The Dream Keeper

Chapter 7: Wanting More

Chapter 7: Wanting More

“You’re grounded.”

“But Mom, I’ve already got detention.”

“You’re lucky that’s not all you’ve got. Parker, I don’t have time to argue with you about this. I have a lot to do now that I had to be pulled out of court. Just go to your room and do your homework, and I don’t want to hear that game of yours at all.”

Parker turned and was planning on stomping off, but he needed his mom to listen for once in her life. He needed her help. Dr. Gates wasn’t any help. The second Parker told him, the guy kicked him out of his office and called his mother in. The only lucky thing was they didn’t stop off at a pharmacy on the way home. Parker bravely turned around and tried his best to look innocent.

“Mom, can I just explain to you what I was doing?”

She looked at him and he could tell she was fighting a battle in her head of whether to just brush him off again or actually be a mother. She put down a handful of papers and sat down on the sofa.

“Parker, I understand that I haven’t been a very good mother lately. And I’m very grateful that you have been patient with my work—”

“Mom, it has nothing to do with you, honest,” Parker said, coming to her defense. “It was totally my fault that I got suspended. I screwed up and I’m sorry, but I really need to tell you why I was in the bathroom with Kaelyn.”

“Okay then, tell me,” she said with a small smile. “I’m listening.”

“Well, it all started last night when I was sleeping. I had a dream that I was in the middle of playing my game—yeah, yeah, I know you don’t like that game, but I’ve been trying to beat the last big boss guy, and so I was dreaming about it when—”

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

“Oh, Parker, honey, hold on a second,” she said, picking up her phone. “Oh great, it’s your father. Hello, Jeff . . .what . . . hold on . . . who told . . . oh I see . . . that’s not . . . what do you mean I’m to blame—you’re never around . . . don’t even . . . I have responsibilities at work too, Jeff . . .”

Parker’s heart to heart with his mother was over. She jumped up from the couch, grabbed her papers, and phone in hand went into her room arguing with his father. The school must have called Dad. Now his parents would fight about who to blame for Parker becoming a troubled teenager. He hated this. He hated the fact that his parents were more concerned about their careers than their family.

He knew a long time ago the divorce was coming. Dad spent more and more time away from home on business trips, and Mom spent more and more time at the office. Parker was fine with it at first. His dad bought him any game he wanted, and he had lots of time to play them, but he was also a kid alone in a big house—a kid that still needed the attention of two adults. Maybe they were to blame; both of them.

Parker went to his room and grabbed his backpack. A buzzing sound from the small pocket at the top reminded him that his friends had seen him being escorted out of the girls’ bathroom with Kaelyn. He unzipped the pocket and pulled out his cell phone. There were six different text messages.

Dude WTH, in the GBR? ALOL! –Jason

[Dude what the heck, in the girls’ bathroom?

Actually laughing out loud!]

TXT ME ASAP –Jason

[Text me, as soon as possible.]

OMGYG2BK, U & Kaelyn Clarke? –Tiffany