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44

(Note - The beginning of this chapter picks up right where we left off last time in Blake's memories: the dream he was having in chapter 42 before it turned into a nightmare. Go take a quick glance at it if you don't remember!)

Enjoy!

-

"But Drew, doesn't ice cream right now sound way better than homework?!" Bella laughs as I finally release her from my tickling grasp.

I sigh, glancing down at the papers in front of me and back up at her pleading face. 

"It's not homework silly, it's for my test in the morning. And I'm not legally allowed to be on the road yet by myself, you know that," I tell her softly.

It's my birthday tomorrow, I'll finally be 16 and Dad agreed to bring me to the DMV first thing in the morning to test for my license. 

I'm happy there is no football on TV during the spring or else I'd have to wait until the season ends for him to take me.

I already passed the written test yesterday, so now all that's left is the actual road test. I've been driving since I was 14, so I know it will be a piece of cake. 

"But you won't be by yourself, you'll be with me!" Bella smiles. "Mom and Dad never pay attention when you drive us around anyway."

She is technically right, they really don't pay much attention. My father is either watching a football game on his phone in the passenger seat or my mother is on a work call. 

Our parents have been gone all day at some medical conference, but by now, Bella and I are used to them never being around. When they do manage to be home, Dad's usually planted in the living room, eyes glued to the TV watching football, while Mom goes straight to her room, exhausted from her crazy work hours.

During their rare shared days off, they usually opt for fancy dinners or catching a movie together, leaving me in charge of looking after Bella. 

As they're both surgeons, they're frequently on call, causing them to miss numerous birthday parties, school events, and award ceremonies. 

I think Bella still hasn't forgiven Mom for missing her birthday party a few months ago, she got called into the trauma unit at work before Bella even blew out the candles. 

I wouldn't exactly call them neglectful, but they definitely aren't the most nurturing parents in the world.  

My mom used to be much warmer until she landed a major promotion a few years after Bella was born. Since then, work has taken priority in her life. 

Work takes the most priority in my father's life too, but the second he leaves the barriers of the operating room, it is all about football for him.  

For as long as I can remember, Dad has introduced me to people as a future NFL star, constantly putting suffocating amounts of pressure on my shoulders. 

 Apparently, he had a promising football career in college until a devastating knee injury halted his dreams, leading him to pursue medical school instead, where he met my mom.

Most of the time, it feels like Dad is trying to live vicariously through me, desperately clinging to the remnants of his shattered football dreams. 

Don't get me wrong, I do love the game, but it's the overwhelming sense of pressure and hardly ever having any choices in my life that bothers me. 

My dad's expectations make me feel like all my worth is solely defined by my ability to throw a ball and navigate the field, as if football is the only thing I have to offer to the world.