Chapter 27

                                    

                                          
I stared into the mirror with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. And then guilt at the uneasy feeling. Get it together. Regardless of what was happening now, Graham was still my best friend. I shouldn't be feeling uneasy about anything he's doing for me.
                          
I wasn't sure. Something just felt off about him when he had handed me his jersey. 
                          
And now something felt off as I stared at myself wearing his jersey. 
                          
"What are you up to?" I mumbled hopelessly as I adjusted the sleeves so it would make feel a little less like a potato in its sack and more like I had some kind of shape in this thing.
                          
"Alexa honey let's go! The senior parents saved us a spot," my mom gushed loudly from downstairs. But with the open concept of the upstairs her voice carried very well. 
                          
I took one more look at myself. "You're back to where you want to be," I mumbled to myself. I took another deep, calming breath. "You've got both guys. If one fails dramatically, you've got the other. If they both fail dramatically, then you're better off single."
                          
I left the room, but took my time down the stairs specifically to annoy my parents just to spite them. Ever since my mother had come home, my father had been leaving for work even earlier and staying later. This meant that the ten minutes their schedules collided and they met, they went at it accusing the other of avoiding the problems in their relationship. 
                          
Seth had football to escape the environment and stay as ignorant as possible from their impending doom. But my runs only lasted an hour. And I didn't have a car to escape so i was hopelessly stuck with their yelling bouncing around the walls of their stupid 'open concept' house. 
                          
When i reached the floor, I stopped. My eyes widened as i contemplated the scene I  had just walked in on, and probably caused because i was late. 
                          
My mother and father stood on opposite ends of the room, each with a half of Baylor banner. 
                          
"Drop it," I said slowly, knowing exactly what was about to happen next. "Put the banner down."
                          
"I wanted to be the one to hold the banner!" My mother hissed. 
                          
"Well, I haven't been to any games, and I found it first so I get it!" My father shot back. 
                          
"Oh you've had every chance, you bastard. You just selfishly chose to work late. My job kept me away from these games," my mother growled. 
                          
"And whose fault was that?"
                          
"Hey!" I yelled, just as my mother was about to lunge at my father with her long pink acrylic nails. I  jumped in front of them with my arms outstretched. They stopped short, barely. "Stop right there and shut up."
                          
"Alexa-" my father began. 
                          
"No," I snapped. "Get in the car, both of you. This is ridiculous. Especially in front of me." I gave them each a scornful look. "Be thankful I'm not going to tell Seth about this."
                          
They wordlessly trudged to the car, each gripping tightly to their half of the banner as it was the shame they seemed to want to bear. When I had locked up the house and followed them out, I watched my dad take the front seat and my mom climb into the back. 
                          
It seemed we were now beyond childish. 
                          
I sat in the passengers seat, and in doing so made a grand effort to give them the hint that I wanted no part in their patty problems or pathetic excuses to start up an argument with the other. Right now they were being selfish, thinking of only themselves instead of the impact it would have on me. How I saw it was that they were just very lucky that I was a little preoccupied with other people to think about them.