Splashing Between the Lanes

Chapter 11

I woke up with the worst headache piercing between my ears. The memory of the night still haunted me. I shuffled down the stairs in the most comfortable, casual clothes I could find in my closet. I'd forgotten all about the event the team was having this morning.

If I hadn't set my alarm yesterday before the party, I was one hundred percent certain that I would've added a checkmark to my file of absences. The kitchen was empty when I reached the bottom of the stairs. No one else had made it up yet, so the room was still quiet. I was happy about that.

I walked to the door for a quiet escape and reached into my front pocket for my keys. As I twisted the handle, I realized it was empty. There was nothing but space.

"Ugh."

I didn't want to go back up those treacherous stairs and the pounding at my temples didn't help the situation.

Before my thoughts could amplify the issue, I hurried back up, grabbed the keys from my homemade hook just inside the door, and ran back down, finally set to leave. Only this time, the kitchen was no longer empty.

I tried to not make any noise and scurry past the doorway. Just as my fingers touched the knob, my dads head turned from the refrigerator. An almost empty glass of orange juice dropped from his mouth. I could feel the built-up tension in my shoulders release to a slight slump as I attempted to play it cool, like I wasn't just trying to sneak past him unseen. I knew it was a failed attempt.

He'd caught me dead in my tracks. "Where are you going so early?" he asked, looking over at the time on the stove.

It wasn't that early, though I guess 9:50 was kind of early for me to be up and moving anywhere near the door on a Sunday morning. "Well, this year the team is having the awareness thing at Krazy Kartz to raise money for the Cancer Foundation," I said, trying to sound less annoyed than I was at having to go, only I couldn't get away fast enough in this moment. His expression was blank. It was obvious he wasn't the least bit concerned, though he nodded with a half smirk. I could tell he was done.

The brief pause was a clear indication of my dismissal. I turned back to my path, and as I started to make my exit, Dads voice broke through again and my nerves rattled. "Those girls on your team aren't trying to influence you to do anything you dont want to, are they?" His voice was a clear tone now. Spoken in a general fashion, but he was serious. I could tell what he was getting at. There was a deeper meaning to the question, but I wasn't sure of just how many things hed heard at this point. I was suddenly frozen in place; I wasn't shocked by the concern coming from him. I assumed from all the conversations we'd had in the past that this would be the one thing he didnt come out and ask straight.

All these recollections stormed my mind as a cold blast of emptiness settled in the top of my head. I was shaking on the inside, trying to contain myself. It seemed so crazy because here I was this sophomore in college, still getting so nervous from feeling like I was getting in trouble. Only this time was different from every other time in the past. This time my own dad could be confirming that he knows what I did over the summer. All of a sudden, there was nothing, just a blank; as if I'd accepted what was coming. The voice that usually had so much to say in these uncomfortable positions was nonexistent. I didnt know whether to play it off with a quick overreaction, or take the more nonchalant route and try to conserve what little bit of composure still remained on my face. By all means, I definitely didn't want to make eye contact and make things any more awkward. I turned back to him and I was struck with a serious demeanor as he stared back at me intensely, awaiting my response.

It felt like we were frozen in that moment forever. "No, sir," I finally breathed. I lied in cold blood, something I wasn't used to doing.

"Because you don't need to be getting caught up in all the extra things going on out there and following behind people. You should be focusing on school and your athletics." Then, there was silence.