How it Began

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"Harold? Darling, where were you?" Evelyn Cooper asked as soon as her son walked in the door. Henry joins his wife's side as soon as he hears Hal come in.

"I was... at school."

"It's 5:14, school ends at 2:30. Why on Earth are you so late?"

"I um... I had detention." He admits and his mother gasps.

"Harold Timothy Cooper, you have never had a detention in your life! Was it just a mistake?"

"Sort of." His parents gesture for him to explains and he sighs. "The principal came outside and caught me skipping class, smoking."

"Smoking!" His mother's eyes grow so wide he's afraid they'll bug out of her head. "A cigarette?"

"Not exactly." He hangs his head down, afraid to meet the disapproving glares of his parents.

"Oh... oh, Harold, were you smoking marijuana?"

"Afraid so."

"Where on Earth did you even get it?" His father asks, completely baffled.

"I think I have an idea. From that skimpy blonde biker girl, am I correct?"

Hal rolls his eyes. "Her name is Alice, mom."

"So it was her? Why am I not surprised!"

"Son, why don't you go up to your room. Me and your mother need to have a little chat, discuss your punishment."

Hal nods and walks upstairs with a sigh. He closes his bedroom door and flops down on his bed. If only he had kept his mouth shut. Though, it's not like he regrets it. He got to spend an extra few hours with Alice due to detention, he'd do it all over again.

The phone on his nightstand rings and he looks at it quizzingly before answering. "Hello?"

"Hal?" A sugary-sweet voice speaks on the other end of the line and he'd recognize it anywhere.

"Alice? Hi."

"Oh thank God. Mary gave me your number but I was terrified it was going to be your mom who picked up."

"Oh no, don't worry, this is my own personal line."

"Ooo a personal landline, how fancy."

He chuckles softly. "Not that I'm complaining, because I'm really, really not, but why are you calling? You never call me, I thought you hated me."

"Well, in all honestly, I did. Well, not hate, that's too strong of a word but you weren't exactly my favourite person. I just wanted to call and see if your parents were pissed at you, but since you're alive and talking to me I'm guessing they're not that mad or you didn't tell them."

"Oh they know, they're downstairs discussing my punishment right now."

"Yikes. Oh! I almost forgot, I have something of yours!"

"You do? What?" The door to his bedroom opens and his mom and dad walk in.

"Harold, we've discussed-" his mother starts but freezes mid-sentence when he sees him holding the phone up to his ear. "Tell me that's not her."

"It is." He sighs, figuring there's no point in lying now, he knows she'd take the phone and check herself if he had lied.

"Hang up the phone. You're grounded for two days, no phone, not tv, no friends over."

"Fine." He sighs and hangs up the phone. His mom unplugs the cord and takes the whole thing out of his bedroom.

He flops back on his bed after his parents leave his room. He's not even mad about the fact that's he's grounded he's just mad about the fact that his parents choose now, the one time Alice calls him, to take away his phone privileges. And he didn't even get to say goodbye.