recliner. " You ' re going with us! "
" Did I say I didn ' t want to go ? " Jeff flung sarcastically. " No! All I said was that I don ' t know if I can make it! "
" What else would you be doing on a weekday ? " barked Dad. " The only thing you should be doing then is going to school! "
" There, see? If I ' ve got school, then how am I gonna ' go with you guys? I know you don ' t want me to skip a day of school! "
" We ' ll go when you have a short Friday, " interjected Mom. " You ' ll be done with school by noon, and then we ' ll pick you up. "
" What if I have to work ? " asked Jeff.
" You don ' t even have a job ! " shouted Dad.
" Not yet, " barked Jeff, " but I will! I already put my application in at a bunch of places in the Mall! You rather I don ' t get a job, just so I can go to State College with you guys? "
" Now you ' re being ridiculous, " sighed Ann Heinrich, shaking her head. " Stop making such a big production out of this. "
" You ' re the ones who ' re making a big production outta ' this ! " Jeff yelled.
Though he didn ' t want to get dragged into the fray, Dave finally spoke up. " Hey, look, " he said sharply. " I didn ' t even say for sure that I could go! Nothing ' s definite, Jeff! "
" Well, it sounds definite ! " lashed Jeff, his face flushed. " The way these two are talking, everything was settled before I could even say whether I wanted to go or not! You guys always do that to me! "
" What? What do we always do to you? " By now, Dad was furious, his usual amiable expression replaced by a fiery, tense grimace. He looked as if he was ready to leap from the recliner and sock his youngest son in the mouth (though of course he'd never directed such violence at his family and probably never would).
" You tell me what I ' m gonna ' do before you even ask me about it ! " hurled Jeff, angrily yanking off his glasses. " It ' s like it doesn ' t matter what I think about anything! "
" That ' s crap and you know it ! " snarled Dad.
" See ? " bellowed Jeff, accusingly pointing a finger at his father. " That ' s what I ' m talking about! You never listen to me! "
" Oh, brother, " grunted Mom, rolling her eyes.
Finally deciding that he'd heard enough, Dave got to his feet and headed for the kitchen. As his brother and parents continued their combat, he scraped the chicken bones from his plate into the garbage. Opening the dishwasher, he placed the plate and silverware and glass on the racks inside.
As the living room ruckus escalated, Dave realized that he didn ' t want to stick around for the rest of the festivities. If he stayed in the house for the remainder of the evening, he wouldn ' t be able to concentrate on his studies; the thick atmosphere of tension would distract him, as would the noise of slamming doors and stomping feet. He had to abandon ship, seek a more hospitable and relaxing location, a place where he wouldn ' t be trapped in close quarters with a bunch of angry people.
He decided to drive out to Billy ' s trailer. As long as Billy wasn ' t entertaining some girl, Dave could stop in and get some work done. Since he and Billy were in some of the same classes, they had the same exams to prepare for, so they could study together. They could drink some beer and eat some chips and compare notes, even shoot the breeze some, maybe plan the next party for the Wild West gang.
Dave left the kitchen and hurried through the living room, moving fast enough to keep from being drawn into the battle. He swept down the short hallway to his bedroom, tossed some books and notebooks into his blue knapsack. Next, he grabbed his keys from the desk and shouldered into his winter jacket. He flicked off the bedroom light and made his escape from the house without having to say more than a few words to his folks.
As he settled into his car, he felt immensely relieved. He really did care about his parents and brother, but on a night like this, he preferred to be far away from them...a fifteen - minute
" Did I say I didn ' t want to go ? " Jeff flung sarcastically. " No! All I said was that I don ' t know if I can make it! "
" What else would you be doing on a weekday ? " barked Dad. " The only thing you should be doing then is going to school! "
" There, see? If I ' ve got school, then how am I gonna ' go with you guys? I know you don ' t want me to skip a day of school! "
" We ' ll go when you have a short Friday, " interjected Mom. " You ' ll be done with school by noon, and then we ' ll pick you up. "
" What if I have to work ? " asked Jeff.
" You don ' t even have a job ! " shouted Dad.
" Not yet, " barked Jeff, " but I will! I already put my application in at a bunch of places in the Mall! You rather I don ' t get a job, just so I can go to State College with you guys? "
" Now you ' re being ridiculous, " sighed Ann Heinrich, shaking her head. " Stop making such a big production out of this. "
" You ' re the ones who ' re making a big production outta ' this ! " Jeff yelled.
Though he didn ' t want to get dragged into the fray, Dave finally spoke up. " Hey, look, " he said sharply. " I didn ' t even say for sure that I could go! Nothing ' s definite, Jeff! "
" Well, it sounds definite ! " lashed Jeff, his face flushed. " The way these two are talking, everything was settled before I could even say whether I wanted to go or not! You guys always do that to me! "
" What? What do we always do to you? " By now, Dad was furious, his usual amiable expression replaced by a fiery, tense grimace. He looked as if he was ready to leap from the recliner and sock his youngest son in the mouth (though of course he'd never directed such violence at his family and probably never would).
" You tell me what I ' m gonna ' do before you even ask me about it ! " hurled Jeff, angrily yanking off his glasses. " It ' s like it doesn ' t matter what I think about anything! "
" That ' s crap and you know it ! " snarled Dad.
" See ? " bellowed Jeff, accusingly pointing a finger at his father. " That ' s what I ' m talking about! You never listen to me! "
" Oh, brother, " grunted Mom, rolling her eyes.
Finally deciding that he'd heard enough, Dave got to his feet and headed for the kitchen. As his brother and parents continued their combat, he scraped the chicken bones from his plate into the garbage. Opening the dishwasher, he placed the plate and silverware and glass on the racks inside.
As the living room ruckus escalated, Dave realized that he didn ' t want to stick around for the rest of the festivities. If he stayed in the house for the remainder of the evening, he wouldn ' t be able to concentrate on his studies; the thick atmosphere of tension would distract him, as would the noise of slamming doors and stomping feet. He had to abandon ship, seek a more hospitable and relaxing location, a place where he wouldn ' t be trapped in close quarters with a bunch of angry people.
He decided to drive out to Billy ' s trailer. As long as Billy wasn ' t entertaining some girl, Dave could stop in and get some work done. Since he and Billy were in some of the same classes, they had the same exams to prepare for, so they could study together. They could drink some beer and eat some chips and compare notes, even shoot the breeze some, maybe plan the next party for the Wild West gang.
Dave left the kitchen and hurried through the living room, moving fast enough to keep from being drawn into the battle. He swept down the short hallway to his bedroom, tossed some books and notebooks into his blue knapsack. Next, he grabbed his keys from the desk and shouldered into his winter jacket. He flicked off the bedroom light and made his escape from the house without having to say more than a few words to his folks.
As he settled into his car, he felt immensely relieved. He really did care about his parents and brother, but on a night like this, he preferred to be far away from them...a fifteen - minute
Similar Books
