Page 109 of Steeling Her
“Hi, honey.” My mom smiles back to her husband of many years, feeling his wandering hands, and I try hold back from vomiting. “Seriously though, Nick, what is with the two of you? You’re both fighting like cats and dogs,” my mom asks directly to me. Knowing why we’re both at each other’s throats, today being no exception, I simply shrug my shoulders. I don’t want to go there. “Nicholas! Tell me right now or so help me God, I will murder the both of you.” She glowers at me, and I can’t help but sigh at her dramatics.Now I know where Haley gets it from.
“Haley and TJ have been getting together behind my back.” I try to act nonchalant but it makes my blood boil just thinking about it.
“Define ‘getting together’.” My dad’s interest has gone up by one hundred percent. It’s always like that when Haley gets involved with a guy. My dad is worse than I am when it comes to my sister dating anyone.
“We’re dating, Dad.” She comes in with a bowl of popcorn in her hand. TJ always comes over to see us on Christmas day for a movie and popcorn. He’s like a second son to my parents, but now, it’s going to be awkward.
“For how long? And why am I only being told this now?” he asks, grinding his teeth and making Ellie stir on me.
“Finally!” my mom squeals, running over to her daughter for her famous embrace.
“What?” my dad and I say simultaneously.She knew about it?Then it comes flooding back to me when TJ asked me to talk to my mom about it because she could see it from day one with the two of them.
“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me I was the only one who saw the way he acted around her when y’all were growing up together?” my mom mumbles into Haley’s shoulder, effectively making Haley scowl over to me. I hide my hand from my dad and show her the finger just to piss her off.
“Well, I’m glad it’s him and not any other punk around here.” He sighs and averts his attention back to the large screen on the wall.
“Am I the ONLY one here who thinks this is messed up?” I bark at them all for supporting her on this.Fuck that! I’m not backing down from this.Ellie stirs once again.
He chose her over our friendship, snaking around behind my back to get into my sister’s pants. She’s pissed because I like her roommate, what a fucking hypocrite.
“You can’t talk!” She snarls back at me and I sit up to challenge her.
Hit me with it, sis, I fucking dare you.
“Okay, now I’m completely lost with this.” My mom’s hands shoot up in surrender, dividing her attention between the both of us while we glare at one another.
We get interrupted by the doorbell. Knowing it’s TJ, Haley rises to her feet but my mom pushes her back onto the padding. “You two aren’t going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on! George, get the door!” My mom doesn’t even bother look away as my dad gets up from his seat to welcome Haley’s new boyfriend into his second home. We can all hear the greeting from both of them as they stroll into the room where there is so much tension filling it.
“Hey, Linn.” TJ meanders through his obstacles to get to my sister. Once he does, he leans down to kiss her on the lips. I scoff when see that shit. I don’t even have Carter here to calm me down.
“Hi, sweetie! How was your day?” My mom changes her tone into a more approachable one to her daughter’sboyfriend,but fling on his end. She’s grinning like a Cheshire cat right now, and it’s seriously creeping me out.
“It was fine. Couldn’t wait to leave the house though. I’ve got too many people there right now . . .” Silence fills the room, and he starts putting two and two together. I can’t even look at his stupid ass. “Should I come back later?” he queries. My mom races to defense mode but Haley got there first.
“No, no, TJ, you’re welcome in our home, you know that. Right, Nick? Tell him he’s welcome in our home.” Haley pushes me over the edge and I crack. I glare back at my annoying little sister, and I’m not talking about Ellie; she’s more mature than Haley.
“You’re not welcome in our home, TJ. Fuck off.” I state calmly but get a smack on the back of my head from my mom and a pillow to the face by my sister.
“That’s it! Everyone in the kitchen! NOW! Except for my little peach here. Honey, you stay asleep on the sofa,” she coos Ellie and takes her from me so I can stand up and walk to the kitchen. With a kiss from our mom, she falls back to sleep on the sofa alone.
Everyone follows me out and I stand with my back leaning against the counter, my dad making his way around to me to stand next to me. Trying to make me cower for using language like that in his own home. The door to the living room closes shut and my mom saunters over to the counter where I’m at. “So, come on? What is going on with you?” She pushes, but I don’t look up from my feet. “Nick, answer me.” she sounds more irritated than the last time. “Nick—” She gets interrupted by my big mouth sister.
“He wants to bang my roommate.” My eyes snap up to her and start making my way over to her to tell her she’s wrong—all wrong. But TJ decides to step in and block me off.
“Move, TJ.” I get close to his face but my dad pulls me back to stop myself from being riled up even more, dragging me away by my shoulder. “You think that you’re the only one allowed to like someone, Haley? Is that right? Nobody else can have the opportunity to take someone out?” I smirk back because the look on her face tells me that she’s been thinking about this entire thing, this thing between me and Carter.
“You asked her out?” TJ sounds astonished.
“You asked a girl out?” my dad roars over at me.Why is he so mad?
“You asked her out!” My mom bounces up and down, excited that I finally had the balls to ask a girl out on an actual date without regretting it. Not even for a second would I regret it. I press my teeth together at how excited my mom is. Even TJ is smiling. The only two sour pusses in the room are Haley and my dad. I know the reason behind Haley, but I don’t know why my dad is so unhappy.
“AND, because of you, I’ve lost a friend! AGAIN!” Haley bellows at me, balling her small hands into fists. It’s almost comical.
“You chose to walk away from her, you idiot. Your fucking loss!” Again, I get smacked on the back of my head, but this time by my dad. His eyes are warning me to watch my language around ladies. I rub it, trying to get that sting out.
“I didn’t have a choice, Nick! I’m not picking her up when you decide to move on to another girl! I’m not going through that routine of her never wanting to see or talk to me again because you decided you’re bored of her!” Haley grinds her teeth almost down to her molars. She really takes after my dad when she’s angry. Her right finger points at me and then pokes the air after every point she makes, like my dad.
