Chapter 17: Soccer
I woke up with a pounding headache and realized I had fallen asleep on the couch.
"I have such a bad headache," Haley muttered as she entered the kitchen.
"Were you drinking?" Claire asked.
"Mom, do we really have to do this? You ask if I was drinking, I say 'No,' and we both know that's not true," Haley replied.
"You are fifteen, young lady!" Claire scolded.
"Could you scold a little quieter?" I finally revealed my presence, since it seemed like they hadn't noticed me yet.
"What are you doing here, Jake?" Claire frowned at me.
"It's a long story…" I admitted.
Well, not really. Brenda and I had the most fun at the prom - and even more after sneaking away from the party to her room to seal the night. But Haley and Dylan were broke, so I had to come back to pick them up.
After dropping Dylan off at his place, I helped Haley up the stairs since she was drunk (thankfully not to the point of doing something really stupid). I ended up dozing off here on the couch (but I did send Gloria a message letting her know I was here).
"And what's on your head?" Alex questioned, eyeing the golden crown I was wearing.
"The Prom King crown," I spread my hands, still a little tipsy.
Claire began throwing all sorts of things into the blender: an egg, ketchup, condiments, salad dressing, even some chili pepper, and some kind of liquid. She closed the lid and turned the machine on, making Haley wince from the noise.
A moment later, she poured the mixture into a glass and handed it to Haley. "Drink this. It's for your hangover."
"Ugh, it smells gross," Haley complained after sniffing it.
"Well, then you better drink it fast," Claire said, unfazed.
Haley actually took a big gulp before rushing off. "Ew! I'm gonna throw up! Ugh! Ugh!"
"Here, Jake." Claire poured another glass and handed it to me.
"Yeah, right. You can keep that bomb you made," I refused immediately, as if I were stupid enough to drink a nasty mix that was clearly meant to teach a lesson.
"I have medicine," I told Claire as I went to grab a glass of water.
"Eww," Alex grimaced as she got closer to the glass. "Is it a hangover cure?"
"How could that thing be a hangover cure, Alex?" I remarked sarcastically. "It's not even good as seasoning anymore, since your mom threw in some weird stuff."
"You know you're still not getting away without punishment, right, Jake?" Claire narrowed her eyes at me.
"Okay… what kind is it?" I asked, not really caring much depending on what it would be.
"I'll warn my dad first, and then we'll talk," she declared, leaving the kitchen to make a call.
"I'll read a book," Alex announced before heading off to her room.
"Hey, J-Money, how are you feeling?" Phil greeted me cheerfully.
"A little better now that I took some medicine," I smiled at him.
Phil leaned closer. "Look, Claire doesn't want you to know, but we saw what you did last night - taking Haley up to her room. And Gloria called too, to confirm you were here."
I was irresponsibly responsible.
"Hey Phil, you need to fix that sixth step. I almost fell with Haley yesterday," I cautioned, reminding him that one of the steps was loose.
"I will, I will," Phil agreed, but somehow I think that step will stay broken for a long time
A few minutes later, Claire returned.
"We decided on your punishment. Both of you are going to Manny's soccer game in a bit," she announced. "Jay will come by to pick you up."
"Huh, that's a big punishment," I nodded, since the game was dreadful, not to mention the yelling. "So I'll be like this?" I gestured toward my suit.
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"So, how was the night?" Gloria inquired as she looked at us.
"Amazing!" I pointed at my crown, making her laugh.
"Thanks for grabbing my sunglasses, Manny," I turned to the side.
"You're welcome," he answered formally as always.
"And where are we going?" I noticed Jay driving past the usual field where Manny's team played.
"It's in Sherman Oaks, and it'll be against a ten-year-old team," Jay explained, glancing at us through the rearview mirror.
Oh, at least now they have a chance of winning.
Haley sat quietly next to me, pressing her temples. "How come you already look fine, Jake? You drank more than me," she complained.
"Many aspects, Haley. Obviously I can drink more than you since I'm much bigger. And I took proper medicine, not that bomb your mom made you drink," I smirked at her.
"That was not a hangover cure?!" she looked outraged.
I laughed at her, and so did Jay and Gloria, having overheard the conversation.
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Arriving at the field, I noticed another person wearing a suit as well.
"Huh, look at that, I'm not the only idiot wearing a suit on this sunny day," I chuckled.
We decided to sit a little closer, and I chose to sit next to the guy in the suit, to make a pair.
"Rough day too, kid?" he smirked at me, glancing at my outfit.
"Yep." I took off my sunglasses, and his face froze.
He took his off too, making me frown. Charlie Harper. Huge chances of being my father. I had searched online before, and there was no actor named Charlie Sheen, but there was a jingle maker named Charlie Harper.
Since I was still adapting to my new family, I decided to look for him only later.
"What are the chances of us meeting at a soccer field wearing suits?" I murmured.
"Alaaan!!" he screamed. "I think I'm still drunk!" he kept staring wide-eyed at me.
"Why are you screaming, Charlie?" a guy who looked like a snack buddy asked, but as soon as he looked at me, he screamed too, "Holy mother of gods!"
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