Chapter_27

So I’m halfway home, walking the uneven sidewalks of Blaine with a big smile on my bruised face, reliving every word I said to Horton, when my dad coasts past in his rusted-out black Ford and pulls into the driveway in front of me, blocking my path.

I stop and put my hands on my hips, staring up at the overcast sky in disgust, totally pissed that my good mood is about to come to an end.

He kills the ignition, gets out, slams the door, and leans his forearms on the roof of the car. He doesn’t say anything and it’s obvious he’s waiting for me to come to him, so I roll my eyes and walk over to the passenger side, where I mock his posture and allow my forearms to drop hard on the roof.

“Look,” I say, “before you even ask, I’ll tell you. Tank beat me up.”

“I know all about that. I spoke with your mom.”

“Great,” I say. “So what do you want?” I look around the quiet street, which happens to be three blocks away from our house. “How did you even find me over here?”

“I figured I’d watch your practice. But from a distance, you know?” He pauses. “I was parked in the back of the school lot, and when I saw you walk out alone … well, I figured that was it for you.”

“That coach is an asshole, Dad. Did you know he touched Mom when Justin played? And that’s only one of the reasons why Justin quit. There’s more, but I’ll let the legal system handle that part.”

He doesn’t say anything, just looks away and slowly shakes his head a few times.

“Look,” I say, “is there something you want to tell me? Because if not, I’d like to go home and sleep.”

I take a few steps back.

There’s a lengthy silence, and it’s awkward as hell because now he won’t take his eyes off of me.

Finally, he gives me a quick once-over and says, “You’re finally growing up.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Yeah,” he says, ignoring my question. “I never saw it until just now.” He opens the car door and gets inside. Looking at me through the rolled-down passenger window, he says, “There. Guess that’s all I wanted to say.” Then he turns the key. The engine struggles to life. Backing out of the driveway, he adds, “As for what it means, Zach … you’ll have to figure that out on your own.”

And that’s it.

He drives away and I’m left standing there like a total idiot, having no clue what he was talking about.

————

I know something’s wrong the moment I set foot on my street.