Two Ways to Spell Blake

{Chapter 18}

Most people love the holidays. Any type of holiday, it doesn't matter. Christmas. Easter. Fourth of July. I, on the other hand, don't. My parents are never home for the holidays. Yes, you're probably thinking that my parents have to be home for some of them. Yeah, no. If they're home, they go out to business meetings or who knows what. If they're out of town, they give us a quick phone call wishing us a Merry Christmas or Happy Thanksgiving or whatever.

I mean, with Christmas and Easter, we celebrate their real meanings-Matt, Atlanta, and I do. But we've never celebrated Santa Claus or the Easter bunny. My parents didn't think we should believe in stuff like that.

I lie in my bed watching Arrow on Netflix when my phone rings. My eyes still glued to the screen, I answer it.

"Hello?" I say absentmindedly.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Blayke!" my parents sing into the phone.

I cringe away from it. Do they not realize I'm holding this thing up to my ear and they practically blasted my ear drum?

"Thanks," I answer bleakly, continuing to watch Arrow.

Go, Oliver! Get the bad guys! I chant in my head.

"Do you and Matt and Atlanta have anything planned?" my mother continues, unfortunately not hanging up.

"No. We never do," I shake my head although she can't see me.

"Oh, well that's okay," she says.

We sit in silence and I sigh, realizing she expects me to ask if their doing anything-like I care.

"Are you and dad doing anything?" I say with forced excitement.

"Oh, well now that you've asked, yes. We-along with some other couples-were invited to a dinner at five star Italian hotel for Thanksgiving dinner. Not many people can afford to go there. Only celebrities and upper class people," my mother rants.

I roll my eyes at the TV. I honestly don't care, mother, where you're going to eat and what type of food it has. Why? Because I'm not there!

"Mom, I'm sorry but I have to go. Some of my teachers assigned homework. Talk to you later. Love you," I say, hanging up the phone before she can say anything.

I turn my attention back to the show when my phone rings again.

"I have to do school work, mom," I bark into the phone, thinking it's my mother.

Silence meets me on the other end.

"Okay. First, no, you don't have school work. And second, I'm not your mother," Blake answers instead of my mother.

I feel my cheeks heat up even though he can't see me.

"Oh, hey," I say meekly into the phone.

"'Oh,hey' is all I get? I'm your incredibly good looking awesome boyfriend and all I get is an 'oh, hey'?" he says incredulously.

I laugh, despite myself, rolling my eyes.

"I don't know about the incredibly good looking part. I'm pretty sure I'm the incredibly good looking one in the relationship," I joke.

"You're right," he says, his voice a whisper.

My blush my earlier returns and I shrink down into my bed.

"Thank you, even if I was only joking. So why did you call me?" I ask, confused.

I mean, he said he would call me but I haven't been awaiting his call. That'd be weird.