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Chloe sighed and looked out from the dining room window. Her parents were starting to get impatient. They were punctual people. Granted, Rich wasn’t incredibly late, only by a few minutes, but she always felt restless when anybody was late even a small amount. It was something her parents had drilled into her.
“Oh, he’s here,” Chloe said to her parents, finally, and then she rushed outside to meet him. “You’re late,” she told him flatly, meeting him in the middle of the field next to her house.
“Bus was late,” he muttered back, shoving his hands into his pockets.
She didn’t answer, her eyes scanning his attire. His clothes weren’t too casual, like she’d expected, but his hair was kind of a mess. Without thinking she reached out and fixed it. He blinked at her in surprise. “Come on,” she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside, reminding him that, right, he was supposed to be pretend dating her.
He glanced around. Chloe’s house was nice and clean and all put together. He felt incredibly out of place. It felt almost too clean and tidy. He wasn’t used to it and it made him antsy.
“Mom, Dad, this is Rich,” Chloe said, pulling him out of his thoughts. She gestured to him, while her parents scrutinized the boy. She gestured again, this time to tell him something, and he quickly held out his hand to shake.
“Er – nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Valentine,” he said.
Chloe’s parents shook his hand, exchanging pleasantries. Everybody sat at the table, and Rich struggled not to fidget. Chloe shot him a warning look.
Rich looked down at the food. It took everything in him to not really dig in. He was hungry. As they started to eat, he restrained himself to small bites every so often.
“So, Richard,” Chloe’s mother started. Rich look up. “I assume that is your actual name?” He nodded. “Nicknames are a little ridiculous,” Mrs. Valentine explained her use of his full first name. “Tell us about yourself.”
“I’m afraid there’s not much to tell about,” Rich said almost sheepishly.
“How are you doing in school?”
“I’m doing pretty well.” He was barely passing with C’s, but it was good enough for him.
“Are you participating in any extracurriculars?” Mr. Valentine asked. “Perhaps, the club Chloe has joined? She won’t tell us anything about it.”
“Oh, yeah,” Rich said before he could stop himself, and Chloe shot him another look. He tried backtracking with a believable lie. “It’s uh, it’s drama club.”
“Drama club?” Mrs. Valentine inquired with fake politeness. “Chloe, we’ve talked about this.”
“I know, Mom,” Chloe said carefully, “but it really has helped me improve my test scores.”
“How is being in drama club supposed to help your grades?” her father asked.
Chloe’s hands curled under the table and she mumbled something.
“We do not mumble in this house.”
“It makes me happy,” Chloe said truthfully, her words clearer this time. “If I’m happy, I’m more likely to do the things I need to do. Like study for tests and do homework.” She was feeling better after having joined the club, this was true. She wanted to see if it would keep her happy.
“I suppose we’ll see in due time,” her mother said.
Chloe’s father went back to questioning Rich. “Do you plan on going to college after high school? What are you planning to major in? Where do you plan to go?”
Rich tried not to appear nervous about all the questions being asked. “I do plan to go to college,” he lied, because he had a strong feeling that’s how Chloe’s parents wanted him to answer. He tried to think of a major they would approve of. “E-economics. I’m not sure where I’ll be going yet.”
“Dad, isn’t this a bit much?” Chloe said to her father.
“No, Chloe, I’d like to see if he’s a good match for you,” he responded.
“You don’t even know if we’ll be together long! What, are you going to do this when Sara gets a partner too?”
Mr. Valentine pursed his lips at his daughter, then turned his attention back to Rich. Rich’s hands felt sweaty so he tried to discreetly wipe them on his pants. “What about your parents? Did they go to college? What do they do?”
Rich chewed on his lip. “My dad went to college for anthropology.”
“Your mother? What does she do?”
Rich looked down. “My mom died when I was nine.” His hands gripped the table and he swallowed.
Out of the corner of his eye, Chloe glanced at him, looking a little worried. Rich assumed that she was worried that he’d mess up. He tried to pull himself together. After a few moments of silence, he was able to relax, taking a deep breath. He picked up his glass of water and took a sip.
“Do you plan to have children?” Mr. Valentine asked suddenly.
Rich nearly choked on his water, and Chloe hissed, “Dad!”
“I just want to know more about your…boyfriend.”
“I think you’ve asked enough.”
“Don’t argue with me, Chloe.”
“Benjamin, why don’t we go and get the dessert from the kitchen?” Chloe’s mom interrupted, seeming to want to diffuse the tension. Chloe’s dad relented, standing up and following her into the kitchen.
Chloe buried her face in her hands. “What is wrong with them?” she mumbled. Rich was quiet, so she looked up and glanced over. Rich was staring down at the table, hands curled but not too tightly. “Rich?”
“I miss my mom,” Rich mumbled quietly.
Chloe bit her lip. She seemed unsure as to what to do, while they waited for her parents to come back. She didn’t like Rich, really; she was still a bit mad about his behavior towards Michael, but she felt bad for the questioning and him being reminded of his mom. Finally she sighed and stood. She went to the kitchen, where Rich heard her say something and then some arguing, but Chloe came back out and said, “Come on.”
He looked up.
“Let’s go,” she said, sounding impatient. She picked up her jacket from the chair, shrugging it on.
He got up and glanced towards the kitchen, but he followed Chloe out the door. They ended up at the park nearby past the field, taking a stroll. They were both silent, and after a while, Rich calmed down enough to uncurl his hands and look up at the sky.
“My mom put me in an astrology club when I was younger,” Chloe said, catching Rich’s attention. She smiled a little. “It was an accident. She was trying to put me in an astronomy club. But I thought the astrology would be more fun.”
Rich looked at her.
“Of course, being a little girl, I didn’t stay interested in astrology for long either.” She still didn’t look at him, still watching the sky. She hummed. “I thought Greek gods and goddesses were more interesting about a month later.”
Eventually the pair ended up on the other side of the park, at the bus stop. Rich glanced around, realizing this.
Chloe shrugged. “Didn’t think you’d want to stay much longer.” She looked back up at the sky.
The bus arrived a few minutes later.
Rich took a deep breath and turned Chloe to thank her, but Chloe gave him another look. He nodded and stepped onto the bus. Chloe watched the bus leave.
She turned and walked back through the park.