P.D.’s Reviews > Rebel Mind > Status Update

Lee nodded and stood up. “Thank you.”
Cline grinned. “No, thank you,” he said, then he shoved his foot forward. But even as he was saying ‘thank you’, Lee was planting his foot on the center of his chair, just as Cline tried to kicked toward him.
But Lee had been on the other side of the table enough times to know what was Cline was going to try, probably before Cline did.

He looked like he was going to protest when Lee spun on his heel, grabbed his father’s arm, and pulled him back down the hallway. “Look,” Lee said, stopping and turning toward his father. “I don’t like him, so I hate to admit this, but he’s right.”
“It still doesn’t seem right,” he said. “The public deserves to know.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” he said. “But right now it’s not even out choice to make.”

“Oh, thanks!” he said, grabbing one of the pillows off the ground next to him and tossed it at Lee’s head.
“Hey!” Lee said, batting the pillow away.
“What?” he said, giving him his best innocent face. “They’re called throw pillows for a reason.”
“Oh, really?” Lee said, kneeling down and picking the pillow up. “Do you want me to test that theory?”
“No, I don’t think I do,” he said. “Now, carefully put the pillow down”

“Oh, thanks!” he said, grabbing one of the pillows off the ground next to him and tossed it at Lee’s head.
“Hey!” Lee said, batting the pillow away.
“What?” he said, giving him his best innocent face. “They’re called throw pillows for a reason.”
“Oh, really?” Lee said, kneeling down and picking the pillow up. “Do you want me to test that theory?”
“No, I don’t think I do,” he said. “Now, carefully put the pillow down”

“Thought I might find you here,” Winfield called up to him.
“Well,” Lee said, stretching out his legs on top of the ridge of the roof. “I wondered how long it was going to be before you came out to look for me.”
“Mind coming down here?” Winfield asked. “I could go up there, but I don’t think we could exactly have a comfortable chat sitting on the ridge of the roof.”
“It’s not because you’re too old to come up here?”

Lee didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until he was literally falling. His eyes flew open and grabbed for something to stop himself. Before he realized what was happening, his chair tipped all the way back, and he hit the ground.
Looking above his head, he saw him standing there, grinning. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened. “Very grown-up of you,” he growled, rolling out of the tipped chair.

“I thought his son was supposed to be with you?”
“He was,” he said, turning back to him.
“Wait!” he said, his eyes growing big. “You’re not his son, are you? You don’t really look like him, but…”
“What? No!” he said, shaking his head as he grimaced and held up his hands. “He’s not my father. My father… I… my…” He finally just stopped and sighed. “Let’s just say my family tree is a little tangle up at the moment.”

“I could give you about a dozen names I go by, but I’m not sure which ones you’ve heard. So I’ll just say my name’s Jason, and it’s nice to meet you.”
“Is Jason your name?”
“No, it’s not,” Lee said. “But you can call me Lee, I guess.”
She raised an eyebrow. “This that your name?”
“Well… it is, but it isn’t,” Lee said. “I go by it most of the time if that helps.”