𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈𝐭, 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐞 | 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐬 (ON HOLD!)

8. Old Sport

"We talked for a moment about some wet, gray little villages in France. Evidently, he lived in this vicinity, for he told me that he had just bought a hydroplane, and was going to try it out in the morning." Adam read out loud for his friends to hear. The group of five, Jamie, Libby, Charlie, Adam, and Fulton, were all together reading their assigned novel for English class. So far, it seemed the group was more interested in making fun of the book than investing in the true meaning.

"'Want to go with me, old sport? Just near the Shore along the sound."

"Okay, what kind of name is old sport. It sounds like the type of nickname an old pro-golfer would give his grandchild." Charlie mocks, making his friends laugh. "Oh! Would you please give me my cane old sport?"

Jamie hid her laughter behind her copy of The Great Gatsby, peeking out to see Libby doing the same gesture. "Come on guys, let's keep reading."

"Can't we just take a break? I think we need it." Adam suggests.

"We've only gotten through three chapters, though!"

"And? I think that's plenty." Charlie bickers. Jamie finally gave in, letting her book lay face down on the floor.

"Well, now what," Libby says quietly, quickly coming eye to eye with Fulton. The dark-haired boy turned away from the girl with a flushed face, looking up to see Jamie curiously look at Fulton with a cocked eyebrow.

"What do your parents do for a living?" Adam asks, catching Jamie off guard.

"Wow, what an interesting question," Charlie points out sarcastically, "You guys should know, well, other than Jamie and Libby, that my mom works at the Diner. My dad clearly is out of the picture, and who knows what direction my mom is taking for her sex life."

Jamie sat there, frozen, taking in what her friend had to say about his father. He let it out so casually, which made the girl think what would happen if she did tell her friends about why she ended up in Minnesota. She didn't open her mouth though- not yet, at least.

"My dad is in the military." Libby said with a shrug, "I haven't seen him in a while, but that's the price you pay for going into the Navy."

"How about your mom?" Fulton asks the girl.

"She's with us, but I'm not nearly as close to her as I am with my father," Libby replies, watching Fulton nod in response. Fulton then takes his turn talking about where his parents are at the moment, as well as Adam. Once Jamie had the floor, she wasn't sure how she would tell them where her parents are. Her answer soon slipped out, though.

"My dad used to play hockey with Bombay." she began to say, receiving gasps from the boys in the room, "His name was Gilbert."

"That's so cool!" Adam says in excitement, "You know, I used to be on the Hawks before joining the Ducks."

"Yep, and it's a good thing he switched. Speaking of which, how is varsity ice hockey treating you?" Charlie asks his friend. Adam sighs with annoyance, giving into the struggles of being a freshman on the more elite team.

"It sucks. I've been getting better at ignoring what they have to say to me, but it's still frustrating. I wish I was with you guys,"

"Well, that's what you get for being too good at hockey." Fulton compliments, playfully punching Adam on the shoulder.

"Alright, we had our break. Let's get back to reading." Jamie insists, Libby nodding in agreement with the girl. The boys shook their heads in denial, continuing to fool around in their own world. The two girls eyed each other, deciding to finish the chapter without them.