Ryder

Chapter 21

It's the end of the season, and we're at the award ceremony for the team we're hoping to get into. We're here for the announcement of who will be taking the spots available. I'm sitting here with Jay, Mum and Dad and Jay's mum. We have a table for ourselves, and each table seats six. I look around the room and see Arch looking rather uncomfortable at a table on his own. Mum sees where I'm looking and sighs. "Go ask him to join us." She nudges, nodding in his direction.

"Fuck no!" I rush out, and she frowns at me.

"Baby, I brought you up better than that. Don't make me fall out with you while I'm dressed so nicely."

Jay leans over. "Fuck, dude, that's sad. Even I feel sorry for him. We're all suited and booted, and in this nice fancy place, no one should be alone. Not even that cunt."

"Fucking hell, you guys are killing me."

Dad looks over, and I stand. "Don't you say it too. Okay, I'm going. I'm going already."

They all chuckle a laugh as I straighten my tie and fasten my suit as I walk over.

"Arch." He spins in his chair.

"Ryder." He visibly swallows before rising from his chair and sticking his hand out to shake mine.

"My mum asked me to come and ask you if you'd like to join us… we have a spare seat."

"Erm…" He glances over at Mum, and she stands smiling, waving over at him. "You sure you don't mind?" He looks at his empty table. "It doesn't look like Mother and Father are going to make it."

I nod and lead him over to the table. He introduces himself and thanks my mum for inviting him. We all sit and chat, but it"s slightly awkward. I'm lying to myself. This is majorly fucking awkward, but if Arch notices, he doesn't say anything.

We eat a really posh five-course meal, and I'm stuffed when they start giving out the awards for the season. The whole room goes quiet.

We all clap and nod and agree. Once the awards are over, they announce the fresh intake for the team place. They call up Arch, me, and four other guys. Me and Arch share a look. We thought there would be four of us trying out for the spot, not six. We all take the stage, and everyone claps. We're told we will head out to the camp next weekend and be there for four weeks.

Shit, I think to myself. I can afford to do two, maybe three weeks off work, but four? I might lose my jobs. I start to panic internally. Fuck. I don't think I can take this placement on a what-if. I've seen the other guys around, but not enough to know their capabilities. We're all in different leagues, and now I flick my eyes between Mum and Dad. They're standing and clapping with everyone else, but I know they wouldn't make a scene. I smile a tight-lipped smile at everyone before we head back to the table to continue the night. Jay throws his arms around me, saying how proud he is of me, and Mum looks over, frowning.

"You okay, baby?"

Inod. What else can I do? I push it out of my mind and enjoy the rest of the night. It might be all I have left as tomorrow, this dream will be over, and reality will well and truly kick me in the proverbial.

The next morning, I have a slight hangover, but I need to talk to Mum and Dad. When I head downstairs, I hear Dad's voice from the kitchen. He's standing behind the counter with a coffee in his hand, and Mum is sitting at the dining table.

"You're here early," I state as he steps around the counter. His eyes fly to mine before his neck flushes, and he looks at my mum. I realise he's in a t-shirt and boxers. "Oooh." I grin and chuckle.

He shakes his head. "We need to talk. All of us."

Me and Mum look at each other, and they then share a look. "Okay, before you start, I have something to say."

Dad sits down, and they turn to look at me. "I'm bowing out of the selection. I've weighed it up, and I can't seem to make it viable. Missing four weeks of work is just too much on a whim when I might not even make it. It's just too much to risk on maybes."

"Nonsense." Dad shakes his head. "We've sorted it all." He gestures to Mum, and she blushes, smiling back at him.

Frowning, I look at them both. "What the hell does that mean?"

Mum pulls her hand from behind her coffee mug and waggles her fingers at me. She has a rock on her finger. "What the hell?" I bark out, confusion all over my face.

"Son, I asked your mum to marry me, and she said yes. We're heading over to my place today to grab my stuff, and I'm moving in, so we will only be paying one lot of bills, I can spare you at the shop, and if you lose the job at the supermarket, well, it won't matter now anyway." He shrugs matter-of-factly, and my mind is blown. I wanted this; they're great together, and I love Dad as much as if he was actually my real dad, but I had no idea.

"So, you're getting married to save money so I can go to camp? Nope, not fucking happening." I rise from the table about to argue when Dad stands, too.

"Sit the fuck down, drama queen."

I huff and sit back down.

"Firstly, we've been seeing each other again for a while. We just wanted to keep it quiet till we figured it all out. Secondly, we are not getting married to save money. We're getting married because we love each other, and we were both fed up with messing around. Thirdly, you're going. We can't have a honeymoon, so we need you out of the house for a while." He winks, then grins at me.

"Eww, gross, Dad. Mum, tell him I don't want to know."

"And you don't want to hear either, so it"s best to get your stuff packed." He grins again. I pull a face, and Mum laughs, smiling up at him. I'm happy she's happy, and that they're back together, but I don't want the image of them boinking. It's… gross.

I end up sandwiched in between them in a big group hug of epic uncomfortableness, and while I'm ecstatic, I'm also nervous. This is a big deal for both of them and me, and I can't help but worry.

After grabbing all of Dad"s stuff and moving him in, I head over to the supermarket for my shift. I explain the situation to the manager, and they say they'll have to let me go, and when I come back, I will have to reapply. I work my shift anyway, then head home feeling happy but dejected at the same time.