“Text from Sammie.”
Felix reached into the back seat and grabbed the bag with the small bottle of water and the pill container. “Here. Take a Ritalin.” Then he inched out of the parking lot, checking in all directions. The school parking lot was a quagmire of potential disaster: student drivers backing out too quickly, little kids running to cars without paying attention, mothers tearing in late. The stuff of nightmares.
“How was school?”
Harry gulped back a pill. “Good.”
“How’s the homework situation?”
“Good.”
Which projects had been due this week? He’d started adding Harry’s deadlines to his phone’s calendar, but there were so many to keep track of. “How did you do on that philosophy essay?”
“Good.” Harry was typing a text.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Uh-huh.”
“What did I just ask?”
Harry gave him the duh, Dad look. “How my day was.”
Felix swallowed the sigh.
“This going to take long? This art museum thing?” Harry jiggled in his seat, cracked his knuckles, started to wind down the window, then changed his mind.
“I just need your undivided attention for half an hour.”
Harry didn’t answer; he was scrolling through his phone, already moving on to the next distraction. He watched television the same way—getting up in the middle to race around the house. Trying to sit through a movie with Harry made Felix want to gouge out his own eyes.
Thank God for Ritalin, because if there had been no hope of sharpening Harry’s focus, Felix would have lost his mind.
Harry toyed with one of the many key chains on his backpack, and then raised his muddy Dr. Martens toward the dashboard.
“Don’t even think about it,” Felix said.
Harry went back to his phone and started playing Angry Birds. Felix tried not to watch out of the corner of his eye. Distractions were so inconsiderate to drivers. He cleared his throat and attempted to put his mind elsewhere.
“Are you mad at me?” Harry didn’t look up.
“Why would you ask that?”
Harry scratched through his hair until he resembled an electrocuted hedgehog. Had his son started wearing hair gel? “Avoidance, Dad. That’s good.”
“No.”
“No, what?”
“No, I’m not mad at you.”
“’Kay.” Harry paused. “Why are you brooding?”
“I’m not.”
“’Kay.” Harry sighed.
Felix flicked on the right-hand indicator and they crawled onto Duke Street. “Are you mad at me?”
“Nah.”
“Avoidance?” Felix couldn’t help it; he smiled.
“Maybe we should agree neither of us is mad.” Harry buried his phone in his backpack. He sat back and crossed his arms. “Let’s start over. Hi, Dad. How was your day?”
“Are we playing truth or dare?”
“Yup.”
“Total shit.”
Harry grinned.
“How was your day, Harry?”
“Total shit. Can you keep a secret?”
“From my extensive friendship network that includes Eudora?”
Harry sucked in his breath. “Max has a crush on this girl who’s involved with a narcissistic jerk senior and she knows it—”
“Knows that her boyfriend’s a jerk?”
“No, Dad.” Harry slowed down. “That Max has a crush on her. And she’s flirting with him. It’s not going to end well. I keep telling Max to stay away from her, but she’s really hot and—promise you won’t tell anyone this?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“You were a Boy Scout?”
Felix changed lanes. “I was being facetious.”
“Right. Anyway. Max thinks he’s in love. Like, totally in love. Like, the real deal.”
Felix braked as the car approached a red light. “How’s your love life?”
Harry blushed violently. “Good. Yours?”
“Complicated.” Felix glanced up in the rearview mirror. “Hazza, can I ask you something?”
“Surrre.” Harry chewed the corner of his lip.