My Starseed Meets Me In A Different World

CHAPTER CV

Andrew

In one way or another, many will attempt to tear us apart.

Springfield MA; Age 17.

"Hey there Kiddo! you're here to see my baby girl, aren't ya?"

I stood awkwardly at the door of the Mckinney household. In front of me was, Dough Mckinney, Payten's father who was grinning ear to ear upon the notice of my presence at his doorframe.

"Uh... yeah. She wanted me to come over." The large man extended the door wider to allow me passage and I thanked him politely as I fully stepped in.

I remained standing uneasily right by the front entrance, looking around as I observed the home in which my girlfriend had lived her entire childhood. From the exterior, the residence was fairly-large, larger than what I ever came close to growing up in apartments with Mellie and my younger brothers. Payten and her family seemed to be comfortable providing for their three children under normal circumstances.

Still, that didn't mean I wanted to be here at the moment.

It felt like I didn't have much of a choice. Payten had been whining all over the phone about how I never visited her and that we only hung out at school and on occasional dates outside of that. But in all honesty, I was busy, I had practice nearly every day after school and when I wasn't busting my ass on the field I was nose deep in books and homework; I really wanted to get into an Ivy League with Melinda and the only way I could do that was to ensure academically I could keep up along with my athletic talents.

I really didn't have "time" to go visit my girlfriend. Or even engage in embarrassing conversations with her sport-fanatic father.

"Now don't stand there like a scarecrow, Andrew! Come over and have a seat in the living room area!" Doug patted my shoulder roughly and made his way toward what looked like the kitchen.

"Want anything to drink, Jackle?!" He called out.

Anxiously, I shoved my hands into my pocket and strolled over to the sitting area, and planted my body down into one of the love seats.

"I'm alright sir!" I called back out to him.

"Nonsense! You're a big boy... you need to be fueling that body of yours with something! Now I got some water, soda... or better yet some Gatorade, Jacob drinks a lot of that with his rugby practices!" He shouted.

His voice was so loud and at times so jarring, I nearly cringed when I heard it echo off the walls of the large home.

I sighed knowing if I didn't give a preference, he would just bring something anyway. Mr. McKinney had a way of crossing boundaries with others even if it was clear he was making them uncomfortable. It makes me wonder how he was able to secure someone as calm and patient as Payten's mother, Cindy McKinney.

Luck, I suppose.

"Just some soda is fine, sir!" I called back out to him.

"Perfect!" He responded back to me. I heard a bit of shuffling in the backroom as he went about getting me that drink. My eyes surveyed the room where there were dozens of pictures of the family, Doug and Cindy's wedding photos, smiling brightly; it looked like it was around the 70s or something with how everyone was dressed and all. There were more pictures of Payten and her two brothers Jacob and Ryan as babies and then as they got older and began playing sports.

There was other interesting decor in the house like masks from festivals in New Orleans, leis from Hawaii, other trinkets from various tropical countries like Aruba and Bermuda, and even pictures from said locations. I would have gotten up to take a closer look but stopped when I heard Doug returning from the kitchen.