Page 75 of Antagonist

Fran has always been like this. Fun, flirty, but for some reason, it’s irking me right now.

I turn to face Harrison. He’s clearly uncomfortable but is too nice to leave.

“Can we talk later?” I ask.

“Yeah, sure…we have that meeting about the fair on Tuesday, right?”

“Right.”

There’s an awkward silence until Fran opens her mouth. “It’s getting hot out here, isn’t it?”

Harrison looks at Fran and then at me. He gives me a small smile, and I feel like I’ve just lost everything I’ve ever wanted in one fell swoop.

“See you, Fletcher.”

I stare at his departing figure until he drives away.

“Boy, you got it bad,” Fran says.

I open the front door, and she follows me in, going straight to the kitchen where she immediately makes herself at home, taking a bottle of water from the fridge.

“What the fuck, Fran? You said you were coming in three weeks, and now you turn up on my doorstep?”

She flicks her long hair behind her shoulders. “What’s the problem? You wanted to bring your boyfriend in? Is this what you do now? Send George off to your parents so you can spend the weekend fucking some random?”

Her venomous words hit me hard. This isn’t the Fran I know.

“What’s going on, Fran? You never cared about what I did before. You haven’t been home since George’s birthday last year, and that was only to come to his party, and now you turn up like you’ve just been to the grocery store and back? What gives?”

She pulls a stool from under the breakfast bar and sits. She’s wearing a long loose skirt with an open slit that shows off her tan legs when she crosses them.

“I’m supporting the opening of a new gallery in Boston, so I figured it’s a good excuse to spend some time with you and George. That’s all.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. What’s important here is George, and I don’t want to enter a shouting match with Fran.

“You can spend as much time with George as you want. In fact, why don’t you come with me to my parents? George will be really happy with the surprise.”

She looks at her phone and purses her lips. “I’m not sure I’m dressed to see your mom. She’s never liked me much.”

I want to say that she should be more worried about her own son, but I keep my mouth shut.

“She won’t pay attention to your clothes. Come on, let’s go get him.”

She gives me a genuine smile, and I see the old Fran staring back at me. I know she truly loves George. Maybe she’s just surprised to see me with someone else when she wasn’t expecting it.

“Nothing much has changed around here,” she says as we drive through the town.

“It’s what makes Stillwater, Stillwater,” I reply.

“Don’t you miss Europe?”

“No. I’m happy here.”

“Hmm.”

I don’t know what she means by her hum, but we arrive at my parents’ house, so I park behind my dad’s car and we get out.

I hear the lawnmower, so I follow the fence to the side of the house. George doesn’t see us immediately. I smile, watching him pick up dead leaves and put them in a bag.