A Reason To Love

Ch. 4

"Hello Eli how are you?" My dad asked with a bright smile on his face as he wheeled himself up to the kitchen table where we were getting ready to eat dinner. 

"Tim you should be in bed resting." My mom frowned looking up from her laptop. She had to go to the office today and immediately started working again as soon as she got home. School went by in a blur today. I realized I had three out of five classes with Will and he made it a point to sit by me in all three but didn't say a word to me and for that I was thankful. His presence was enough to put me on edge without adding talking to the mix.

"Dear I am fine. I want to eat dinner with all three of my favorite girls." 

"Beth pizza is great, thank you." Elise grabbed a slice before plopping herself down in a chair at the table. 

"I love you." My mom grabbed my dads hand and squeezed it gently before opening a box of pizza and made my dads plate first before making her own. 

"I am doing good! I am almost done with my classes perks of being home schooled." I felt jealousy coarse through my veins. If only I could do online schooling that way I could be with my dad all day. I could help a lot more that way mom could spend more time at the office and not be stretched so thin. My dad has a nurse who comes by every day to help for a few hours but it's mostly on my mom and I. 

"Don't look at me like that missy. You are finishing school. You are walking that stage whether you like it or not." My dad pointed a warning finger at me. 

"Fine!" I sigh not knowing why I bother because I know for a fact that he will not change his mind no matter how hard I try to convince him. 

"How are you feeling Tim?" Eli asks genuinely concerned for my dads health. Her chestnut brown hair curled to perfection with dark brown eyes covered with black framed glasses. Her skin like porcelain with no marks or scars. She is bright and bubbly where I am quiet and keep more to myself. You would think it would be the opposite especially because I go to public school and she is home schooled but it's not.

"Oh Eli I am great!" His smile never waivers. Even though you can see the hurt and pain he feels he never complains because he doesn't want anyone worrying about him. He just takes his pain and deals with it. 

"I am surprised that you haven't kicked this one out of your room at night. I am sure she is driving you crazy." She pointed her pizza crust at me teasingly.

"I tell her all the time to go out but she is stubborn." My dad shook his head before taking another bite of his slice of pizza.

"I don't know where she gets that from but it's not from me." My mom held up her hands in surrender.  

"Cam did you tell Eli about your new partner in Physics?" My dad asked and it dawned on me that I hadn't told her yet granted he only became my partner yesterday and we haven't talked much since then.

"Not yet. I got partnered with this guy Will."

"Foley?" She asks curiously as she grabbed another slice of pepperoni pizza while I reached for another meat lovers.

"How do you know his last name?" The confusion evident in my voice.

"Just because I am home schooled doesn't mean I live under a rock." She stuck out her tongue at me. She knows the guy and she doesn't even go to our school. How is that even possible? 

"Ha-ha funny but yes, him." 

"He is scrumptious!"

"Scrumptious?" My dad arches an eyebrow either like he didn't understand or as if asking why I didn't mention it last night.

"I mean sure he is good looking." I shrug before going back to my pizza. Eli pulled out her phone and let fingers slide across the screen. 

"See for yourself." She whipped her phone around showing my dad a picture of Will. He was standing against a black brick wall only in a pair of dark wash ripped jeans and his combat boot looking off into the distance. The fact that he didn't have a shirt on showed off every muscle on his upper body. The sun light was casting rays of sunshine across the picture. The picture looked like it was taken by a professional that's how good it was. 

"Wow." My mom gasped with her eyes so wide that if they were even half a centimeter more opened would pop out of her eye sockets. 

"That's your partner?" My dad asked turning his attention back towards me. The atmosphere in the room had suddenly became suffocating all because of one picture.

"Yeah..." I nod slowly. What's the big deal? 

"I want to meet him." My dad adds and it only confuses me even more. Why? Does he not trust me? Because he has no reason not to trust me. 

"We will be doing work on projects after school and on the weekends so I am sure you will meet him at some point." I shrug. 

"The first time you meet after school I want it here. I want to meet this young man. So I can give him the talk." 

"The talk? What talk? The sex talk? Oh my God dad I am not going to have sex with him!" I gasp feeling my whole entire body heat up in embarrassment. 

"That's not the talk I have in mind. It's just what dads do kiddo. I want to meet him before you start meeting him after school." I nod slowly agreeing to letting my dad meet Will. I don't see what the big deal he is just my partner but the way my dad is reacting you would think I just told him that Will asked me out or something but that would never happen. 

"Okay. I will let him know." I am not exactly sure what is going through my dads mind but I would give every dollar I own to know.