Page 143 of Something Rad
That makes my feet stop moving.
I’m pretty sure I always had reason. Just no voice, I think to myself.
“Not sure,” I say, shaking my head, “but get used to it, Summers.” I grab Robbie by the elbow, practically dragging him the rest of the way to the front door. “Should we ring the doorbell?”
“I live here, Cooper,” Robbie grumbles, reaching for the door handle.
“Well, I was just trying to be polite.”
Robbie shoves the door open and we come face to face with who I assume must be Robbie's mother. Her hair is bleach blonde and her eyes are more green than brown, but she has Robbie’s same golden skin tone and exactly the same formation of beauty marks across her face as him.
“My goodness!” she squeaks, clutching her chest.
“Oh, hi, Mom,” Robbie says.
“Robert, you could have rang the doorbell. I wasn’t prepared.”
Robbie glances back at me and I press my lips together to suppress the smug grin attempting to make its way onto my face. “Sorry, Mom,” he replies to her, standing up straight and stepping aside to make room for me to enter.
“Have I taught you no manners, my boy?” she asks him.
I let out a chuckle, assuming she’s taking a lighthearted jab at Robbie, but when her hazel eyes narrow on me, I realize she’s being entirely serious. I clear my throat, forcing my grin to fall.
Yikes. Is it hot in here all of a sudden?
“Sorry, Mom,” Robbie says. “I’ll try to remember next time.” I can sense she wants to push him further, probably insisting thattryingisn’t good enough if I had to guess, but she doesn’t. “Anyways,” he continues. “Mom, this is my girlfriend.” It’s been months of him saying that, but, for some reason, it still sends a shot of electricity down my spine. “Sara Beth Cooper.” I want to correct him, telling her to just call me Sara, but something makes me refrain. “This is my mom, Donna.”
“Robert, there you are.”
I glance up at the new voice, seeing Robbie’s dad stepping into the foyer.
“Well, Sara Beth,” Donna Summers says, “I have been very…intrigued to meet you.” She extends her hand to me, but not before she looks me up and down with a look on her face like someone would have as they examine the bottom of their shoe after stepping in something.
I take her slender hand in mine, shaking it, putting the sweetest smile on my face as Mr. Summers comes to stand behind his wife. “I’ve been very intrigued to meet you as well, Mrs. Summers. You know, you and Mr. Summers are a bit of Bay View legends.”
“Honored to know it,” Mr. Summers says, patting his wife’s shoulder. “Proud to keep it that way.” He smiles tightly, his gaze shifting over my shoulder. “Right, Robert?”
It’s a few seconds before Robbie answers, his voice low when he does. “Yes, sir.”
I can feel a thick air of tension forming between Robbie and his parents and, remembering the reason I’m here, try my best to diffuse it. “Well, you have a beautiful home. Thank you so much for letting me join you all today.”
Mrs. Summers blinks a few times before focusing on me again. “Yes, well, shall we head into the kitchen?” she asks. “The food should be just about ready to bring into the dining room.”
I look in Robbie’s direction, but his eyes are on the ceiling, his jaw tight.
“Sounds great, Mrs. Summers,” I say.
Robbie and I follow after his parents, weaving through their house that could fit probably six of mine inside of it, until we reach the kitchen. As we walk in, I immediately spot Robbie’s brother, Steven, recognizing him from the optometry office on the day ofthe incident.
He’s leaning against the kitchen counter with a glass of red wine in his hand, the collar of his white dress shirt popped straight up and the pink sweater tied around his neck perfectly ironed. It takes every ounce of me to not snort at how comically pretentious he looks. His head swivels in our direction, and the gleam he gets in his eyes when he sees me forces my gaze to shoot away.
My eyes end up landing on who I have to assume is Robbie’s older sister, Janet, and her husband. I think Robbie said his name was Will, but, considering the way neither one of them seems to plan on acting like I exist, I’m not sure that it’s that important I remember.
“Robert, aren’t you going to introduce Sara Beth to the rest of the family?” his father asks.
“Well, you kind of just did,” Robbie says. “And Steven’s already met her.”
Mr. Summers simply raises his eyebrows at Robbie, and the way it makes Robbie fold sends a wave of nausea through me.
