Chapter 77
Dad and I were gathered around the breakfast table. The morning sun streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow on the kitchen. Plates clinked and soft chatter filled the air.
Alan had gone out of his way to order all of my favorite breakfast items—fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, and a basket of buttery croissants.
I sat down and raised an eyebrow, looking at the spread.
"You did all this?" I asked Dad.
He shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Figured you deserved it."
Before anyone could respond, Uncle Charlie strolled in with his usual swagger.
"Morning, everybody," he said, grinning as he stepped into the kitchen.
Without missing a beat, Dad gestured to a second tray he had waiting by the counter. "And here's your favorite, Charlie—extra crispy bacon, sausage links, and that cinnamon French toast you like."
Charlie blinked, clearly surprised. I looked at him, and he looked back at me. We both exchanged glances.
"Okay, Alan, what do you want?" Charlie asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Nothing," Dad said, a little awkward, before quickly changing the subject. He turned to me. "Jake, your friend Josh might come by today."
"Josh? Who's Josh?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"Your friend from your last school?" Dad said, sounding a little incredulous.
I looked at Charlie, who raised his hands in mock defense.
"Don't look at me," he said. "I barely remember my girls' names..."
Alan let out a frustrated sigh. "Josh, the one who came here last year."
I still stared at him, clueless.
Alan huffed. "The one that drew Cindy's ass."
Charlie and I both shouted at the same time, "Ahh! That boy!"
Alan threw up his hands. "You two are unbelievable."
I narrowed my eyes a bit and tilted my head. "Why is Josh coming here? Are you trying to get with his mom?" I asked Dad.
Dad looked a little guilty.
"There it is!" Uncle Charlie said, pointing with his fork like he'd just won a bet.
"She got divorced," Dad mumbled.
Then, looking at us with pleading eyes, he added, "Can you two help me this time?"
I looked into Dad's eyes. After a moment, I nodded. "Okay."
Lately, with all the time spent hanging out with Carly, Sam, Freddie, and sometimes Regina and Cher, it had been a while since I played video games. Might not be bad. I even had some new games I hadn't opened yet.
"Wait, the two of us?" said Charlie.
"Can you get Josh from school?" asked Alan.
Charlie narrowed his eyes but sighed and nodded. "Okay, I'll help."
—
That night, Josh and I were in the living room—mainly because of the big TV. Pillows and blankets were scattered across the couch.
We were playing Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, a classic. Josh was in charge of farming potatoes, while I took care of farming hearts. We took turns.
At some point, I must've fallen asleep. Josh, however, was still completely engaged—milking cows and feeding chickens.
Suddenly, a loud gasp echoed through the room.
"What? What happened?" I asked, startled awake.
When I looked toward the source of the sound, I saw Josh frozen, pointing at a woman standing there half-naked, wearing only a long T-shirt.
"So?" I asked, walking over to him.
"She's Ms. Pasternak. My teacher," he said, still in shock.
"Oh. Hi," I said, raising a hand casually, completely ignoring how awkward the moment was.
"Hi," she replied, equally awkward.
I would've asked what she was doing here—but that would've been a dumb question. I already knew who she was doing.
And right on cue, the answer walked in.
"Hey, guys," said Charlie with a wide grin.
I just shook my head. "Come on, Josh, we're sleeping in my room."
He tried to whisper to me, but it came out loud enough for everyone to hear:
"I saw my teacher's ass."
I just held back a laugh.
—
The next day, Josh had already gone home. I was having lunch with Uncle Charlie and Dad—it was one of those rare afternoons without school.
"Josh texted me. He's forbidden from coming here again."
"I don't know whose fault that is..." I said, staring at Charlie, then at the black eye Alan was sporting.
"Oh, Josh texted me again," I added, laughing. "He said I became even more of a legend in my old school."
"And there's more—word is going around that I live in 'Ass Paradise.' Well... he did see it during the two days he was here. One hundred percent."
Uncle Charlie burst out laughing. Dad just scoffed.
—
Then the doorbell rang. I went to answer it. It was a package for me.
I opened it—and inside was a Marshmello helmet.
When I put it on, I was surprised by how light it was. The inside was spacious, and the view was pretty clear, thanks to the large teeth-shaped eye holes.
There was also a remote inside the box. I pressed the button and the helmet started blinking.
It was hard to notice the full effect from inside the mask, but once I took it off, I could clearly see the LED lights glowing all around it.
Excited, I went to show it to Charlie and Alan in the kitchen.
"Look, pretty cool, huh?" I said.
"Not that bad," said Charlie.
Alan nodded.
Then I turned to Alan, lowered my voice, and said, "Alan, I'm your father," in my best Darth Vader impression.
The helmet actually had a voice-changer feature, and one of the modes mimicked Darth Vader's voice.
Looks like Pepper had a sense of humor after all.
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A/N: I made an Auxiliary chapter few days ago. If you have any doubts about someone, leave a comment there. I plan to update it from time to time.
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