Finally, the minivan pulled into our driveway. I groaned internally. Getting out of the car felt like I was being asked to climb Mount Everest without oxygen. I slowly dragged my heavy body out of the sliding door, my backpack feeling like it weighed a hundred pounds.
I walked through the front door, stepping into the bright, open-plan living room.
Before I could even take a single step toward the staircase, an immediate loud, high-pitched argument echoed from the kitchen area.
"Mom, please! It's just a study group at Marcy's house! We're literally just reviewing biology for an hour!" Haley's voice whined loudly. She stomped into the living room, wearing a very short skirt, knee-high boots, and a sparkly top that Claire would absolutely classify as a fashion crime for a study session.
Claire immediately shifted from supportive sports-mom into her dictator-mom mode, dropping her purse heavily on the kitchen counter.
"Haley Dunphy, do not lie to me," Claire commanded, pointing an accusing finger. "You are wearing lip gloss that sparkles. Nobody sparkles for biology! If you want to go to Marcy's house, fine. But your father is going with you!"
"What?!" Haley shrieked, her eyes widening in pure horror as if her life had just officially ended.
Phil popped his head out from the home office, wearing a sharply ironed shirt and a goofy, overly eager grin. "Hey, I'll be the cool chaperone! I can sit in the car and listen to my real estate audiobooks, or I can come inside and show Marcy's parents my new card tricks! Pick a card, any card!"
"Mom, no! He's going to ruin my social life! He's going to do the disappearing thumb trick again!" Haley groaned, putting her head in her hands and dramatically sinking onto the sofa.
Claire completely ignored her eldest daughter's suffering, insisting that Phil grab his car keys right now so Haley wouldn't 'get lost' or secretly sneak off to a senior party with older boys.
I stood at the bottom of the staircase, listening to the chaotic family drama unfold. It was exactly like the TV show—loud, endlessly dramatic, and full of ridiculous misunderstandings. But right now, my 19-year-old soul had absolutely zero patience for it.
I raised my right hand in the air, speaking up with a voice that was firm, utterly lazy, and dripping with exhaustion.
"Mom. Dad. Everyone," I declared loudly, cutting right through the noise of the argument. "Please do not disturb me. I want to have a full-fledged nap after this extremely tiring sports activity. Okay? Okay. Good talk."
I didn't even wait to hear their responses. I turned around and started slowly, painfully trudging up the wooden stairs, gripping the handrail for dear life as my thighs burned with every step.
Behind me, the living room went completely silent for a solid three seconds.
"Did he just say 'full-fledged'?" Claire asked, her voice echoing up the stairwell, sounding utterly baffled. "Since when does Luke use hyphenated adjectives? And since when does he formally declare his naps instead of just falling asleep face-first in a bowl of cereal?"
"I'm telling you, Mom," Alex's voice replied, sounding deeply suspicious and analytical. "Something is extremely weird with him today. He solved an honors algebra equation in my class, and now he's speaking like a retired college professor."
"Oh, sweetie, don't worry about it. He probably just bumped his head on a football," Phil chimed in helpfully. "It happens to the best of us! Builds character! Concussions are just the brain's way of resetting!"
I completely ignored them, finally reaching the top of the stairs and stumbling into my bedroom. I kicked the door shut with my heel, relishing the glorious, absolute silence of my own personal sanctuary.
My body was sticky with dried sweat, my muscles were throbbing, and my brain felt fuzzy. I didn't even bother turning on the overhead lights.
Clothes. Off. Now, my brain commanded.
I unzipped my backpack, letting it drop carelessly to the floor. I peeled off my sweaty practice t-shirt, kicked off my sneakers without bothering to untie the laces, and shucked off my jeans and socks.
I was far too exhausted to walk over to the dresser to find clean pajamas. Plus, the late summer heat was trapped in the room, making it incredibly stuffy and humid.
As I stood there, the cool air-conditioning from the ceiling vent suddenly kicked on, blowing down over my bare skin. It felt incredibly refreshing.
The raw air flowing directly over my sore, tired body was like a soothing, magical balm. In Webnovel cultivation terms, it felt like my pores were opening up, breathing in the natural spiritual energy of the world, cleansing the impurities from my mortal flesh.
In reality, I was just a completely naked thirteen-year-old standing in the middle of a messy bedroom.
I didn't care. I jumped onto the soft, plush mattress, grabbed the light, thin summer blanket, and pulled it over myself. It felt like sinking into a cloud in heaven. Before my head even fully settled into the pillow, the comforting darkness of sleep consumed me. I dozed off immediately, entering the deep 'Dao of Sleep'.
Time passed like sand slipping through an hourglass. When you sleep that deeply, the world simply ceases to exist. There were no dreams, no thoughts, just pure, uninterrupted recovery.
Slowly, the heavy fog of sleep began to lift from my mind.
I randomly blinked my eyes open. The room was completely dark, the bright Californian sunlight having long since vanished, replaced by the faint, silvery glow of the moon shining through the window blinds.
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Guys! guys! I just am sticking to the term 'Football' becoz it represents the game and ball name, also easy for me to continue writing. Football is same as soccer. ok?
Hope u not get sad, comment here if any suggestion or to speak!😊