Strings Attached

Chapter Three

"How was your day at school, Theo? Did you make any friends?" asked Mom as soon as Theodore and I entered the house.

"It was great," Theodore said. "I still have not made any friends, but I am hoping I will soon."

I rolled my eyes. Perhaps he would befriend shallow cheerleaders. Maybe he would even date one, and then make fun of me with her. Maybe they would judge me or something. That would probably be something Theodore would be glad to do.

The ride home was silent. Theodore drove, and I simply stared out the window. Every now and then, he would sigh, probably expecting me to make conversation or apologize for having yelled at him.

I did not want to apologize. I still did not even want to think about his being right. My stupid pride did not allow me to tell him that I was sorry for having behaved like a bitch, but I behaved so much like one lately that I wondered if that was what I was: a bitch.

"I'm glad, Theo," said Mom. "Are you hungry?"

Theodore shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm good," he said.

"Are you sure?" she asked, raising one of her eyebrows. "You need energy to work."

"Work?" I asked.

My mom nodded. "Theo works at the library, Tina," she said.

"Oh, does he?" I asked, turning to see Theodore, who simply blushed.

"I needed the money," he said.

"I told him it was fine if he wanted to quit and focus on school," said Mom. "But he insisted on keeping his job."

"I need to contribute to the house's expenses," he said.

"Oh, stop it," said Mom. "We are glad to have you here. You do not need to give us anything."

I was still a little bit mad at Theodore, but I admired him for being responsible and independent. I had refused to acquire a job, claiming that I needed to focus on school, but Theodore worked without complaining, and he even managed to focus on school. At least that was what I had seen during calculus.

"Um," I turned to see him and cleared my throat. "That is very responsible of you. I would gladly take you to the library and bring you back, if you wish."

"Really?" His eyes lit up.

"Yeah." I tried to sound casual, but it was too late now. He would know that at least a little bit part of me did want to help him.

"That would be nice," he said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said. "But let's eat first. I'm starving."

My mom smiled. "I'll go change so that I can eat with you, guys. These clothes are not adequate for eating what I prepared."

"What did you cook?" I asked.

"Chicken parmesan," she said, smiling.

Chicken parmesan was one of my favorites, and I smiled because my mom was obviously trying to get me to forgive her for not telling me about Theodore's coming before.

It worked. Every bit of anger that I felt left the moment I smelled the melted cheese and the tomato sauce.

What can I say? Food has always been my weakness.

"I'll be right back," said Mom as she left the room with a big smile on her face.

Theodore turned to see me and sighed. "I'm sorry, Christina," he said.

I noticed that, for the first time since he arrived, he called me 'Christina,' and I highly appreciated it. Perhaps he finally understood that being called 'Chris' bothered me. I tried to give him credit for that. He was trying, and that made me want to try, too.