all american | lance tucker

ch. 38 • ah, sisters

"Cara already told you it's a shit idea, right?" Lance was saying. He was looking for his last can of Redbull, but he wasn't going to find it because I had knocked it out of the fridge and it had exploded.

"Hey, Care."

"Thea, you could've just called. You didn't need to drive all the way over here just to talk to him." I fumed, crossing my arms. "Lance, it's not in there."

"Why the fuck not?" He complained.

"Aria knocked it over and it exploded. Anyways, I assume you told her the same thing I did?" I asked.

"That it's a shit idea? Yeah. I don't have time to train you how to do the job I already do when I also have to deal with a bunch of whiny teenagers." He dismissed it with a wave, sitting down on the couch. "Plus, it's not a fun job. Endless hours, paperwork, working with people you don't like-" he glanced at me, and I rolled my eyes- "and when you start out, you don't get paid until after they qualify for events."

"You did it, didn't you?" Now I could tell that she was listening to Lance and only Lance, which pissed me off.

"You and I are very different. Plus, I've been in this shit my whole life. You've never touched it." I could tell he was amused by this whole interaction, because he also knew that she was going to listen to him better than she was going to listen to me.

"But you have four kids, you have to work with Cara, and you run the gym. I don't have any of that extra stuff so I can work harder at it." She explained desperately. Watch yourself, bitch.

"What do you mean, he has to work with me?" I asked tightly. Lance was now on the verge of laughing.

"See? Even she knows I babysit wherever I go." He teased, raising an eyebrow that challenged me to retort.

"This is so dumb. Just please tell her that it's a bad idea and she needs to have a better plan." Harley sighed, arms crossed. Lance nodded.

"Good summary. She's right." He noted, then pointed to the fridge. "Now eat lunch, and stay awhile. Haven't caught up with you two in awhile." They did so, and eventually the smell of food brought the kids from wherever they had been lurking.

"Dress is in the car." I mumbled as I sat down next to Lance, leaning my head on his shoulder. He sighed.

"Tux?"

"Forgot. I'll get it some other time." I wanted to take a nap, but with my sisters here, they were making that kind of hard.

"So, Lance. Why are you good at parenting? Like how can you shut a baby up so quickly?" Harley asked, sitting down on the couch across from us. It was a good question, and at first I had been asking him the same one. He shrugged.

"When I had Aria all by myself, I kind of had to figure out how to do everything my way, so I didn't know what you were supposed to do, I just did what I did. And it worked, and still does." He explained.
Whatever, loser.

"Quit acting like you're some god." I muttered, rolling my eyes. He patted my shoulder, chuckling.

"Correction. Parenting god." He corrected cockily, grinning.

"You know, when you guys first got together, I don't think I ever would've pictured either of you with kids. Sometimes it's still hard." Harley chuckled, shaking her head.

"Yeah sometimes it's hard for me too." I muttered.

"Ha! That's what she said." Thea joked. I was still annoyed at her, so I didn't react, but of course Lance laughed, because he is 5 years old. We talked for a while longer, and then we got on the topic of our childhoods. And then mom.