“JJ, language,” Mom scolds.
I can only imagine how hard JJ is rolling his eyes. “Mom, that’sbullshit. You and Dad swear more than anyone I know. Wait—Chris maybe swears more, but still. We should be focused on hearing Mira sayfuck thembecause seriously, fuck them.”
“Fuck them,” I agree, smiling widely for the first time all night.
“That’s my girl.”
“All for fucking, but who are we fucking?” I hear Dad ask in the background, and Mom gives him a quick rundown. “I’m calling Owen,” he announces, and I immediately regret calling them in the first place. I don’t want my dad to be a stadium legacy and my mom to be the head coach’s sister right now; I just want them to be my parents.
“Sebastian fucking Walker, if you pick up that goddamn phone to call my brother, you better just take your pillow right on outside with you, since that’s where your ass will be sleeping tonight.”
I mute myself before she can hear me laugh, but honestly, it’s ironic how many curse words she just said after scolding JJ for saying “fuck”. JJ doesn’t mute his soon enough, but Mom is too busy threatening Dad to either notice or care.
“Love, you’re overreacting—”
“Don’t tell me when I’m overreacting, especially when you’re the one overreacting. Just be glad I told you that you could take your pillow. We raised our daughter to be strong and capable of fighting her own battles. That doesn’t mean having you step in the second things sound hard. Mirabelle will tell us if she needs us for more than our unconditional love and support,” Mom says, and you can hear the daggers being thrown his way.
As odd as it might be, I miss hearing them fight. It’s always over stupid stuff, but if they weren’t fighting, I’d be worried.
“Thanks, Mom,” I say, jumping in before Dad can dig himself a deeper hole. “Dad, I promise I’m fine. It’s nothing I can’t handle, I just miss you guys.”
“You’re your mother’s daughter. Don’t forget to let them swing first, and then hit ’em back twice as hard,” he says.
He’s been telling me that for as long as I can remember, it’s the only way I survived growing up with three brothers. Personality wise, I’m very similar to my mom. She’s been known for raising hell more than a few times, although some of the specifics have been hidden from me and my siblings.
“Of course. They won’t know what hit them by the time I’m finished.”
“Atta girl,” he says, and I can hear the pride in his voice. “I promised Henry I’d come to the season opener, but I’m more excited to see you.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you more, Mira.”
“But not as much as I love you,” Mom says, having to one-up Dad.
“Okay guys, we both love you, it’s not a competition, but hang up, please. Go be gross somewhere else where we can’t hear you,” JJ interjects, and I turn my car on, letting it switch to Bluetooth as my parents remember to tell JJ they love him too before hanging up.
I pull out of the parking lot, feeling a million times better than when I got in the car. “It’s just me now. Are you really okay?” JJ asks again, and I love him for it.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I was upset, but it made me feel better listening to Mom and Dad fight. It felt normal.”
“I get that, but I don’t miss walking in on them making out. It’s gross to even think of our parents like that, let alone seeing it with my own eyeballs.” JJ makes a dramatic shuddering sound, but he’s not wrong.
“Very gross,” I agree.
“And Henry? How’s that going, aside from being upset he needs help with his PR?”
What a perfect mood killer for the bit of joy I had regained. “It couldn’t be going worse. Every time I step into his line of sight, he stares at me like he’s horrified. It’s awful. In addition to now seeing me as the enemy, my boss figured out that we know each other, and she wants me to essentially exploit my relationship with him just like Mom told me not to do. But, on the bright side, Henry’s friend spilled hot coffee on me today, so I’m now the lucky owner of a shirt that Henry so kindly offered me.”
“But, you’re not going to do that, right?”
“Fuck, if you even have to ask that, then you clearly don’t know me very well. I know what this world is like, JJ. He doesn’t want to do it, but if I don’t do my job, I’ll get fired.”
JJ is quiet for a moment, pausing to think. “Would that be the worst thing in the world? It doesn’t sound like you like it all that much.”
“Besides the fact my coworkers suck, Henry hating me, and my boss being scary as hell, I do love it. Being at the stadium all day every day is incredible. It’s a different perspective than we got being there with Dad, and I love having a purpose again.”
“Well, I guess it’s good you have a purpose, but maybe for the sake of your love life, you can make that a purpose, too. Anyway, your boss can’t be anywhere near the level of scariness that Mom is,” JJ says, and I think if he were next to me, I might smack him.
