"I'm sure that's his car," a female voice said. "I don't exactly know the license plate number, but I am pretty sure."
"Well," my dad's voice responded, getting closer, "Did you tell him to come here after school?"
"No. Did you?"
Then I saw my father and a young-looking blonde bombshell. They stood right next to us by the hallway, looking at Kevin and I, standing extremely close to each other against the wall.
We all stood there, starring at each other, shocked.
Recognition chimed on the blonde's face. "Kevin? I thought that was your car. What are you doing here?"
Kevin looked at the blonde for a second, then looked at me. He released me a little more, but still stayed in a close distance. He looked back at the woman with my dad who was obviously waiting for an answer.
"I'm just hanging out with my girlfriend. What are you doing here?" Kevin's eyebrow rose, questioning the woman.
G-g-girlfriend?
Then the blonde grabbed my father's hand and tangled her fingers through his. "I'm just hanging out with my fiancΓ©!" Her giggle that followed pierced through the air, ringing in the small hallway.
Was that his mom? She was obviously trying very hard to be young again if it was.
Awkwardness hung in the air between me and my father. So this was his soon-to-be wife. It wasn't a great way to meet her, but hey, at least I knew who she was and what she looked like. And if she was at all related to Kevin, she wasn't going for my father for his money.
"Well," the blonde broke the silence. "I was just talking to my Mike-y here about going out to dinner and getting to know each other. I know Kevin knows Mike, but I don't really know you. And since we are all here..." she trailed off.
Kevin already knows Mike? Kevin knows my father?! So for a year, my dad has been the father of another kid (a POPULAR kid!) while he left me in this dump? To say I felt mad was an understatement. I needed some time to think this over.
Kevin had other plans. "That sounds like fun. Hey, and Mike, maybe after we can go back to my place and play some Black Ops. Shoot some people." He laughed, and so did my dad. The seemed like they had known each other for a while now. Which obviously made me feel like shit, because I was the one left out, like always. Had my father never thought of introducing me to his girlfriend and her son?
"As if Kevin," the blonde spat. "Mike's mine tonight!" She let out another giggle and pulled him closer to her.
I felt sick. This wasn't happening. They were already like the perfect family. And here I was, watching from the outside. For the second time today, I started pinching myself, trying to wake up from this dream.
As my dad and the blonde got into their own private conversation for a minute, Kevin turned to me. Then he looked down at me pinching myself.
"Why do you do that?" he asked while pulling on my hand, making me stop grabbing my own skin between my fingers.
"Do what?"
He looked into my eyes, smiling. "Pinch yourself. You did that on the ride over here, too."
"Oh." I looked up at him. "Nervous habit I guess." I shrugged.
He laughed. "You're so cute, you know that?"
I could feel myself blush. He kept looking straight into my eyes, and suddenly they darkened.
He took a step closer and leaned his lips down to meet mine.
"Kevin! Are you even listening?" the blonde called out.
Kevin stepped back once more. "What, Natasha?"
Natasha?
Who calls their mother by their first name?