Together, We Rise

Chapter Five: Basketball vs. Feelings

Chapter Five:

Melody

"Still nothing......" Luke muttered, his eyes glued to his laptop screen. I sighed and sat down beside him instead of pacing back and forth. "Nothing at all......"

"Call her," I told him for what felt like the hundredth time.

Luke finally took his eyes off the screen to glare at me. "How many times do I have to tell you no?! I am not talking to my mom about her affair that......created me."

My eyes fell onto Luke's cell phone, which was sitting in front of me. All he said was that he wasn't going to talk to his mom. He never said for me not to.

"Then I will," I said before quickly grabbing his cell phone and running out the hotel room.

Coincidentally, the hotel room I was staying in was right across from Luke's room. But I didn't have time to get my card key out of my back pocket because I heard Luke yell, "Mel, give it back!"

I ran down the hall and to the elevator, hearing Luke run after me. I hit the down button for the elevator repeatedly as if that would make it arrive any faster.

Finally the door opened, so I quickly ran inside and pressed the button to close the door, then the button for the lobby. Unfortunately, Luke was able to get in right before the door closed.

"Mel, give me my cell phone," Luke said, holding out his hand.

"Oh, come on, Luke!" I said. "You want to know who your birth dad is, but you won't ask your mom?"

"No, I'm not," Luke said, inching closer to me. "And I don't want you to either."

My back hit the wall. I should have just taken the stairs, considering I was trapped until we got to the lobby. "Just consider the option......" I said.

Luke stopped, thought for three seconds, then said, "Done," before grabbing his cell phone out of my hand. I, however, wasn't one to give up easy, so I jumped on his back and attempted to grab the cell. "Melody, I don't want you calling my mom!"

"It's one of the only choices you have!" I objected. "Give me your cell!"

"No!" Luke said, trying to keep it out of my grasp.

Suddenly, the elevator reached the lobbey and opened. The Lakemoat High basketball team was standing there, looking confused.

"Good day," Luke said to them.

I took the opportunity to grab Luke's cell phone, jump off his back, and ran passed the basketball team. Unfortunately, I didn't know exactly where to go comsidering I haven't been in Miami long enough to know where everything is.

I turned around, slowly backing up as Luke got closer. "Actually think about it, Luke," I said. "You want to find your birth dad, don't you?"

"Yes, but I'm not talking to my mom!" Luke told me again. "She lied to me!"

"She wanted to keep your family together!" I said. "Obviously her husband loved her enough to go along with it!"

"What's the point?" Luke asked. "What's the point of pretending a kid is yours when you know he's not? What's the point of lying to their kid for seventeen years about it?! The man I called my dad hated me because I wasn't his! I've never had a real dad before, but my mom didn't care! She would rather lie to me about it insead of giving me an actual dad!"

I had to admit that Luke did have a good point. At least I was getting his thoughts out of his mind. "If you want a dad so much, then call your mom to find out who he is!"