My father was never as religious as my mother was. Back when I lived with my mother, Sundays revolved around church, but now that I was living with my father, things were different. Instead of going to church in the morning, Dad made breakfast with Mindy while the two of them danced around the kitchen listening to music. They did it every week and I grew fond of their small tradition, especially since I got to eat whatever they ended up making.

I rolled over in my bed, inhaling a deep breath and getting a whiff of the prominent smell of bacon that filled the house. The music coming from downstairs was faint, but I could tell it was Fleetwood Mac. They were Dad and Mindy's favorite band and I knew that was what had to be playing.

Within the next few moments, twelve-year-old Ava barged into my room looking more annoyed than usual.

"Breakfast is ready," Ava grumbled, not leaving her spot from my doorway.

"What's up with you?" I asked, sitting up on the bed and letting my comforter slide down my bare chest.

"I got my period," she told me angrily with a huff.

"Oh," I replied awkwardly, clearing my throat. "Um, congrats?"

Ava let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. "All boys are clueless."

At least she knew that already.

"So," I started, standing up from the bed to pull a shirt over my head, "did you tell your mom?"

Ava rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning her shoulder on the door frame.

"Yes, I told her," Ava replied blandly. "And she practically wants to throw a party."

I laughed, walking toward Ava at the door. She moved to the side so I could get out and let me close my door. The two of us made our way toward the stairs to get to the kitchen.

"You're her only daughter, everything you do is going to excite her," I consoled with a smile.

Ava gave me a wicked smirk. "I guess that means I should rebel."

I chuckled, but shook my head at her. Ava was only my half sister, but it felt as though she was my full sibling. She was witty and mature for her age and just cool all around. I loved having her as a little sister.

When we got down to the kitchen, Josh was already there, munching on an egg sandwich and bobbing his head to the music while Dad and Mindy sang along to "Go Your Own Way" loudly. Ava and I grabbed plates and piled them full of food, getting greeted with loving kisses on cheeks and hugs from our parents, before joining Josh at the kitchen table.

"Elijah, did you hear?" Mindy asked, turning down the music and heading over to the table. "My baby is a woman now!"

Mindy placed her hands on Ava's shoulders while Ava's faced turned into a hard scowl directed my way, as if I was the cause of her mother's overbearing action.

"Um, what?" Josh asked awkwardly, looking between Ava and me.

Mindy looked excitedly at her son. "Ava got her—"

"Mother!" Ava exclaimed, whipping her head around to face her. "Enough."

Mindy gave her daughter a loving, apologetic look, rubbing her shoulders gently.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Mindy apologized, "I'm just so excited for you."

"Why would you be excited for me to bleed out of my vagina for a week every month?" Ava asked in an annoyed tone while Dad took a seat at the table with his plate.

"Oh," Josh finally said. "I get it now."

I rolled my eyes, plopping a piece of bacon into my mouth. "You're slow," I told him.

Josh just shrugged and continued eating his breakfast, completely unfazed by the news about our sister's newfound "womanhood."

"You boys have plans today?" Dad asked, setting down his coffee after taking a sip.

Josh shook his head while I replied, "I don't."

Dad smiled widely. "Wonderful. Let's do something."

"You're going to leave me alone with her?" Ava asked, pointing her thumb at Mindy.

Dad chuckled, turning toward his daughter. "You'll survive. I'm sure of it."

Ava muttered, "I wouldn't be so sure."

"Anyway, boys," Dad addressed Josh and I, "I was thinking we could go to the store and get some things you'll need for hockey."

"I need new sticks," Josh told him.

"Perfect," Dad replied. "Will you two be ready in an hour?"

Josh and I both nodded and made our way upstairs once we were done eating our breakfasts. I did my morning routine and got dressed before meeting Josh out in the hallway and heading down the stairs with him. Dad was waiting for us in the living room, sitting on the couch with Mindy and Ava.

"Ready to go?" he asked, standing from the couch.

We nodded and bid the girls a goodbye before heading out to Dad's car. I took the front seat before Josh could get there and I smirked when I heard him curse under his breath.

Dad brought us to the sports store on the other side of town. I had never been in there since I would always go with my old hockey team to get the equipment I needed and they tended to go to the more expensive stores near the mall. Once we were parked, the three of us made our way toward the store together and immediately went to the hockey section.

"What do you need, Elijah?" Dad asked as he looked at some stick tape.

"Some of that," I replied with a grin, pointing toward the tape he was holding. He tossed it in the basket while I grabbed a few more rolls.

Josh was already over at the sticks with one in hand. Dad and I walked over to him as he gripped the stick in his hand tightly.

"Is this the one you want?" Dad asked, motioning toward the stick.

"I'm not sure yet," Josh replied, looking down at the stick. "I'm trying to imagine what it would be like once it's cut."

"Lighter," I joked, grabbing the stick from his hands.

It felt good in my hands and it was already light enough without it being cut. I knew Josh liked to have his sticks cut shorter than average because he found it easier to handle the puck like that, so I was sure once it was cut it would be perfect for him.

Josh grabbed another of the same stick and the three of us moved on to look at some workout clothes. I grabbed a few new dry-fit t-shirts and shorts while Josh did the same. We also got some hockey stick wax for the blades of our sticks before heading toward the checkout area with all of our things.

I stopped in my tracks when we reached the register and my face immediately began to heat up while my throat dried. Standing behind the register as the cashier was one of my old hookups, Tyler. We had gotten together a few times and had our fun, but I hadn't spoken to him since. Dad didn't seem to notice my discomfort as he waltzed on over to the register and started laying our things down for Tyler to scan.

I kept my head down as I stood behind my father, but I knew that Tyler had noticed me. He kept glancing my way, like he wanted to say something but knew he shouldn't in front of my dad. Josh seemed to pick up on the awkwardness of the situation and looked between Tyler and I suspiciously.

We couldn't get out of the store soon enough. As soon as Dad paid for everything, I was out the door and at the car in a matter of seconds. Neither him or Josh commented on my sprinting to the car when they made it there a few moments later.

"How about some lunch?" Dad asked once we were all in the car.

"I could go for some food," Josh replied, staring down at his phone in the backseat.

I wasn't necessarily in the mood for lunch, feeling like I had just eaten. Not only that, but my stomach was queasy from the uncomfortable situation that had just taken place a few moments before, but I didn't say anything as Dad drove in the opposite direction of our house to go to a restaurant.

We were seated right away when we got to the restaurant. Josh and I sat on one side of the booth with Dad across from us. Our waiter came over to the table moments after we sat down with a wide, friendly smile on his face.

"Hi, I'm Gabe and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with something to drink?" Gabe asked kindly, letting his eyes linger on me for an extra second. It didn't take me long to notice the rainbow pin attached to his apron.

My Dad eyed Gabe warily, noticing the boy look at me suggestively. I prayed he wouldn't say anything about it, but knowing my father, he would.

"I'll have an iced tea," Dad answered, snatching Gabe's attention away from me.

Josh and I both answered that we would have water before Gabe gave me one last smile and walked away to get our drinks.

"He was flirting with you," Dad said, wasting no time in bringing up our waiter's behavior.

"What?" I asked quizzically. "No he wasn't."

"It kinda seemed like it, dude," Josh said with a shrug. "Can't take you anywhere, huh?" he joked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dad asked, his eyes wide.

"Noth—"

"You didn't see the cashier giving him the eyes at the sports store?" Josh teased with a smirk, cutting me off.

"He did?" Dad wondered, seeming to be out of the loop.

"No," I said at the same time Josh said, "Yes."

I glared at my stepbrother as Gabe came back with our drinks, his smiling seeming to never have left his face.

"Are you guys ready to order? Need a few more minutes?" he asked kindly.

"I think we need a few more minutes," Dad replied quickly, causing Gabe to tell us he would be back in a few moments when we were ready.

"What happened with the guy at the store?" Dad asked Josh and I as soon as Gabe was out of earshot.

The two of them looked at me expectantly as if waiting for me to start explaining.

"Don't even say 'nothing,'" Josh warned with a knowing look. "I saw him looking you."

I blew out a long, frustrated breath and threw my head back in annoyance. Dad and Josh continued staring at me as if they weren't going to let me get out of telling them what went on with Tyler.

"He was just a guy I used to see," I grumbled, taking a sip of my water and biting down on the straw.

"You dated him?" Dad asked, sounding astonished while Josh just sent a smirk my way.

I shook my head. "Not really date."

I almost died on the spot at the weird tension in the air as my father connected the dots with what I was saying. This was the absolute last thing I wanted to talk to my father about. I would rather us never talk about my sex life together ever.

"He means they hooked up, Dan," Josh teased, calling my dad by his name.

Dad grimaced. "I got that, thanks Josh," he replied sarcastically.

Josh chuckled. "I was just making sure you understood."

"Can we stop talking about this now?" I cut in, probably looking as embarrassed as I felt.

Dad and Josh both dropped the conversation and picked up their menus to figure out what they wanted to eat. The rest of lunch went by smoothly. Dad asked Josh and I about hockey and school and we talked to him about what was going on in our lives. It was much less disconcerting than the conversation we had earlier. When we finished our food, Dad ordered some take out for Mindy and Ava, knowing the two of them would be angry if he didn't.

"So, the hockey team is treating you well, Elijah?" Dad asked, sipping on his iced tea.

I swallowed the water in my mouth before answering, "I think they're still adjusting to me, but it's going fine."

Dad nodded in understanding. "Just let me know if anyone gives you any trouble. I want you to be safe here."

"Coach Silva and Ridley won't allow any bullying," Josh interjected, reassuring my father. "And I won't either."

"That Ridley is a good kid, huh?" Dad wondered, looking between Josh and I.

I let out a sarcastic, humorless laugh, causing the two of them to look at me. I quickly changed my expression to appear to be more sincere than I felt.

"He's alright," I told them with a shrug.

"He can be kinda uptight sometimes," Josh agreed with a nod. "But he's a good guy, you just have to get to know him.

If only Josh knew exactly how much I knew Fox Ridley.

Soon enough Gabe came back to our table with the take out and the three of us got up to leave. As we were exiting the building, Josh nudged me in the ribs with his elbow.

"You should go talk to him," he whispered so my dad couldn't hear. The two of us looked back to see Gabe watching us as we left. He looked away as soon as we made eye contact.

I shook my head and continued walking forward. It wasn't that Gabe was unattractive, in fact, it was quite the opposite. He wasn't necessarily my type, but he was cute enough to interest me, I just didn't want to get caught up in anything now. At the moment, I was focused on hockey and school and that was it. The guys on the hockey team were okay with me being gay, but who knew how they would react if I started toting around a new boyfriend. For the moment, I was content being alone and trying to fit in rather than trying to get into a romantic relationship. I had never had a real boyfriend before and I wasn't entirely sure I was ready for it.

And by the way my father acted today, I was sure he wasn't ready for it either.

**