Chapter 02.11

The kitchen light was still on.

“Hello, Son,” Dad greeted me while tidying up in the kitchen. His left foot was bandaged.

“You’re back already?” I asked. “It’s barely past midnight.”

“No, son, I never left. I twisted my ankle. Julie wrapped it before the ball.”

He sat down, and I started putting things away for him.

“Will your foot be okay?” I asked as he nodded and propped it up on a chair. “You were home the whole time?” My voice carried my surprise.

“Oh, yes,” he said. “And I had the pleasure of watching the whole show from the living room.” He smiled.

“Oh…” was all I could manage.

“She really knows how to push your buttons,” Dad chuckled. “But don’t worry—I won’t tell anyone. From day one, she’s read you like only we can.”

“Yeah, she nailed the ‘real man’ part,” I said dryly. Dad just smiled. “And the coward part too,” I added.

“Thank you for bringing her feelings to the surface. I was honestly starting to worry about her,” Dad said calmly. “I had a feeling only you could do that. She can’t control how she feels about you. It must’ve taken a lot of strength not to let you kiss her.”

“I didn’t know she still had feelings for me,” I admitted.

“There’s a lot you don’t know,” Dad smiled.

“Like who the hell Helen is,” I muttered.

“You don’t know?” Dad asked, curious. I shook my head.

“Your girlfriend.”

“My girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“The tall girl with short hair—name starts with H—has a tattoo, and you learn more from her than she does from you,” Dad said with a smile. “Ring a bell?”

“But I made her up,” I blurted. “I never wanted Jenny to find that out.”

“Well, Jane overheard you raving about her to Amber,” Dad explained. “Some people believed Helen was real—but until today, she wasn’t one of them.”

“So I basically sabotaged myself—even tonight. If I’d just told her why I came, I could’ve cleared everything up,” I said. Dad nodded.

“That look on her face tonight—was that jealousy?” I asked eagerly.

Dad nodded again but corrected me.

“Not your kind of wild jealousy,” he laughed. “More like the kind that comes from uncertainty. This is all new to her, so she can’t hide it very well yet.”

“She’s never been jealous before,” I said with a small smile.

“She never felt insecure before,” Dad replied.

“What did I say to her when I was drunk?” I asked cautiously.

“It took Amber days to get it out of Jane,” Dad said. “But you accused her of sleeping with someone and offered to let her move in with you.”

“But I heard a man’s voice,” I said, still jealous.

“That was Paul,” Dad explained. “He walked in to ask who was yelling at her. They live together.”

“Oh…” was all I could say.

“Jane decided to start dating after that.”

“So she does have a guy,” I said, my stomach tightening.

“She doesn’t,” Dad said. “She went on a few dates, then told Amber it wasn’t worth the ego war with you. She was happy before you, and she’ll be happy after. Then she heard about this ‘Helen’”—he made air quotes—”and decided to just bury her feelings.”

“Why didn’t she just tell me she didn’t have a guy?” I asked.

“She never actually said she did,” Dad said with a smile. “Smart girl. She knows exactly how to phrase things to get under your skin,” he added with a chuckle. “But think about what she actually said.”

“She spoke in generalities,” I laughed after a moment. “Why are you telling me now that she doesn’t have a guy?”

“Because your jealousy’s been clouding your judgment. You’ve barely slept in days,” Dad said. “Amber was right last year—you were starting to lose it,” he chuckled. “If you go back like this, you’ll fall apart. Until you sort things out, that jealousy will eat you alive. But maybe now, a little less.”

“If she heard about Helen, then she still thinks I’m seeing someone,” I said.

“Yes, son, you just confirmed her existence,” Dad nodded.

“I messed this up. Now she might actually start dating someone.”

“Now that she’s not bottling everything up, it’s more likely,” Dad said matter-of-factly.

“Great,” I muttered. “I made her dateable.”

“That’s life, son,” Dad smiled.

I cleaned up in silence while Dad sipped some juice.

“Jenny says sorry for not tidying up,” I said. “And the salad was for the food in the fridge.”

“I figured,” Dad laughed. “I’m sure it’ll be delicious.”

I finished cleaning, swept the floor. Dad just sat and rested his leg.

“I hate that school,” I blurted out.

“I know,” Dad smiled. “And it looks like you’ve finally hit rock bottom.”

“And that’s a good thing?” I asked, rolling my eyes.

“Because from there, the only way is up,” he smiled.

“What the hell am I supposed to do, Dad?” I asked, leaning on the broom. “I don’t want to stay there for years. My friends are here. My future wife is here.”

Dad burst out laughing.

“Then figure something out,” he said. “You’re an adult. You messed it up, you fix it.”

“Got it,” I sighed. “How do I tell Jenny I’m not seeing anyone and ask her to give me a little time?”

“Maybe call her,” Dad said plainly.

“She blocked my number,” I muttered.

“Oh, right. Forgot,” he laughed. “Then that’s another thing you’ll have to figure out.”

“Wonderful,” I muttered.

I helped Dad up the stairs and into his room.

“Johnny,” he called after me as he sat on the bed.

“Yeah, Dad?”

“If she ever sleeps over again, please don’t honor quite so many rooms,” he said with a grin.

“I think only the hallway and your room were spared,” I smiled. “But we won’t.”

“Good,” he said. “And not a word to your mother.” He winked. I nodded.

I collapsed into bed and didn’t wake up until nearly lunchtime. Before leaving, I packed my things. Amber came by to say goodbye.

“Sorry I wrecked your work,” I said, hugging her.

“It’s fine. You could’ve taken it with you, but maybe now you’ll finally start climbing out of that hole.”

I flew back to school, though I had absolutely no desire to return.