Martha brings over the juice, filling my cup up and giving me a stare that reads, ‘You sure have gone and done it now, you fool,’ along with an all-knowing, teasing smirk that needs no translation.
Even Martha knows I just fucked myself into a corner. Bringing a girl to a Walker event is overkill in any relationship. It’s like pulling up a large billboard announcing to all of Asheville’s population that I’m taken, and the girl in my arms is the one.
Beau and Calvin made sure not to bring their girlfriends to one of Mom and Dad’s parties until they had already bought their engagement rings. That’s how serious this shit is. And Mom asking me to bring Stone along to my father’s birthday party as if it weren’t a big deal, is all sorts of messed up.
Shit! How the fuck will I get out of this?
“I’ll think about it. Stone and I are still getting to know each other, so I’m not sure we are really there yet. You know, for the whole meet-the-parents thing.”
“Have you met hers?”
“Her momma,” I answer truthfully.
“See? If Stone isn’t worried about you meeting her family, then why are you concerned about her meeting yours? You’re not embarrassed by us, are you?”
“I don’t think giving you an honest answer will win me any favors, Momma.”
Martha’s loud snickering from the other side of the kitchen can be heard from way over here. Even baby Noah cackles, happily drooling down his chin.
Traitors.
My momma just slaps me upside the head instead of using her words. Lord knows it’s always been her go-to move when we give her sass that she doesn’t appreciate. She walks back to Noah and picks him up, nestling him at her hip.
“I can’t force you to bring your girlfriend to your father’s birthday party, but sooner or later, I do want to meet this girl.”
“Momma, don’t label us, please. She’s not my girlfriend. We’re just friends,” I reply, hating the ‘friends’ word with the passion of a thousand suns.
“Friends? Is that right? Fine. If that’s all you are, then you won’t hear a peep out of me.”
“I doubt it,” I mumble under my breath.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I reply, showcasing my most charming smile.
She starts making her way out of the kitchen with Noah in hand, and I think that will be the end of that. But again, like with everything in my fucking life, I’m wrong.
“But Finn,” she starts, turning around just enough for me to see her face, and continues, “if by any chance you change your mind and discover that you’re more than just friends, and I have a feeling that you will, my invitation still stands.”
I don’t say anything in reply. Why bother? I’d just be fueling my mother’s curiosity. When that woman gets something into her head, she will go to great lengths to get it. I won’t be the least bit surprised if, by the end of the day, she somehow has Stone’s number on speed dial.
I push my plate away and thump my head repeatedly on the kitchen table while Martha is on the other side of the room, laughing her face off. I get up from my seat, bringing the plate to the sink and give her my least threatening scowl.
“You were a real help back there. Thanks,” I mumble.
“You’re a grown-ass man. You should know how to handle your momma by now.”
“Hello?! Obviously, I can’t!”
But instead of sympathy, all I get is more laughter.
“Traitor.”
“Go on, boy. Get your ass to school!” She laughs, ushering me out the door.
The thing is, attending Philosophy class isn’t really high on my priorities list at the moment. So when I arrive late, I don’t even give Professor Donavan the polite ‘sorry, I’m late’ nod. I just walk in searching for Easton, knowing he would have saved a seat for me. When I find him at the far back of the class, I make my way there, slumping in the chair next to him.
I’m not really sure why I’m doing this dog and pony show of coming to class. It’s not like I’m going to be able to retain any piece of knowledge from this lecture, or any of the ones that follow. But if I stayed home, then I would just raise my mother’s suspicions. Right now, she thinks I’ve been a little bit more secretive because of a girl. And even though she’s not completely wrong, it would benefit me immensely if my mother continues to think all my problems only revolve around Stone.
But I guess they kind of do, don’t they?
East is also surprisingly quiet today, diligently taking notes, which is mind-boggling, to say the least. But upon closer inspection, I see what he’s really doing is sketching the profile of some girl’s head on his notebook.
Wait. I know that ponytail.
I look around the classroom and, lo and behold, just a few rows down is the girl he gave shit to a few weeks back. I’m about to tease the fucker, going for the notebook, but he’s too quick for me and stashes it in his book bag before I can reach it.
“Ah, come on now, Picasso. Don’t go shy on me. Show me what you were drawing,” I tease him.
“Stop giving me shit,” he rebukes coldly.
“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, did you?”
“Worse. Didn’t even make it to bed,” he laments, tapping his pencil on his knee.
“What were you doing all night? On second thought, I don’t want to know.”
“It’s not like that. I spent the whole weekend up at Lincoln’s trying to find out something about you-know-who,” he explains bitterly with a scowl deeply ingrained on his face.
“Any luck?” I ask hopefully, but the sentiment quickly disappears when East shakes his head.
“Motherfuckers are goddamn ghosts. We couldn’t find a trace of them anywhere.”
My face slumps, feeling the metaphorical noose tightening around my neck.
“Finn, we’ll find these assholes. Okay, brother?” He nudges his knee with mine, trying to uplift my spirits. “How about you, though? How are things with Stone? Is she still giving you the silent treatment?”
“We went out yesterday,” I explain with a dismal taint to each word.
“You did?” he asks, surprised.
“Kind of. Yeah.” I nod.
“So, everything is good with you guys then?” he asks skeptically. “Because you don’t look like a guy who got some last night,” he adds with a forced chuckle.
“That’s none of your business, asshole.”
“So touchy this early in the morning. But it’s cool. I’ll back off as long your head is still in the game.”
“I really wish people would stop telling me that,” I mumble under my breath, letting out a long exhale.
“Sorry, brother,” East begins, giving me a light squeeze on the shoulder. “It is what it is. Just be thankful that hanging around Stone is enough to placate, for now, whatever nefarious plan The Society is up to. Pretty soon, they’ll ask for more. You just watch.”