I Got You (Student/Teacher) ON HOLD

20 Family

I dragged my feet to get ready to meet up with Brad. I didn't think it was a good idea for him to come to the apartment I shared with Keir, to get me. So I told him to meet me at the donut shop around the corner from the apartment building. I would drive myself to his place, but I didn't know where it was. I had the address but even my GPS was clueless.

I pulled my jacket tightly around me as I walked to the shop and waited for him to show up. A red jeep wrangler pulled up next to me. The window rolled down and I could see Brad smiling like an idiot in the front seat. I quickly got into the jeep and he closed the window.

"Nice ride." I commented.

"Thanks! I never take her out. But I figured I'd pick you up with her today." He smiled.

"I thought you had a car."

"I do." He nodded and started to pull onto the road.

"And a jeep."

"Yup."

"Anything else?" I teased.

He laughed. "Nope. Just my little ford and my giant jeep."

I looked out the window and tried to remember were we were going in case I needed to come this way someday. "So where do you live? My GPS couldn't find it."

He laughed. "That's because the street is relatively new."

"Oh."

"Yeah. And we're almost there." I looked out the windshield as he pulled into the side road. "That's Gemma's house." He pointed to a house on the left. It was huge. "Originally this was suppose to be a private road for them, but they decided to open it up.

"What is her family rich?"

"Yes actually." He glanced at me quickly. "Did you not know? Her father's the mayor."

"Oh."

"Shocked you huh?" He chuckled.

"Yeah. She's so down to earth."

He smiled and pulled into a driveway. He took the keys from the ignition and turned to me. "Ready to meet my family?"

"I didn't come all this way for nothing." I laughed and got out of the jeep. In a second he was by my side and we were walking up to the house.

"Oh, before we go in. Don't take anything my bother says personal. He's a douche."

I laughed. "Okay."

Brad sighed before he pushed open the front door and walked inside. I followed close behind him. "I'm here!" He yelled. I took the opportunity to look around the room we were standing in, which was probably the family room because of the couches and television on the wall. The tree was still up and there was wrapping paper on the floor and a few opened boxes. "Pay no attention to that. It's my bothers turn this year to clean up." He rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't bother me." I told him as I looked away to look at the pictures on the wall.

"It bothers me." I heard him mumble.

"You must be Harper!" An older lady, I'm guessing was Brad mother, said walking into the room.

"That's me." I smiled.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" She said pulling me into a hug. "Brad hasn't stopped talking about you since you moved here." I turned to look at Brad who's face was bright red.

"Oh really?" I raised my brow at him.

"Oh yes dear. Seemed he had quite the crush on you." She winked.

"Mom!" Brad shouted embarrassed. "That was the past. We're great friends now."

His mother rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand and pulled me into another room. "Bryan this is Harper." She said introducing me to an older man, who sat at the table reading a sports magazine.

He looked up from the article he was reading and gave me a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." I returned the smile.

"In just a minute I'll have the table set and we can eat. Okay?" Brads mother said as she walked away into another room.

"Sit. Sit." Brad's dad instructed. I did as he said and Brad took the seat across from me.

They talked and I just sat there and listened. I learned that Brad's father owned a car dealership and was the baseball couch and his wife coached the girls volleyball team and worked as a secretary at a law form.

"Do you play any sports?" Brad's father asked me after while.

"Yes actually." I nodded. "I used to be on the baseball team."

He smiled widely. "Really? You any good?"

"I guess. There were only two of us girls on the all boys team." I laughed.

"You must have been good." He chuckled. "She should try out for the team when the season starts huh, Brad?"

"Yeah." Brad agreed nodding his head.

"I'll think about it." I told them. They smiled and nodded. The sound of a phone ringing stopped any further conversation.

"Bry the phone is for Carter." Brad's mother sighed walking into the room with a house phone pushed to her shoulder.

"I'll get him." Brad's father sighed. "You take your sons phone away and suddenly everyone begins calling the house." He rolled his eyes and got up from the table.

Brad and I were quiet for a minute before he broke the silence. "My bother spends so much time of his phone. It should attached to him permanently by now." I laughed. Smack. "Dude!" Brad yelled rubbing the back of his head. 

"I heard you." Someone, who looked a lot like Brad, said narrowing his eyes. He must be Brad's bother Carter. Without saying another word he walked away and joined his mother in the other room, where the phone was.

* * * * * * *

Brad, his father, his bother, and I all sat around the table. His mother was still in the kitchen, but was no bringing out food. I offered to help but she declined my offer. So I sat there and waited. Brad and his bother sat next to each other and you could tell they didn't get along. Carter would push Brad and they would go back and forth. Brad's father ignored them, but every time his mother came in the room she would scold them.

The last of the food was placed on the table and Brad's mother sat down. As she reached for the spoon to grab some potatoes her husband stopped her. She rolled her eyes at him and asked him what he wanted.

"Not yet." He shook his head. "We're missing someone."

"We're all here Bry." Again she rolled her eyes and looked around the table.

"I got a call earlier." He said as if it was no big deal. "We have another guest."

"Fine." She huffed and stood up. "You can help me set up another plate, Harper." She smiled. I shot up from my chair and followed her into the kitchen.