"I'm sure that's his car," a female voice said. "I don't exactly know the license plate number, but I am pretty sure."
"Well," my dad's voice responded, getting closer, "Did you tell him to come here after school?"
"No. Did you?"
Then I saw my father and a young-looking blonde bombshell. They stood right next to us by the hallway, looking at Kevin and I, standing extremely close to each other against the wall.
We all stood there, starring at each other, shocked.
Recognition chimed on the blonde's face. "Kevin? I thought that was your car. What are you doing here?"
Kevin looked at the blonde for a second, then looked at me. He released me a little more, but still stayed in a close distance. He looked back at the woman with my dad who was obviously waiting for an answer.
"I'm just hanging out with my girlfriend. What are you doing here?" Kevin's eyebrow rose, questioning the woman.
G-g-girlfriend?
Then the blonde grabbed my father's hand and tangled her fingers through his. "I'm just hanging out with my fiancΓ©!" Her giggle that followed pierced through the air, ringing in the small hallway.
Was that his mom? She was obviously trying very hard to be young again if it was.
Awkwardness hung in the air between me and my father. So this was his soon-to-be wife. It wasn't a great way to meet her, but hey, at least I knew who she was and what she looked like. And if she was at all related to Kevin, she wasn't going for my father for his money.
"Well," the blonde broke the silence. "I was just talking to my Mike-y here about going out to dinner and getting to know each other. I know Kevin knows Mike, but I don't really know you. And since we are all here..." she trailed off.
Kevin already knows Mike? Kevin knows my father?! So for a year, my dad has been the father of another kid (a POPULAR kid!) while he left me in this dump? To say I felt mad was an understatement. I needed some time to think this over.
Kevin had other plans. "That sounds like fun. Hey, and Mike, maybe after we can go back to my place and play some Black Ops. Shoot some people." He laughed, and so did my dad. The seemed like they had known each other for a while now. Which obviously made me feel like shit, because I was the one left out, like always. Had my father never thought of introducing me to his girlfriend and her son?
"As if Kevin," the blonde spat. "Mike's mine tonight!" She let out another giggle and pulled him closer to her.
I felt sick. This wasn't happening. They were already like the perfect family. And here I was, watching from the outside. For the second time today, I started pinching myself, trying to wake up from this dream.
As my dad and the blonde got into their own private conversation for a minute, Kevin turned to me. Then he looked down at me pinching myself.
"Why do you do that?" he asked while pulling on my hand, making me stop grabbing my own skin between my fingers.
"Do what?"
He looked into my eyes, smiling. "Pinch yourself. You did that on the ride over here, too."
"Oh." I looked up at him. "Nervous habit I guess." I shrugged.
He laughed. "You're so cute, you know that?"
I could feel myself blush. He kept looking straight into my eyes, and suddenly they darkened.
He took a step closer and leaned his lips down to meet mine.
"Kevin! Are you even listening?" the blonde called out.
Kevin stepped back once more. "What, Natasha?"
Natasha?
Who calls their mother by their first name?
"I was just asking if that little Italian bistro would be cool for dinner tonight. God, that's why I wasn't even going to invite you to dinner, little bro," Natasha nagged.
Little bro? Did that mean that my dad wasn't marrying my boyfriend's... (was Kevin my b-b-boyfriend) mom?
Kevin laughed. "I'm here already, so oh well. And sure, the Italian bistro sounds cool. What do you think, Danielle?"
Wow.
I sucked in a breath. Did Kevin Dermit just say my name? How did he even know my name?
"Yeah," I croaked. My eyes widened and I cleared my throat.
Then my eyes shot over to my dad. My dad! He hadn't said a word to me since he walked in. And he had almost seen me kiss a boy! Oh God. This was not the situation I wanted to be in right now. I hated social situations; I needed to run away.
"Well, then. I guess we'll meet you there," Natasha said. "I think I forgot to pick something up at the store," she said, giving a wink to my father. "Would you
give me a ride
over to my house, so I can pick up my car?"
Oh, puke. Everyone in the room knew what Natasha was asking; she wanted sex from my father. To me that just screamed 'ew'. My dad was just old...
Kevin made a face at his sister, dramatizing his disgust. "Ew, Nat. Just go, why don't you?"
Natasha let out another giggle, and started pulling my father out of the hallway, taking him the short distance to the door.
Finally, he spoke up. "I don't want anything happening between you two under my roof, got it? And I expect to see you at the restaurant at six."