Cinders

~3~ Skipping

The next month goes by pretty quickly. Dad has a new girlfriend, so a lot of his attention is on the tall brunette with the big boobs. She's nice, but she's ditzy. My dad doesn't even really like her, he just wants to get laid. He's never told me this, of course, but I'm not stupid.

"Hey Lyle! How was school?" She asks me one day after school.

"It's Liam," I say simply, glaring at her.

Dad just chuckles, putting me in a headlock and messing up my hair.

"We can call him Lyle. Liam's getting pretty stale!" He says with a smile, trying to lighten my mood. He can tell that I don't really like her either, and he tries to diffuse any situation that arises before I one day snap on her.

The only thing going for this girl is that she's hot. Actually, every girl my dad brings home is hot. If I thought that guys stare at my mom, girls stare at my dad just as much, if not more. He's 6'4 with an insane six-pack. I'm already tall for my age, so I'm hoping I'll be as tall as he is. My six-pack isn't quite as defined, but hey! I'm only 15; I'll get there.

"Megan was over at mom's the other night," I say, trying to drop as many hints as I can. Megan is mom's partner at the firehouse, and that girl is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She's got blonde hair with insanely deep blue eyes and long curly eyelashes. She's the woman of my dreams. Since she's too old for me, I think that dad should date her.
Might as well keep it in the family!

Dad shuffles uncomfortably on the couch and puts his arm casually over his date. He knows my agenda; I bring up Megan all the time. Dad's met her several times—He's just as attracted to her as I am, but he knows mom would kill him if he tried to date her.

He actually got a little mad at me one night when I wouldn't drop the subject. Dad never gets mad at me, but I may have pushed a little too far........

"Liam Alexander, do you really think mom would be ok with me dating her friend? That'd be so awkward, especially if we broke up. I'm pretty sure getting kicked in the nuts by your mom isn't gonna feel good. You know mom; I'm not stupid enough to make her mad—Just drop it. Megan's off limits."

I haven't dropped it though. I still bring her name up a lot. The look dad's sending me from the couch right now says that I better drop it. He won't do anything about it though, so I'm not too worried.

"She and mom just got back from a spa day, and you wouldn't believe how good Megan smelled. She stayed for dinner...She actually eats. Not just salads and shit."

I'm staring right at Nicki on the couch. All I've ever seen Nicki eat is salad, and I'm trying to rile up dad.

Dad stands up, his eyes hard but his smile still on his face. "Come one Nicki, let's go for a walk," he says, grabbing her hand and pulling her up from the couch. They leave without another word, and I'm alone in the apartment by myself.

I'm just waiting for the day that dad will snap on me—He never does. I don't understand how the man is a cop. I hope he's tougher on the criminals, because my dad's a wimp. I love him; He's a great guy, but he's a wimp.

I look at my phone, and I see my buddy Ty had texted me.

—Dude, Mr. Dirks is gonna kill you tomorrow. He found out you cheated on your math test.

My stomach drops and I suddenly feel sick. How the heck did he find out? I was so careful. I text him back...

—How the hell did he find out? How do u know about it?

I see the three bubbles immediately on my screen, and I impatiently wait for the text.

—one of the nerds squealed. They saw you. I think it was John Matthews