Athena

31. You're My Boyfriend

Over the next few hours, Cruz doesn't come out of his room at all. I don't blame him. From upstairs, I can hear Ron storming around downstairs in a fit of leftover rage. I'm sure Cruz can hear him, too. Ron sounds like an angry bull in a china shop, slamming cabinets and drawers and knocking over God-knows-what.

Ron's mini-rampage doesn't stop until Aunt Katrina comes home from work. When my aunt walks through the front door, an invisible switch seems to flip on, and Ron reverts back to his usual non-talkative, grunting self. It's creepy how quickly Ron can shift away from the scary version of himself.

All of this unresolved, underlying tension makes me feel super uneasy, so I choose not to step out of my room, either.

I spend my time researching a new laptop for Cruz. When I come across something with better specs than his old one, I bite the $600 bullet and click on the yellow Buy Now button. I can't wait to surprise Cruz. I hope he'll like it. I hope my gift will make him feel better.

Around 7 pm, Aunt Katrina calls us down for dinner. Cruz and I run into each other in the hallway as we leave our rooms at the same time.

Cruz's green eyes go wide when he sees me. "Hey."

"Hey," I mumble back, unsure of how we're supposed to act around each other.

Is he my kind of boyfriend now?

Yes?

But only behind closed doors.

Am I his kind of girlfriend now?

Yeah?

Except when Ron and Aunt Katrina are home.

Cruz and I stare at each other for an awkward, longing beat before we both look away.

Not knowing what else to say, we head downstairs together. The energy radiating off of Cruz still feels somewhat angry and sad. His muscles look tense, like, he's struggling to hold his emotions in check. I wish I could hug him or hold his hand, but I can't touch him like that in front of his dad and my aunt.

As we approach the kitchen, the two of us share a look of trepidation before joining Ron and Aunt Katrina for dinner. The table is set. We're having salmon with a side of wild rice and roasted asparagus tonight.

I take a bite of my salmon. It's buttery and lemony and smoky and, overall, really tasty, Aunt Katrina has always been a much better cook than me, but I can't let myself relax and enjoy the meal. My eyes keep darting between Ron and Cruz. Cruz maintains his usual, unreadable resting-bitch-face expression. He doesn't try to interact with his dad. He doesn't even look at him. Not once. Ron stays grim and silent. Although, unlike Cruz, every time he looks at his son, a flash of rage darkens his features.

Both father and son are on relatively good behavior, but I'm worried that one of them might snap. I notice that my aunt has picked up on the tension. She keeps glancing nervously at Ron and Cruz as well.

Aunt Katrina clears her throat and tries to lighten the mood by asking about my day, "How was school today, Athena?"

"Fine," I mutter.

My aunt clearly has no clue about what happened today between Cruz and Brody when she prompts, "Did anything exciting happen?"

Suddenly, Ron slams his knife and fork on the table.

He announces in harsh tones, "I've lost my fucking appetite."

Then, Ron shoots up from his chair and disappears into his study.

"Oh, shit," my aunt curses under her breath.

My aunt's question about school must have triggered something in Ron. My guess? He's probably stewing over Cruz's suspension all over again.