Daily Drama (In American TV Shows)

Chapter 7

During the meal, Mom gave Bob the news, who, very excited, congratulated me, "It's in the blood, Duncan, being athletes. Your dad was a great basketball player, and now you, the quarterback. I'm so proud," Bob said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Well, actually, there were very few of us at the tryout, so Mr. Cooper immediately assigned each of us a position on the team," I clarified.

"So, they had no choice but to put you on the team," Gabe said mockingly, receiving a reprimand from Mom in the form of a tap on the back of his head. "It doesn't matter how you got on the team; the important thing is that you're in it," Mom said, scolding Gabe.

"Anyway, it's a great opportunity for you, PJ. If you manage to stand out, maybe you'll get a sports scholarship for college. You have to put a lot of effort into it, and then you'll have a chance to go to university," Bob said, now a bit less enthusiastic.

"Well, changing the subject, Teddy, how's the new school?" Mom asked trying to change the mood.

Teddy, who hadn't spoken during the ride home, lifted her face from the plate of food and said, "Fine," before continuing to eat.

"Well... How about you, Gabe?" Mom asked, puzzled by Teddy's behavior.

"It was the same as Colorado. I'm in the same class as Missy, but she hangs out with other girls, so I hung out with Lucas," Gabe commented casually, then he seemed to remember something and raised his head, saying, "Oh, PJ, remember the chubby kid from the other day? Matilda Sparks," he laughed at a joke only he and I understood.

"Yes, didn't he bother you?" I asked.

"No, in fact, he was afraid of me, so Lucas and I had fun chasing him in the schoolyard," Gabe said proudly.

"Who's Matilda Sparks?" Mom asked, confused. "He's just a kid who used to bother Sheldon, the smallest Cooper kid," I responded to Mom. "Oh, I see. Gabe, don't bother him from now on," she scolded the boy.

"Well, my day was quite productive. I took care of a bug infestation in the kitchen of a hotel a few kilometers away. It was as easy as putting poison in the most infested areas and waiting for the job to be done on its own. They offered to take me out to eat as a reward, so I was thinking we could go next weekend. I saw they had..." Bob began before being interrupted by Mom rushing to the bathroom.

"Wow, is it that disgusting to imagine?" he asked, surprised by Mom's sudden departure.

"Well, it's a bit gross, Dad, and I don't think she'd want to eat there," I replied, trying to cover up the reason for Mom's sudden nausea.

Mom returned a few minutes later, and the meal continued without any special incidents. When I finished, I thanked for the meal and left my utensils in the dishwasher.

On my way to my room, I noticed Teddy had her door open. She had eaten very little, excusing herself long before anyone else. She seemed to be doing homework.

Touching the door frame to get her attention, I asked for permission to enter.

"What are you doing, Teddy?" I asked, approaching her desk.

"Math," she responded without enthusiasm, returning to her task.

"Do you need help?" As I asked, Teddy snorted mockingly, but upon realizing I was serious from my silence, she turned with intrigue and said, "You're serious about helping me? You?"

"Yes, why not?" I replied.

"Well, basically, you're PJ. You're not the... brightest, in the family. Do you even think you can understand it?" she said, arranging her notebook and pencil aside for me to see.