The Medium Kid

Chapter 37

"Can it wait till after the gym?" Koda asked with a nervous smile.

"No," Morlen sighed and ran a hand down his face. The smell of the sweaty changing room irritated him. "We're not going to the gym today." Morlen grabbed his son's arm and pulled him through the lockers.

"What! Dad, let go!" Koda yanked his arm back. "Chris is in there. We can't-"

"Chris can get crushed under a set of weights as far as I'm concerned," Morlen muttered and moved the numbers to the correct sequence on the padlock. He opened their locker and shoved Koda's bag into his chest.

"What happened?" Koda asked, letting his bag fall to the floor. "Dad?"

Morlen slammed the locker shut and turned. His eyes were bulging with rage. "Look, I wasn't fond of this thing you've got going on with Alfie. Frankly, I found him annoying and weird and well... he's a guy. But when I compare him to your friend Chris, Alfie is almost likeable. So we're going over to Alfie's house and you're spending time with him, not this stuck up best friend you're following around like some sheep."

This time, Koda gripped his bag when his dad shoved it against his chest. "I-I thought you wanted to go to the gym."

"With you, not Chris, so next time, don't invite any of your friends because I hate them all." Morlen stormed past him and Koda had no choice but to follow.

"Even Alfie?" he asked and Morlen stopped so suddenly, Koda almost tripped by stopping himself too. The tiles were sticky enough so he didn't slip, but that was mildly gross the more Koda thought about it.

"Alfie's not just a friend, though is he?"

Koda coward from his dad's unnerving daggers. "No-"

"And you blew off Alfie's plans to be with Chris?"

"Yes, but-" Morlen's glare hardened and Koda cut off his sentence. "What did Chris say to you?"

Morlen glanced around. They were the only ones in the locker room. Still, he lowered his voice. "Chris expressed his hatred for Alfie and asked me how I was planning to split you and Alfie up."

"What?" Koda yelled and Morlen hissed at him to be quiet. "Are you?"

"No! that was all him," Morlen growled, glancing around again. "He just walked up to me and started talking like I'd agree. I'm trying to be better. You know that."

"So, how did the topic- arise... oh no." Koda rummaged through his bag for his phone.

"What?"

"Chris was talking to Alfie before we left. Do you think he said something to him?" Koda tried calling Alfie, but he didn't answer. Koda followed his dad through the changing rooms and out of the exit. "Alfie was waiting for me outside and I blew him off right in front of Chris. I'm such an idiot."

"Yep." Morlen unlocked the car and climbed in. "You know what?" Morlen slammed his hand against the steering wheel when Koda got in too. "I raised you better than this."

"Um... no, you didn't," Koda said, sending a text to Alfie to ask if he was home.

"Your mother raised you better than this." Morlen reversed too quickly, almost knocking down a group who dropped their yoga mats.

"No, she didn't."

"Well, she should have," Morlen muttered. "You don't blow off anyone who you're planning to be more than friends with. Trust me, they'll take it personally." Morlen tried not to speed down the street. Anger always enhanced his adrenaline. "And why the hell would you rather spend time with Chris? Alfie speaks to ghosts. He has a far more interesting life than any of your loser fr-"