My Dad's Best Friend

Chapter 3

We all sit around a large dinner table in silence. The only thing you can hear is forks hitting plates.
Everyone at the table is sitting perfectly straight, besides me, of course.
Debbie coughs and begins to speak, "So, Jade, I was thinking we could go to the beach later this week."
"I don't have a swimsuit." I snap, automatically feeling everyone's eyes on me.
"Well, Your dad and I have work tomorrow but we can buy you one before we go along with anything else that you need." She politely smiles.
"I can take her whilst you guys are at work if that helps you out... And if that's okay with you, Jade."
"Okay." I smile.
I stay quite while Debbie and my father talk about work and Grant chimes in about football, which is actually soccer. Grant is only fourteen and almost taller than me, everyone here seems so tall. Yet again, I am barely over five feet tall.
We all finished eating and Debbie takes my plate. I get up from the table to go back to my room before Luke lightly grabs my arm.
"Do you want to run out to get icecream with me and Grant? It's kind of a nightly ritual." He laughs.
I surprise myself and everyone when I nod my head, 'yes'.
•
Grant sits in front while Luke drives, which leaves me to sit in the back.
"So, Grant, what grade are you in?" I ask, trying to break the silence.
"Year eight." He quickly says. If I'm going to be living here I want to at least get along with one person.
"I have no idea what that is, in America we-"
"Do everything weird." Luke interrupts me and Grant laughs.
"Hey! That's not true." I smile and lightly smack Lukes arm.
"Yes it is." He whispers to Grant.
•
We get our icecream and pull over in the parking lot to eat it.
"Why do you live with my dad?" I ask, simply out of curiosity.
Grant is on his phone playing some game, barely paying attention to anything besides the little device.
"Let's just say things didn't work out with me and my girlfriend. She kicked me out of my own house."
"Damn, that sucks." I state the obvious.
"Yes, Jade, it does suck." He snaps but laughs. "But, I mean, it's not that bad. I'm a free man, as one would say." He half smiles, obviously upset but trying to cover it up.
I take my icecream cone and smash it into Lukes face, he gasps but quickly recovers.
"You're going to pay for that!" He yells and I giggle.
Before I know it, Luke, Grant and myself are covered in icecream.