The Deep Way Down *Completed*

Time Flies By

chapter five: time flies by
Tyler Curtis

Waiting for Anna to come home from detention was the most riveting event. To sit down on the couch and watch whatever I wanted on tv for the next hour. So when I heard knocking on the door, I immediately assumed Anna was already home.

So when I opened the door, I wasn't faced with my sister. Instead, it was a man no taller than me with a balding head and the same hazel eyes as my sister Anna.

"Hi son."

"Why are you here?" The thought of my dad coming back had always crossed my mind. But I never thought about the moment when he actually returns.

"I decided to come back home." He kept a smile on his face when he talked to me. I'm not sure if I was smiling or not because I'm still deciding how I felt about this.

"I'm sure you being home will resolve a few things but you don't live here anymore."

"We'll discuss more when your mother gets back." I stared at him before shrugging and finding my place back on the couch.

"So," he was obviously trying to keep a conversation going. Now that I think about it, I don't remember a time where I never had just 'small talk' with my Dad. "How old are you? Like 11? 12?"

"14." I flipped through all the channels trying to drown out all the thoughts racing through my head. Why did he decided to suddenly walk back into our lives?

A chuckle escaped his lips, "I've been gone for awhile, huh?"

"If you think five years is a long time, then yeah. It's been ages." He started to run his fingers through what little hair he had on his balding head. The door swung open and Anna looked worried, but her face softened into a smile when she saw Dad and I on the couch. She closed the door and scurried up the stairs. Didn't the sudden appearance of our father faze her at all?

"So, is there any girls you like?"

"Yeah, one. Her name's Catherine but I call her Cat. I've liked her for awhile but I doubt she notices."

"I think she does," I looked over at him and we stared at each other, "you're pretty easy to read, Tyler."

The front door opened again for the second time today and it was mom with a holding a bottle in a brown bag. My dad hoped to his feet and pulled her in his arms before she toppled over. In that moment, she grabbed his arms and they both stared at each other. Mom whispered dad's name before hugging him and crying into his chest.

He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "It's okay sweetie. I'm here. I'm staying. I won't leave again."

"What's going on?" Anna walked down stairs and Dad released Mom but still kept an arm around her.

"I'm staying," Anna's face lit up and so did Mom's, "for good this time." He kissed Mom's forehead. I was happy to learn that I can finally have a dad in my life again, even though my butt is still firmly stationed on this couch.

Anna Curtis

I spent all fourth period running my tongue over my teeth and fixating over the fact that the board said 'Thursday' instead of 'Friday'. I was weirded out by the smooth feeling from the absence of tiny brackets on my teeth. Now I won't have little remnants of last night's dinner stuck in my braces the morning after. I could get used to not having these braces on anymore.

The day felt shorter than normal and in no time, I was walking the hall to detention. Gabe pushed passed me as he walked into the room. I pushed my glasses higher up my nose, trying to find a seat in the room filled with delinquents. Unfortunately, with my luck, the only available seat was next to Gabe Morales. He stroked the desk top next to him and winked.

Why.

I saw a boy staring at me as I walked to my seat. The moment we made eye contact, I quickly walked to my desk and sat down. He looked vaguely familiar but I didn't get a good enough look.

"Welcome to the real detention, sweet cheeks." I stared at him as he pulled a string on gum from his mouth and stuck it in the hair of the girl in front of him.

I shook my head as I muttered, "You're so evil."

"Who? Me?" Gabe pointed a finger at himself.

I tried to avoid eye contact when I looked at him, so I stared at his nose. "Yes, you."

"What happened to your teeth?" He said changing the subject. He tried putting his hand towards my mouth but I swatted his hand away.

"Nothing." I sat on the farthest edge of the chair away from Gabe. I pulled my hood over my head and placed my head down on the desk. Even then, I could still feel the stares of Gabe and the guy I made eye contact with earlier.

p: 9.8.13 @ 21:10
e: 3.31.15 @ 00:19
editor: masked4