Sneaking Around (Nate Maloley)

Chapter 10

I drove as slowly as I could back to my house.  I really didn't want to go home and face my dad.  I sighed as I pulled into the driveway and just stared at my house for a good ten minutes.  I got out and grabbed my bag and slowly walked to the front door.  When I opened it up the first thing I saw was my father's angry face.

"Why didn't you answer your phone yesterday?" He yelled and I pulled my broken phone out of my pocket and showed it to him.

"You pissed me off so I threw my phone and broke it" I shrugged "Sorry" I said sarcastically. 

"What's gotten into you?" He asked and I shrugged as I started going up the stairs.

"I'm eighteen and tired of you treating me like I'm five" I yelled "Pretty soon you'll have a five year old that actually will get treated his or her age" I said getting to the top of the stairs and walking to my room.  I threw my bag by my closet and fell back onto my bed, hearing something rustle underneath me.  I furrowed my eyebrows and sat up and picked up the envelope and read it, a smile immediately spreading across my face.  Sergeant Kyle Snider.

I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper and started reading it, the smile never leaving my face.

Vanessa,

You're probably so fucking pissed with me right now.  I haven't written to you in months and you're probably worried sick and it's my fault, things have just been crazy.  I'm so sorry for missing your graduation and anything else that's happened while I've been over here.  Dad's probably still crazy about protecting you and making sure you're an angel so I shouldn't ask if you have a boyfriend yet.  I wrote Andrea a letter too but she's probably mad at me still about leaving again when I said I wouldn't, mom wrote to me and said she's not doing so well and that she was going to get you to help so I hope you did.  Big sister Van to the rescue! (As always though) 

Damn I really miss you two, you don't even know.  But hey good news I'll see you in a few weeks, a few days by the time you get this letter.  Love you Vanessa,

Sergeant Kyle Snider

I read those last few sentences over again and jumped off my bed with excitement.  My brother is coming home from Afghanistan! 

Yeah I have another brother that I've never mentioned.  He's twenty four and he's a soldier in the war obviously, he left a few months ago, almost a year and half actually, so more than a few months.  We thought he would be gone for, at most, six months but then things changed and he had to stay.  The only thing keeping me positive was the fact that no one had come to the door to break any news to us, so since I wasn't getting letters the fact that no one knocked on the door was a good thing.  I got up from my bed and opened my door and ran downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Did you know Kyle is coming home?" I asked, holding up the letter.  Dad nodded as I bit my lip as a few happy tears slipped from my eyes.  Dad got up and walked over to me and hugged me, which caught me by surprise.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday" He said quietly as I hugged back.

"I mean it's not really okay but there's nothing we can do about it" I sighed, pulling away shortly after.  

"Who's jacket is that?" Dad asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"It's my friends" I said.

"Nate?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Nope" I lied "His name is Sammy" I said and dad raised an eyebrow.

"Tommy has a friend named Sammy too, he's a nice kid" Dad nodded and walked back to the kitchen table and sat down.  "Him and Tommy are out back" He said and I nodded.  I set the letter down and walked out the back door and saw Sammy and Tommy sitting around the fire pit that just had burned firewood in it.