WE STILL EXIST

Chapter Ten- Parents

NOAH BLAKE

I don't know why I lied to Coden about the scratches, Avery said it was an accident. He didn't mean to grab me like that, he was just in a rush to catch me.

*SIDE EYE*

Avery has been under stress from not being on school, he is worried that the internship will only apply to Coden and not himself when he graduates. His dad is pressuring him to drop the internship and go back to school to complete his degree there.

His dad thinks he will have a better shot without distractions here than there. I don't think there are distractions here that will slow him down, he just needs to work with Coden on business and not spend all of his time with me.

Over the last few weeks, he has been with me for almost every minute of every day. I like being with him, but it's a little suffocating.

Today, I told him that I was spending time with my dad. He asked if he could come with me, but I said that I wanted to spend time with my dad since I haven't seen him in a while.

My dad has never met Avery, he said that he wants to in the near future. Avery is still on the fence, I am not sure why that is.

Officially, they've met a couple of times over the years from different meetings and get-togethers, but as my boyfriend, they haven't. My mom really wants to meet him, my first boyfriend.

"Hey sweetheart, you ready to go?" My dad walks out of the house.

We are going on a hike, " yes."

Gathering my backpack off of the ground, we start walking into the woods behind our house. There is a path that leads to the town walking trail. We get out berries and nuts from these woods.

Some animals we can hunt, but they have to be a certain breed and look. Some of the animals are deformed and can cause death if eaten. Most of them have gone extinct by now, but you can never be too sure.

"How have you and that boy been doing?" We step over a fallen tree, "we are good."

He grabs a glass bottle from his backpack, "it's pretty hot out here. Are you wearing a long sleeve for something?"

"Um, I decided to wear it because of the bugs." He scratches at his arms, "so that doesn't happen."

He laughs, "good thinking on your part."

"Avery and I actually got into a small argument the other day before the meeting." I tell him honestly, "I thought it was weird, but I guess all couples argue."

My dad nods, " your mother and I actually hated each other when we met."

"Really?" That's surprising, I could never imagine that from the way they treat each other now.

We stop by a tree and my dad grabs a Beatle on a branch. He collects them to study the life span and then compares them to other beings, it is a hobby of his.

"We met in when we were kids, ran in different groups," he places the cap back on the bottle. "When we got to college, something happened and we were enemies."

"What happened?"

"Well, she was dating this guy that was a big shot on campus. At a party, he got too drunk and was yelling awful things at her." He explains, " I got so mad at him for treating her that way, any man threading a woman like that is crappy. I got in his face, we exchanged a few unkind words and we went our separate ways."

I bet it wasn't just unkind words, they probably physically fought. My dad is vague when he tells stories and skips over the fun parts.

He continues, "your mom got mad at me for talking to her boyfriend like that. When we went home for the holidays, she made a scene at one of the meetings."

"We didn't talk to each other until the next school year when she and her boyfriend broke up." We walk over to a rock and sit down, "he had hurt a few times, and broke up with him."

Oh my god. Mom was abused by this guy?

*this dumb bitch*

"I want you to know that everything we do for you is to protect you kids," he refers to me and Zach.

He stands up again and I follow him over to the dirt road, "if Avery ever yells at you or hurts you, you can always come to us."

"Any boy for that matter, doesn't matter if he is your boyfriend or not."

I smile at my dad, " I know. Thank you for everything, dad."

We continue our hike and stop at a cliff. There is a waterfall with a stream nearby. Sometimes teens will come out here and party throughout the night, I've come here with Maddie and her friends before.

Maddie got drunk out of her mind partying with her friends, I stayed sober just in case something had happened to her or anyone. There is no need for a drunk jumper...

We start to head back to the house after sitting and watching the view for a bit longer. The starts to pick up and the sun goes away. Clouds cover the sky.

Footsteps come from our left and we see Coden and Ana come out from behind the tree line. My honorable dad stops what he is doing and waits for them to come up to us.

Coden smiles when he sees my dad, "Hello Mr.Blake."

They shake hands, "how are you, son?"

"Doing well, I have read over your proposal and have a few questions for you." Coden glances in my direction, "hi, Noah."

I give him a slight smile, "hi, Coden."

Ana looks at me and rolls her eyes. The red lipstick from the berries is rubbed along her chin. They were not just shaking hands back there, that is for sure.

"Actually, I think it is best that you talk to Noah about any questions you might have." I give my dad a confused look, "she has been taking on a bigger role."

"Mm, well we should set up a meeting before the week is over," he turns his attention to me.

I cross my arms self-consciously, "sure."

"Very well, I will talk to you later." He shakes my dad's hand again, "it was nice seeing you."

The house is quiet when we get inside. Mom must be out and Zach is at the field with his friends.

Lights turned on last week, our neighbor got the generator going again. A tree fell on top of the generator, we couldn't do much until it was deemed safe by the experts.

"Do I really have to talk to him about the proposal?"

He sets the insect in the cage with the others, "yes."

"It will do you some good, getting your foot out there. It is time you make some grown-up decisions without my help."

Hauling my backpack in my room, I set it down on the floor and take stuff out. I put away the safety stuff along with anything else.

"Love is a weird thing, Noah." My dad says from the hallway, "be patient with it."

He walks away and goes to my parent's room. His bedroom door shuts and the lights turn off.

There is a small charm laid out on my pillow. Yellow and blue stripes are painted on a pedant, the charm is as small as my pinky nail.

How did that get there? I have never seen that before, the charm is beautiful.

School is starting up again tomorrow, we got time off because of the storm. Maddie and I will be walking to school together, she will be here at seven in the morning.

I should get ready for bed and sleep early tonight.

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