Narrow Paths

Chapter Fourteen

I headed home at around six o'clock in the evening. Mom had cooked dinner late to accommodate for my schedule and my father's. When I got home, the smell of meatloaf was thick in the air of the hallway.

Both of my parents sat at the table. Dad greeted me with a grunt, not looking up from his newspaper. Mom threw me a smile as she hurried about to make dinner.

"How were the boys?" She asked.

"They were good. A bit bored, but I fixed that."

"You sure are the entertainer."

She served dinner and sat down to eat. None of us said anything for a while, all of us focused on eating.

"So, Carter, are you ready for football season?" Dad finally asked.

"I've never not been ready."

"It's your senior year. That means there's gonna be a lot of pressure on you."

"From who?"

He shrugged and took a few bites of his food before answering. He didn't have to answer for me to know that he meant himself and my mother.

"A lot of folks expect the seniors to go out with a bang, especially your group. A bunch of good boys, a little rowdy, but you're good boys."

I didn't reply to that. Of course, the entire town expected the seniors to never lose a game and make it all the way to state. They expected perfection out of the team every year.

We finished the meal in silence and I was about to head to my room when headlights filled the hallway. We all stopped and waited to see who was in the driveway.

I walked to the door and opened it. Darcy's car was parked just behind mine, and she was slowly getting out. I heard my mom gasp and I almost laughed at her dramatic reaction.

"What's she doing here? She doesn't ever pick you up until after midnight," my dad asked.

I shrugged and we all waited for Darcy to walk up to the house. She simply leaned against the driver side door and looked at us.

"Are you coming, Carter?"

"Uh, yeah, one second."

My parents exchanged looks of disapproval. My mother looked like she was going to say something, but held back, pursing her lips as she crossed her arms.

"Just come back in one piece," Dad told me.

"Eric, you can't just let him -"

"What? Go be a teenager? He's done this before and always come back before morning. I trust her not to get him killed in a car wreck, she's a decent driver."

She fumed and I threw her an apologetic smile. I knew that she'd have more to say to me in the morning when Darcy wasn't present.

I walked toward Darcy, able to feel three pairs of eyes watching me. Darcy had a smile on her face and she nodded at me as I walked toward the passenger side door. We both got in the car and drove away with my parents still watching.

"Did you have to do that? Now my mom is liable to kill me."

She laughed and turned down the radio. She looked almost happy, which was a first for her. I'd never seen her happy, before we'd officially met or otherwise.

"You're a terrible actor and I hope that's not on the list of possible professions."

"It's not, trust me."

"It's all a game, Carter, just a game."

"Then I apparently suck at it. What was the point of that, honestly?"