barakat. She’ll sneak her way into your heart, and you won’t know she’s there until you’re already head over heels.”
“What about you? You’re going to find a guy a million times better than whatshisface. I mean, I told you I’d try to set you up with someone,” he said before pausing briefly in thought. “What about Zack? Or Rian?”
I lightly punched him in the arm. “You idiot. I’m not going to date either of them. They’re practically my brothers at this point. And I really don’t need your help.”
He laughed. “You totally do and you know it.”
We had reached my house at this point, and I stuck my tongue out at him in defiance. “Shut up. Anyway, this is my place. Guess I’ll see you later then?”
“I’ll text or call you later or something. Later,” he said, turning around on the sidewalk. I waved at him before going inside and making my way down the hallway to my room. As soon as my backpack hit the floor, my cell phone rang, the caller ID showing someone I hadn’t ever expected to call me.
I rang the doorbell and stood on the porch awkwardly for a moment. The door quickly swung open, and a friendly looking woman stood there. “Oh, you must be Nora. Come on in,” she greeted.
The inside of the house was normal looking, at least more than mine seemed to be. Pictures hung on the walls throughout the house, depicting the happy family. The living room had a fireplace, a plush couch, and a few game consoles sitting in front of the TV. The smell of food beginning to cook wafted from the kitchen, and there were dishes stacked on the dining room table, ready to be set. I thought of my family and my home, and how atypical they were compared to this. I felt a little inferior.
“Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Barakat,” I said as my eyes continued to survey my surroundings.
“It’s no trouble! After all, you will be helping Jack out so much. Do you plan to stay for dinner?” she wondered.
I shook my head. “I’d hate to be a bother.”
“I insist,” she grinned, before turning toward the stairs. “Jack! Your friend is here!”
“Just a minute,” he called back. “I’m just getting out of the shower.”
Jack’s mom began explaining all of the various pictures on the walls, telling me when and where they were taken. It was only a few minutes before Jack came pounding down the carpeted stairs, hair still damp and clothes a little askew.
“Nice for you to make an appearance,” his mom commented. “I was just showing Nora the pictures from your 5th birthday.”
He threw his head back and groaned. “Really, Mom?”
“Oh come on! You were so cute,” she replied. She headed back to the kitchen to work on dinner some more.
“Yeah, you were adorable. What happened?” I joked.
“Fuck you,” he said.
“You wish,” I mentioned. “Where should I set up?”
“We’ll just go in my room,” he commented.
“Leave the door open!” Mrs. Barakat called as we went up stairs.
His bedroom walls were covered in band posters and old Polaroid photos, t-shirts and pairs of jeans scattered across the floor. He quickly pushed some things off of his bed to give us both somewhere to sit, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Shit, I should’ve cleaned.”
“Oh well,” I shrugged. “Your mom’s really nice though. I like her a lot.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty cool,” he said. “You’re gonna meet my dad, brother, and sister later too.”
“You’re lucky, you know,” I stated.
He tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I love my family more than anything, trust me, but sometimes...” I sighed. “I wish we were a normal family, like you have.”
He laughed. “Nora, my family is not normal.”
“But they are the social kinda normal. You’ve got both parents in your life, and two full siblings. I definitely don’t have that,” I mentioned.
“Full siblings? What do you mean?” he wondered.
“I have a brother, Jack, but he’s only my half brother because we have different dads. And on our dads’ sides we have other half siblings too,” I explained quickly.
Jack took a moment to process this before he spoke. “What happened to your dad, anyway? And your brother’s?”
“My mom got pregnant with Ray her senior year of high school, and she actually ended up marrying the guy, but they ended up getting divorced. He didn’t bother to fight for custody of my brother or anything. But, a year or two ago, Ray looked him up and met with him,” I said, recalling the memory easily. “My mom hasn’t told my dad about me. She didn’t want him to try to fight for me or something. I know a lot about him though. His name’s Craig Hamilton, he lives in a city about 30 miles away from here, and he owns a food processing company.”
“Why didn’t your mom want your dad to know about you?” he questioned.
“She said he was a bad guy or something. I’m not sure I believe that since she’s not exactly the greatest person either,” I commented.
“If you want to meet him, I’ll uh...take you. You know, for moral support and all that,” he replied.
“Thank,” I smiled. “But if I did, my mom would skin me alive. Anyway, how about we get some work done? Mrs. Johnson said there might be a pop quiz this week.”
“She did?!” he exclaimed.
I laughed. “Yeah, she said it like every five minutes. Weren’t you paying attention?”
“I was drawing a picture of the Blink-182 bunny,” he grinned sheepishly.
I rolled my eyes playfully. “You’re a dork. You’re lucky you’ve got me.”
A couple hours of studying and cracking jokes took place before we were called down for dinner. Everyone else was already seated at the table, which made me feel a little awkward for being late. I took a seat between Jack and pretty girl with long black hair, who I could only assume was his sister.
“Everybody, this is Nora, my friend from school. Nora, this is May, Joe, and my dad,” Jack introduced.
I waved nervously at them all. “Hi,” I croaked.
“Jack, is this that girl you haven’t stopped talking about lately?” Mr. Barakat wondered.
“No, honey,” Mrs. Barakat cut in. “Nora is just a good friend. Kasey is the one he likes.”
“Mom,” Jack groaned, hiding his face in his hands.
“Jack, if you’ve been talking about her so much, you should just ask her out already,” I mentioned.
“This girl’s right, little brother. You need to grow a pair and get the girl already!” Joe said.
“Yeah, whatever happened to that kindergartner that got sent home from school because he kept kissing all the girls in his class?” May joked.
I snorted with laughter. “Jack! You little player, you! Did you have to get a cooties shot?”
Joe grinned at me. “I like her already.”
Jack shot a glare at me. “You’re my friend. It’s your job to support me.”
“No, my job is to tease you, help you out, and slap you upside the head when you need it,” I replied. “Ask. Her. Out.”
“I WILL,” he shouted, before leaning back in his chair with a huff. “Give me a break.”
I suddenly felt bad, and I continued to eat dinner, only participating in the conversation a little bit. I kept glancing over at Jack, trying to make sure he was okay. Once dinner was over, I helped clean up before suggesting I should head home.
“Jack, walk home with her,” his mom stated.
“It’s fine,” I commented. “I can get there by myself.”
“It’s not a big deal. Jack will take you home,” she said, with some finality in her voice.
I grabbed my things from upstairs, and Jack and I left his house quickly. It was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Jack,” I said. “I didn’t mean to piss you off.”
He sighed. “I know you were just joking around, and usually I’m all for that, but...I really like this girl. It just, I dunno, made me panic a little. I’m not even sure why, but I felt like I had to defend her or something.”
I paused. “You know, I will never understand how you and Luna can fall in love with people so fast.”
“Why? Don’t you get crushes?” He asked.
“Of course I do, but with how much you talk about her, whatever you have on this Kasey girl is clearly more than a crush,” I replied.
“Let me guess, the only time you’ve been in love was with that Drake guy,” he mentioned.
“Well, yeah. He’s my first love. It really takes a lot for me to fall for someone, and even them I still don’t seem to find the right ones,” I explained.
“I doubt I’m in love with Kasey. It would take a hell of a girl to make me fall in love,” he commented.
I laughed. “Just you wait, Barakat. She’ll sneak her way into your heart, and you won’t know she’s there until you’re already head over heels.”
“What about you? You’re going to find a guy a million times better than whatshisface. I mean, I told you I’d try to set you up with someone,” he said before pausing briefly in thought. “What about Zack? Or Rian?”
I lightly punched him in the arm. “You idiot. I’m not going to date either of them. They’re practically my brothers at this point. And I really don’t need your help.”
He laughed. “You totally do and you know it.”
We had reached my house at this point, and I stuck my tongue out at him in defiance. “Shut up. Anyway, this is my place. Guess I’ll see you later then?”
“I’ll text or call you later or something. Later,” he said, turning around on the sidewalk. I waved at him before going inside and making my way down the hallway to my room. As soon as my backpack hit the floor, my cell phone rang, the caller ID showing someone I hadn’t ever expected to call me.
Aw :)
1/9/14