First (James Yammouni)

Chapter nine.

Later that night we were all sitting around the dinner table, it wasn't as bad as it had been my first night here, and I didn't feel quite shy about my presence anymore. Me and James were both quiet while Mary discussed her plans to go to Hawaii and my father just agreed along with her while he shoved grilled chicken down his throat.
I wasn't paying attention to her endless talking until she addressed me directly.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked.

"How would you feel about going to Hawaii, all of us, as a family?"

"Um, I think it'd be fun" I said "but I've never traveled before"

"Yes you have, when you came here" James said.

"That's different, I was driving" I said.

"Still traveling" James muttered.

"I think it'd be a great opportunity for us all to bond, you know, as a family" Mary said.

Before anyone could answer her, her phone started vibrating on the table. She excused herself from the table, saying that it was an 'important call'.

"I think you guys should come" my dad said, speaking up for the first time. "Mary's right, it would be a good opportunity for us all to become closer as a family, and none of us would hear the end of it if you didn't go"

"I'll go" I said. " it depends when though, I'd have to call off work-"

"Work? When did you get a job?" My dad asked.

"Not too long after I got here" I said, feeling awkward with the conversation pointed at me.

"Oh, good job" he said.

Mary rejoined us at the dinner table, excusing herself for her 'complete lack of manners' but insisting that it was an urgent call that just couldn't wait.

"Now, back to what I was saying" Mary started again, fixing her hair white she was talking "I think it would be a good opportunity for us to bond as a family-"

"Mom, enough!" James said in an angry voice, slamming the palms of his hands against the table. "When will you realize that you can't force this little idea of some family, we're not a family!"

"James, calm down, it's-"

"No" James said, interrupting her "he's not my father" he said, motioning his hands towards my father "and her-" he stopped and looked at me "- I didn't even know she existed until a month ago, so stop with this perfect family bullshit, because the only one sitting at this table right now who is really up for it is you." With that he stood from his chair angrily, making the legs of the chair screech loudly against the floor as he stormed out of the room.

I looked back and forth between Mary and My father with wide eyes, not knowing what to say or do.

"I'm sorry, dear" Mary said "you shouldn't have had to witness that"

"It's alright" I said "he's just upset"

"I hope you didn't take offense to that" Mary said, and I could tell she was genuinely embarrassed. "It's been hard on him since..." She trailed off, not finishing her sentence "let's just finish our dinner"

Yay finally an update! I haven't updated since like January but I've been super busy and I'm on break all week so I thought I'd finish this chapter :)

Also, how would you guys feel if I wrote a Jai fan fic? It'd be similar to this one where the two main characters would be step siblings but the plot and location would be totally different, like would you read it? I've been thinking about it and I have some ideas already but would it be too similar to this because of the step brother/ step sister thing or would it not matter? Let me know what you honestly think in the comments :)
- Stevie