Last night felt like a dream. St. Peter's began to turn on each other after we got the two point conversion. The blame rolling off of them as they tried to regain control was the advantage we needed for the last two quarters. It was hard enough keeping them from scoring another touchdown. In the end, we had the drive to score two more times. We had taken down the undefeated, and we were on our way to the state championship.
There would be another bye week because of Thanksgiving. Coach Gilly referred to it as time to reflect and recuperate before we went head to head again. He had given us recommendations of how to spend the weekend. Very strong recommendations. Such as not joining any pick up games, or getting too carried away at the delicious feasts that were inevitable given the holiday.
Lucas had gotten a call from our father last night telling him congratulations for the win. No mention of passing it along to me and my efforts. I was included when he invited my brother to breakfast this morning. A day of sleeping in and lounging around the Russel's house was going to be wasted on another Lester show down. The envy I had for Finn, who was happily sleeping in my bed, was on a whole new level as I left him with a kiss on the cheek.
"You ready," Lucas asked as I came down the stairs. I made a face and my brother muffled a laugh. We were half way to his truck when he gave me the first warning to be on my best behavior.
"Any clue why they bothered summoning us at all," I mumbled from the passenger seat.
"I'm sure it had something to do with your attitude."
"That was weeks ago."
"So it took some time for their heads to stop spinning. Give them a break."
"You're not the one who had to escape from being reprogrammed. They threatened me, Luke, and put me under house arrest."
"I know, and I feel bad. Maybe this is their way of fixing things?"
"Mom is a few years too late."
The truck slowed as it pulled over to the curb to park. I stared at the house mocking me. The sun coming up painted the blue ranch house in a heavenly glow that should have set the damn place on fire. There was nothing about that place that deserved the warmth it was receiving. All the happiness that filled its rooms had been replaced with tension. The laughter and cheer silenced by the constant bickering.
"Please tell me we aren't actually going in there."
"It'll be an hour then we're done. You can get right back to your man."
"Is that jealousy I hear?" His brows furrowed as he got out of the truck. The door slammed as I slipped out after him. I patted his back then snaked my arm through his to pull him to a stop. "I don't want to do this, Luke. Can't we go to Dillon's instead? My treat."
"You're going to go in there, be pleasant and hear what they have to say."
"They have nothing to say to me, Lucas. It's all about you, and honestly I'm good with that." He cupped my face and lowered himself to stare me in the eye.
"You know that I'm a firm believer that if anyone makes you feel less than important, that they aren't worth your time. This is the one time I'm going to tell you to forget about it. Give these guys an hour and then you can write them off. Alright?"
"I can't write them off after this little family breakfast. Remember that little card they keep playing. I'm a minor and get no say."
"I'm working on that, but you have to give me some time."
"Working on what?"
The door opened, interrupting whatever his brilliant plan he had been working on. The woman at the door smiled at us before sweeping her arm for us to enter. Lucas looked down at me with a reassuring smirk before letting me go to brush past her. Taking a deep breath, I stopped myself from running and pushed forward. I'd give them their hour and not a minute more.
**~~**
"The food was really good, Mom," Lucas spoke as he set his fork on the empty plate.
"Thank you." She gave a soft smile before looking at me and my still full plate.
"Real good," I spat out, following my brother's polite lead.
"How would you know if you haven't eaten a bite," my father grumbled, wiping his mouth with a papertowel.
"Dad," Lucas groaned as the woman softly whispered my father's name.
"I'm just curious how she would know."
"You're right," I snapped, shoving the plate away from me. The fork landed on the table as I dropped it to cross my arms. "I wouldn't because I'm not hungry. I'm tired and sore and just want to go home."
"Home?" My father's face reddened. His finger jabbed at the table as he growled out the words Lucas and I were holding our breathes for. "This is your damn home. This place right here is where you grew up and where you should be living. That other place is a slap in the face to your mother and I."
"Aren't you tired of this same fight," Lucas asked, tapping my leg under the table. "We obviously know that this is our childhood home. That won't change, but this situation isn't good for anyone. Laine was right. We've been taking care of ourselves for a while now. I'm not laying blame. That's not what I'm trying to do. I just think that maybe we can find a middle ground with all of this. One where we all win."
"And what would that look like," my father asked. He laced his fingers together to hide the lower half of his face. "From your experienced, all knowing eighteen year old mind. What would a happy middle ground be for you, your sister and this family?"
"I'll defer a year and get my own place around here. Laine can stay with me to finish out her senior year."
"Excuse me?" The weathered face darted between my own stunned face to my brother's serious one.
"I've been looking into some things. All I need is a few signatures from the two of you and I can become Blaine's guardian. Now, I know what that would mean and how that will impact us as a family. It just seems to be the lesser of all evils here."
"You expect me to just sign away my rights as a parent? Who the hell do you think you are?" Our father was on his feet, fists clenched at his side as he stared down my brother. "Was living under this roof such a horrible experience? Were you neglected at some point? Was I that bad of a father?"
"Negle-" the snarl was cut off as my brother squeezed my forearm under the table. He was away more than he was home. No sitter was lined up when my mother left us for good. With the exception of making sure we had food for groceries, he barely knew what was happening under his own roof. Most kids hadn't started making appointments for themselves until they were in their twenties. Lucas and I had been making them before either of us could drive. Looking back now, all I saw was neglect.
"I'm not saying you were a bad father. What I am saying is that you're out of touch with us. If Blaine hadn't joined the football team, your commitment to work would have still been your first priority."
"I need my job to put food on this damn table, to keep a roof over your heads. If that hadn't been a priority, do you know where we'd be? Do you realize the kind of life you two would have if I hadn't taken that promotion?"
"I do realize, and understand." My brother finally took a deep breath and looked at my parents in turn. "I just think that this would make things easier on everybody. We'll come by for weekly dinners. Mom can go back to living the life you dragged her away from."
"And your sister can keep playing football," he barked with an accusing finger pointed at me. "This is all so she can play that damn game."
"This is so she doesn't get the bright idea to be an emancipated minor and drop out of high school." For the first time the entire breakfast, my father shut up. His eyes were wide as he took in what my brother had to say. He fell back into his chair and looked at me. "Laine. Why don't you go see if there's anything you need from your room?"
"Luke," I started. He gave me a nod, squeezing my hand again. I pushed back from the table and stalked over to the hallway. There was no way he'd believe I'd sit in my room while he talked about me. I leaned against the door frame and waited to see what they all had to say. The silent woman who had to have something to say. The man who was about to get a lesson on his own daughter. The guy who has saved me more than once was trying to do it again.
"I know you guys think that Blaine needs some form of guidance. A role model of what is expected of her as a young woman. I'd like to think I was a pretty decent one as far as being a basic human being. Gender aside. She might not be into the same things as Heather. Which is a blessing, by the way. But she's come a long way since sophomore year.
"I feel like any more of this forced idea of what she should be is going to put her right back to where she was a year ago. She'll be cutting class and her grades will tank. All that she has achieved this year will be lost and it will be in spite of what is happening right now. I don't want to see that happen," my brother's voice got softer. "I'm not going to force her to do, or not do, something against her wishes. That includes football and college. I want Lainey to have a life she can be proud of. One that she can look back and smile at. I'll do anything to make that happen."
"You can't just -" my father's voice dropped off. I imagined it had something to do with my mother.
"Do you really believe that this whole thing is what she needs? To be a member of a football team? For me to..." it was her turn to lower her voice.
"No offense, but you coming back the way you had didn't help. We didn't handle it well. I know that, and I do think she owes you a little bit of an apology. So do I."
"If your father and I agree to allow your sister to finish out this season, do you suppose we can sit down and discuss next year?"
"Yes," I whispered. All eyes turned to me as I inched into the dining room. "Let me finish the season and we can talk about next year. You have to promise me that you'll listen to me when I tell you why I want to play, because I want to. More than anything else in this world."
My father couldn't look me in the eye as my mother nodded. A soft smile graced her lips as she squeezed my father's hand. The same way Lucas had done to me. My brother got to his feet and began clearing the table. Giving my mother a soft smile, I reached around her for more of the dishes and carried them over to my brother. He bumped me with his hip as he cleared the plates. A big, goofy grin I hadn't seen for weeks was stretched wide across his face as he looked down at me.
"Were you serious about becoming my guardian?"
"I was serious about it all, Laine."
I wrapped my arms around my older brother. For the last three years, I've put him through hell. Ditching class. Sneaking out after curfew. Dating someone from a competing school. Yet, here he was. Millions of headaches later and he was willing to take a year off of school just so that I could have a chance at being happy. He kissed the top of my head while wrapping one of his arms around my shoulders.