Lock Step - Love Under Lockdown

“Of course you can come stay here,” he had said, once I had told him about the campus-wide email. “We made sure to get a three bedroom so that each of our adult kids could come stay with us whenever they want. Of course, we didn’t anticipate you having to leave college due to a pandemic, but that’s what parents are for, and we’re here for you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I’d said, knowing I should be more appreciative than I felt.

I wished I had somewhere else, anywhere else, to go. But this was it. And Phil was already here.

So, I had to deal with that jerk, too. I brushed past Daphne and went upstairs.

Cresting the top step, I could smell the vape juice. So disgusting.

“Hey,” Phil greeted me, sucking on an electronic cancer stick. “Is that all the stuff you had at school? You travel light.”

“No,” I growled. “And here’s your dog’s stupid toy. Try not to leave it in the yard next time.”

“He’s a dog. He doesn’t put his toys away.”

“I know, that’s why I’m suggesting you do it.”

“I didn’t know it was there. What’s the big deal?”

“Well, besides the fact that someone will run over it with a lawn mower, I nearly broke my neck stepping on it!” I informed him.

“Jeez, sorry,” he laughed. “You seem really annoyed. But that’s pretty much you all the time, isn’t it?”

“Screw you,” I sneered, stepping into the bedroom that had been designated for me and closing the door in his face.

I texted Diamond.

“Just got home. He’s here already.”

“Send me a pic!” joked Diamond, adding a tongue emoticon. “Also, I’m blowing up on Tik Tok.”

Checking the feed, I saw that Diamond had done a rant while driving home. She was annoyed that the state couldn’t figure out the virus faster.

Basically, she complained about first world problems from her car, which her parents gave her, while leaving her college, that her parents paid for, and going home to luxuriate for God-knows-how-long in her parents’ huge house. What a tough life she lived.

I wanted to wait until Phil left the hallway before I walked back down the hallway to get more things from the car. The less interaction we had, the better.

He was just hanging out there, sucking on that Juul stick, though. Giving him five minutes, I saw that he still hadn’t left, so I just decided to go back to the car.

“Got more stuff out there?” he asked.

I was pretty sure he was just asking to annoy me.

Rather than giving him the satisfaction of a reaction, I just went downstairs.

His dog passed me on the way, bounding through so quickly that he nearly tripped me. He was one of those big, friendly, dopey dogs. I could tell I would have to watch myself with a drink if I sat on the couch, because he’d just leap onto my lap without warning and knock it over.

He was definitely a cute dog, though, and it wasn’t his fault he was so bad. It was all Phil’s fault, of course. You’d think he would’ve trained him, but no.

Back outside in the car, I decided just to grab my comforter. Since it was so bulky, I could carry nothing else.

Halfway back across the lawn, the sprinklers came on and I got wet. I ended up getting the comforter damp. I took a detour to the dryer and threw it inside for a tumble.

Upstairs, I could hear Phil laughing.

Did he know what had happened?

Had he turned on the sprinklers?

I marched upstairs and saw him on his phone, still standing in the hall.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said suspiciously. “What are you watching?”

“Some stupid video about a talking squirrel.”

“Oh.”

Now I felt silly and slightly guilty for suspecting him.

I went back for more boxes. With the sprinklers on, I decided to move the car closer to the side door. After moving it, I opened the trunk.

Of course, during the drive, everything had shifted, and I had books and notebooks all over the place. Additionally, one of the boxes I had them stacked in burst open from all the weight.

Grabbing an armful, I trudged back up the stairs.

Phil was still in the hallway.

What is wrong with this asshole?

I struggled to open the door.

“You know, you might help me,” I griped.

“You told my mother you didn’t want my help,” he noted, still staring at his phone. “Plus, I had offered, and you turned me down, too.”

Well, I didn’t want his mother’s help. If I was being honest, I hadn’t wanted his help, either, until now that I was getting tired. I was damp, annoyed, had grass stains on my pants and generally just wanted to lie down.

But it was true that I’d been offered help and refused. So, I guess he was right that I had done this to myself.

Going back to the car, I grabbed my laptop, a backpack full of stuff and an armful of clothes. This time, I was careful to stick to the driveway and sidewalks.