Chapter 12: Come Fly with Me III
"Clear the way. Coming through." Jay announced, guiding Phil by the arms.
"Ow! Ow! I need to rest my face," Phil groaned.
"You're fine. You'll be all right. Hold on," Jay reassured.
"Oh, my God!" Claire gasped at the sight of Phil.
"Wow, what happened?" I asked. "Did you hit him with the airplane?"
Jay shot me a glare. Looks like I hit the mark (at least my target wasn't Phil).
"Uh…" I faltered, unsure of what to add.
"We were threading the needle, and somebody moved," Jay explained.
"No, I didn't. You did it on purpose," Phil argued.
"That's the painkiller talking," Jay dismissed.
"How bad is it?" Gloria asked, worried.
"Well, the wing's cracked, the propeller's bent, but I can-" Jay began.
I nudged him. "Pretty sure she means Phil, Jay." I grimaced, catching Claire's displeased look.
"I was in a plane crash," Phil declared dramatically.
"Thanks, Dad," Claire muttered sarcastically
"I didn't ask him to come. He insisted. He took a chance. This is what happened," Jay defended himself.
Claire went to get a glass of water for Phil, and Jay followed. They kept bickering all the way into the kitchen and returned still at it
"You know what? In the sixteen years we've been married, have you ever once told him you liked him?" Claire pressed.
"Not in those exact words, no," Jay admitted.
"Not in any words, Dad. How do you think that makes me feel?" Claire demanded.
"You've never told your son you love him?" Gloria asked in disbelief.
"Whoa, whoa. When did we jump to love? And he's technically not my son," Jay said defensively
"Oh. So that means you don't love Manny either?" Gloria snapped.
"Of course I do. Believe me, when I was in that park, I really wished Manny was there," Jay said.
"For what? So you could fly the plane into his head?" Gloria fired back.
"Dad, thanks so much for bringing Phil home. I found one of your little flaps in his hair. So-" Claire began after handing Phil the glass of water
"Actually, this is called an aileron. It controls the horizontal-" Jay started.
"Because that's what matters right now. Bye, Dad," Claire cut him off.
Jay sighed, moving toward Phil, who was stretched out on the sofa. "Hey, Phil-"
"Jay," Phil groaned as Jay nudged his legs aside.
"What are you, made in China?" Jay muttered, "Phil, I just want you to know I'm sorry. I just want to say that I like you," he finally admitted.
"Really?" Phil asked, surprised.
"Yeah,"
"What's going on?" Cam and Mitchell entered.
"There was a small mishap, but Jay's telling Phil how much he cares about him," Gloria explained.
"Oh. Well, that's nice for Phil," Cam commented, a bit envious.
"That's great, since he's never said anything like that to my boyfriend," Mitchell added sharply.
"Don't worry," I looked at them, "Jay has plenty of other models."
And Cam is an easier target
"Let it go," Cam whispered.
"No, it's not okay," Mitchell insisted.
"No, Mitch is right. Go in there too, Cam," Gloria urged.
"Come on, you're kidding," Jay protested.
"Jay!" Gloria pressed again.
"Fine. Come on in, Cam. Just a quick hug," Jay relented.
And Cam went to the sofa to join the hug
"Manny, Jake, picture! Get in there too," Gloria called cheerfully.
"Hold still. Say cheese," Mitchell directed.
"Don't push it," Jay warned.
After all the commotion, we went to eat the cookies Claire had baked.
"With Phil in this condition, he won't be able to go to the wedding. Anyone want to accompany us?" Claire said while pulling more cookies from the oven.
"Not really," Mitchell replied, and the others shared the same sentiment.
"How about I invite Dylan?" Haley asked her mom
"Not a chance," Claire refused immediately
"Jake can go, he can already wear the new suit he got," Gloria suggested.
I thought for a moment, "Hmm, not a bad idea."
But I would be more eager if I were single.
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Later that day, I put on the suit Jay had given me as a gift, a fine Armani
I went downstairs to wait for Claire outside (she would be driving, and it was just her and the girls. Luke had decided to stay with his dad).
"Ay, Jake, you look so handsome! Like a celebrity," Gloria complimented.
Jay just nodded.
"Don't worry, I'll try to arrive as late as possible," I spoke, the opposite of what most adults would expect. "You can finally have a night for yourselves."
Manny stayed at Phil's house (it was my idea)
Then the sound of the intercom was heard, and I said goodbye before heading to the car.
"Wow, you three look stunning," I praised as I got inside.
"Thank you, sweetheart," Claire remarked from behind the wheel
"Thanks." Haley turned around from the front seat. "Hmm, you're not bad either," she gave me an appreciative glance, "I like your idea of a slimmer tie."
Slim-fit ties had gone out of fashion (popular in the '80s and only coming back around 2007), but probably because of my past, I can't see myself wearing those oversized ties
"You look very cute, Alex," I praised again, glancing to the side.
"Cute? I'm not a puppy," she retorted.
"Yeah, more like a kitten," I countered
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The wedding went smoothly. Afterwards, we headed to the wedding party, and I whispered in Haley's ear, "Looks like someone's got their eye on you," nodding toward a boy who kept sneaking awkward glances at her.
My cousin cast a discreet look and furrowed her brows. "I think he's from my school, Seth, or something like that..." Haley said, not too concerned.
All of a sudden, my phone buzzed, and I saw it was a message from Brenda:
[My parents went out, and they won't be back until tomorrow morning. Want to come study?]
"Uuuh," I turned to Haley, "My beautiful little Comet, cover for me tonight. I have to leave now."
She looked at me. "Where are you going?"
"To study at Brenda's house," I replied seriously.
"Uhum, studying," Haley smirked, giving me a very suggestive look. "You owe me one, cousin!"
"Okay, but not a big one. It's more for your mom, Jay wouldn't care that much, since he's getting some too."
"Ewww." Haley made a disgusted face. "I didn't need that information," she chided me.