Jealous and angry

**Chrissy**

~
“Someone wake me the fuck up, am I seeing this right? You and Egan? Dating?” Ken freaks out the moment I open the door to let him in, his fingers rake his satiny dark hair before he walks in. I roll my eyes and follow him from behind. We head to the counter, I had invited for dinner too while Mom us out with her new man. Owen. I wasn't able to meet with him the last time, I arrived home when he had left, he had an urgent call. Although, I was the one who forgot about the meeting simply because Egan took my attention. I start eating but Ken is just staring at me with a question. Here we go again.
“Ken Salazar, just spit it out...” I tell him and he doesn't let me finish, he cuts in.
“...Fuck me, Chrissy Horton. You have got to be kidding my ass right now. Egan? Really?” he asks scrounging his face. I put down my fork, he deserves my attention.
“Jeez Ken, kindly chill the fuck out.”
“No, don't respond to me like you're answering Harvard's email.” he quarrels
“Yeah, I have plans!” I snap under my breath and he hisses angrily. “My bad okay, what's this about? You can ask questions and not conclude! Yeah?” I explain. He inhales and exhales twice.
“Yeah. Right. So this Egan Montez guy... is the guy you love?”
“You might wanna say LIKE very much. Ken, it all happened so fast and I honestly do like him a lot. He's lovely and nice. He's isn't scared to show me off...” I tell him
“Wow. Stop the comparison, Max could have done better which I know but... Stop glorifying the whole Egan shit... Is this all about the showing off thing?”
“I'm not glorifying nobody and it's not about the showing off thing. How could you think like that?” I scoff, I'm getting paranoid since he's misunderstanding the whole thing. “Egan is doing the things that Max couldn't and wouldn't simply because I'm nobody on the record. If he had cared, what was so difficult to tell the world that I was his? He hid me, he'd come by only if he gets horny... I do get horny sometimes but that's not the point. Egan cares for me, I'm glad to know and realize that. Do you know how much he stands for me?” I stop to catch some air and he stares blankly at me before rubbing his brows.
“I'm sorry Chriss, I didn't mean to go out on you like that. I mean, I'm only looking out for you. That's all.” Ken sounds cold
“I know and I couldn't be more thankful, I like Egan for real and he likes me too. No one says that dating him would be a disaster—” I tell him again
“He's a total silent wrecker!” Ken snaps
“Well, let me find out!” I snap nonchalantly before digging into my food and he joins. He furthers to tell him how much he misses our company, we've been somewhat distant, like, three days distant and it feels like forever.
“How did they go about it?” he asks, referring to Dayle and Steve. Hmm, they are a pain in the ass right now.
“Steve is carefree about it and Dayle is kind of... not cool for no good reason but I'll cope. His opinion doesn't count, does it?” I take in another spoon.
“Cool. And er... Something struck my shitty brain today, did you know that Dayle was and is the reason why you weren't hurt? By Lauren? You know,” he clears his throat like a professor who is trying to make his students understand some facts. “I know Lauren so damn well and it kinda explains why some things didn't happen.”
“You mean...”
“I mean, Dayle was kinda helpful through the process. Like, he's the only one who can say something and it's going to stand. He... did good, for once in his fucked up life.” he continues eating while I rub my neck swiftly.
“Wow. That's... That's strange and also nice of him!” I begin to ponder again. Why and how? I had explained to Ken the things that Dayle said to me about Molly and our earlier encounter, Ken warns me off too.
“She's very corny and manipulative, especially if you are vulnerable. I feel like she's trying to use you to get to something or someplace...” Ken adds with emphasis
“Stop concluding!” I snap nonchalantly
“If you keep acting like every Hemsville student is nice as fuck, you are gonna go back to zero. Read my lips, Z.E.R.O.”

When Mom returns, Ken takes his leave and as always Mom has something to gift him. She seems exhausted, but then she's trying to keep up.
“I was thinking that you'd like the fact that I booked a spa session for you Mom, you are stressed out. It's glaring! I'm wondering how Mr. Owen managed to speak with you with those gloomy eyes! Damn.”
She playfully rubs my cheeks and her eyes start shutting off but she's battling it.
“You say that like you have that much cash! Wait, did you use my card to pay for the spa bills...” she asks and I look away shyly in guilt. “Oh yeah, little angel you sure did.”
I chuckle and she closes her eyes.
“Mom, you're on the couch. Remember what you used to say about...” I start talking but she cuts me short with a chuckle.
“Mommy's gotta break the rule today. Shallie would be coming over by Friday, as well as your Grandma. We are three days away baby, it's exhausting.” she adds calmly
“Didn’t you say that he's got the wedding planner on the job?” I ask, taking off her heels and she curls up on the couch like a baby.
“Yes but you know me, I like to oversee things. Chriss, I promise you that you wouldn't have to go through another phase of the past. Owen is a good man, he always has you at heart—us. Okay?” she says her voice swerves into whispers.
“Yes, Mom,” I tell her and she doesn't say a word to me again. I go up to her room and grab her favorite blanket and a pillow. I do the needful, covering her up and then I turn off the lights and lock the door, heading upstairs with her bag but not the gift bags, I'm so used to seeing her come in with them. Once I enter her room, her cell phone rings and I take a peek at it, it could be important. I see a contact saved as ‘Babe’, as gross and weird as it seems to me, I answer.
“Hello, Mr. Ow—”
“Babe... no, is that Chris... Chrissy?” the man’s baritone tone tickles my eardrums, I almost hung up not until I heard him call my name. Mom was right, he has me in mind, for him to have called me by my name- it's awesome. Unlike the times that Garry would refer to me as a little goblin, it has been the name I've heard him call me.
“Ye-yes, it's Chrissy. Sir! Uhm, she's fast asleep, I'll just let her know that you called—” I explain but I hear ‘Dad’ in the background, not just that, it's a make probably his son. The voice. So much pride and huskiness remind me of someone, Dayle. I better be hallucinating.
“Please don't hang up! I've always wanted to speak with you, do you mind?” that's nice of him.
“No worries.” I snap politely.
“First, I'd like to apologize for not seeing you or making out time for you but I promise that I'll do better as time goes on. You sound very smart, I do hope that we get to know each other better, what do you say?” he asks.
“Great. I mean, why not. Su-sure!”
“Okay sweetheart, I'll see you soon! Good night!”
“Good night. Sir.” I hang up pressing the phone to my chest, he sounds very lovely and nice. Mom was right, he's a good man. I don't know why but I feel super anxious to meet with him. I place down the phone and I look in the bag for some gums, she lets me have them whenever but I see something else, a pregnancy test strip.
I don't want to think what I should think. I put it back and whisk my way out of her room.
Could Mom be pregnant? This question is eroding my mind, what if she is, how would I like it? I'd love to have a baby brother but... But what Chrissy, it isn't a bad thing, I remind myself. I sink into my bed and take up my cell phone, I bump into Egan’s text message. I open it.
*Hey baby, I'm about to play 2k with the guys... I'll call you or text you once I'm done. Don't you forget that I love you more than you think! Can't wait to see you 2moro! Kisses!*
His text makes me blush and I hit on the keyboard to reply.
*Me neither. I'm gonna catch some Zs, just in case you hear nothing. Kisses!!!*

My entire day rewind before me like I'm in a movie room, from start to finish, I reminisce. I'm confused about Dayle’s expression as well, what did he mean and why did he come through for me? Trying to decipher, my phone lands on my chest as bedtime fades in. I oblige.