Disparaging future

Chapter 15

"Ms. Honey? Wha- Why are you here?" I ask.

"It's my home," she chuckles a bit. "What are you doing here?"

"She's a friend," Luke steps in. "I invited her to help her practice basketball."

"Really? That's odd. You never really have friends over," Ms. Honey furrows her eyebrows.

"Uh... Yeah, well ..." He stumbles on his words.

"We made a deal," I blur out. 

"A deal?" she asks confused

"Yeah, if I train her, she will do my chores," Luke tries to sound smooth.

I back him up, "That's right."

"Uh...Well, for how long?" she persists

"Till the scouting trip," I don't hesitate. I have to take this opportunity and use Luke's mom as a pretext.

"Till the scouting trip!?" Luke asks confused. "I mean, yeah till the scouting trip," He eyes me negatively. 

"Mom, can we eat dinner already?" Stacy asks,  distracting Ms. Honey from asking anymore. 

"Of, course. Give me a few minutes and I'll call you over," Ms. Honey turns to me. "Abby, your welcome to stay around and eat dinner."

Luke answers for me, "We'll be outside."

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Luke dribbles the ball and shoots a basket.

"So Stacy isn't really your sister?" I ask trying to comprehend.

"Not biologically. But she's still a sister to me."

I think about it for a minute, "And you're not bitter? I mean like your mom remarrying and everything?"

Luke stops shooting and holds the ball for a while. "I can't say I wasn't at first. I mean I thought it was my fault for a long time but," he pauses. "But she's happy and she's not perfect. So, I won't ask her to be. She deserves to be happy after all she's been through."

"Yeah," is all I can say. 

He then checks his watch," It's supper time, lets go eat before you go."

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"So your in Luke's class?" Mrs. Honey asks as she sets the table.  

"Ah, yes," I mutter. Mrs. Honey and Mr.Smith are both lawyers from wealthy backgrounds, Luke is their only son, and probably the only thing they have in common. "My full name is actually Abigail Johnson."

"Abigail Johnson? I don't believe I've met your parents have I?" She questions setting down the lemonade on the table. 

"Um... I don't think you have...."I search for words. 

"What were your parents' first names?" She tries to recall. I hesitate," Actually, my adoptive parents are Mr. and Mrs. White." 

" Oh, I see. Yes, the White's. You must miss your folks dearly," she pats my shoulder. For so long everyone thought I was lucky to be living with the whites, yet this lady understands that they don't fill the empty void my parents left. 

"I do. I miss them dearly" I look at the floor. 

"I actually lost my mother when I was 12, it was hard for me to adjust to my stepmother, and then after my father died my stepfather. But I had my older brother with me, and that gave me strength. Do you have any siblings?" she asks. 

"I actually do, I have a younger sister, her name is Jessica," I couldn't believe my ears, she actually went through my life. 

"I know how hard it is to live with strangers, and they can never replace the love of one's parents. But during hard times my brother would remind me that there is someone out there that is taking care of us, even when I wasn't a believer myself", there I had to keep quiet.

"I brought the food," Luke comes in with the kids carrying the dinner. 

We all take a seat and start eating. 

"I assume that your parents know about you and Luke" Mrs. Honey teasingly raises an eyebrow.

"Mom, it's not like that at all, Abby is just a friend. She just happens to be in most of my classes," Luke nudges his mom. 

She raises an eyebrow," The first time you bring a girl and she's just a friend? Seems like she's a special friend?"

" Alright, Abby if you're done. I'll walk you home, lets go, Abby," Luke gets up.

Once we're out of the house, I ask, "Do you miss him? Your dad I mean."

" No" he pauses," at first the one I hate was my mom for remarrying and believing in a greater being, but that changed when I started to live with her a year ago. He was always an absent father so it didn't matter. He one day got fed up with my mom and just left. He now has another family. So much for marriage and family" He looks straight ahead.

I look down," why are you telling me all this?"

He lets out a big sigh, " maybe because a certain someone hates me for my vibe. He looks at me, "I am telling you this so you won't think of me as a jerk or some womanizer. I'm not like that or at least not anymore. I forgive you for throwing your shoe at me and I'm sorry for saying unnecessary things. I want to get along."

He stretched his hand," What do you say, are we cool?"

I let out a small smile, "Does this mean you'll train me?"

"Fine, but you have to come and do me a favor every week." I think about it. I shake his hand.

"I can't believe your parents are divorced."

He scratches the back of his head, "Yeah, it seems like you have me all figured out. What about you? You know my environment, now you let me see yours. Exchange." He puts his hands in his pockets. I hesitate. 

My eyes start to water and look down," But I'm broken." He cups my face in his hands and embraces me. "In this world who isn't?"