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“Lenny! Lenny!” Lisa is screaming as she skids through the kitchen into the dining room. She runs straight into a chair with an oof and nearly topples over before Len stops her. “Lenny!”
“What, Lisa?” His voice is sharp but not harsh. In fact, his tone is probably too soft and too delicate and isn’t as sharp as he likes to think it is.
“Hartley was mean to me again!” She pouts and stops her foot. Her arms are crossed over her chest, wrinkling her gold dress.
Len drops down to get on his little sister’s level. “Oh?” He asks, though this isn’t the first time she’s brought up Hartley. “What happened this time?”
Lisa puffs out her cheeks unhappily. “He knocked me over at recess.”
Len doesn’t rise to the bait. “Did you knock him over first?”
Lisa’s gaze shifts to look at the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but Len. “Maybe.” She mutters.
“Did he actually do anything?” Len asks carefully.
“He took my pencil!” Lisa shouts after a moment of consideration. “The puppy one you got me, with the Dalmatians!” Lisa is back to pouting and all guilt is gone from her expression.
“That wasn’t very nice. Did you ask him to give it back?”
“No,” Lisa says matter-of-fact, “I knocked him over! I told you that already.”
Len bites back a laugh. “Maybe tomorrow you should try—?”
The doorbell ringing cuts into their conversation. Len stands up straight and Lisa follows insistently at his heels. Before answering the door, Len turns back to Lisa.
“Sit.” He instructs while pointing at the couch. Lisa obeys quickly and plops onto the couch with a grin.
Satisfied, Len finally looks through the peephole of his apartment door. An older man, looking exhausted and exasperated, stands on the other side. Len opens the door as much as the chain lock will allow and stares expectantly at the man. “Can I help you?”
The man seems to take a moment to psych himself up before answering. “I’m Mick Rory. Your daughter knocked my kid over today.” His voice is gruff and direct, and Len can’t help but let his gaze wander up and down the man’s body. It’s as his gaze skims down to Mick’s hips that Len realizes there’s someone else there, too. It’s a young boy with big glasses, hiding behind Mick.
Len doesn’t make any more to undo the chain lock and crosses his arms. “The way I heard it is your son stole my little sister’s favorite pencil.” He doesn’t bother making a big deal of the correction—Len looks older than he really is, and most people assume Lisa is his daughter.
Mick stiffens and his eyes turn to the kid—Hartley, Len realizes. “Is that true?” Mick asks.
Hartley shrugs and, just as Lisa had before, looks anywhere but his father.
Mick keeps staring and it’s not long before Hartley cracks under the stern, silent gaze.
“Yes I took her stupid pencil!” He snaps, already digging in the backpack hanging from one shoulder. He pulls out a pencil case and rummages around in it before presenting the pencil to Len. “Sorry.”
Mick looks back to Len. “Is your sister here? He should apologize to her.”
Before Len can answer, Lisa is shouting. “He’s forgiven! Maybe he could stay for dinner!”
Len can’t help the bewildered expression that crosses his face. “Uh,” he holds up a finger to Mick before turning back inside. Lisa is still sitting on the couch but she’s leaning over the back of the couch with a bright grin in place. She looks like the epitome of innocence, which Len knows means she’s plotting something. “No. We’re going to have a discussion about you pushing kids.” Len informs her. He ignores Lisa’s answering pout, and returns to Mick and Hartley at the door. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Me too.” Mick has taken the pencil from Hartley and passes it to Len. “See you.” Mick is ushering Hartley away without further ado and Len lets the door fall shut.
Len brings the pencil to Lisa, but when she reaches for it he holds it just out of her reach. “You need to stop pushing kids over.”
Lisa rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Len figures that’s the most he’s going to get out of her.
)
Len knows people around him are murmuring in confusion, and he knows the generic top 40 music is blaring over the store’s speakers, but all he can really hear is Lisa’s screams. She had been at his side just a few moments prior and now she’s screaming a few aisles away. He rushes, cart abandoned in the freezer second, until he skids to a stop in front of the aisle. Lisa is in the middle of the aisle, her back to Len, screaming her head off.
Len approaches slowly and just before he’s close enough to touch Lisa, he realizes Hartley is in the aisle as well. The kid is pink in the face and looks just as cranky as Lisa sounds.
Mick tumbles into the fray not much later and when he sees Len, he freezes. Mick looks at Len, then Lisa, then Hartley.
Len kneels down and hugs Lisa close. “Lis, what’s wrong?” His sister’s face is blotchy and red but not damp from tears.
“Hartley called me names!” Lisa points an accusing finger at her classmate, whose own expression turns hilariously indignant.
“Did not!” He shouts right back before looking up at Mick desperately. “Dad, I’m serious! She started it!”
Mick and Len share equally fond, equally tired looks. Mick scoops Hartley up into his arms and Len does the same with Lisa. Lisa hides her face in Len’s shoulder whereas Hartley glares at Lisa from afar.
“Sorry.” Len says and ignores Lisa’s own scoff. “Either way,” he gestures between them, “whoever’s fault it was, sorry.”
Mick nods. “Sorry.” He echoes. He’s less abrupt when he turns on his heel and leaves—if Len didn’t know better, he’d say Mick even gave him a quick, leering once-over before leaving.
)
Len is sitting in the hall outside the principal’s office staring at Mick, who’s sitting in a chair against the opposite wall. The silence, filled only with the typing and beeping and shuffling office sounds, stretches uncomfortably long. Len finally decides to break the silence.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”
Mick barks out a laugh. He’s leaning back in the chair, relaxed, with his arms crossed over his chest and muscles flexing with the motion. Len can admit he’s kind of been staring. “Our kids need to stop terrorizing each other.”
Len nods. “That would work, too.” He’s leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “Do you know what happened this time?” Len asks, because he’s still a little fuzzy on the details.
Given the way Mick shrugs, it’s clear the older man doesn’t really know either. “Just got a call asking me to show up as soon as I could.”
Len nods. The silence begins again and doesn’t let up until the door to the principal’s office opens. The principal, a plump older man with bright eyes and a friendly, stands in the doorway with Hartley and Lisa at either side. Len and Mick stand at the same time but don’t move more than that. The principal—Mr. Carlton, the sign on his door reads—gestures them inside. Len and Mick shuffle into the office in a single file line. Lisa and Hartley move to sit on the couch in the room, and Len and Mick take seats at the chairs in front of Mr. Carlton’s desk.
Len looks between the principal and Mick and wonders who will be the first to speak.
“So,” it ends up being Mick, “what happened?”
Mr. Carlton relaxes into his chair. “Just a little misunderstanding. Another student was giving Hartley some trouble and Lisa stepped in. One of their teachers thought Lisa might be the one bullying Hartley, but after talking it over with those two,” Mr. Carlton gestures to Hartley and Lisa, now having a thumb-war, “it’s clear that neither Hartley or Lisa were being troublemakers.”
Len’s eyebrows draw together. “Why call us down, then? If Lisa was helping, then why did I get called?”
Mr. Carlton leans forward and presses his elbows onto the desk. “Well, I wanted to inform Mr. Rory about Hartley being bullied, of course. And to let Mr. Rory know we’re doing everything we can to solve the problem here at the school. I’ll be speaking with Mrs. Mardon later today.” Mr. Carlton’s attention turns to Len again. “And I wanted to let you know that Lisa has been an excellent student, and that she seems to take great pride in protecting Hartley.”
Len can’t help but whip around in his chair and look at his little sister. Lisa is now deeply entrenched in some book, acting as though she can’t see Len at all.
“This isn’t the first time she’s stepped in to help Hartley, and I wanted to make sure you know what a wonderful young woman you’re raising.” Mr. Carlton smiles. After a beat where no one speaks, Mr. Carlton hurries to fill the silence. “Well, that’s all.” He stands and shakes Mick’s hand first, then Len’s. “School is almost out so if you would like to sign Hartley and Lisa out a little early, I’m sure no one would mind.”
Len just nods, a bit stunned and definitely confused. Lisa and Hartley lead the way out of the principal’s office and Mick walks beside Len. They stop by the secretary’s desk to sign out the kids then turn towards the doors. Lisa and Hartley still walk a few steps ahead, laughing and grinning and teasing each other playfully.
Len leans over and whispers to Mick. “Are they friends now?”
Mick shrugs.
Len doesn’t comment on how unhelpful the gesture is. “Is it—is it a crush?” He asks, confused. Lisa has never shown an interest in boys, aside from tormenting them on the playground.
Mick shakes his head and finally actually speaks. “Hartley told me he’s gay.” His words are smooth but apprehensive, and Mick eyes Len as though daring him to comment.
Len doesn’t, aside from making a noise of recognition. What he doesn’t say is that he knows too well the sort of school-life Hartley probably has ahead of him. Being the odd one out is always trouble, and Len dealt with that first hand. Staring at Lisa, Len also doesn’t mention that Lisa will probably go to the ends of the earth—or at least the schoolyard—to protect Hartley.
Lisa and Hartley slow down as they approach the cars, Len’s soft green Kia Soul and Mick’s black Buick Regal. The kids remain absorbed in their own conversation even when Len and Mick hover closer to them. Len looks from the kids, to Mick, and back again.
He leans over again to whisper to Mick. “I—I don’t know what to say.” He really doesn’t. He doesn’t know what to say about Lisa and Hartley, enemies one moment and best friends the next. He definitely doesn’t know what to say about the tension that’s been simmering between him and Mick since that first night. Len isn’t ashamed to admit he’s definitely attracted to Mick but—well, dating your little sister’s best friend’s hot dad could complicate things.
Mick stares at Len, expression unreadable aside from the calculating glint in his eyes. “Want to go get ice cream?” He asks, equally quiet. “Keep them occupied.” He jerks his head toward the kids. “Maybe you and I can get to know each other better?”
Len blinks owlishly. “Okay.” He stands back and watches as Mick corrals the kids into his Buick; Len only moves when Mick clears his throat obnoxiously loud and gestures to the passenger side door. When Len slides into the car, the music is soft and Lisa’s and Hartley’s chatter fill the enclosed space. Mick doesn’t say anything and Len still isn’t sure what to say.
They glide to a stop at a red light, and when Len looks over Mick is already staring at him. Len grins, relaxes just enough. Mick’s eyes soften and his lips twitch in a grin of their own. As Mick’s attention turns back to the road and the light turning green, Len can’t bring himself to even a little bit mad when he hears Lisa mumble—
“The plan worked perfectly!”