Page 84 of Steeling Her
Passing by the houses on our way, my dad points out some things that used to be there, reminiscing about the times when he went to college. He showed us where he took my mom on their first date when he finally had the courage to ask her and my granddad. “I have never, even to this day, never been so nervous to talk to your dad. But I respect that man, even with the threats he gave me over the years.” My dad rolls his eyes.
“He makes good on his threats.” My mom tilts her head towards him and smirks. A secret they are communicating through their eyes.
“Do you remember when we went to that party in that barn there, Austin?” Chris asks. Austin whips around and glares at him for opening his mouth. I bite my lip, trying to not laugh, but my dad saw that look in the mirror.
“Keep talking, Chris.” My dad stares at Austin through the mirror. I know he’s been busted with whatever he did, or whoever he did.
“Yeah, keep talking, Chris,” Austin remarks as he stares at his brother. My head is going back and forth like I’m watching a tennis match.
“On second thought, I actually think it was a dream . . .” Chris stares out the window, avoiding the eyes on him. He could never lie and my mom knows all to well when I see her watching her youngest boy.
“Umm, hmm, well . . . Chris, funny you should say that . . .” Both of my brothers eye up my parents out front, who are grinning like they know something we don’t. “Because that barn right there”—she points back at the old brown barn surrounded by hay stacks on the outside—“is where Austin was conceived.” All of us widen our eyes at that information, and I lost the control to keep my laugh in. I laugh so hard into my hand that I’m almost crying.
Austin groans beside me. “Ugh, Mom, not cool . . .” he moans, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Like father, like son,” Chris mumbles to the side, and Austin reaches across again to grab him by the throat. I can’t stop the laughter from escaping.
“I could say the same about you, Chris. I think I’d need a calculator to count how many girls you got with that night.” Austin smacks his cheek.
“And it all comes out now.” My dad laughs at the reaction they’re giving.
“Well, at least I didn’t ride a horse naked with the head cheerleader straddling you!” Chris snaps back, and the more they talk, the more the conversation gets weird. My mom is shocked at what they got up to when they were in college, judging by her gasps. Just as she’s about to interrupt them, my dad stops her wanting to hear more. Judging by the huge smile on his face, he’s loving this, and it makes him look like an angel.
“Yeah, because trying to ride a pig is sooo much better!” Austin rolls his eyes in my brother’s face.
“At least I had my clothes on, dipshit! You were off riding anything with long hair that night!” And I look at my dad shaking his head at his two sons. I press my lips, loving this moment; it makes me look normal.
“Pfft, like you weren’t—”
“That’s enough, you two!” my mom finally butts in, ruining the moment, and my dad frowns. As did I, I wanted to hear more. “You’re exactly like your father.” Then his face snaps to her while she giggles at him. He smiles at her and rests his hand on her thigh.
“I would sound like an angel compared to these two! Please—” My mom clears her throat, gaining his attention again.
“You remember what happened after Leroy’s bar?” Suddenly, his face stiffens, and he looks ahead again. He stays silent, not answering her, but his face says it all.
“Ooohoohooh! What happened after Leroy’s bar,Dad?” Chris emphasizes his name with a huge smile on his face. He leans forward to tickle my dad’s neck, trying to get him to answer the question, but the car comes to a stop. We look outside to see that we’ve arrived at my dorm building, the hustle and bustle of people walking around campus to go to their classes and whatnot.
“Remember what happened after Elise’s place, sweetheart?” My dad throws back to my mom, and her eyes widen with warning. I can see that she’s going to snap.
“Yeah . . . I’m not going to ask while she looks like that!” Chris pushes the door open because the mood suddenly changed. My dad winks at her and mouths, “Best night of my life.” Mom softens instantly like it was probably both the best and worst night they’ve had, but we all slip outside to give them a moment. Knowing they’re probably kissing right now, and none of us wants to see that. Chris pulls my case out of the trunk.
He wheels it behind me ,and I see the looks we’re getting. He pulls it up the steps with ease, and Austin wraps his arms round my shoulder when we reach the door, guiding me through. There are tons of people in the lobby downstairs, and my brothers curse under their breath. “This could take a while,” Austin mumbles but continues to walk to the elevator.
Squeals start to echo around the room as the girls claw their way to my brothers, who smile down at them politely.
“Can I get a selfie with you?” one girl begs my older brother, who agrees and takes a picture with every step he takes towards the elevator. Photo after photo, we make it to the steel transport system and shuffle in. Pressing the fourth floor, we hope there’s nobody out on the floor. Our wish came true when we see a blank hallway with closed doors.
My mom has the keys to open the door. Once she does, we hear Danielle wail while she watches what looks like “The Notebook” by herself. Startled, she pauses it and whips her face around to see who it is. Seeing that it’s me and my family, she covers her face in embarrassment.
“I-I . . . I’m just going to leave.” She stumbles to her feet and power walks to her room with her back to us. Slipping inside, she slams the door shut, red faced, and I can hear her cursing in her room. Then a thump, and another one, and another one. She’s probably punching the pillow in her room. She’s most likely embarrassed about the whole ordeal of us walking in on her romantic time with Ryan Gosling.
“Maybe I’ll check on her?” My mom squeezes my shoulder and walks in the direction Danielle left to. All of us walk inside, except for Chris. I don’t hear the wheels being rolled across the floor. I turn around to see him watching my mom.
“Chris?” He snaps out of his daze and I beckon him inside.
“Oh, sorry.” He pushes the bag through, and I send him a small smile. He lifts my bag up, making his muscles flex, and brings it inside my room. We’re all in my room, and my mom comes inside. Danielle is behind her with puffy eyes and red cheeks. I walk over to her and engulf my arms around her.
“You alright?” I whisper to her and she nods.
