Back to the Party

Dean got up off the bed and went to the window to look out at the backyard. All the kids were sitting around the fire, nothing looked out of the ordinary. He looked specifically for Taylor who is saw sitting and talking to two of her girlfriends. He noticed the guys sitting all next to each other as well. One girl was sitting on one of the guys laps, Dean didn’t care, as long as it wasn’t his daughter.

Dean and Brooke cleaned themselves up to look presentable and headed downstairs. All the kids were outside so no one even knew that they disappeared up into the bedroom. They sat down and watched TV basically waiting for the party to end.

Over time Taylor’s friends exited until there were only a few left. The fire was dying and it was getting late. Brooke went out and informed the few left that it was time to go. Taylor, two of her girlfriends and a guy were left. Dean recognized the two girls from Taylor’s softball team but he didn’t know who the guy was. He could probably assume that this was the boy that Taylor had in mind when she asked about a boyfriend earlier.

Taylor’s two girlfriend left and the boy was right behind them. Dean stopped the boy before he could exit, “Hey what’s your name?” Dean asked. He was about the same height as Dean, tall but very skinny, the boy needed some meat on his bones. “Dad…” Taylor said embarrassed. “I’m just asking his name…” Dean said to Brooke. The boy spoke up, “I’m Jack.”

“Nice to meet you Jack,” Dean said and shook his hand, squeezing it tightly. Jack winced a little at the pain. Then Jack awkwardly waved goodbye to Taylor while Dean stood between them. Jack then left and was out the door on his way home.

“Mom!” Taylor screamed. Brooke came out of the kitchen, “What is it honey?” Taylor was a little upset, “Dad was embarrassing me!” Brooke shot Dean a mean look, “I just asked the boys name! What?” Dean said. “Was it Jack?” Brooke asked Taylor. She got embarrassed and let out a sigh and ran upstairs to her room. “Happy Birthday!” Dean yelled up at her.

Now Dean and Brooke were alone downstairs cleaning up. “You know who Jack is?” Dean asked Brooke. “He’s the boy, Taylor has a crush on, he’s cute,” Brooke said. “I guess he’s alright.” Dean said, he was trying to be the overprotective Dad. In his eyes no one is good enough for his daughter. “The thing is she doesn’t know if he likes her, ah young love,” Brooke laughed. “I’ll get all the gossip.” Brooke then made a comment about how Taylor and Jack would make a cute couple. Then somehow Brooke turned the conversation to an inappropriate comment about her Daughter having a great body, a body Brooke feels she used to have but not anymore. Dean was kind of shocked at what Brooke was saying out loud, her comments were probably better to be kept as thoughts. Brooke pinched her stomach, she wasn’t even close to being out of shape but apparently she didn’t think her body was good enough.

Brooke went up the stairs and knocked on Taylors’s door. “Can I come in?” Brooke then disappeared into her room. Dean retired to the bedroom but not before stopping outside of Taylor’s room. He could go into the guest room and listen through the wall but he thought better to not spy, Brooke will tell him all about it when she came to bed. Dean waiting in bed for Brooke to come back.

Brooke came back much later after her girl talk with Taylor. “You we’re gone for a long time,” Dean said. “Yeah we were having a heart to heart and talked about boys,” she laughed. “Anything I should know?” Dean asked. “Do you care?” Brooke asked him. He shrugged, “well kind of.”

“She asked advice about guys and how to get them to like you, I just told her to be herself and if he likes her he likes her. You shouldn’t change just for someone to like you.” Brooke explained, “I think Jack likes her back, she just needs to figure that out on her own, they’d make a cute couple.” Brooke said before turning over to sleep. Dean thought about Jack, maybe he was a nice kid and he had nothing to worry about.