Unexpected

| viii | something

viii~ what is this? I'm special, but how? what is this... something?

viii--viii-viii-viii-viii

Days like these are the calm in the midst of the storm. Days where his mother bothers with dressing-sure, her style is that of a 1962 university, but still-and she actually brushes her hair, allowing the graying blond curls to gently fall to her shoulders. Her lips are smudged with gloss and her pale eyes pop. She is smiling. She is happy.

When his wife is happy, Grayson's father is happy. There is a crooked, boyish grin on his face and his clothes are slightly askew. There is a full wallet in his pocket and his wife on his arm. There is no reason for him to be unhappy.

Grayson plays his part, and he plays it well. There is a serene smile on his face. However, his eyes remain untouched. Anger boils deep within him, ready to spew at any given moment.

He does not know if it is directed at the knowledge, no matter how subtle and squelched, that this day will probably be the only one of its kind in a long time, or if it is at the building tension that comes with the breakage of something long-standing.

He will never admit to it out loud, no matter how truthful it is.

Grayson misses Ian and Will.

He misses having control.

He misses his popularity.

(He also misses Erin, but he has always missed her and so this is old news)

It is a celebration of the family's positivity when Gregory Carin announces that he is treating his small family to a night out. Grayson forces a happy reception, but he doubts that his father even knows what kind of food he likes. The full wallet must be put to good use, and buying the prolonging of happiness seems to be the most reasonable option.

Grayson hopes that his mother's good day has been brought about by her new treatment-she has laid off the pills and is now working on a more natural way to rest her mind. It is something to do with meditation and 'inner peace'. It sounds like a bunch of hippie bullshit, but if it works, Grayson cannot bring himself to criticize it.

They enter the little restaurant. It is grill themed, and the scent of cooking meat hits Grayson like a wall of rich warmth. The walls are covered in records and the booths are made to look like jukeboxes. It is a weird decoration theme for a restaurant, but Grayson almost finds it cute.

Almost immediately, an usher takes the three of them to a snug booth and places laminated menus in their hands. A quick scan of the options assures Grayson that everything is too expensive for what it seems. The cheapest option is an option of chicken and fries, which simply does not appeal to Grayson.

When the waiter comes to their table, he goes with the second cheapest item. Grayson orders, "I'll have a hamburger." He does not even like hamburgers, but he knows that his parents will feel so special being the American poster family for one night, with the father and his ribs along with the mother and her salad and the son and his burger. He can tolerate cheap cheese and soggy vegetables for one meal.

In between bites of her leafy dinner, his mother strikes a conversation against the air. "Grayson, how are your friends? Ian and Will, right?" Tammy asks. Grayson's eyes snap up. She has been paying attention to him? This is news to Grayson. But, as news always is, there is a story waiting to upstage the current headlines.

"Um, well-" just as he is about to answer, he is interrupted.

"We're great, Mrs. Carin," a familiar voice answers from another table. Surprised, Grayson focuses on a nearby bus boy who turns to the family. Grayson meets Ian's eyes as he collects the dishes from the table next to them. He tries to send a silent 'thank you', but Ian looks away.