Behind the Eight Ball

Chapter 74 - The Process of Being In Love

"Look, kid, it's pretty obvious you don't belong here. You got someone on the outside getting you out?"

I nodded my head yes. "What are you going to do about that girl of yours?"

"I can't do anything until her Dad lifts the order."

"You think he'll do it?"

"I don't know." I'm frustrated as hell. He's right I don't belong here. None of this should have happened the way that it did, it's all wrong. "He said he would. I can only hope he does. I don't want her going through what she's has to deal with alone."

"She don't got family?"

"She does. Her Dad, but he's been out of the picture for a long time. Her mom died of cancer years ago and her grandmother is currently in the hospital, which is why she's with her dad. It was her grandmother that raised her."

"She sounds like a handful, you look like a bright kid. You sure you want to take on all that baggage. He's not wrong you know." Mean Dude points back to Wall Guy. "Not all women are worth the trouble."

"She is," I said without hesitation. "I'll figure it out somehow. I have too."

Someone calls my name. "Nash!"

"I'm over here!" I wave my arm through the bar. The cop walks over and opens up the cell.

"Your father is here. He's paid the fine so you're free to go."

"Uh... where do I go from here?"

"Follow me."

"Hey Tux?!" Mean Dude yells out as I'm being led away. "Good luck, with that girl."

"He'll need it." I hear from the darkened corner of the cell along with an ominous chuckle.

I get my stuff back and a paper telling me of a hearing I now need to attend. Great!

I see my dad and he instantly hugs me. This is so unmanly but I don't care, I hug him back. "Let's get you home, kiddo."

My dad didn't talk much to me on the way home. I'm figuring he was doing me the favor of not having to repeat myself twice knowing Mom would want to know everything too.

I must have dozed off because I woke up from a gentle shake of my shoulder and had to wipe the drool from my cheek. "We're home, kiddo."

I get out of the car and my mom is in the kitchen waiting for us, baking cookies. Stress baking ... gotta love it. She runs to me and hugs me so tight I thought she might crack a rib.

"I'm fine, Mom. Honest!" I tell her prying her away from me. She grabs hold of my face. She looks into my eyes trying it would seem to discern the truth of my words.

She lets out a long slow sigh. "I hate this! I hate all of this!"

"I know and I'm sorry." She ushers me over to the kitchen table with a wave of her arm and I sit down and she puts a plate full of cookies in front of me and steals one for herself. That's how I know things are bad. My mom has been pushed over the edge and her resolve has been shaken and I can't help but feel guilty knowing I'm the cause. 

"How did you know, Brynn was even in trouble?" my Dad asks taking a cookie and going to the refrigerator to pull out some milk. He pours each of us a glass and rejoins us at the table.

I'm exhausted but know I need to go through this one more time. "Adam called me at the prom. Brynn called him to say goodbye and he thought it meant she was going to try and kill herself."

"Oh, Finn!" My mom said taking my hand, empathizing with what that must have done to my brain.

"Yeah, I was pretty scared." That was putting it mildly. "Adam met me at the prom and gave me his car to go look for her."

"What about Paris?" my Dad asked.

Shame filled me. "I left her, without explanation, she has every reason to hate me. I can only hope Adam was able to explain. Which reminds me. Could you go with me to collect Adam's car tomorrow? It's parked at the school."

"The school?" My mom said surprised.

"Yeah, that's where I found her. I tried to think of all the places she may have gone that meant something to her. Knowing how hard it was for her to leave Lenape it seemed a logical choice."

"So you found her and convinced her to come back home."

"Yeah. Then I'd seen the texts from you guys and figured there's no sense to it. I should just bring her to him. Brynn, of course, was against the idea."

"Can't you see why? She was trying to avoid what happened. She knows her father can be unpredictable, to say the least."

"Speaking of unpredictable, did he say when he might try to remove that order?" 

"Greg told me that he'd go with Brynn first thing in the morning. I do believe he'll do it, Finn. I think he realized what a mistake he made. What a mistake we all made letting this carry on for so long. We should have buried this feud years ago. Instead, I missed out on my best friend and celebrating her life her, and he missed on his daughter and almost missed out on the rest of her life, because of it."

I run my fingers through my hair, not even the sugar from the cookie I devoured could perk me up. I sigh. "I know these things take time, but I really hope this is over soon because Brynn's going through a lot right now, and it's going to kill me not to be able to be there for her."

"We figured out a way around that."

"What?!" Stunned, I couldn't imagine how they could.

"I gave Brynn my phone to use. She can call you whenever she wants, text, facetime. I told her she can give it back to me once the order is released."

Tears spring to my eyes and I reach over the table to hug her. "Thank you so much, Mom!"

My mom giggles slightly. "You're welcome."

"It's been a long night, kiddo. Why don't you get showered up and get some sleep?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." I paused a moment. I had to say it. "I love you, both..." I get choked up as I stood, the strain of everything that happened and could have happened hit me all at once and crumble like one of my mom's cookies. My parents huddled around me.  

"Same here," my dad said and my mom just smiled and nodded with tear-filled eyes.

I really did get lucky in the parent pool, I don't know why or how it happened. I just know I'm grateful. I showered and collapsed into bed in my boxers unable to move another muscle. I turn my phone on and place it in the charger and it dings with a text message.

I pick it up and it was from Brynn, sent hours ago.

- Please be okay. I love you! – I read it was too late to send a text back but I did anyway.

- I'm home. I'm fine and I love you more than ever. Sweet dreams!

I didn't know what tomorrow might hold in store for us, but I was just happy to have a tomorrow to care about.