Something There

Chapter Thirty-Three

A mug of coffee is slid in front of me, no milk or sugar added, just as I like it. I then catch how my dad is staring at me, taking a glimpse at my phone screen.

"Your girl likes Christmas, huh? Guess you've got to change your attitude," he teases, ruffling my hair before heading back over to the stove.

"She's not my girl," I snap at him, and he grins at me, finding my reaction hilarious.

"I'm sure she'd like to be, but from what you've told me, it sounds like you're a total ass to her," he says, grabbing a carton of eggs from the refrigerator.

I stare blankly at him, having to bite down on the inside of my cheek to avoid saying something rude before I think clearly about it.

"Exactly. I'm a fucking asshole to her so I should probably just leave her alone," I eventually huff, and he raises his eyebrows at me.

Drumming his fingers against the countertop, he tells me, "Then make a change. I want to see my son happy, and that girl seems to be the only one who's capable making that happen after everything that's gone on recently."

I take a sip of my coffee, enjoying the way that the scorching liquid burns my tongue, swallowing it before setting the mug down again.

He keeps watching me, and I have to give him the middle finger to make him look away.

"The truth hurts, Bryce. Deal with it," he tells me, cracking a few eggs into a pan on the stove.

I glare at him like the immature child I am, and he chuckles, completely ignoring me.

We eat our breakfast quickly and in silence, and I get up to do the dishes before my dad even gets the chance. He's probably exhausted from his overnight flight, and I'm surprised that he hasn't fallen asleep in his seat yet.

It's just as I'm placing the last knife in the dishwasher that my phone goes off from where it's resting on the counter, and my dad is quick to check the caller ID.

"Really? You have her name as 'Blossom' in your phone?" he asks me, sliding my phone across the table towards me.

I slide the bottom tray of the dishwasher shut before quickly closing the door, grabbing the phone and accepting the call.

"Hi, darling. How are you?" I ask right away, and my dad nearly chokes on his coffee.

I ball up a dirty napkin that was laying around on the counter, tossing it in his face. He catches it, laughing at me as he walks over to throw it in the garbage can.

To both my surprise and distaste, instead of Blossom's voice, I hear the obnoxious high-pitched voice of one of her awful cousins.

"Hey Bryce! Merry Christmas! How's your day so far?" one of them asks, probably the one who was practically sitting in my lap when I was over.

I've hung around a lot of girls that acted like she did around me, but then again, they weren't far too young for me like she is.

When my dad sees my annoyed expression, he cocks his head to the side, and I give him a shake of my own head, promising to explain after.

"Why do you have Lexi's phone?" I ask the girl, walking around the island and into the back living room.

I take a seat on the couch, kicking my feet up on the coffee table.

Blossom would definitely tell me off for it.

She chuckles, and I let out a huff.

"I wanted to talk to you!" she says, and I have to take a deep breath to keep my damn cool.