CHASE HOME
"Is this what I think it is?"
Don asks as he
enters the family room.
"'Full House',"
Courtney confirms.
"You were so infatuated with this
show when you were younger," Don recalls with a grin. "You even made a
point of catching all the reruns."
"What can I say? I had my priorities
straight when I was a kid." Even though she puts on a slight smile, it
is hardly enough to shine through the blanket of gloom that has been sitting
over her for days.
Don takes note of her uncomfortable
smile and leans on his elbows on the back of the couch. They watch the
television in silence for a few seconds.
Suddenly Don speaks again. "Is everything
all right, kiddo?"
Courtney looks startled by the question
-- not only by having it asked, but by having to conjure up a response.
She pauses, her mouth hanging open.
"I--It's not really anything," she
manages.
"Are you sure? I've noticed ... you've
sort of been shlumping around the last couple of days. And
your mother said
something happened between
you and Jason the other night that had
you upset."
Courtney hesitates, but finally gives
in with a quick nod.
"So what happened?" Don asks, coming
around to the front of the couch and taking a seat beside his daughter.
"Did you and Jason have a fight?"
"Sort of," she shrugs.
"Sort of?"
"Well ... I kinda got mad at him
over something. But it was sorta stupid, so I went over to apologize and
patch things up."
A glimmer of amusement flickers over
Don's face. "You? Apologize?"
"I know, shocking, huh? But I figured
it wasn't worth having a full-out fight over something not so important,
you know?"
Don nods. "So did the apologizing
go okay?"
Another shrug. "Kind of."
"I take it that 'kind of' is what
has you down, huh?"
"Yeah. Jason was just ... indifferent,
I guess. Like he didn't even care that I was apologizing, or like it didn't
matter to him."
"Do you think he's angry at you?"
"That's what I thought. But he hasn't
really acted like it. We've been skating the last few days and he's been
talking to me and everything. I don't know how to explain it -- it's just
... awkward."
After a moment of consideration,
Don offers, "Maybe he's dealing with some things on his own that don't
have anything to do with you."
"Maybe." She pauses, turning something
over in her mind. "Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Speaking of guys being weird ...
I think something's really up with
Alex. He's been acting really strange
lately, especially with Lauren."
"Do you have any idea what it might
be?"
"No, that's the thing. And he hasn't
really opened up to any of us at all." She sighs. "I was wondering if you
could ... if you could talk to him. It's not like
his mom is ever around
to talk to him."
"Of course," Don says almost immediately.
"Thanks," Courtney says, putting
an arm around him. "Maybe he'll actually tell you what's going on."
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