Slugger

7: Cake

I don't sleep that night. I can't because I just keep on replaying what happened in my head.

When Dante dropped me off, he walked me to the door and we stood around just staring at each other under the pretence of having a conversation. I thought he was going to kiss me at one point – and he did – but it was on the cheek. And then he gave me a hug, asked me if I wanted to come to his game again tomorrow, to which I said yes, and left.

Tyler was waiting on the inside of the door in his bathrobe eating cereal. Apparently he was disappointed because nobody kissed and I nearly dunked his head into his cereal.

Then I stayed up in my bed wondering what a kiss on the cheek was supposed to mean. Sure, he wanted to see me again because he invited me to his game. But then what does it mean?

Now it's ten am and I'm sitting in the kitchen yet again watching my step dad cook some food. Everyone's chilling on the island counter and I'm trying not to fall asleep because I have to get ready and meet Stacy and Nicole before the game today.

"Kenny, why are you so tired?" Jackie asks me, spinning in his chair. It's giving me second hand dizziness.

"She was out late suck-" Tyler starts, still in his bathrobe, still eating cereal.

"I went on a date and got in late," I interrupt before him before chaos ensues. My mom looks up from her newspaper.

"You went on a date?" She lowers her glasses a fair amount. When I nod, she closes the paper and leans over the counter. "And you didn't tell anyone?"

"She told me," David says over the stove.

"Me too," Tyler vouches.

"With Tay, right?" Jackie adds. "I knew too!"

My mom's mouth opens wide. "So I'm the only one who didn't know?"

I shrug. "I'm pretty sure I told you. Hell, I even told McKinley on speakerphone on Thursday because she wanted me to come over,"

"I remember that conversation taking place," David comes over with a stack of pancakes. Tyler and Jackie follow suit, agreeing with him wholeheartedly.

Mom covers her mouth and then puts her hand to the side of her face in one fluid movement. "Who was it with? Did you tell me that?"

I shake my head. "No, but it was with Dante,"

She squints at me. "The short one with the high top that's McKinley's friend's brother?"

I refrain from rolling my eyes as David starts handing out the pancakes. "Okay, mom first of all, he's not even that short any more, he's like six foot eight,"

"Impossible," Tyler comments, stealing the newspaper from her. "Tina, don't mind Kennedy's sarcasm, he's like six foot one,"

"But he was short in middle school," She pushes, "Right?"

"So right." He chuckles. "We used to tell him that if he wasn't so good at baseball he would've been the team mascot."

I resist the very strong urge to throw something at Tyler. Mostly because the two closest things to me are my pancakes and Jackie. Mom would never forgive me for throwing her only son and David would never forgive me for throwing his china.

"Wow! Weren't you talking to him on the phone a few days ago?" Mom says, folding her arms on the table. I nod and Jackie passes me the maple syrup so I can draw a face for him on his pancakes. "I just assumed the two of you were doing a project together or something,"