Read Online The Libby Garrett Intervention (Science Squad #2) by Kelly Oram - Free Book Online
Authors: Kelly Oram
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can do anything if you put your mind to it” are basically their mottos. They encourage me to be myself, and to figure out what I love, and then go for it. They push me to always do the best I can at whatever I try.
Usually when I was having trouble—or when I was in trouble—they each had their own role to play as far as the parenting responsibilities went. Mom handled all the “talks,” and Dad did the cheering up—usually by taking me out to do something fun to get my mind off of things. I must have looked pretty bad this morning, though, because they came to me together. “We called the school for you,” Mom said.
Dad followed that up with, “You can play hooky today, but only if you play with us. Grab your gear. We’re headed up to the mountain in fifteen minutes.”
A day on the slopes with my dad sounded like heaven after the week I’d had, but I was surprised by the offer. “I thought you’d want to do some serious practicing today.”
It was mid April; ski season was pretty much over. Tomorrow was my dad’s last competition of the year.
Dad grinned. “Are you saying you can’t keep up with me?”
Blast him! He knew I’d never be able to say no to that. I could never in a million years beat my father in a real competition—be it snowboarding, freeboarding, or skateboarding—but I can’t ever resist trying. Not even when I hate the world as much as I hated it this week.
My parents didn’t say one word about my skipping school all day. I knew they wouldn’t. They’ve always been good about giving me space when I need it. They simply asked if I was okay, and when I told them I didn’t want to talk about it, they reminded me that they were there if I needed them, and spent the rest of the day trying to make me laugh. It was exactly what I needed from them. We laughed, joked, raced each other—I continually got creamed by Dad, though I could usually beat Mom—and talked about all of our plans for the future.
I was planning to go to UVU in the fall as a math major, and my parents were about to open a board shop in Spanish Fork. Dad was turning thirty-six this year—yes, my parents had me when they were seventeen—and retiring from his pro-boarding career. He claimed he was quitting because he was an old man and couldn’t keep up with all those younger guys on the slopes anymore, but I think he was just finally ready for his life to slow down a little. Mom was going to quit her EMT job and run the shop with him. It was going to be a huge adjustment for all of us.
“You know you’re going to miss this next year,” I teased him as we sat at dinner that night.
“A little,” my dad admitted, “but not as much as I’m going to miss you. Promise you’ll come home every now and then and go snowboarding with your old man?”
“And I’ll still need someone to go see all the good movies with me,” Mom added.
I laughed at that. My mom loved the romantic movies like I did, but Dad didn’t have the patience to watch anything unless there were explosions happening every five minutes. “You guys sound like I’m planning to move to Europe. UVU is twenty minutes from here.”
“But we already hardly ever see you, and next year you’ll be in the dorms with Avery,” Mom argued, guilt-tripping me with a sad pout. “Between classes and a social life, you’re not going to have any time to come home and hang out with your parents.”
“Especially now that I’m going to be a lame old retired man,” Dad said.
He laughed, but I could hear the insecurity in his voice. He’d always prided himself on being the cool dad. “You’ll still own a board shop, Dad. That’s all kinds of awesome. Plus, I’m going to be a starving college student next year. I’ll be completely broke. If you wanted to, say, I don’t know…pay for my season pass next winter, then I’d be obligated to hit the mountain with you as often as I could.”
Dad turned to Mom, laughing. “She’s already hitting us
Usually when I was having trouble—or when I was in trouble—they each had their own role to play as far as the parenting responsibilities went. Mom handled all the “talks,” and Dad did the cheering up—usually by taking me out to do something fun to get my mind off of things. I must have looked pretty bad this morning, though, because they came to me together. “We called the school for you,” Mom said.
Dad followed that up with, “You can play hooky today, but only if you play with us. Grab your gear. We’re headed up to the mountain in fifteen minutes.”
A day on the slopes with my dad sounded like heaven after the week I’d had, but I was surprised by the offer. “I thought you’d want to do some serious practicing today.”
It was mid April; ski season was pretty much over. Tomorrow was my dad’s last competition of the year.
Dad grinned. “Are you saying you can’t keep up with me?”
Blast him! He knew I’d never be able to say no to that. I could never in a million years beat my father in a real competition—be it snowboarding, freeboarding, or skateboarding—but I can’t ever resist trying. Not even when I hate the world as much as I hated it this week.
My parents didn’t say one word about my skipping school all day. I knew they wouldn’t. They’ve always been good about giving me space when I need it. They simply asked if I was okay, and when I told them I didn’t want to talk about it, they reminded me that they were there if I needed them, and spent the rest of the day trying to make me laugh. It was exactly what I needed from them. We laughed, joked, raced each other—I continually got creamed by Dad, though I could usually beat Mom—and talked about all of our plans for the future.
I was planning to go to UVU in the fall as a math major, and my parents were about to open a board shop in Spanish Fork. Dad was turning thirty-six this year—yes, my parents had me when they were seventeen—and retiring from his pro-boarding career. He claimed he was quitting because he was an old man and couldn’t keep up with all those younger guys on the slopes anymore, but I think he was just finally ready for his life to slow down a little. Mom was going to quit her EMT job and run the shop with him. It was going to be a huge adjustment for all of us.
“You know you’re going to miss this next year,” I teased him as we sat at dinner that night.
“A little,” my dad admitted, “but not as much as I’m going to miss you. Promise you’ll come home every now and then and go snowboarding with your old man?”
“And I’ll still need someone to go see all the good movies with me,” Mom added.
I laughed at that. My mom loved the romantic movies like I did, but Dad didn’t have the patience to watch anything unless there were explosions happening every five minutes. “You guys sound like I’m planning to move to Europe. UVU is twenty minutes from here.”
“But we already hardly ever see you, and next year you’ll be in the dorms with Avery,” Mom argued, guilt-tripping me with a sad pout. “Between classes and a social life, you’re not going to have any time to come home and hang out with your parents.”
“Especially now that I’m going to be a lame old retired man,” Dad said.
He laughed, but I could hear the insecurity in his voice. He’d always prided himself on being the cool dad. “You’ll still own a board shop, Dad. That’s all kinds of awesome. Plus, I’m going to be a starving college student next year. I’ll be completely broke. If you wanted to, say, I don’t know…pay for my season pass next winter, then I’d be obligated to hit the mountain with you as often as I could.”
Dad turned to Mom, laughing. “She’s already hitting us
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