Apartment 311

Ch | 71

Brooklyn Noelle Brankovich

Chapter Seventy-one: "Mrs.telephone woman"

"Dinner was lovely, Dana. Mike, thanks for having me," Will cackled.

I just stared at him with my lip pulled up.

"Brooklyn, don't do that - make those faces," my mother warned.

I straightened up and just stabbed my dessert.

"What even is this?" I asked the table, scowling at the thing on my plate.

"Tiramisu," Mom told me, "you used to love it."

"I don't remember," I said, pushing the plate away.

"It's fine, you don't need it anyway," Mom commented then looked to my father. "Didn't she look a little sluggish on the court today?"

"I see that, too. Almost like she's gotten out of shape?" Will gave his input. I scoffed at his nerve and crossed my arms over my chest.

Wow, I mouthed.

"Cut her some slack, she did get hit in the face," Dad spoke up on my behalf. I gave him a warm look to silently thank him for the effort.

Mom waved her hands. "William, you'll have to come out with us tomorrow, we're golf!"

Will lit up. "I love golf," he beamed.

"I know you do!" Mom squealed, gathering her coat and purse.

"You still have that killer swing?" Dad talked to Will.

I just slouched in my seat and mumbled to myself about how this was such bullshit.

"Sit up," Mother demanded, snapping my hands with a butter knife, "and stop mumbling. I hate mumbling."

I hesitantly sat up but not without cursing her in my head.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I picked it up, there was yet another '10% battery' alert that I foolishly ignored. It was a text from Noah that said:

???

That was him rushing me or wondering what I was up to. I went to reply but my phone froze and cut off.

"Mom, can I use your phone for a second?" I asked her, butting in their conversation.

She looked at me like I had three heads. "Why?" her porcelain neck rolled.

"Mine died," I quickly explained.

"Well whatever it is isn't that serious, besides, no phones at dinner," she said.

I gritted my teeth and then huffed, sitting back in my seat.

"I'd let you use mine, but Mom said no phone's at the table," Will leaned in to say in my ear and I cringed.

"You ready, honey?" asked Dad, standing after paying. He went to fish cash from his wallet but Will put his hand out.

"No, please, allow me," Will sucked up, throwing down a couple big bills.

"Well that was generous," Mother commented on the tip that was more than asked for. Unimpressed, my bored eyes rolled back.

Get a load of this guy.

"You're a good man, William," Dad grinned, shaking his hand.

Mom gave me a pushing look that said "see?"

Will threw his arm around my chair and I looked down at his fingers trying to tease the skin on my arm and scooted away.

"We can take you back to the hotel, William," Mother offered before they left.