One Detention Saved My Life

Chapter 24

Dad and I are in his car ready to leave after a long day at work. He believed me earlier when I told him that I fell in a mud puddle. I mean, I thought from the very beginning that he was going to believe me because we got a massive storm two nights ago, trees fell down and everything due to the howling winds.
"Kelly, invited us over for dinner. I hope that's okay."
I hadn't seen Kelly since Mom got out of the hospital. She was understanding about everything since the moment I met her. She understood what I was going through when Mom was in the hospital, something Dad always forgot to do. She was sympathetic about how I felt about living with Dad for the first time in my life. I even remember the fight she had with Dad about taking me to see Mom at the hospital. I remember her exact words, 'What Tim needs is a supportive father. He feels like he's in this all alone'. Dad will never be supportive of my choices. He still can't understand why I stormed out of Mom's hospital room. No kid wants to hear their parents fight on their birthday.
"Tim, did you hear anything I just said?"
"I would love to have dinner with Kelly,"I say, snapping out of my trance.
"Are you sure? You don't seem to thrilled about it."
"Yeah, I was just staring off into space."
Dad picks up his phone on the dashboard and holds it up to his ear. It rings twice before the person on the other end of the phone picks up.
"We will be over in about fifteen minutes."
"Are you sure Tim's okay with it?"
I love how Kelly puts my needs before my own. She doesn't want to upset or make me feel uncomfortable.
"Yeah, Tim's okay with it."
"Then, I guess I will see you guys in fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes last, Dad pulls up to a single story, tan-bricked house with a small garage attached to it. The house is decked out in bright orange lights, fake cobwebs lined the fake windows, fake tombstones and skeletons litter the yard. Wow, I didn't know Kelly was into decorated for the holidays. Kids were going to love her house this weekend when they went out trick or treating.
Dad and I walk up the stairs that lead to her house. I ring the doorbell and I'm greeted by a huge black dog rushing at me, knocking me down to the ground. The big dog starts licking my face and I begin to laugh.
"It looks like Buddy likes you," Kelly says from inside the doorway.
Dad pets Buddy's head and he gets off me and goes over to Dad. Kelly helps me up off the ground.
"It looks like my two men are reunited once again."
I laugh. "Apparently so."

Dad, Kelly, and I walk into Kelly's small house, Buddy trotting beside us. I take everything in. Kelly has a small kitchen and dinning room. Her living room is spic and span, a stack of magazines resting neatly on an ottoman.
"I know it's small, but it's home," Kelly says, reading my mind.
"Home is where the heart is they say,"I joke.
I get a whiff of something in the air and my mouth waters. It smells like the saucy goodness of spaghetti and meatballs. I also smell the fresh aroma of garlic bread being baked in the oven.
"That smells amazing!"
"Thanks. It's your father's favorite meal."
Mine too. But I keep that to myself. I don't want to admit that I have something else in common with Dad other than our looks, and our love for baking. Dad never mentioned he had a passion for music, so that's one thing we don't have in common.
"You didn't have to make my favorite meal."
"I know, but I wanted to."
Dad leans down and kisses her tenderly on the lips. I feel myself gush inside. Their kiss reminds me of the many kisses I shared with Amy. I also don't feel the urge to throw up like I do when Mom and Jimmy kiss. They part abruptly when the timer on the oven goes off.
"Looks like dinner is ready," Kelly announces as we all make our way to the kitchen table.
I take my first bite of meatball and it explodes in my mouth with flavor. "Best meatballs ever," I tell Kelly, taking another bite.
"I'm glad you like them."
Buddy nudges me underneath the table with his nose. I look down and he's giving me puppy dog eyes. I know he wants my food, but the meatballs are too good to give up.
"Kelly, won't tell me the secret ingredient."
"I told you, Greg, that you wouldn't eat them if I told you the special ingredient. It will always remain a mystery."
"I bet you put bugs in them."
"Ew, gross. Greg, just stop guessing."
"Fine, but someday I will find out."
"Not until you're on your deathbed," Kelly jokes.

After dinner I'm completely stuffed. My stomach feels like it's going to bulge out of my pants. I couldn't help myself and went up and served myself seconds, grabbing two pieces of garlic toast to wipe up the excess amount of sauce.
"Can I talk to Tim privately?" Kelly asks, rinsing a plate off in the sink and placing it into the dishwasher.
"Yeah, I don't see why not."
Kelly kisses Dad on the cheek. I can see why not on the lips. Kissing someone with garlic breath is just plain nasty.
"Greg, can you finish tidying up the kitchen?"
"Yeah."
"Good," Kelly say, dragging me into her bedroom and shutting the door. Kelly motions at her neatly made bed for me to sit down. I do what she wants and sit down on the bed, my butt sinking down into the soft mattress. She grabs a small wrapped box off of her dresser and sits down next to me.
"I was at a jewelry store yesterday and I thought of you."
I take the box from her hands and slowly unwrap it to reveal a black bracelet. I pick it up and notice words carved in it: You are not nothing. You are Tim Hemlock.
Tears well up in my eyes.
"I asked the jewelers at the store to engrave that into the bracelet. I hope it's not to girly for you."
"No, it's not. Dad told you about the fight, didn't he?"
"Yes."
"I bet you think I was wrong for starting it."
"No, I don't. You were just defending your girlfriend. I would have done the same for Greg."
She looks down at her pants like she's done something wrong.
"Kelly, is something wrong?"
"I went to the jewelry store because I was looking for engagement rings."
I feel my jaw drop.
"When I first met you I wasn't ready for marriage, but then I got to know you, and I fell in love with your father even more."
I'm shocked. I didn't know Kelly felt that way about Dad. I'm not upset. Dad's much nicer and happier when he's around Kelly. I wouldn't mind Kelly being my step mom. If Jimmy and Mom were going to get married than that's a whole other story."
"I'm sorry, Tim."
"Don't be."
"So you would be okay if some day your father and I got married."
"You have my blessing."
I clasp the bracelet around my rist and start to leave her bedroom.
"Tim," she calls after me.
"Yeah."
"Please don't tell your father about this."
"I won't."
"Promise."
"I promise," I reply as she gets off the bed and opens the door.

I'm lying on Dr. Roberts leather sofa on Friday morning. The conversation I had with Kelly still lingering on my mind.
"What do you want to talk about?" I ask Dr. Roberts.
"How about we talk about your Mom's boyfriend.
"How do you know about---"
"Your Mom told me. She thinks that dating Patrick has something to do with you getting into that fight."
"His names Jimmy," I shout. "And he's an asshole."
"How so?" She asks.
"He used to work for my Dad and called me a shithead."
"Does he make you feel like nothing?"
"No, I just feel like he's using my mom to get revenge on my dad. I walked in on my mom and Jimmy and she was on top of him making out, although they were fully clothed."
Dr. Roberts scribbles something down in her notebook.
"Did you try to tell your mom that you hated Jimmy?"
"No, my mom is under his spell. He acts all charming around her."
My hands are clenching so hard at my sides just talking about Jimmy. I get up and punch the punching bag hard. I feel some of my anger slowly leaving me. I return to the sofa, but I don't lay down.
"You feel better?"
"Yeah."
She pulls out the mirror from her desk.
"Take off your sunglasses and tell me what you see."
I take them off knowing that I can't get out of this and stare at myself in the mirror.
"Tell me what you see," Dr. Roberts repeats.
I see the same thing I saw on Tuesday, nothing.
"I see nothing," I reply.
"Surely that's not all you see."
I look at myself more closely in the mirror. "I see a kid with a messed up life."
"Tim, I'm a little bit worried that you saw the same thing in the mirror that you saw last time."
"I told you on Tuesday that I'm nothing without Amy."
Saying her name makes my heart thump in my chest. A tinge of guilt goes through my body. I kissed Kim. I kissed her and it felt wrong.
"Amy doesn't define you. You define yourself."
"You don't understand. I kissed someone. I met with my friends on Wednesday and I got caught up in the moment with my friend, Kim and we kissed."
I felt the tears slipping down my cheeks.
"You did nothing wrong, Tim. You and Amy broke up before you two kissed."
"I compared Kim to Amy the whole time we kissed."
"I told you the first time we met that you needed to let her go."
I will never let Amy go. She is just as much a part of me as Chelsea is. I will fight for her when I go back to school on Monday. It will kind of be like I'm a hero stealing her back from the villian. In my case, the villian is Amy thinking I'm dangerous and that I would hurt her. I would never hurt her in a billion trillion years.
"I'm my own person. I can do as I please," I say storming out of her office.