Today was my first day of the WVP Club (Watching Volleyball Practice) and I have to say it was pretty grand. Though they didn’t do any actual playing of volleyball, they did stretch. And run. And pass the ball back and forth. They weren’t even in actual volleyball uniforms or anything. Even shorts and t-shirts showed off their bodies in the way they needed to.
When girl join a sport, do they automatically become less awkward-looking in their gym clothes?
Before coming home, I contemplated having a smoke, but figured that because this was the first day of an afterschool activity, Mom would be waiting with questions. And she was.
“David? I’m in here!” Moms voice sounded from the kitchen as soon as my foot was in the threshold of the door.
When I got into the kitchen, Mom was chopping carrots. I smiled mentally; Derek hates carrots. I, on the other hand, actually like them.
“How was your Watching Velociraptors Play club?”
I had told Mom that I joined a club that studies dinosaurs, specifically Velociraptors. I didn’t expect her to actually believe it, but I guess she does.
“It was good.” I swiped a carrot stick from the cutting board. “Not as exciting as I had hoped though.”
Mom chuckled slightly. “What did you expect, a club about dinosaurs?”
“Uh, I dunno. I wanted to see some animated t-rexes playing with a dead, tattered body of a pterodactyl.”
“How is a dinosaur club the least lame club?” Mom thought aloud, completely ignoring my statement.
“How are t-rexes lame?”
“Very true.”
Luckily, Derek came in (he grimaced at the sight of the carrots) so I was able to sneak away as Mom dug for details on his date.
A little while ago, I snuck outside to have a smoke. It was around eleven, so I was sure that everyone else, except maybe Derek, would be asleep. And everyone was asleep. They just weren't all sleeping where I'd expected them to be.
I nearly tripped over Katie, who was asleep in the backyard, huddled in a sleeping bag with lady bug-like designs. I had no clue why she want to sleep outside when she had a nice bed inside, but I decided to be as quiet as I could and stand as far away as I could from her.
I stood against the wooden fence that surrounded our backyard, a couple of feet away from Katie. I inhaled deeply of my first and only cigarette of the day. I held it in for a long time, giving it a chance to seep into my lungs, before exhaling. I watched as smoke curled and danced upwards. I waited until the smoke faded away before bringing the cigarette to my lips again. I leaned my head back as I exhaled, partly because I didn't want to send any smoke towards Katie and partly because I wanted to look at the stars.
When I was little, my Grandpa Pete had taught me some of the constellations. We went camping a lot, just him and me. We'd lay outside of our tent in our sleeping bags, looking up at the stars. Grandpa would point out a group of stars and tell me all about them. We'd have the intention of going back inside the tent and sleeping there, but we'd always fall asleep looking at the stars.
Grandpa Pete taught me a lot things.
He died just before I started the ninth grade.
I slid my back down the fence, until I was sitting on the slightly damp grass. Though I know Grandpa loved Katie and Derek too, I like to think he loved me the most. I had a better relationship with him than I do with my own father. I took his death hard. Ever since he died I haven't even tried to remember the names or stories of the constellations.
"Ya know that I'm awake, right?" I heard Katie's soft voice whisper. I would've jumped if her voice wasn't as smooth as it is.
"I.." I tried to defend myself, but I couldn't seem to think of a valid excuse, rather it be the truth or a lie.
"It's okay," she said. "I won't tell."
"Thanks, Katie."
"I also won't tell that you were crying." She rolled over, so that her back was to me.
I touched my cheek. Without me realizing it, a few tears had streaked down my cheek. I swiped them away, quickly finished my cigarette, and walked past katie and to the bathroom to shower.
