loved him. I stuck out my tongue when he turned his
back on me.
“Aren’t you
staying for supper, Ryuu?” Dad seemed surprised. And rightfully so- Ryuu and
I barely ever argued. Now that I thought about it, this was our first real
fight in… well, ever.
“Nah, Kit will
be leaving on her date soon. So I’d better go home.” He crossed his
arms and waited. The jerk.
Dad sat up
straight and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Date?” He
turned his owl eyes on me. “You’re going on a date?”
I rolled my eyes and stuffed the blouse back in the bag. “No. I’m just… going
to see a movie with a friend from school.”
Dad narrowed his
eyes at me, darting a quick glance at Ryuu. “Well that’s nice honey,” he said
gently. Leave it to my dad to be the only father on the planet who was actually glad that his teenage daughter was going out with a boy.
I stood and
headed toward my room. “Buh-bye Ryuu,” I said sweetly, giving him an
exaggerated wave. His plan hadn’t worked.
He frowned and I
could see the moody little boy he’d once been glaring out at me from his dark
eyes. He clenched his teeth and I turned back toward my room to avoid his
black look. On second thought, he was a lot scarier now than he’d ever been
back then.
A few minutes
later, I heard the front door open and close as Ryuu left. Dad came to peek
into my room while I stood staring blankly at my closet. What did girls wear
on dates anyway? And what did you wear if you didn’t consider it a date?
He cleared his
throat and came to sit on my bed, looking awkward. “Kit…Katherine,” he said
finally. “I’m really glad that you’re getting out and doing things that other
girls your age are doing.”
I held up a
hand, not looking at him. “Wait! This isn’t a sex talk is it?”
“Oh!” He made a
choking noise and started coughing. “No…I didn’t think. Well… just...no.”
When he subsided, he regarded me with watery eyes.
“I just wondered,”
he looked at me earnestly. “Well, what about Ryuu?”
I pulled out a
pair of jeans and stood looking at my shoes. I was not wearing those
shiny pink sandals that Dawn had sent over. Maybe the shirt though. I didn’t
think I should show up in a baggy T-shirt, no matter what my feelings on the
date/no date status of this outing. “What about him?” I said distracted.
Dad sighed. “Well,
I mean, I kind of thought that he was your boyfriend.”
I looked up at
him. “Ryuu?”
Dad nodded. “Of
course. He’s always been with you since he moved here. You guys do everything
together. When you were…sick… he sat by your bed every day and watched you
sleep. You should have seen that little guy. He haggled the nurses and
doctors- drove them crazy.” He looked down at his hands. “He even took care
of your Dad when he fell apart- and he was only a kid.” His blue eyes met
mine. “That kid would move the earth for you, Kit.”
I shook my
head. After all that, I felt really, really guilty about fighting with Ryuu.
I hadn’t taken the time to think about just how wonderful my friend really
was. I just took him for granted. But still. “Dad, I love Ryuu. He’s my
best friend. But he’s way too young for me to think about him that way.”
Dad laughed.
“He’s not that much younger than you are.”
I crossed my
arms and tapped my foot. “He’s three years younger than me. He’s still in
junior high!”
Dad stood and
looked down at me with an odd expression on his face. “Your mom was eight
years younger than me. It didn’t faze us.”
I glared. “And
look at how that worked out.”
He winced and I
instantly felt bad. I wondered, quite suddenly, if mom had a new husband now.
Maybe one a lot younger than my dad. I was such a ball of mean, hateful
things.
His shoulders
slumped. “Well, I suppose when you’re a teenager,
back on me.
“Aren’t you
staying for supper, Ryuu?” Dad seemed surprised. And rightfully so- Ryuu and
I barely ever argued. Now that I thought about it, this was our first real
fight in… well, ever.
“Nah, Kit will
be leaving on her date soon. So I’d better go home.” He crossed his
arms and waited. The jerk.
Dad sat up
straight and pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Date?” He
turned his owl eyes on me. “You’re going on a date?”
I rolled my eyes and stuffed the blouse back in the bag. “No. I’m just… going
to see a movie with a friend from school.”
Dad narrowed his
eyes at me, darting a quick glance at Ryuu. “Well that’s nice honey,” he said
gently. Leave it to my dad to be the only father on the planet who was actually glad that his teenage daughter was going out with a boy.
I stood and
headed toward my room. “Buh-bye Ryuu,” I said sweetly, giving him an
exaggerated wave. His plan hadn’t worked.
He frowned and I
could see the moody little boy he’d once been glaring out at me from his dark
eyes. He clenched his teeth and I turned back toward my room to avoid his
black look. On second thought, he was a lot scarier now than he’d ever been
back then.
A few minutes
later, I heard the front door open and close as Ryuu left. Dad came to peek
into my room while I stood staring blankly at my closet. What did girls wear
on dates anyway? And what did you wear if you didn’t consider it a date?
He cleared his
throat and came to sit on my bed, looking awkward. “Kit…Katherine,” he said
finally. “I’m really glad that you’re getting out and doing things that other
girls your age are doing.”
I held up a
hand, not looking at him. “Wait! This isn’t a sex talk is it?”
“Oh!” He made a
choking noise and started coughing. “No…I didn’t think. Well… just...no.”
When he subsided, he regarded me with watery eyes.
“I just wondered,”
he looked at me earnestly. “Well, what about Ryuu?”
I pulled out a
pair of jeans and stood looking at my shoes. I was not wearing those
shiny pink sandals that Dawn had sent over. Maybe the shirt though. I didn’t
think I should show up in a baggy T-shirt, no matter what my feelings on the
date/no date status of this outing. “What about him?” I said distracted.
Dad sighed. “Well,
I mean, I kind of thought that he was your boyfriend.”
I looked up at
him. “Ryuu?”
Dad nodded. “Of
course. He’s always been with you since he moved here. You guys do everything
together. When you were…sick… he sat by your bed every day and watched you
sleep. You should have seen that little guy. He haggled the nurses and
doctors- drove them crazy.” He looked down at his hands. “He even took care
of your Dad when he fell apart- and he was only a kid.” His blue eyes met
mine. “That kid would move the earth for you, Kit.”
I shook my
head. After all that, I felt really, really guilty about fighting with Ryuu.
I hadn’t taken the time to think about just how wonderful my friend really
was. I just took him for granted. But still. “Dad, I love Ryuu. He’s my
best friend. But he’s way too young for me to think about him that way.”
Dad laughed.
“He’s not that much younger than you are.”
I crossed my
arms and tapped my foot. “He’s three years younger than me. He’s still in
junior high!”
Dad stood and
looked down at me with an odd expression on his face. “Your mom was eight
years younger than me. It didn’t faze us.”
I glared. “And
look at how that worked out.”
He winced and I
instantly felt bad. I wondered, quite suddenly, if mom had a new husband now.
Maybe one a lot younger than my dad. I was such a ball of mean, hateful
things.
His shoulders
slumped. “Well, I suppose when you’re a teenager,
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