I stare at my the unlocked screen of my phone, running my hand over my chin repeatedly.

It's either going to be Sage or Tes. I know Sage's parents have left for a date, but other than that, I'm not as caught up with her school work as I am with Teresa's. She's got a test soon. Maybe she needs to study for it instead of hangout with me.

Or I go walk Mango without any complaints this time. Mom currently has a client over for a massage, so I can't make a single sound. Something I cannot do to save my life.

Can you hang out— no, delete that. I shake my head. Yo Sage, nope.

Hi Tes, ew, that's dry. I press backspace a few times, running a hand through my hair.

Never even mind. I'll go downstairs and see if... I don't know, Dad is home or something.

I tiptoe down the stairs, cringing at every squeak of the wood, and close the door that aparts the hallway and stairs from the living room as quietly as possible.

"Hi," I greet, face lighting up at the sight of him. "How was work?"

"Busy, but okay." As he walks past me, to the kitchen, he gives my shoulder a squeeze. "Do you want something to eat?"

I shake my head. "No. Mom and I had dinner only half an hour ago."

Sometimes, Mom and I have to eat early because she has a client coming over. Dad then has dinner after it. I try to differ my choices. One night with Dad, one night with Mom.

Mom tells adventures that are, not going to lie, almost always the most boring adventures I've ever heard, so I have to be in the mood to have dinner with her and her only. It depends on the day with Dad. He's either silent, or talkative. When he is silent, and I'm talking, he does listen, just doesn't really reply.

Not that we're allowed to talk that loudly anyway.

When he's talkative, we talk about the most random things ever. He's interested in what's happening at school, how things are going with Teresa, how things are going with me, or we just talk about... cars, and... football... and the weather. Things I definitely don't talk about with Mom.

But, more often than I'm supposed to, I wish I had a sibling. Younger, older, girl, boy, doesn't matter. Just someone who's there while Dad's at work and Mom's with a client. I'd even sign in for all the disadvantages of siblings. 

'Cause I've heard stories from Sage.

Okay, I don't want a sibling who gets into real fights with me. That happened once. Pretty much upset everyone.

Finn, with his anger issues, and Minho, with his... stubborn/trust/whatever issues... and then a serious topic, which I barely remember. All of that combined lead to a fight.

I remember their parents were on a date once again. It can't have been longer than four years ago. Minho, around the age of fourteen, and Finn around the age of seventeen, I think. Maybe eighteen. Vi was sixteen, and so was I.

Anyway, all three of them were home alone. I remember Vi calling me, all panicky and with a lot of background noise. Sounded like she was freaking hyperventilating. I understood something like, 'I can't pull them away' and 'fists' and 'lost control'. So then I rushed to their house. Dad noticed my hurry and ran after me, knowing something was wrong.

Apparently, the translation of Vi's story, was that Minho had been pissing Finn off, and at the time, other things were going on, too, and then Finn lost control because Minho said a certain thing, so he hit Minho. I don't think it was a real fist in his cheek. But it physically hurt Minho, so he obviously hit back. And also obviously, that was ten times harder.

And then they just started hitting harder and harder, until it got a little less playful, and Viviette wasn't able to pull them off each other.

Ah, wait. Now it's coming back to me. It was a few weeks before Christmas. I remember because the tree had nearly fallen down. Dad and I did manage to apart them.

The usual ritual happened. Minho flew up the stairs, into his room. And Finn felt really guilty, head buried in his hands at the kitchen table.

I just don't remember what made both of them so pissed.

I do know that whenever things get heated between them, and Finn starts to raise his hand, Minho never continues bugging him. Ever. He just runs up his room again. Which is weird, because Minho wouldn't back out of a fight that easily.

I guess that a fourteen-year-old against his supposedly big example, who is also a freaking boxer, isn't a good combination, and he doesn't want it to happen again.

Well, Finn also doesn't want that, of course, but he can't help it that much. Not if Minho's asking for it. I'm not saying he's doing that, though. Just making clear— whatever. Too difficult.

"So," Dad shakes me out of the cycle of thoughts.

What cycle? There is no cycle. It's a whirlwind of different thoughts, swirling everywhere and not allowing me to focus unless it's math, or Teresa, or Vi, or— no, Teresa and Vi don't exactly make me focus either.

That's what I mean. Thoughts jumping from one subject to another.

"Any news? About anything?" Dad continues.

I shrug, swallowing away the piece of potato. "Uhm, I got on the football team... I invited Viviette over to come swim with us tomorrow... yeah, that's about it."

He nods. "Good job. Even though I secretly already knew you'd get on."

Without me controlling it, the corners of my lips rise up. "Thanks. What did you have to do at work today?"

Dad is the statistician for a company. Pretty interesting. To me, at least. He collects and analyzes data to help the company make decisions.

"I've been working on that project I told you about. Forecasting the demand of a new product launch."

He starts explaining. After a while, I understand. "Alright, so if they spent twenty more units on marketing, you'd predict an increase of one hundred sales?"

Impressed, Dad nods. "Exactly. But it gets more complex. If sales grew by five percent every month, we use that growth rate to predict our future sales." He takes a random pen and paper and scribbles something on it. "Say the initial sales were hundred fifty units. If they grew by five percent monthly, we'd get this."

He shows me the calculations. I scan my eyes over it. My brain tries to calculate, but it doesn't work, so I grab a piece of paper as well.

"So it compounds each month?"

"Precisely."

Wow. I might just go for the job he has.

We talk for a bit more, until we've finished dinner, and then, just as we're clearing the table, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket.

Tes ❤️

Heyhey
Are you still free tonight?

Yeah, of course
Mom's client will be gone in about half an hour

We'll manage to stay silent for that long, right?
:)
I'll see you in a minute x

Alright x