Why Opposites Attract

S i X

1:34 PM Friday, August 4, 2017

Holy schist, you guys, have I got news for you. I started typing this as soon as I got home today because it is just so, OMG, but I'm not really sure what emotion I would use to express that.

But I'm gonna make you wait.

When I got downstairs this morning for breakfast, I smelled the beautiful scent of waffles and bagels. I turned the corner and saw my dad, standing in front of the stove with his sweatpants and some t-shirt he got at a work party once. Some old music was playing from Alexa (the Amazon Echo thingy) and he was merrily humming along. Along the dining table were elegantly plated sausages, waffles, and lots and lots of bacon. I think I drooled a bit.

"Hey, dad." I gave him a peck on the cheek and sat down, grabbing a piece of bacon.

"Morning, bug." I yelp as he slaps my hand, making me drop the bacon back onto the plate. "We're waiting for your sister to get down before we eat." He emphasized the "your sister" part.

I groaned. "But Lisa takes eats first. And she takes forever to get ready."

He smiled at me kindly. "I asked her to get ready first and to be quick about it. We all know she loves my cooking."

I couldn't help but smile back and wait patiently. Dad worked so much that mornings like these were very rare, but that just made them all the better. When he took the time to hang out with us and catch up we're my favorites. Even Lisa loved it. She's a seventeen-year-old girl. She needs to be loved, too. I'm pretty sure the guys she sleeps with don't really show her that affection.

And, besides, anyone who hates my dad is just plain crazy.

Lisa came down all ready and beaming in less than five minutes. To be honest, it made me happy seeing her truly smile, because she rarely did.

We ate breakfast together, just talking and joking. Lisa let dad and me do most of the chatting, but she laughed and commented occasionally. I felt happy. Like we were an actual, regular, functioning family that got along perfectly and it was just... it just felt really good, you know?

I didn't even mind that I barely made it in time for school.

After TSP, I couldn't find Harry anywhere. In History, he wasn't there either. I felt uneasy. It was unusual for Harry to be late. Last time he was late, his mom hadn't gotten home from her night shift. Luckily, her car had just broken down and her phone was out of batteries, but still.

Katie and I were talking at my desk when Harry came barging in. His air was adorably ruffled and his eyes were wild. He was breathing heavily.

Mr. Martinez looked at the clock. "You're thirteen minutes late Mr. Nyels."

Harry looked at him with his wide eyes. "Oh, really? I hadn't noticed." The class tittered.

"Sit down, Mr. Nyels."

"Yes, Mr. Martinez." He sat down next to me and huffed. "What are we doing?"

"We're writing an essay on the mistreatment of African Americans in the 1960s. We haven't started anything becasue Ms. Flores takes forever to talk." Katie rolled her eyes and we all looked towards the teacher behind the desk. She squinted at her computer screen behind her glasses and took a sip of her coffee.

Ms. Flores was actually Mr. Martinez's student teacher, but she was really old and bad at her job. Mr. Martinez let her do a couple of his classes and we were unfortunately one of those.

I reached for Harry's arm. "Where were you? Is everything okay?"

"Er, uhm." He pat his hair down subconsciously. "Um." He squinted, not seeming to be able to focus. "We, uh... Toffee ran away."