Just What I Needed

May 25

"You can set some basic house rules. You have to realize that these are young men in university now – Nate is one of our youngest at 18 so of course, the team also has rules about curfew and behaviour and we enforce them quite strictly. Any issues, you report to us and we handle it within our team discipline," the unknown man continued. "He's already made the team cut so we'll have him move in here next week, to get settled in before the season starts."

"I'm sorry," I interjected at this point, walking into the living room. "Who is arriving where?"

"We'll talk about it later, Jordy," my dad replied.

"Talk about it later, dad?! TALK?! You're actually going to talk to me? I've been waiting two months to talk to you! And now all of a sudden, you're making some decision without me and you're going to talk to me about it later? Let's talk now, dad. Let's talk about house rules...because with your attentiveness to your online gambling, are you sure you can handle monitoring house rules?! Who the hell is Nate and where is he going to stay because he's sure as hell not staying in Nicky's room!"

"You watch your mouth!" my dad slammed his fist down on the living room table, causing us all to jump. Then turning back to the men at the table, "I apologize gentlemen. Things have been a little out of sorts since uh...well, you know."

I stormed back over to the kitchen sink and slammed my porcelain bowl in it forcefully enough that I'm sure it broke but I didn't take a second glance to see.

Out of sorts? This place has been a dead zone for weeks!

I had a heavy tightness in my chest. I wanted to throw things. I wanted to punch a hole in the wall. Instead, I ran down the hall to Nicky's room, flopped on the bed and screamed into his pillows.

****

I awoke to the sound of the front door closing followed by the constant dinging of my phone from down the hall.

Crawling out of Nicky's bed, I groggily hobbled back to my room and picked my phone up from the nightstand.

Kari: Rise and shine bitches!

Holly: STFU

Well. I guess I was back in the group chats.

Kari: Do you know what day it is?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Holly: Of course I do loser, meet you there at 1

Kari: Jordy, you coming?

Holly: I can pick you up on the way Jordy

Holly: Jordy?

Holly: Jordy? I'm out front are you coming?

Kari: WTF is going on?

Holly: I don't know. No one is at Jordy's house.

Kari: She probs forgot. Get the F over here. You're gonna be late.

I looked at the time.

12:55 pm.

I had slept away the whole morning.

I did not have the energy for this but if I was awake, I didn't want to be in this house. I took a quick shower, threw on my running tights and a fresh tank and hobbled out the door at quarter after one.

The coolness of the morning air had evaporated and the afternoon humidity was sinking heavy over the town. I could feel the beads of sweat forming on my forehead after only a few steps down the road. By the time I got to the school, sweat was not just beading but full-on dripping off my face and I had sweat marks around my boobs and I could feel it rolling down my back in steady drops.