Borderline [On hold for major revision]

Chapter 16: The First Inning

Chapter 16

 Fifteen minutes later I was home, but Ryan and Ben still hadn’t shown up yet. I took the opportunity to try and finish cleaning everything I could, but didn’t even have the chance to get a paper towel before the doorbell rang. I grabbed the plastic bag with the item I’d purchased earlier and ran to the front door. I quickly pulled it open, holding the bag in one hand behind my back. At first I was surprised; I barely recognized the two people standing in front of me. I automatically went into the expected overly-enthusiastic-relative mode.

            “Hey, guys!” I exclaimed. “Whoa, Ben, you got old! And look at you, Ryan. You got even more o—”

            “Don’t say it.”

            I paused. “I was just going to say…okay.”

            He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “I’m even more okay? What does that even mean?”

            The tension level of the room suddenly went shooting up. “Um…you know…What was the question again?”

            He stood there glaring at me for a second, but then his eyes softened and his mouth formed itself into a huge smile. “I’m just messin’ with you, bro. Good to see ya!” He stepped forward and grabbed me into a huge bear hug. He even managed to lift me a few inches off the ground, which is surprising considering I was almost three inches taller than him.

            “Okay, okay, no need to kill me,” I gasped, trying me best to suck up as much oxygen as I could manage.

            “Sorry.” He set me down and stepped back.

            I looked warily at Ben. “You’re not going to do that too, are you?”

            “Nah, I’m cool, thanks.”

            “Good, good.” I stood there awkwardly for a second before I realized that I hadn’t invited them in. I stepped out of the way and held the door open. “Sorry, come on in.”

            Ryan walked in first, followed by his son. Before Bed completely entered the living room, he stopped in front of me. “Did you get it?” he whispered.

            I smiled and moved my hand out from behind by back to display the bag with the store logo on it. “Brand new.”

            “Awesome! You’re the coolest uncle ever.”

            “Yeah, but you still owe me sixty bucks.”

            “Subtract it from my birthday money.”

            I thought about it, and then agreed. We shook hands to seal the deal. It wasn’t until five seconds later that I realized that I only send him twenty bucks for his birthday. “Hey!”

            “Too late,” he said, “you already shook on it.”

            Turns out he’s a regular teenager after all, I decided.

            We all gathered in the living room and took seats. Just then the doorbell rang again.

            “Oh, I forgot to mention that I’m having a friend from work come over. Is that alright with you guys?”

            “Well he’s already at the front door,” Ryan said, “We can hardly say no now.”

            “Ignore him,” Ben said. “He’s been acting crankier than a rattlesnake on a glacier last couple weeks.”