Cheating Gods of Death (Sequel to L: Find A GirLfriend)

Dreaming

“Uh, she said her parents would be out at six, but I'm coming with Gabby around seven. Maybe show up a little after that- you'll probably find us.”

“Driving separate?”

“Yeah, is that alright?”

“Sure. See you then.”

After I hung up, Dad was still behind me, staring a hole through my forehead. His head was turned a generous ten degrees to the right.

“Shouldn't you ask your mother for permission to go to the party?”

Sometimes I forget how loud the phone is, even on the lowest volume. Grandma is a phone screecher.

“No, she'll be fine with it. Whatever-”

“I think you should ask her.”

“...”

He was looking at me quizzically, challenging me.

“Don't you have anything better to do?

Somehow, I forgot how weak he was, I knocked him flat over when I passed a little too closely. I continued to walk away.

“Is that how you show respect for your p-parental authorities?”

I whipped around to watch him struggle to pull himself up with a dining chair before walking right up into my face. He was actually shorter than me- I was 6”.5 tall compared to him at 5”10. Roughly 60-80 pounds of advantage also rested on my side.

“You're not allowed to go to that party.”

He was so direct with it that I just wanted to spit in his face. How he held what scant authority he had revolted me. The mouse had tempted the cat. But, dumbly we stood, having a stare down. Erica walked in, and collected a bag of goldfish before breaking us apart.

“What are you doing?”

We turned apart at the same time, fortunately, or another conflict might have risen quickly.

“Nothing.”

Dad collected himself and sat pounding away at the laptop again. I took up my phone and left him to work undisturbed.

I was still going to that party.

It was the classic thing you'd expect. A house with all of it's lights on, girls in tight pants, and stoners rolling blunts on car hoods. The house itself smelled like air freshener and cat, but harbored ample space for a good 35+ people on it's dirty-chinchilla carpets. Not a huge party, but enough to brag about. Yeah, I found Jared, lip locked with Gabby on a plaid loveseat. The rest of the people in the room were sipping from someone's flask and recalling Middle School crushes. I didn't choose to linger in there.

Somewhere in the halls, I felt someone's warm body bump completely against my back, and a feminine voice give a singsong apology. Turning around, it was none other than Audrey herself.

“Oh, hey! I didn't know you were coming.”

“Yeah, me neither, really. Uh, so how have you been?”

“Really good, actually. Do you know Chris Elliot?”

“Yeah?”

“We've been going out.”

“Oh, ah, cool.”

Awkward silence was my date.

“Listen, George-”

“What?”

“I said, listen. Uh, I'm sorry the way things happened.”

“It's really okay. I don't care. It couldn't really last anyway.”