This Can't Be Good

Chapter 52

My parents had surprised us all by showing up a week early. Their original flight plan had them flying in the morning of the rehearsal dinner, but mom said she couldn’t do that to poor Casssadee. Another bullshit lie if you ask me. Mom just wanted to control the final details of the wedding. Cass was pleased at first until she realized what mom was trying to do.

Cass and Brittany, her maid of honor, had been finishing up the center pieces when mom and dad showed up to the house. The minute mom saw what they were doing she started complaining about the arrangements the girls had just spent a week putting together. Luckily, Cass was never the person to change something because someone else didn’t like it. She simply dismissed my mom’s rude comments and continued on.

I wasn’t home when they first arrived. Coach had called a mandatory Saturday practice for everyone. After the practice Parker, Max and I went out to eat after picking up Ava. No one had told me mom and dad were home, I had no warning text that day. There was no unordinary car sitting in the driveway considering they took a taxi from the airport. I didn’t expect anything to be waiting inside that shouldn’t be. With that said Parker and I walked into our home hands intertwined, only to be met by the faces of my parents sitting on our couch.

“There’s our new football team captain,” my dad smiled. Clearly he hadn’t taken notice the whole fingers interlocked thing that was going on.

“Hey dad,” I said cheerfully, letting go of Parker’s hand to go hug him. After greeting my dad I walked over to hug my mom. She was eyeing me with so much suspicion in her eyes. “Hi mom.”

“Are you with Parker?” she whispered into my ear. No hi Josylne, no sorry we missed your birthday nope just are you with Parker. And this is why my mother was getting on my nerves lately. I simply nodded before pulling away from the hug to see her face. At first it looked like confusion but it soon turned to bliss. “Did you hear that honey,” my mom said to my dad, “the kids are dating!”

Parker looked at me quickly. Before this surprise visit Parker and I had made a deal to sit both of our parents down after the wedding to tell them. I mouthed sorry to him before looking to face my parents. The two of them were immersed in a conversation about how soon they’d be giving all their children away for marriage. I almost puked. I ran upstairs to get away from the scene that was taking place downstairs.

“Woah Jos slow down,” Cass said stopping me from running into my room.

“I’m so so so sorry Cass!”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Cass asked confused.

“I might just have ruined all of your glory by walking into the house holding Parker’s hand but in my defense I didn’t know mom was coming today and I didn’t think she’d be so happy and god I’m such an idiot I’m so so-”

“Jos breathe!” Cass said cutting me off. She pulled me into Lex’s room and that’s when she told me how the morning had started. Cass was relieved that some of mom’s attention was diverted from her.

The rest of the week followed a similar pace. By day two mom had managed to get on everyone’s nerves in the house, including Lexis who was so fed up with mom trying to control her game of make believe she sat her self in the corner of the room. Mom of course didn’t tell anyone about this exchange so when I found Lexis an hour later staring at a blank wall I was a bit irritated. I ended up taking Lexis to get ice cream with Miranda tagging along because she herself had a run in with my mother.

***

“You guys, we need to leave or we’re going to be late!” Trevor’s voice boomed from downstairs.

“We’re coming!” I yelled back, swiping one more pass of lipstick across my lips before descending the stairs Miranda in tow.

Once everyone was downstairs we headed out the door and piled into our cars. We needed to head over to the wedding venue to practice the ceremony before heading out to dinner. Since we were all going to the same place, we didn’t all have to drive. Instead the four of us piled into Parker’s truck, while Cass and Trev took Lex in their car and our sets of parents followed.