HOOPS AND HEARTS

Chapter 17

                                     Astrid
My dads hand lays lazily on the wheel, his head bobbing to the radio. The silence between us seems to scream at me to fill it, and I take a breath to oblige.
"So, um. Where did you go last night?" I turn to face him, my arms resting in my lap. I don't mean to sound bothered by this, but my vocal chords betray me. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, thrown off by my sudden question.
"You uh, y-you were awake?" He ask, suddenly defensive. I think back to the phone. To the names... come on. Dad wouldn't seriously be involved in anything shady.
"I know what you were out for, don't worry." I say, turning back to my seat. I expected the same reaction, but not the edge in his voice.
"Y-you do?" He pulls into the dark school parking lot, empty before school hours. Dad stammers, and turns his attention to retrieving the key, to stop the engine. I narrow my eyes. So you are hiding something. I turn to face him again, my narrowed eyes disappearing, and my eyebrows returning to their resting position. I let a smile coat my face.
"Of course! You must have went to get some groceries. I noticed the new milk jug in the refrigerator." I turn away from him, my shallow expression returning, gathering my things and exiting the car door.
"Yea! How did you know?" He laughs awkwardly.
Intuition.
"Lucky guess."

                         ___________
I yawn, tearing open a tangerine.
"I would love to hear the details of Saturday night, but I guess it was so uneventful you couldn't update me." Andreena shrugs, and looks among the full tables of the cafeteria, biting into a bruised apple.
"Oh I'm sorry, it totally slipped my mind." I confess, yawning once again. She drops her apple, pushing her tray aside.
"Alright sleeping beauty, it's fourth period and you're still barely keeping your eyes open. Why don't we fast forward to last night?" She says. I ponder lying, but her eyes suck me in to admit the truth.
"I met Leo." I shrug, as if were the most common occurrence.
"You what?! What did he want now?" She says, grabbing her phone as if to call someone. I grab her wrist, and she drops her phone.
"No, nothing like that. He wasn't so..." I think back to last night, and my heart races involuntarily. I take a breath to calm myself. 
"Well he wasn't being the usual arse. He- well he.."
"Oh my god! You are so into him!" She exclaims, grabbing my hands and shaking them. I feel the curve of my lips, and grab Andreena's milk to take a sip, washing away the small smile tugging at my cheeks. I think back to the countless things I've despised Leo for, and my heart struggles to return to its normal pace.
"No. No, no no. I was just thinking of Tom of course," I lie. Her face falls for a moment, but returns to it's original position.
"Okay, but never hurts to have both." She shrugs, and tugs back her milk from my hands.
"Andreena!" I laugh. The bell sounds, and I grab my bag. Rising from my seat. "Call me later, and I'll tell you everything."

                             _________
I watch as Dad pulls out of the driveway, for the second time after practice. The ride with Leo was mostly silent. He dropped me off at my house, instead of the street. A rare occurrence for him. My suspicions are high for Dad at the moment, so lately my schedule has consisted of violin, homework, and reading too much into dad's actions. Once I see him speed off into the distance, I pitter into his room, the feeling of trespassing washing over every nerve in my body, connected to his. My eyes scan his dresser, and his unmade bed. I look around for something else to search, and my eyes land on an open drawer. I walk over slowly, reaching over to grip the handle. Inside, I find scattered papers, a lighter, condoms, and a few pens. I sigh and start to walk away, when I see a small purple sticky note, and rush over to pick it up. An address. Okay, I can work with this. Staring at the note, I hesitate. There's no way dads involved in something criminal, right? I ponder on the thought, deciding it's best to know sooner rather than later. If that's even the case. I jog out of the room, instinctively grabbing my keys, but remembering my car is no longer functional. I groan, and pull out my phone. Skimming my contacts for a potential ride. His number is staring at me. Blinking. Watching. Cautiously waiting for me to make a move. It would be better to let the awkwardness simmer between us, but the address in my hand is also yearning to be discovered. My hand presses the call button before I can think any longer. It rings 3 times.
"What now princess?"His voice is coated with sleepiness, evidence of an after school nap through his lips.
"I need a ride."
"Sorry this chauffeur is busy at the moment."
"Oh come on!"
"I don't offer my services for free after 4:00" I hear rustling in the background, and the throwing of a sheet. I sigh, irritated.
"Please."
"What do I get in return?"
"I'll help you raise your stats." I answer confidently. There's silence on the other end, before he burst out in laughter.
"You? Help me?" I wait till his laughter fizzes out.
"You underestimate my skills, I've played before you know. I would probably beat you in a one on one."
"Yea, let's keep that one in the idea box."
"Fine. I'll bring you like a Gatorade or something." I say, tugging desperately on the possibility of finding this address. With each passing second, my anticipation grows. I hear the jingle of keys on the other end.
"8"
"Done."
"See you in five."