Somethin' About That Boy

The drive to Perry’s house was quick and easy. I was glad that I’d asked for directions from her before I left.

I arrived at a cute little house a couple of streets over from my place in record time, and got out before once again making a mad dash through the rain.

Knocking on the front door, I shifted from foot to foot, anxiously waiting to see who was going to answer the door.

I was honestly surprised to see her father opening the door and immediately holding a robotic arm out to me. He was a big motherfucker, and even though he only had a half an arm and one leg, I could tell that the man was a beast anyway. Tall, red hair, and broad-shouldered? The man could pass for a fuckin’ Strong Man competitor.

I took it, feeling the weird, unusual grip of his fake hand, and shook it.

His grin was swift and fast.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” I said softly. “My name is Banner Spurlock.”

His grin got even wider.

“I know who you are,” he said.

My brows rose.

“Well you have the advantage, then,” I said. “Because I don’t know anybody here yet. Other than my family.”

“Name’s Dawson Street,” he said. “Nice to meet you. Your brother has a lot of things to say about you.”

My brows rose.

“My brother?” I asked. “Hopefully they were good things.”

Dawson grinned. “Good? Mostly. He said you were having some trouble at your old school.”

Goddamn Ford.

What the fuck?

“Yes, sir,” I admitted. “That’s why I moved here.”

His eyes missed nothing. Even my irritation with my brother.

“I’m with the Department of Homeland Security,” he said. “I know a lot about you already. I talked to Ford today when I heard that you and Perry were going out to dinner.”

I blinked.

“You did not just say that,” a woman said from behind Dawson.

“Honey, come meet Banner,” Dawson said, urging his wife closer.

That was when I saw the familiar face behind him.

I grinned. “It’s nice to see you again.”

The woman who’d given me free pizza today at lunch since it was my ‘first day at school’ grinned wickedly at me.

“Awesome pizza lady!” I said, offering her my hand.

The woman laughed, closing her smooth hand over mine. “My name is Autumn. It’s nice to meet you. And, don’t listen to Dawson. He just wants to work for Homeland Security.”

Perry came up moments later, looking irritated.

She was also in sweatpants and a sweatshirt again, making me burst out laughing.

She narrowed her eyes.

“What?” she asked.

I shook my head. “It’s just nice to see that you don’t give a f— crap about what others think. You ready for dinner?”

Perry kissed her mother and father on the cheek, her light golden skin lighter than her mother’s dark skin, but darker than her father’s paleness.

“I’ll be back,” she said to her parents. “Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone.”

Her mother snorted and closed the door on her the moment that Perry crossed over the threshold.

The moment we were alone I looked at her and said, “So you were adopted?”

Perry burst out laughing. “I don’t know what gave you that idea!”

She snickered, making me grin at her despite the fact that I couldn’t tell if she was offended.

“I know,” she said. “That’s why nobody at the school has caught on when it comes to my mom yet. I love my mom. I’m not ashamed of her in the least. But she’s a lunch lady. That gives everyone at the school something to give her shit for already. I don’t want them to treat her any differently because they know that I’m her daughter.”

“Why do you say it like that?” I asked. “As if they’d treat her differently if they knew she was your mom?”

She sighed. “Symphony and I don’t get along at all. When I first started high school, I was the new kid. My parents had just moved to Kilgore.” She shifted in her seat and brought her knee up to rest against the console that was between us. “I tried out for the cheerleading team because my mom begged me to. I’ve been in tumbling and gymnastics for my entire life. Anyway, long story short, I tried out. Made the team. Then met Symphony. I quit before I even started because she annoyed me… and Symphony knew it. Which she immediately took exception to. I don’t think anybody that she tried to bring into her fold ever gave her the brush off before.”

“What happened for you to say no?” I asked curiously.

“My mom had gotten the job as a cafeteria worker,” she answered, her fingers playing with a strand of hair that’d come down out of her bun. “It was my second day, and I got behind Symphony in line… and she was such an asshole to my mother. When I defended my mother, Symphony just got this really weird look in her eyes. Pissed off maybe that I dressed her down in front of her crew. I don’t know. Needless to say, we haven’t been friends since.”