traditional math

The rest of the day went well, Mason didn't bother you nor did he treat you differently so he must still be in the dark. Eventually, you'll have to tell him because even he will wonder what happened to you. The you that he knew anyway.

Your dad was surprisingly nice to Tom. He's never liked the boys Erin has brought home. Of course, they were total losers. Which is why Erin was no longer with any of them. Thinking about it you theorized maybe she only dated them because they were good looking, and possibly more.

Later, you spent time laying out by the pool in a bikini while Tom swam with Kyle. Tom floated to the side of the pool in front of you."You gonna join us, pretty lady?" He asked with a wet smile.

Tom floated as he looked up to you while Kyle splashed beside him, "Yeah come on!"

"I don't know." You muttered under your breath as you ever so carefully eyed Mason in the kitchen getting another beer and your dad smoking a cigar on the patio. Your mom had never allowed him to smoke inside. Apparently, the habit still held even though she was gone now.

"Come on Kara!" Kyle tried to throw water on you.

"Yeah come on Kara!" Tom climbed out of the pool his muscular body dripping wet.

"No, wait." Tom hooked his arms under your arm and legs, "Don't you da-" You screamed as Tom leaped into the pool with you in his arms. The water sudden cold water rushed around you as you hung on to Tom desperately. When you popped back up Kyle and Tom were both laughing wildly. You splashed them both. "Jerks!"

"Me? The heck did I do?" Kyle spat water out of his mouth.

"You laughed." You answered.

"Jerk!" Kyle slapped water at you. You screamed excitedly as Tom joined forces with Kyle and assaulted you with water. The small battle turned into a full-on war when Erin dropped in the water with a crash dowsing everyone.

"Erin!" You shouted. All the former alliances fell as it became a game of last man standing with no clear way to tell who was winning and losing.

After a while, it was decided that the war would be put on pause as the game was about to start. Kyle and Erin went inside to change into dryer clothes, leaving you and Tom alone in the water under the setting sun. You loved the water, the weightlessness of it made you feel as if you were free from the restraints of your body. Being held aloft by Tom's arms made you forget about the rest of the world. You wanted to stay like this forever.

"Kara."

"Hmm?" You kept your eyes closed and nuzzled deeper into his neck feeling the water against your lips.

"I wanted to ask you something I think I know the answer too." He sighed, "Are you staying here or coming home with me?"

You stopped floating and sat braced your feet on the pool floor. "I think I should. I miss Kyle and Erin, and my dad is really trying. I should at least give him the opportunity right? Besides, Your mom hates having me there."

"I like having you there though." Tom frowned pushing a strand of your wet hair out of your face and tucking it behind your ear. "I'll miss waking up with you."

"I will too. But I bet you'll be happy to have your bed back."

"I was fine on the floor." Tom smiled unenthusiastically.

"That's bad for your back anyway." You returned his empty smile.

Later Kyle had changed into his lucky jersey to watch the game, as well as Erin and your dad. It was part of the tradition. Everyone had to wear the lucky jersey or the team would lose. Not that you ever took much stock in superstition, even when your team refused to change socks when you were on a winning streak you did it, but you enjoyed the sense of comradery of doing something stupid that did nothing but bolster the spirits of the people doing it.

You were in your room alone now dried off and changed back into your regular clothes. You sighed and lifted up the side of your bed revealing an old notepad. Erin had her secret hiding places and you had yours. You opened the notepad and sat on your bed. In it, you had scribbled notes and doodles over the years. It wasn't exactly a journal or diary but just something you would use from time to time to keep track of important things. Turning to the last page that you had written anything on you came across a list of dollar amounts ending in a total of ninety-five thousand dollars.

You added a new dollar amount including your monthly paycheck, and Tom's monthly pay multiplied by a year, then five, then ten. It was a depressing set of numbers.

Kyle came in without knocking, "Hey! You gotta knock." You quickly closed the book.

"Must be a girl thing." Kyle muttered, "Dad wants you downstairs. The Pistons are losing to the Celtics."

"I'll be down in a minute."

"What's that?" Kyle asked when he saw the notebook.

"It's nothing. Just annoying math."

"Ugh, I hate math."

"Everyone does."

Mrs. Cooper says Math is important."

"It is. If you wanna be a math teacher and they're asshats anyway." Kyle laughed which always made you smile. "Alright get out of here so I can change."

"Okay." He still didn't move.

"What's wrong?"

He gripped the bottom of his shirt and twisted it in his fingers, "I know I'm not supposed to but I miss momma." His lip quivered as he tried to fight the overwhelming urge to cry. You scooped him up into a hug as if the right hug would protect him from everything he was feeling. "I'm sorry!" He sniffed in your shoulder.

"You don't have to be sorry."

"You're not mad?" He clung desperately to you afraid you would push him away.

"No, sweetie, of course not." You recognized your tone, you had heard it all throughout your life, it was your mother whenever she would try to soothe her babies. "I miss her too. It's hard not to when she's done so much for us."

"I think dad and Erin miss her too."

"We all do." After a few minutes, your dad knocked on your door to see what was taking so long.