Floating Upwards

Chapter 7: Cupid and Grandpas

Kyle dropped his best friend off in front of Thomas' house. As Thomas got out of the car, he looked back at Kyle.

"Hey, Kyle! Wanna come inside? I'm sure Mandy would love to see you," Thomas said sarcastically. He started to chuckle when he saw Kyle blush. His best friend cleared his throat nervously and clapped his hands together, all the while chuckling.

"Aw come on man. You know..." Kyle started.

Thomas smiled and stood straight up. He looked towards his house. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you Mandy has a crush on you. Maybe then you wouldn't be so damn awkward," he joked.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. Kyle never acted so nervous when a girl had a crush on him. Pretty much every single girl at Willowgrove High School had a crush on the guy, and he never acted like this. Unless....

Before he could say anything, Kyle closed the passenger side door. He then rolled the window down and waved. "Gotta go man," Kyle said. Then a little quieter and more seriously, he added, "I don't like leaving the kids for too long."

Thomas was about to ask his best friend about Mandy, when the suspect pointed at him. "Remember, you want the secret? We're going swimming tomorrow, and I'll tell you then," Kyle stated.

Again, before Thomas could reply, Kyle sped off back down the road, and out of the neighborhood.

I really need to be more assertive with that ass, Thomas thought with a chuckle.

The DeJak family home was large. It used to be an old manor, passed down from Mrs. DeJak's side of the family. When Thomas' maternal grandfather passed away, and since Ursula DeJak had no siblings, the manor was passed down to her. There were three stories, and the outside was layered with gray bricks and stone. It looked like a gigantic medieval cottage.

There was barely a front yard, but the house made up for it in the space inside the house. Thomas and his sister Mandy's rooms were huge, often the envy of their friends. But now that I think about it, my house isn't so different from Kyle's, Thomas realized.

What was in the minuscule front yard was a cobblestone walkway made of the same gray stone the house was made of. And as Thomas strolled up the walkway towards the front porch with his back pack slung over his shoulder, his neighbor, Laurel McAllister, ran up to him. She had a bouquet of daffodils in her arms.

"Was that Kyle's car?" Laurel asked frantically. The flowers were shaking in her hands.

Thomas inwardly sighed, and looked up at the sky. Man, why can't at least one girl look at me the way they all look at Kyle? He wondered. With a smile, he looked back down at the adoring Kyle-fan in front of him.

"Yeah, that was him. Why?" Thomas asked, but he already knew the answer.

"Umm....well, I.....I wanted to....well..." Laurel stammered, looking sadly down at the daffodils in her hands.

Come on, Laurel. You do this all the time, Thomas though grudgingly to himself.

"I wanted to give Kyle these," she stated, holding the bouquet in front of her. "But I missed him again. Do you think you could give them to him for me?" Suddenly a hopeful gaze filled her eyes.

Great. So now I'm Cupid, Thomas thought. Hating himself, he nodded. "Sure Laurel. I'll give them to him," he promised.

Laurel's face lit up. She then threw her arms around Thomas, enveloping him in a hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!!!" She exclaimed before running back over to her house next door.

When Laurel was out of sight, Thomas grumbled and shook his head. He then continued into his house.

The entry hall was small for a manor, but that didn't mean it was dingy. It was filled with vintage paintings covering the walls, and the walls themselves were painted a dark red, matching the one small, blood red couch.