Free V-Day by annehollywriter Page B

Her
whine clearly indicated she thought it absolutely unfair that she
wasn’t in charge of canceling school due to snow.
    “Beth,” Daniel sighed, “this is Denver – if
they canceled school every time it snowed, they’d have to give
classes over the radio.”
    “Bite me, Genius,” she hissed with narrowed
eyes while pouring herself some disgustingly bright colored
teenager chow that claimed to be cereal but seemed to consist only
of marshmallows.
    “Rather not,” he shook his head and turned
towards the window.
    “So, Kirk wants to go eat before the
Valentine’s dance,” Beth primped, proud of herself for already
landing herself a fine jock boyfriend. “And Kayley’s mom said it
would be alright if Maddi and I spent the whole weekend over there,
since you and Dad will be away for your Second Honeymoon.”
    The teen snickered, and Daniel couldn’t help
but smile behind his glass. The thought of his bus driver dad and
teacher mom going off for some Valentine’s Day weekend getaway
after twenty-odd years of marriage seemed so unlike them it was
difficult to hold the amusement at bay.
    “Now, Bethy,” his mother
chimed in, using that “ I’m only doing
what’s best for you ” voice, “you know I
already arranged for you to stay with Aunt Sissy. She’s expecting
you, and your cousin Jason is already looking forward to seeing
you.”
    “But, Mother!” Beth
protested, putting an extra dig at the end of the officious term.
“Why would I want to spend Valentine’s Day weekend with Jason ?” She cut her
mother’s next line off. “He picks his nose… and eats it,” she
shuddered in deadly seriousness, as if she could imagine no worse
crime in the world.
    “Daniel…” his mother turned to him after a
moment.
    “She’s right,” he said. “Cousin Jason is a
chronic nose picker.”
    His mother gave him that stern look that
said she didn’t appreciate his contribution to the conversation.
“Then, perhaps you’d like to help your sister out…”
    Daniel’s half smile died on his lips.
“No.”
    “If she doesn’t want to stay with Sissy,
then maybe she should stay here.”
    “No, Mom,” Daniel resisted the urge to
plead. “You really don’t want to do that… I mean, I’m nineteen. Am
I really responsible enough to babysit a thirteen-year-old?”
    “I don’t need a baby sitter,” his sister
snapped.
    “Besides…” he continued, wracking his brain
for an excuse his mother would accept. “I likely won’t be around
much this weekend.”
    “Pfft!” his sister snorted. “Hot date,
loser?”
    “Well, we can’t all make it all the way
around the block before the age of fourteen,” he said in a
mockingly pleasant tone.
    “Do you have a date?” his mother asked. He felt mildly offended
at her shocked tone. For a few years now, his mother had been
dropping hints that she knew it was “ OK to
Be Gay! ” as if she were encouraging him to
confess his non-existent homosexuality. He knew that was a pretty
good sign he needed a bit more of a social life.
    “I was planning on using the weekend to
practice, since everyone was going to be gone,” he said,
straight-faced, desperate to not spend the weekend with his sister,
but rational enough to see that the date story would never fly with
anyone who knew him.
    “Oh…” his mother said, sounding vaguely
disappointed, but also oddly relieved. “Well, then… Yes, I guess
that’s the best thing for you. Some time alone to work.”
    “So, I can go to Kayley’s?” Beth beamed at
her relenting mother, who hemmed and hawed and protested weakly
about whether or not Kayley’s mother was aware of Beth’s curfew
times, and to make sure Kirk minded his manners, et cetera.
    Daniel, certain now that he and his idiotic
sister had managed to put his mom in check mate, sighed in relief
and looked over at his dad, who had not once lowered the paper to
survey the heated debate taking place on the other side of the
room.
    One thing Daniel knew