I'm Friends With the Monsters (AOE)

Chapter 2: The Final Masquerade

What can I say? I have wide hips! I'm not fat, just my body decided to take after my still-currently-unknown father.

"Dad! Please tell me you didn't spend our money on this!" Tessa continued.

"Don't worry, he didn't. He spent my money. A hundred and fifty bucks of it." Lucas told her.

I just practically ignored everyone and ran up to the truck and hugged the side. "I will hug him, and squeeze him, and name him George!" I exclaimed happily. If little hearts could be drawn over my head, they'd be 'a spinning!

"Yeah and an advance on your regular paycheck!" I heard Uncle Cade reason. I looked up. Oh great, now Lucas, Tessa and Uncle Cade were fighting?!

"What regular paycheck?" Lucas asked indiginantly. Ouch. Yeah.

"Which you will get back!"

"When?"

"Never. We're broke." Tessa told him.

Hold on. WHAT?! SINCE WHEN?!

"I knew it!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Sweetheart, could you please not drive a wedge between employer and employee?" Uncle Cade asked as I finally let 'George' go and walked over.

"C'mon guys! It's a truck. Let's just go inside, get some lemonade and-"

But I was sadly ignored.

"Hold on, I thought we were partners!" Lucas noted, looking a bit hurt.

Uncle Cade, I love you but you're an idiot.

"Look I came up short, okay? I had to buy the girls Prom dresses."

"A girl's Prom dress." I corrected. "I don't have any boys in school who like me, so technically I just stayed home that night."

"Well anyways you might as well have denied Tessa a Prom date!" Lucas argued. Okay, yeah. Even if I could've gotten a date, Uncle Cade wouldn't have let that ship sail.

"No, I offered to take her and chaperone."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don't have a boyfriend.

"Nobody wants to go to the dance with their dad! It's weird." Lucas told Uncle Cade.

"It's not the issue!"

"Well, maybe it should be." Tessa said softly. Wow, she actually made sense. I think.

"Sweetheart, your shorts are shrinking by the second, okay? Cold water, air dry please!" Uncle Cade told my cousin as he walked up to the man in the truck. Tessa made that classic eyeroll and stomped off. I sighed softly, and watched as the truck was moved into his workshop.

I followed him inside, having my own bone to pick with my Uncle.

"Gonna help me Gabby?" He gave that big old grin, and my anger almost faded away.

Almost.

"Why. Didn't. You. Tell. Me."

"Tell you wh-"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME WE'RE BROKE UNCLE CADE?!" I exclaimed.

"Gabby did you-"

"I TOOK MY MEDS BUT THAT ISN'T THE POINT! UNCLE CADE YOUR STUPID CHOICES ARE MAKING THINGS MISERABLE HERE FOR BOTH TESSA AND LUCAS! AND YES, I DID JUST HAVE A SHIFT I THINK!"

Hey, when you're Bipolar you can still admit it!

"BUT THE POINT OF THE MATTER IS WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY! AND WHAT ABOUT MY MEDICATIONS O-OR COLLEGE FOR TESSA AND ME?! IF MOM WERE HERE-"