The Seaside Café

Chapter 12- Her Skull Is Too Thick

Chapter 12- Her Skull Is Too Thick

Jace's Point of View

I hate Christmas. I hate Christmas so much.

You’d think that being the son of divorced parents would equate to me being really happy around this time of year. Wrong. Two Christmases. Double the presents. Two Christmas parties. But, no. Not at all. My weirdly broken family is way too strange to do stuff that normal divorcee kids do. So, when the stupid holiday called Christmas rolls around, we all get together as if we’re a normal family or something when the truth is, we’re so far from a normal family that it’s actually ridiculous. Like I said though, my parents are still close friends though, I guess, which is the whole reason we do it.

So, each year on Christmas, we alternate where we’re going to be celebrating it at. Last year, my dad and I went to my mother’s house- both she and my dad were still single at the time, so that was good- and we ate a huge Christmas dinner and opened presents and drank eggnog. That wasn’t so bad though, I guess and they got me my current car, so that was pretty cool, I think. This year though? I imagine that it’ll be very weird and uncomfortable.

Why? Well, my mom’s dating that douche, Alec, and my dad’s engaged to Heather. Apparently he proposed to her a few days ago after the disastrous Chargers game and she said yes; she and Anna moved into the house permanently about four days ago on Saturday. Anyway, I think that it’s going to be awkward today at the dinner because my mom already called to inform my dad and me that she’ll be brining Alec along with her and of course, Heather and Anna are going to be joining us since they live here now and all. I think that’s messed up on so many levels, but hey, I guess it’s just me.

“Jace, hey buddy,” My dad greets, walking into my room through the slight ajar door.

“Hey dad,” I reply, picking up my TV remote and turning the volume up, hoping that he won’t try to make conversation.

“So,  Merry Christmas.” He awkwardly wishes me, sitting beside me on my bed.

“Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too,” I reply, sitting up in my bed, still watching the movie.

“Uh, don’t you wanna come downstairs? Heather and Anna are both down there.”

“Nah, I’m good. I’m watching Elf anyway,” I deadpan, my eyes glued to the screen.

“Well, your mother and her boyfriend will be here soon,” He adds, like that’s supposed to make me happy or something.

“Oh, yeah? That’s cool,” I respond, wondering why they’re coming so early. It’s only like, half past 1 o’clock.

“You’re still upset, aren’t you?” He sighs heavily. “About the Chargers game, I mean.”

“Why would I be upset over some stupid football game?” I sarcastically remark. “I’m not.”

If it isn’t completely obvious, I was pretty upset with my father for like, a day and a half for deserting me at the Chargers game. I mean, literally deserting me since I had no way home. It would have been different if I was the one who’d asked him to go with me, I could maybe understand it then, but I didn’t ask him to hang out with me. No, he asked me to hang out with him. And then just left. So, I had to stay at the game, which ended like, fifteen minutes after my dad left and then I called my mom and asked her to come and get me. She was at work or busy with something though, so she sent Alec to come and get me. It was a very, very awkward ride home.

“Look, I know that you’re mad at me for leaving early, but it was an emergency and I really had no other option.”

“I said it was cool, dad, it is. I don’t care, really,” I murmur, running my fingers through my hair, tiredly. This is literally what I’ve been doing all day since I woke up this morning at around 8 a.m., watching Christmas movies- The Polar Express, Elf, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and A Christmas Carol- and eating cereal by the bowls. What a great day to spend Christmas. I’m being sarcastic obviously.