Celadon Bay - Book One

That night

Mom isn't too thrilled when I finally get back home. I'd had such a good time with Veronica earlier that, by the time the sun went down, we were still hanging out at the beach.

"Why do you even have a phone if you're not going to take it with you?" Mom admonishes.

To be honest, my cellphone was the least of my concerns when I ran away with Veronica.

"I forgot," I tell Mom, lame as that sounds, because that's pretty much the truth.

"And what time do you think it is, young man?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I was hanging out with... my girlfriend."

I don't say anything else. I can't help but look away in embarrassment. I can't decide which is the most mortifying: telling my mother I have a girlfriend or knowing that "said girlfriend" is not real.

"Yes, I think we must talk about that as well," Mom says, all business.

I love my mom, but her "momness" can be overwhelming at times. It always makes me wish I wasn't an only child. That way I could at least share the attention. "Don't you think you're a little too young to be dating?"

"I don't think so." My father, who's home for a change, shouts from the next room. Clearly, he is saving me from this woman who obviously wants to see my fantasy fizzle out and die.

These are the roles my parents play in my life: Mom is as strict as she can manage to be without turning into a total witch, and Dad is the free spirit who believes I should live and learn by sheer experience. If you're wondering, I'm not teammates with either of them, but Dad's approach is a little less extreme.

"I think it's about time he learned how to use his charms. Right, Champ?" Dad winks at me, proud of shielding me from Mom's laser-sharp focus.

"Don't defend him, Thomas." Full Mom-mode now, raised index finger for further effect. "He's only fourteen."

"The right age for bubbly hormones, unwelcome hair, smelly feet, acne, and of course, dating," Dad tells her, counting off these facts on his fingers. "You sound like you've never been fourteen yourself, Liz."

"Yes, I have been fourteen-years-old, but I wasn't dating anyone."

"Well, fair enough. But John is John," Martin says, suddenly joining the conversation as he appears from the bathroom, freshly showered. "Plus, he has a really bad example at his side." He hangs his arm around my neck for added emphasis. He's the bad example, all right; how can he be so proud of this fact? And, as if I didn't have enough support, Aunt Sugar makes an appearance from the kitchen.

"You should see how pretty his girlfriend is, Lizzy," she tells Mom. "She's such a sweetheart."

"Honestly, Auntie," Martin adds, wholeheartedly convinced that he's indeed helping my case. "I can see what troubles you. But no, John's not the kind of guy who goes around breaking hearts. That's me. I also doubt he'll be doing any worse at school, since his girlfriend is in fact one of the smartest in the whole classroom, in just about every subject. And if you're worried about that..." He purposefully makes air quotes while saying this and I really want an earthquake to rattle the ground so I can fall in and be swallowed whole. "Let me tell you, I wouldn't worry too much. Knowing the two of them, they'll probably kiss for the first time as a Christmas present." And jabbing my ribs, he continues to mock me. "Because you didn't kiss her yet, did you?"

Still waiting for that earthquake.

After dinner, a shower, brushing my teeth, and all the pre-bedtime stuff, it's lights out and "day-review" time.