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father invited me to join him in continuing to set up his office. he didn't have much to do so he told me to come so i could entertain him. though i don't think i will. i want to come along with him but i think i should be getting ready to return to school. it starts in 2 weeks and i'm not very excited.
i pulled up my jeans until i could button them closed. then i tucked in a white collared shirt. today i'm planning on going to the library and maybe the market to get something to make for dinner since mother won't get here until later. father already got me transferred into school but i still need to get my ID card. i slipped on my white shoes and grabbed the keys to the car and some extra money i had.
first i stopped at the school library since i didn't want the groceries to get hot in the car. i walked into the library and sighed once i saw the plethora of other students who also thought coming to the library today was a good idea. i made my way to the tables until i saw him. "hey," i smiled to him. his eyes looked up from the book and his eyebrows furrowed, yet he didn't say a single word. "what's your name?"
"tate. thought you knew." he closed his book and folded his hands over his chest. "why are you here? just to bother me?" why must he be so rude? i only care for his friendship.
"i wasn't expecting you to be here, really. i just came to find something to occupy myself while my father sets up my mom's office." my hands shook under the table as my body became filled with anxiety. having him dislike me was causing me to become anxious.
tate sighed and slowly blinked. "why do you carry around oxygen?" his hand gestures over to my tank before returning. "are you dying?"
"well i guess i am. i have cystic fibrosis." tate gave me a puzzled look. "it means there's mucus blocking my airways for a short version. the oxygen makes sure i don't die. i mean, i will eventually die. probably in my 20's." something seemed so different about tate. something i couldn't explain just by talking. he's quiet but he observes a lot.
"how old are you?" oh and he asks a lot of questions. i couldn't tell if i admired that about him or hated it. it's better than not talking at all i suppose.
"i'm 16. i'll be 17 in a month or so." that made him smile but i didn't understand why. "why the smile?"
"you're around my age. i thought you'd be a freshman or something." he admitted and leaned over the table. "so... why the library?"
"i could ask you the same thing, tate." i smirked and tapped his bird book. "i don't know... i have a couple erands to run today." he nodded and lifted his head.
"where are you going next?"
"to the market." my blood pumped through my veins from the rush of adrenaline he caused me to have. i wasn't sure what it was, i think it was the idea that he was interested in my day that made me so flustered.
"can i come with, i'm bored." he inquired as he grabbed his book off of the table. i agreed to letting him come with me even though he was a stranger to me. i felt like because he is my new neighbor i might as well try to make things not to awkward. "so your dad's a priest? and your mom's a teacher? they both have good paying jobs. why that house?" we walked out to the parking lot where my car sat waiting for us.
"well my mom has always admired your house i guess. you're living there of course so we couldn't find a way of buying it. we moved in beside you and mrs. langdon offered to let my mom use her office space. she's quite sweet for that, isn't she?" tate didn't respond, he just stayed looking out the window.
"i have a sister." he played with a picture on my dash that had writing on the back of the date and what was happening during the photo.
"oh really? what's her name?"
"adelaide. your name reminds me of hers. we call her addy not adele though. she's smart." he read my name on the back of the picture and smiled softly. why did i feel as if she had a higher significance in his life than he was letting on
"forgive me if i'm passing any boundaries, but what about your father?" the boy in my passenger seat turned up the music and tapped his foot on the flooring of my car as nirvana played.
"he left when i was six." he answered shortly as his foot continued to tap. "he's a prick." he was shouting over the music and i could feel the anguish flowing from him.
"most men are. what about the man living with you now... uh.. larry? is he your step father?" tate scoffed and my words and turned down the stereo once the song finished.
"he's a prick too. my mom doesn't love him he... well he just pays the bills most of the time i guess. and he's not doing a good job at it if you couldn't tell." i side glanced him for a moment to really take in his whole appearance.
"you know who you kinda look like?" the car came to a stop as i parked outside of the market. "kurt cobain."
"you like nirvana too? i couldn't tell. you weren't singing or anything." he seemed almost happy when i mentioned it. "what are you getting here anyway? all they have is like tomatoes."
"that's the point. i'm making dinner tonight." we walked inside and tate grabbed me a basket from the stack by the door. "thanks." he hummed in response and pushed his hands in his pockets. "do you and your family want to join us for dinner? i'll have to ask father first before-"
"i want to but... well i don't know if my mom will." the way he interrupts me is obnoxious but i'll pretend it doesn't happen for now. he's sweet when he wants to be, i can tell. "do you think i could come without them?"
"sure. father will be fine with that. my mom isn't in town tonight so she won't be joining us." i picked through the tomatoes until i found the pair that would be most appropriate for the meal. "do you like garlic pasta?" tate shrugged as he watched me pick through the other ingredients.
"what?" i smiled to him once i saw him smirk.
"you've been the only person who's invited me over for dinner. everybody else just thinks there's something wrong with me." i bit the inside of my cheek once he said this and became worried for my decision making skills.
"well is there?" i mean from what he said about the house... no sane person could live there if what he said was true.
"yeah," he nodded softly but kept a smile on his face.
