“I shouldn’t have hit him,” he sighs.
“Probably not.”
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
“It’s okay. I would’ve wanted to deck him too if I heard him call you that.”
Grady smiles sheepishly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. But I know you’re strong enough to fight that battle on your own. That doesn’t mean you need to use your fists, though.”
He frowns. “You’re right. I know.”
“Good. I set up a playdate with Turner.”
His resignation transforms into fear. “What? Why?”
“Because Miss Swenson thinks you two could be good friends if you gave each other a shot. You were both playing soccer, right?”
“Well, yeah. But….” He squirms in his bed, trying to get comfortable beneath the dark blue sheets spotted with footballs. “What if he says something mean again?”
“Then you stand up for yourself without hitting him. We clear?”
His tiny nostrils flare before his muscles melt in defeat. “Fine.”
“Good boy.” I lean forward and press a quick kiss to his forehead. “Goodnight, Grady.”
He smiles. “Goodnight, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
The floor creaks beneath my weight as I flick off the lights and head to the hall.
“Hey, Dad?” he calls when I reach the door.
“Yeah?”
“You wanna come to the Fun Run tomorrow?”
I’d been putting it off, terrified of running into Saylor before I was ready. But since the Band-Aid’s already been ripped off, and Nora might have a point about trying the whole friend thing with Saylor before pursuing anything further, I nod.
“Sure thing, Grady.”
“Yeah?” His little face lights up with excitement, pulling a low chuckle out of me.
“Yeah. Get some sleep.”
“Okay. Goodnight!”
“Goodnight, Grady.”
The light seeps in from the hallway as I crack his door open a few inches, then tread carefully to my room. I toss my dark blue T-shirt into the hamper, followed by my jeans before I grab a pair of basketball shorts to sleep in. Once I’m comfortable, I unlock my phone and find another message from Slytherin4ever.
Slythern4ever: TRYING to date someone? How does that work?
Tapping the edge of the phone against my chin, I debate whether or not I should answer her––and how I would answer her in the first place––before deciding to give in. Besides, maybe a fresh perspective could be helpful, and I’ve already made my stance pretty damn clear. I’m not looking for anything romantic, but a person to talk to? That could be beneficial. With a deep breath, I answer her.
OD: It’s complicated.