Growing Pains ✔

Chapter 2

'Hey, are you listening to me?'

Jamie's ears picked up and he turned his attention to his friend Kevin while they walked home from school. 'Yeah sure, I just drifted off there.'

Kevin frowned, a spattering of freckles knotting together but he didn't challenge Jamie. 'As I was saying,' he said slowly. 'Scott's having a party next Saturday, are you gonna go?'

Jamie sighed. 'I guess.' Scott was probably his only other real friend besides Kevin, he got along with most people but he tended to keep them at arm's length.

'Cool I'm gonna ask Lucy if she'll go with me, could you put in a good word?'

Jamie laughed, Lucy Kinsella was his step dad's niece but that didn't mean he had any influence over her. 'I can try.' Kevin slapped his back as if it was a done deal. 'But If she does go with you you'd better treat her right, I don't want Lou on my case.'

'Yeah of course,' Kevin said grinning.

Jamie shook his head not believing him for one moment. Still, he had no intention of putting in a good word, if Lucy agreed to go on a date with Kevin it would be entirely her decision. If anything, she'd probably refuse if Jamie even attempted to persuade her.

They reached a point in the road where their journey's diverged, and Jamie was glad to say goodbye and have a few minute's peace to himself. The moment he stepped through his own front door bedlam would be upon him.

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'Julia will you take your shoes off,' Jamie heard his mom yelling at his five year old sister as he joined them in the living room.

His sister shook her head, her caramel curls bouncing. 'No!' She stamped her foot defiantly and Jamie couldn't help but smile. Here was Charlotte's favourite child setting her lip up, she'd been a handful from the day she was born.

'Take your shoes off now.' Charlotte lowered her voice, and Jamie recognised the unspoken threat. Since returning to teaching part-time at kindergarten his mom was much more of a disciplinarian.

Julia pouted, and then slowly removed her shoes, tossing them to one side. Charlotte ignored her. 'Jamie, can you set the table?' she asked. 'Andy, give him a hand.'

'Aw mom,' his ten-year-old brother whined.

'It's fine mom, I can do it myself,' Jamie said thinking Andy would only get under his feet.

'He needs to learn Jamie,' Charlotte said as she tidied Julia's shoes away. 'Andy go through to the kitchen and help your brother.'

Andy got to his feet grumbling. 'Dad doesn't have to do this. Dad doesn't do anything around the house.'

Charlotte spun around glaring. 'Your father works very hard for this family, and I expect you all to contribute.'

Jamie rolled his eyes, his mom was off on one today, she was way more wound up than usual. Mom mode combined with teacher mood was not a force to mess with!

'Mommy I'm hungry,' Julia wailed plaintively, and instantly Charlotte was cooing over her, forgetting her earlier tantrum. Jamie guessed the youngest child was bound to get the most attention, the fact that she was a girl was probably an added bonus.

He went through to the kitchen to get the cutlery and began to set the table, Andy stood to one side watching him. He knew he should share the task out but he couldn't be bothered to, sometimes Charlotte made hard work of things.

In a way, he wasn't surprised his dad had dumped her, or she'd dumped his dad, he wasn't entirely sure of the details. Just that one day, when he was around four, his mom had told him they were going to go live with his uncle Sam for a while. At the time it had seemed like a big adventure but slowly he'd realised they were never going back. His dad would occasionally take him out on the weekends, and sometimes they'd even had fun, then Louis had come along and everything had changed again.

'Can you help me with my homework?' Andy asked interrupting Jamie's thoughts.

He tried not to grimace, his half-brother lacked their mother's attention just as much as he did. If anything it had been worse for Andy when Julia had arrived screaming into their world. He was used to being the baby of the family, and suddenly his mom was enraptured with her longed-for daughter. Louis had tried giving both boys more attention but he worked long hours, and Jamie suspected he was equally enamoured with Julia. She was the image of Charlotte although she had Louis's brown eyes. Andy, with his dark hair and eyes, was very much his father's son.

'Yeah I'll help you,' he said and his brother looked relieved. He felt a little guilty for his irritation, it wasn't Andy's fault their mom was so preoccupied with Julia.

'I asked mom and she said she would...' Andy looked over at Charlotte but she was still placating Julia.

'It's okay, I'll do it.' His mom probably would help Andy, she wasn't a bad mother but she spread herself too thinly. She would try to do everything uncomplaining, and then Jamie would catch her throwing her hands up in exasperation, or sneakily smoking Lou's cigarettes. Worse were the times he'd hear her crying; he didn't know why she cried but it was best if they didn't add to her stress.

Seeing that Julia had now settled down he decided to broach the subject of Scott's party with her. He cleared his throat. 'Mom, is it okay if I go to a party at Scott's next Saturday?'

Her brows slowly came together in a frown, and he knew she was trying to think of an objection. 'Will his parents be home?'

He thought that was highly unlikely so he shrugged. 'I dunno, I could find out.'

'Who else is going?'

'Kevin is, maybe Lucy, I don't know about anyone else. I don't think it's gonna be much of a party to be honest.' He gave her his most trustworthy smile.

'I guess it'll be okay,' she said, and he could tell she wasn't happy but she was struggling to think of any reasonable objections.

'Thanks mom.' He wasn't going to press his advantage, that tentative okay could easily turn into a no.

'It had better not be a late night,' she warned, getting into her 'mom' stride again.

'No it won't be, it's mostly just some guys hanging out. Scott says it's a party...'

He deliberately drifted off, as if to imply it was a party in name only. He could see his mom was reassured so he said no more. He was almost surprised he'd got her to agree so easily. He guessed when she was young parties were just a bunch of kids hanging out at home, a few records playing whilst their parents kept watch from the kitchen. He suspected this party wouldn't be such a sedate affair.

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