Slowly Freaking Out

9- I Just Know

“Logan?”

“Yes?”

“Where’s my daughter?”

I look up at Mr. Holland as he’s standing near the couch that I am currently sitting on in the living room. He’s dressed in a business suit because he’s just now getting home from work and I’m sitting here on the couch watching TV. “That is confidential information,” I inform him with a sheepish smile, wishing that Mae’s other friends hadn’t left just about ten minutes earlier so that I didn’t have to explain to Mae’s father by myself that Mae is actually on a date right now. It’s getting late now though, and they all had to get home before their parents started to get upset that they were gone.

“Logan,” Mr. Holland says my name again but this time, he says it in more of a warning tone. The guy is about as threatening as a baby tiger though, so it’s not all that intimidating like I think that he wants it to be. “Where’s my daughter? And why aren’t you with her?”

I let out a long sigh and glance up at him. “She may or may not be… uh, out.”

“Out?” He wonders. “Where?”

“I mean, you never said that she couldn’t go out,” I remind him. “So really, she’s not doing anything wrong by not being here, right?”

“That’s correct,” He nods. “I’m just wondering why you’re not with her.”

“Oh, that’s because she’s at that really fancy seafood place down on the fancy side of town,” I inform her. “And I personally feel like that place is very expensive, so I didn’t go.”

“Are you talking about Toledo’s?” He wonders. “That place is expensive. Who is she with?”

“I don’t feel like your question is very important,” I say with a small shrug, trying my best to avoid breaking the news to him. Mr. Holland is a super cool guy and everything, but when it comes to Mae- his only daughter- he is like a mama bear.

“Logan,” He repeats my name for emphasis. “Is Mae on a date?”

“What would make you think that?” I ask him with raised eyebrows. “Don’t you think that I would have told you if she was on a date?”

“Well, you’re not with her, she’s at Toledo’s, and you’re acting very weird,” He says. “Do I know this guy?”

I just shrug. “I dunno what you’re talking about. You are going to have to talk to Mae when she gets home.”

“Okay then,” He sighs, making his way towards the stairs, obviously giving up on getting any straight information out of me. “Goodnight, Logan.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Holland,” I call to him as he disappears onto the second floor. I was home alone before he came home because Mae is obviously gone for her date at that fancy seafood restaurant, Mae’s mom is still at work, and Miles is out with friends. I’m actually really grateful that he’s gone too, because I don’t want to be home alone with him again.

Although kissing him was nice, I don’t want to do it again. For one, I don’t like hiding things from my best friend. Another thing is that I’m not looking for a relationship at all- I’ve made that perfectly clear. So really, all that I’m doing by kissing Miles is just complicating things even further. Mixing emotion and common sense. The last time I did that, I ended up with a ruined prom dress soaked in tears.

I haven’t talked to him since then, though, because either he’s out with his friends while I’m home or I’m out with Mae and her friends while he’s home. It’s not that we’re avoiding each other, it’s just that we haven’t crossed paths in the past few days, which I am totally okay with. I’m hoping we can stay out of each other’s way for a while until the kissing is all forgotten about and then we can go back to being friends again.