Pursuit of the Whole

III. School Loser

Julia's POV:

"Detention! Detention on the first day of school!"

"It could be worse," I said.

"Worse?"

"I could be in the back of a motorcycle with the school bad boy." I pose with my forefinger and thumb spread below my chin, "Lucio Luciano!'

As you can see, Lucio's parents thought real deep about his name.

Mom smacks me with the table cloth, "Lucio is a nice boy who doesn't skip school and gives his grandma foot massages every day. Don't you call him names." She smacks me again, "He never got detention on the first day before!"

I cover my face from the dirty cloth. "If he doesn't want people to misunderstand, why is he always wearing a leather jacket and driving a motorcycle to school? That's sending the wrong message!"

"Who taught you to judge a book by its cover!" Mom continues to smack me, "Tell me! Who?!"

I ran around the kitchen. "That's dirty! Stop hitting me with it! Dad!"

Dad leans against the fridge with his hand covering his face. He's probably re-evaluating his life right now. Such as: Where did things go wrong?

"I'm going to call Child Protective Services!"

"You're almost eighteen! Get out of my house!"

I gasp, "And pay the awful rent?" The living expenses are really high nowadays. My parents are lucky if they can get rid of me by the time I'm thirty. "I'm staying here! Dad's man cave will be my home!"

Dad groaned.

"I'll take care of you two!"

Mom threw the towel at my face. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing! Trying to distract us from punishing you?"

"Damn," I mumbled underneath my breath.

"Damn indeed. Your punishment?"

I narrow my eyes. What's the worst that can happen? Being grounded? Take away the cell phone? Make me cut the grass?

"You're going to get a job."

I gasp loudly as the last word echoes inside my mind.

Job.

Job.

Job!

I sip dramatically on the cherry Slurpee.

"A job, huh," Brenda says.

Since I didn't get grounded, I went to the mall with Brenda, Eric, and Brian. Eric and Brian are in the games room. Brenda and I are at the food court with cherry Slurpees and leftover fries.

I chew on the straw dramatically, "I don't understand why they're pushing me away."

Brenda looks at me and raises a brow.

"I told them I wanted to spend more time with them, and they do this to me."

"Now, tell me exactly how your parents reacted when you said you wanted to spend more time at home."

"They laughed."

Brenda nods, "That's what I thought. So, are you going to get a job?"

"Mom says she'll cut off my phone line if I don't find one this month."

"What are you thinking?"

"I guess I can scoop ice cream."

"You really thought this through."