My Life Is a Cliché
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“So, what do you do at physical therapy?” Katie asked.
We were in the living room watching movies. It was raining outside and neither of us really felt like leaving to go anywhere.
“Painful torture,” I sighed and she smiled. “It’s mostly stretching for now. The physical therapist, Greg, said that once I strengthen the muscles then we’ll be adding weights.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That does sound painful,” she acknowledged. “Is Thaddeus still taking you and picking you up?”
I shook my head, taking a drink of Sprite. “He’s getting more and more wrapped up in the business over there so Isabelle is taking me. God I’m ready to start driving again.”
“His parents are great people,” she said and I nodded in agreement. “They seem to have kind of adopted you.”
I chuckled and felt my face go red, remembering what happened in the barn last night. I hadn’t told his parents or Katie and I had a feeling he hadn’t told anyone either.
“What’s that look?” she asked and I cleared my throat.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said quickly.
A smirk was slowly growing on her face. “Oh yeah? Does it have something to do with Thaddeus?”
“I’m missing my favorite scene of the movie,” I said but I had forgotten what we were watching.
“You slept with him!” she cried, laughing.
“No I did not!” I said. “We just… kissed.”
She sat up on her knees on the couch and turned to me excitedly. “And?” she pressed.
I licked my lips, my whole head blushing now. “He was shirtless,” I murmured and she broke out into another fit of giggles.
“Is he hot under those shirts?”
I threw my head back and groaned. “So freakin’ hot,” I sighed and she laughed.
“That’s awesome,” she snorted.
“What about you?” I asked, turning my head to look at her. “Do you have a new guy in your sights?”
“Well, there’s a new guy at work,” she said, twirling her hair. “He’s really cute and really shy. I’m thinking about giving him a tour of the building.”
I smirked. “What kind of ‘tour’?”
She threw a pillow at me and I laughed, both of us looking back at the movie.
-Thaddeus’s POV-
I was in bed, staring up at my roof. I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened in the barn. At first I had just been teasing her. But then something else happened….
Thunder rumbled outside and I closed my eyes, remembering the intense look in her eyes. What had she been thinking? Did I want to know? And then I found myself wondering what she would look like sweaty and shirtless.
“Thaddeus?” my mom called and I sighed. I went downstairs. “You have a visitor,” she said, her face expressionless, and I had a pretty good idea who it was.
Hector was standing in the living room, looking panicked.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“I fucked up man,” he blurted and I frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“Frank is in jail,” he said.
My jaw dropped. “What? Why is he in jail?”
“We got in a fight at the bar,” he said in a rush. “Some douche was cheating at a game of pool. I- I pushed him too hard. Frank took the wrap.”
“Wait,” I said slowly, going pale. “Are you telling me you killed someone?”
“I don’t know if he’s dead,” he said, also pale. “Last I heard, he’s in a coma.”
“Jesus, Hector,” I snapped. “When are you going to grow up? This shit was supposed to stop in college!”
“I know,” he groaned. “But Sandra broke up with me, I got mad, I went to drink, and one thing led to another.”
I glared at him. “When you go drinking, things don’t just lead one to another. You knew you were going to get drunk, Hector. You also know what you’re like when you get drunk.” He looked at the floor. “Why are you here?”
“Frank is on bail but I don’t have enough money,” he murmured. “I figured since you guys are….”
He trailed off and I ran a hand through my hair. Part of me didn’t want to just to spite them but they were my friends.
“How much is the bail?” I sighed.
“Two hundred.”
“Jesus,” I repeated. “All right, listen closely.” He looked at me hopefully. “I’ll pay for the bail on two conditions. You two come work here to work it off.”
Hector blinked. “Wait. Work here? At the ranch?”
I nodded. “Yes. It’s the only way you’re getting my help. And while you work for me, you are not permitted to drink alcohol.”
“Okay,” he nodded. “We’ll do it.”
“The second condition: the man in the hospital. Go visit him when his family is there. I want you to see what happens when you drink too much.”
He didn’t look to enthusiastic about the idea and stared at my extended hand. I wasn’t going to budge, though. It was time for Hector and Frank to grow up. Finally, he shook my hand.
-
“You did what?” my mother gasped.
“I’m paying Frank’s bail,” I repeated wearily, “and they’re going to work here until they’ve paid it off.”
“That’ll be at least two months!” she said and I nodded.
“I know, Mom. But someone needs to help them start growing up,” I said and her face softened. “I’ve also told him they’re both to go visit the man they hurt in the hospital.”
My father clapped his hand on my shoulder. “You did the right thing,” he assured me and I nodded, squeezing the bridge of my nose. “What will you have them do?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I won’t make it easy, though,” I added, remembering how they acted when Morana was in the hospital.
“I’m proud of you,” my mom said suddenly and I looked up. Her eyes were misty. “I am very proud of you.”
She pulled me into a tight hug and I smiled.
-
“I’m off to take Morana to physical therapy,” my mom said two days later. “Do you want me to bring her by after she’s done?”
“No,” I answered, putting my work boots on. “Hector and Frank are starting today and she’s probably itching to go to work.”
She laughed. “Probably; especially since she tried to get you to smuggle her laptop into the hospital.”
I chuckled at the memory and went down to the barn. I tried not to laugh: Hector and Frank were standing outside of the barn in jeans and their sports jerseys as well as Sketchers.
“You guys are going to want to get different clothes after today,” I told them and they looked a little afraid as I handed them shovels. “First task: cleaning out the stalls.”
I felt a little vindictive pleasure at the looks of horror on their faces.
We were in the living room watching movies. It was raining outside and neither of us really felt like leaving to go anywhere.
“Painful torture,” I sighed and she smiled. “It’s mostly stretching for now. The physical therapist, Greg, said that once I strengthen the muscles then we’ll be adding weights.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That does sound painful,” she acknowledged. “Is Thaddeus still taking you and picking you up?”
I shook my head, taking a drink of Sprite. “He’s getting more and more wrapped up in the business over there so Isabelle is taking me. God I’m ready to start driving again.”
“His parents are great people,” she said and I nodded in agreement. “They seem to have kind of adopted you.”
I chuckled and felt my face go red, remembering what happened in the barn last night. I hadn’t told his parents or Katie and I had a feeling he hadn’t told anyone either.
“What’s that look?” she asked and I cleared my throat.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said quickly.
A smirk was slowly growing on her face. “Oh yeah? Does it have something to do with Thaddeus?”
“I’m missing my favorite scene of the movie,” I said but I had forgotten what we were watching.
“You slept with him!” she cried, laughing.
“No I did not!” I said. “We just… kissed.”
She sat up on her knees on the couch and turned to me excitedly. “And?” she pressed.
I licked my lips, my whole head blushing now. “He was shirtless,” I murmured and she broke out into another fit of giggles.
“Is he hot under those shirts?”
I threw my head back and groaned. “So freakin’ hot,” I sighed and she laughed.
“That’s awesome,” she snorted.
“What about you?” I asked, turning my head to look at her. “Do you have a new guy in your sights?”
“Well, there’s a new guy at work,” she said, twirling her hair. “He’s really cute and really shy. I’m thinking about giving him a tour of the building.”
I smirked. “What kind of ‘tour’?”
She threw a pillow at me and I laughed, both of us looking back at the movie.
-Thaddeus’s POV-
I was in bed, staring up at my roof. I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened in the barn. At first I had just been teasing her. But then something else happened….
Thunder rumbled outside and I closed my eyes, remembering the intense look in her eyes. What had she been thinking? Did I want to know? And then I found myself wondering what she would look like sweaty and shirtless.
“Thaddeus?” my mom called and I sighed. I went downstairs. “You have a visitor,” she said, her face expressionless, and I had a pretty good idea who it was.
Hector was standing in the living room, looking panicked.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“I fucked up man,” he blurted and I frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“Frank is in jail,” he said.
My jaw dropped. “What? Why is he in jail?”
“We got in a fight at the bar,” he said in a rush. “Some douche was cheating at a game of pool. I- I pushed him too hard. Frank took the wrap.”
“Wait,” I said slowly, going pale. “Are you telling me you killed someone?”
“I don’t know if he’s dead,” he said, also pale. “Last I heard, he’s in a coma.”
“Jesus, Hector,” I snapped. “When are you going to grow up? This shit was supposed to stop in college!”
“I know,” he groaned. “But Sandra broke up with me, I got mad, I went to drink, and one thing led to another.”
I glared at him. “When you go drinking, things don’t just lead one to another. You knew you were going to get drunk, Hector. You also know what you’re like when you get drunk.” He looked at the floor. “Why are you here?”
“Frank is on bail but I don’t have enough money,” he murmured. “I figured since you guys are….”
He trailed off and I ran a hand through my hair. Part of me didn’t want to just to spite them but they were my friends.
“How much is the bail?” I sighed.
“Two hundred.”
“Jesus,” I repeated. “All right, listen closely.” He looked at me hopefully. “I’ll pay for the bail on two conditions. You two come work here to work it off.”
Hector blinked. “Wait. Work here? At the ranch?”
I nodded. “Yes. It’s the only way you’re getting my help. And while you work for me, you are not permitted to drink alcohol.”
“Okay,” he nodded. “We’ll do it.”
“The second condition: the man in the hospital. Go visit him when his family is there. I want you to see what happens when you drink too much.”
He didn’t look to enthusiastic about the idea and stared at my extended hand. I wasn’t going to budge, though. It was time for Hector and Frank to grow up. Finally, he shook my hand.
-
“You did what?” my mother gasped.
“I’m paying Frank’s bail,” I repeated wearily, “and they’re going to work here until they’ve paid it off.”
“That’ll be at least two months!” she said and I nodded.
“I know, Mom. But someone needs to help them start growing up,” I said and her face softened. “I’ve also told him they’re both to go visit the man they hurt in the hospital.”
My father clapped his hand on my shoulder. “You did the right thing,” he assured me and I nodded, squeezing the bridge of my nose. “What will you have them do?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I won’t make it easy, though,” I added, remembering how they acted when Morana was in the hospital.
“I’m proud of you,” my mom said suddenly and I looked up. Her eyes were misty. “I am very proud of you.”
She pulled me into a tight hug and I smiled.
-
“I’m off to take Morana to physical therapy,” my mom said two days later. “Do you want me to bring her by after she’s done?”
“No,” I answered, putting my work boots on. “Hector and Frank are starting today and she’s probably itching to go to work.”
She laughed. “Probably; especially since she tried to get you to smuggle her laptop into the hospital.”
I chuckled at the memory and went down to the barn. I tried not to laugh: Hector and Frank were standing outside of the barn in jeans and their sports jerseys as well as Sketchers.
“You guys are going to want to get different clothes after today,” I told them and they looked a little afraid as I handed them shovels. “First task: cleaning out the stalls.”
I felt a little vindictive pleasure at the looks of horror on their faces.