❦Zach❦
I can't quite push the smallest let downs to the back of my mind. I'm kind of used to things going my way not that I'm spoiled necessarily, it's just what I'm used to. If I want it, I usually, get it. Jack just wasn't one of those things.
My family in general doesn't take losses easily, hence why we no longer have "Family Game Night". We're quite competitive I'll leave it at that. I think that's a trait that skipped my sister mostly, or maybe adolescent her just couldn't stand the idea of family things period. So no she didn't give it her all in family tennis and golf and any other boring old people sport, neither did I for that matter. I'm competitive, not sportive, a big difference. For some reason today though for the sake of old times my dad thought it'd be great to take us all to the country club for some event, which I'm sure he only attends because he has a reputation to keep up with. This meant I'd probably be playing croquet with the snooty juniors from my old private school who's idea of small talk consists of only gloating.
Maybe the real real reason we stopped having family game night is that we all in some way hated each other. It became harder to get along with each other as me and my sister grew older and realized just how dysfunctional of a family we were. We were always consoled by materialistic things but never real genuine emotional support. Seeing our parents strive to be better than everyone else sort of rooted it in our minds that we should be the same way but it just seemed to divide us further.
The country club isn't fun unless your like what, over one hundred, and stupid rich. So of course I had to invite Daniel to make the time there a little less painful to bear through. We're both dressed in stupid polo, with a stupid plaid sweater vest, with stupid creased slacks, and stupid uncomfortable dress shoes that weren't meant for grass. The heel of our shoes kept sinking into the wet grass due to the sprinklers and it made it hard to really walk. Daniel was holding his croquet club more like a sledgehammer killer as he sweated me to hit the ball already. The sun shone down on us with no shade to guard us from its intense rays except for our hands shielding our eyes.
"Zach just go already." He swipes his forehead with the back of his hand.
"Wait for it." I hit the ball with a light tap and it rolls right under the hoop embedded in the grass. I do a triumphant fist pump.
"I hate playing croquet with you you take it a little too seriously and you always win." I roll my eyes as he walks pass me and prepares for his turn. I hike my pants up for what feels like the hundredth time since they don't really fit me at all.
"These sweater vests look stupid in this L.A. heat." I complain thinking about how my mom insisted this morning that I should put it on. So like a good friend Daniel came in a sweater vest too so I wouldn't be the only one to look foolish. We weren't out of place here wear everyone wore expensive clothes with no color coordination whatsoever. "Did I tell you about what happened to me after school yesterday?" I ask realizing I hadn't said anything about it to him.
"What happened yesterday?" He says turning to me briefly squinting because of the sun.
"I've met someone, well more like we both met each other." I say to Daniel who's tongue is sticking out the corner of his mouth in concentration. He doesn't look my way until after he hits the ball only to miss by an inch.
"Dang it!" He sucks his teeth in frustration before he looks up with my words finally processing. "Could you elaborate on that?" He chuckles putting his arm over my shoulders.
"Well it's a boy, from our school, and his name is Jack." There was nothing. I welcomed the silence, it was free of judgement, but so were his soft blue eyes. Why would I ever worry that my best friend would judge me?
