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[color=slategray][sub]Location: A Car
Featuring: [color=7fc19e][b]Kit “I’M NERVOUS KINDA SORTA I DON’T EVEN KNOW” Thomas[/b][/color] and [color=c2b280][b]Oliver “I’m A Doctor, Not a Teenaged Daughter Counselor!” Thomas[/b][/color]
Time: Right after school[/sub][/color][/center][hr][hr]
[indent][indent]A party on a Tuesday was a pretty wild idea, Kit thought. In addition to be on a totally random date (Tuesday! Not even Hump Day!), this party was [i]on a boat[/i]. She wasn’t totally convinced that attending it would be a good idea. Kit hadn’t went to the [i]last[/i] party, at Damian’s house, because she’d been on a binge. Actually, she’d never been to [i]any[/i] parties before. But this time she felt almost obligated to go? Ophelia, Cassie, and Marshall had basically adopted her, and she was Min’s friend. Min was going on her first date! Kit had to go, just in case the date went bad and Min needed a shoulder to cry on, or if Min got too drunk and needed someone to hold her hair out of her face while she threw up… Kit needed to be there, just in case!

After school, her father had been there to take her home. Oliver always was. If nothing else, he was a present and attentive father, even if his work sometimes required him to be elsewhere. And if he [i]did[/i] miss the school, her mom was usually here! If not one of them, then one of her grandparents. Or an auntie, or even an uncle, sometimes an older cousin! Kit’s family was extensive, and she was fairly popular in it. Oliver made sure she always had a ride [i]home[/i] from school, even if she didn’t get a ride [i]to[/i] school.

Kit fiddled with the repositioning lever of her chair, sliding it forwards, and backwards, and changing the angle. The whole nine yards. She was fidgety, she was grumpy from lack of sleep, and she was worried that daddy would say no. He never had before, but this might be different! Kit usually asked for food, or weed, or video games. Sometimes a collection of all of them. She’d never said ‘hey can I go to a party and drink loads of alcohol even though I’m wicked underage?’

How did one tackle this? How did one convince their father that they would be careful? That the inevitable bad choices wouldn’t be [i]that[/i] bad. How was she supposed to convince her father to let her party on  [i]Tuesday!?[/i] It may have been doable on a Saturday, or maybe a Friday. Those days, there wasn’t [i]school[/i] the next day. School nights were different! She’d never been hungover [i]in her life[/i]. Kit didn’t really drink, but what if she did at this party!? What was the protocol? Would she get in trouble if someone at school noticed?

Kit didn’t know. Kit didn’t [i]like[/i] not knowing. She was a scientist for God’s sake, their entire lives were often [i]devoted[/i] to knowing things. This wasn’t easy though. There were no scientific journal articles about teenager parties. There were no grand studies done on whether or not a teacher would punish you if you were found to be hungover at school. She had [i]no frame of reference![/i] She was like Donny. What happened to Donny? HE DIED AND THEN THE DUDE AND WALTER GOT HIS ASHES ALL OVER THEMSELVES.

Kit continued to fidget, until finally, almost mercifully, the silence in the car was broken by Oliver. [color=c2b280][b]“Hey, Kitkat, you okay? You’re being [i]EXTREMELY[/i] quiet, compared to the Kit I know and love.”[/b][/color] Oliver asked, glancing over at his daughter briefly. He dealt with the problems of others day in and day out. But… he wasn’t sure he was ready for some kind of deep emotional confrontation with his [i]own[/i] daughter… However, he steeled himself and prepared for the worst. Was she having sex? [i]That[/i] would be a conversation with Molly — she might go ballistic.

Kit stayed silent as they continued the drive toward their house. She had to figure out how she wanted to get this out… [color=7fc19e][b]“Well, Doc…”[/b][/color] [color=c2b280][i]Brace yourself, Ollie. Here it comes…[/i][/color] [color=7fc19e][b]“I kinda got invited to a party! And I [i]really[/i] want to go, like it seems exciting and stuff, but it’s on a school night, and I’m kinda spooked because there will be drugs and alcohol and it’s on a boat and that’s [i]scary[/i] and I’m just a Kit! I’m built for staying at home, and playing video games, or watching Netflix. I’m not made for [i]partying[/i]. Partying in MMOs, sure, but [i]REAL[/i] parties? With [i]real, live, breathing, physical[/i] people? Count me out! But this time I think I [i]have[/i] to go because I just made new friends, like actual real friends, other than True — True’s great and I love her, but she and I are friends because she’s [i]family[/i], not because she saw me and liked me one day. We woulda been close no matter what, because I grew up with her! This is different. One of them is Korean! And I really, really think I want to go. It’s scary, but it’s also exciting?”[/b][/color] Kit stopped, finally out of breath. Oliver had to recap everything in his head, thinking about how he wanted to respond. There were a few different options, but he wasn’t sure where to take this… 

[color=c2b280][b]“Is that [i]all?[/i] Geeze, Kit, you had me worried.”[/b][/color] Oliver shook his head, thinking about things in his head. Really, a party wasn’t that big of a deal. The more he thought about it, the less he was worried. He just had to make sure that a few things were covered before he said: Okay, go. [color=c2b280][b]“Just a couple of things. Do you have a ride to and from the party? Who’s hosting it? Where is it? Are you gonna keep your cell phone?”[/b][/color]

[color=7fc19e][b]“Yes, Brian Helmsley, a boat, and yes, duh. Geeze, dad. But what if I get drunk and then tomorrow at school the teachers pick on me because I’m hungover or something?!?”[/b][/color] She asked, suddenly feeling ill again. Apparently she had free reign to go to the party now, but [i]what about the aftermath!?[/i] Nobody ever told her that high school would be this hard.

[color=c2b280][b]“You can take a day off from school tomorrow if you’re that twisted after the party. But try not to be? Being hungover is shit, Kit. It’s just shit.”[/b][/color] Oliver explained, and Kit once again brightened up, for a fleeting second.

[color=7fc19e][b]“But what about mom? She wouldn’t want me to skip a day, I bet!”[/b][/color]

[color=c2b280][b]“I’ll talk to her, and I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. If she [i]isn’t[/i], though, I’ll pull a card for it. No worries, Kitkat.”[/b][/color] Oliver and his wife had a system set up, when they were in high school and had realized that arguing was almost inevitable between them. Resetting once a year, on their anniversary, they each had three cards they kept in their wallets that were ‘I win the argument’ cards. Oliver, for the life of him, couldn’t remember the last time either of them had used one, but Kit knew what they were.

[color=7fc19e][b]“Really?! You’d do that for me?”[/b][/color] Kit asked, and Oliver nodded. Kit was all smiles once more, and now felt more confident than ever in her ability to go to this party and have a good time! If her mother and her father would give her a day off, then she had nothing to fear. No teachers would pick on her, no students would bully her. She could party without feeling worried. These were exciting times for the budding teenager. Just one last step, she had to get to the Candy House! [color=7fc19e][b]“Can you take me to Belle’s? Ophelia is going to be my ride.”[/b][/color]

[color=c2b280][b]“Sure thing, Kat.”[/b][/color]

[color=7fc19e][b]“I’m sorry, is there an ‘A’ in Kit I didn’t know about? Geeze, Doc. Come on.”[/b][/color]

[color=c2b280][b]“Sometimes you sound just like your mother.”[/b][/color][/indent][/indent]