There's another squeaky new-teenage kid hanging around the house, staring at my daughter like she's it and he's going to die if she doesn't smile at him one more more time he dies. And I'm thinking, I can help with that.
He's been sniffing around here for about a week, and I'm not sure what his name is, but I think Rach and Kevin have been calling him "Cheese." Seriously, what I hear is "Cheese" but I haven't wanted her to think I care enough to ask to be sure.
I'd ask Alex, but his reaction to Cheese is close to mine: no trust there, he just glares at the kid. This works for me, because if this kid is as afraid of Alex as he seems to be of me, maybe he won't be the little dick that SETH! turned out to be.
I've made it pretty clear to Rachel that he can hang around here the same as her other friends, but there's no going out yet. She turns 14 in January, and if he's still hanging around, I'll relent then.
Since the school change, Rachel and Kevin have both been much happier kids. It's been interesting to see them explore their individuality; they don't have to wear uniforms to school anymore, so we did cut them loose in the mall for the most part (Rachel shopped with Alex, Kevin was with us but he had free reign) to buy school clothes, and I admit I was surprised at their choices. Alex was given permission to say no to some things we thought Rachel would want, but for the most part she's dressing far more conservatively than we supposed she would. Jeans and cute t-shirts, tighter than I would like but Char has pointed out more than once that we can't fight biology, and the shirts are going to seem tighter to dad than they really are. I expected Kevin to head for designer clothing since he seems interested in it, but he wanted jeans, slacks, and t-shirts. I really thought he would be the kid in the dress slacks and fitted dress shirts, and I still see him in that in high school, but he wants to be comfortable to horse around, something he actually gets time to do in the new school.
We can't complain about their grades, either. Rachel is trying again, mostly B's, and Kevin is doing really well, A's and B's with a little struggling in math, but Alex is helping him there.
And Alex is facing finals; he recently got the first C of his life and it was a wake-up call for him. A good thing, overall. He's using all his free time to study and to help Stephanie with her homework (really, it's a way for them to spend time together since they don't have much right now.) He put in the paperwork to graduate at the semester break, and next semester it will be college classes only, but we also talked to the principal and she wanted Alex to understand that he is still considered a part of the class and is welcome to attend the prom and other activities until the end of the year.
After the end of the semester, though, his focus in on February 2, 2011. Not that he gives a damn about his mother's and my 16th anniversary: he can get his learner's permit then. Presuming I allow it.
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