Fate Reloaded

Fate Reloaded--Part II, Chapter Three

Chapter Three

            The next morning, Jordana woke up far earlier than she usually did—especially for a Saturday morning. Usually, she wouldn’t even crawl from her hibernation chamber (otherwise known as her room) until well after noon. But that morning it was as if she couldn’t possibly sleep any longer and found herself wandering downstairs at the early (for her) time of 9 am.

            Jordana’s parents were outwardly startled as she shuffled into the kitchen, still in her PJs and sporting her favorite pair of fuzzy pink slippers. She’d tied her long dark hair up into a messy bun and hadn’t even bothered to brush her teeth yet.

            “Quick, honey!” her dad exclaimed dramatically to Jordana’s mom. “Check outside for flying pigs!”

            “Huh?” Jordana asked as she yawned and collapsed into a nearby chair.

            “I just figured that pigs must be flying, if your lazy butt is up this early,” The Judge said, chuckling at his own joke.

            Jordana glanced at her mom in silence and rolled her eyes.

            “He’s your dad,” her mom said.

            “You married him,” Jordana retorted jokingly.

            “Seriously though, Jordana,” her dad continued as if he hadn’t heard them. “What are you doing up so early? And on the weekend?”

            Jordana grabbed a whole-wheat bagel and some non-fat cream cheese. As she spread the goop on what was going to be her breakfast, she shrugged her shoulders at her dad’s question.

            “I don’t know,” Jordana answered, her voice still a little hoarse from sleep. “Couldn’t sleep, I guess.”

            “Well, I think it’s great that you’re getting a jump-start on the day,” Jordana’s mom chimed in cheerfully. “Maybe we could even spend the whole day together. Just the three of us.”

            Jordana took a bite of her bagel and talked with her mouth full. “I can’t. Got plans,” she answered as she chomped.

            “Oh,” her mom said, instantly looking deflated.

            “What are your plans for the day?” The Judge asked, his inner dad-radar turning on full blast.

            “I don’t really know,” Jordana answered. She tried to make her voice sound way less excited than she felt. “You know how I went to the diner last night? Well, I met this guy there and…”

            “So that’s why you’re up so early!” her dad exclaimed, as if he’d just solved the mystery of the century. “I knew there had to be a reason. Wait—You met a boy? Who is he? How old is he? What time did you get home last night?”

            “Whoa, Dad. Can you hold off on the third degree until after I’ve had my first cup of coffee?”

            Jordana got up and moved easily across the kitchen and poured herself a cup of the already brewed brown liquid. She slipped a little sugar and a smidge of milk in her mug and then walked back over to her seat at the table.

            “Like I was saying,” Jordana said after taking a sip of her coffee. “Since you guys wouldn’t let me go to the movies with my friends, I went over to the diner instead. I met this guy named Ben and we hit it off.”