Notes from the Blender Read Online Free PDF

just couldn’t.
    So I walked outside and tried calling my dad again—and got shot directly to his voice mail again. This time, I put out a desperate SOS. “Daddy, I am having pretty much the worst day of my whole life and I could definitely use someone to talk to. Not to mention lots of cheese fries. Call me back as soon as you get this.”
    I pulled off the torture devices I used to call my favorite boots and started walking in the general direction of his office. I was hoping my dad would hit me right back, come pick me up, and we’d be at Meatheads digging into cheddar-covered spuds before I got even a few blocks.
    Unfortunately, Dad not only didn’t cut my walk short, but he was still nowhere to be found when I finally got to his place—only Uncle Roger was there. And while I liked him well enough, it’s not like we’re BFF or anything. He and my dad think I don’t know they’re living together, so the nights I spend at my dad’s, Roger is noticeably absent. Plus, he’s not exactly the type of gay guy women are dying to pal around with and tell all their secrets to. He’s more like the Marlboro Man if he decided to switch teams—the strong, rugged, man-of-few-words type.
    “Neilly!” he exclaimed when he saw me. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
    I shrugged, peering around Roger’s burly body to try to find my father’s slight one.
    “Is everything okay?” he asked.
    “Not so much. Is my dad around?”
    Roger slung a beefy arm around me, his super-starched shirt sleeve barely able to contain the huge bicep that hid underneath. “He’s in court right now, defending a client. Should be back around five or so. Care to wait?”
    I stared down at my dirty, blistered toes, scrunching them up like I do at the dentist’s office to take my mind of the unpleasant proceedings. It kind of worked. “No, thanks. I should probably get going.”
    “You sure?” Roger asked, plunking his humongo bodybuilder body into an unsuspecting office chair that looked like it wanted to collapse under the pressure. “You might not know this about me yet, but I can be a pretty good listener.”
    I patted Roger’s ginormous shoulder. He really was sweet, and I was glad my dad had found someone as loving, loyal, and protective as him. If only Sam had been like that not only when we were alone together but also when I was out of town for two tiny little days. “Roger, honestly, I just don’t feel like getting into it all now. No offense.”
    “None taken,” he said, patting the seat next to his desk. The guy was not easily dissuaded. “And anyway, you don’t have to tell me all of it.”
    I considered arguing, but I was so dog tired I gave in and sat down instead. “Okay, fine. I just lost my best friend. To my very recently ex-boyfriend. And now I have no one to escort me to your commitment ceremony. Plus, my mom is knocked up and getting married, and I didn’t even know she was dating anyone special.”
    Roger clasped his sausagelike fingers behind his head and whistled. “Doozies, Neilly. I’m sorry for your troubles.”
    “Me, too.”
    “You know, I don’t think Griffin was planning on bringing a date to the ceremony. Maybe you two could go together.”
    I put my hands up quickly to deflect the idea—kind of like Stop! In the name of no way! Griffin Taylor was on my shit list for life, and I’d never even met him. Mostly because, until a few months ago, he hadn’t even seen or spoken to Roger in, like, two years—he’d just shut out Roger completely when he found out his dad was gay. What a coward. I would never have done that to my dad, no matter how hard it had been to keep it together after the news hit the school.
    Yeah, I’d heard all about how Griffin had apologized to Roger, and how Roger had welcomed Griff back into his life with open arms, and blahblahblahblahblah, but I wasn’t buying any of it. Just because my dad was marrying Roger didn’t mean I had to play nice with his loser son.