Chapter 4 Flip The Coin
Flip The Coin
There was a time earlier in Teague Jenson’s life when everything mattered too much.
What his classmates thought of him.
Whether his mom would remember his birthday.
Whether he’d ever make his dad proud.
Then something changed his first year at Fairview High.
He simply chose to stop caring. It didn’t bother him if his hair had an uncooperative day after meticulously fixing it in the morning.
He spent less time figuring out if his clothing was mismatched.
He stopped worrying whether his friends thought he was too loud, too weird, or too competitive.
He’d be criticized no matter what he did, so why waste the sweat?
His newfound edge became his identity.
And it did wonders. After proving himself a fierce competitor, he earned the respect of the athletes.
After showing how carefree, open-minded, and outlandish he was, he earned the respect of the misfits and arty types.
By the end of his freshman year, he had amassed a crowd of eccentric friends and admirers who were utterly spellbound by his proudly unapologetic nature. He felt happier. He felt accomplished.
He felt free.
That freedom ended every day he got home and reminded himself anew how little his family noticed him.
Even today. “Hey, Dad!” calls out Teague as he arrives home from his new job at Gary’s Grocers, apron slung over a shoulder, tossing the keys to his truck on the counter. “Sorry about being late. Had to jump a coworker’s car. Left her radio on or something, and by the time—”
“I’m on a call,” says his dad, cutting him off.
Teague didn’t notice the phone pressed to his ear.
“You’re on your own tonight for dinner. Mom’s out.
No, no, it’s nothing, yes, I’m here,” he says back to the phone, voice turning polite as he resumes his call.
“I’m aware numbers are down this quarter, but—”
It’s anyone’s guess what he means by “Mom’s out”.
Teague decides not to guess at all.
He heads straight to the backyard to greet Rus, his scraggly-haired dog with unlimited energy.
He’s the only creature in the universe who gives Teague his undivided attention and love.
Rus used to be an indoor dog until Mom decided her allergies were all the dog’s fault, and if they wanted to keep him, he would have to stay outside.
Fifteen-year-old Teague instantly set out to making a doghouse, a dog shed, and a covered enclosure right by the back door where Rus could comfortably find protection from the sun or rain any time of day.
“The dog wing” Teague used to call it, as part of it was literally attached to the house—and it was securely built, well-designed, and has even withstood literal hurricanes.
Teague puts in his all for the ones he cares about.
But especially his dog.
Rus rushes right up to Teague and tries licking every inch of his face.
“Hey, boy! Ya miss me?” He laughs as Rus’s tongue dances all over.
“You’re awfully spunky today. Did you finally catch your tail?
Find the end of the rainbow? Slay a cat?
I won’t tell anyone.” He rubs his dog’s ears, then sits on the patio bench and lets Rus love on him some more while he enjoys the last hours of daylight.
Soon, Rus has calmed down with his head in Teague’s lap.
He pulls out his phone and thumbs through the notifications.
Some emails from the college. Six unread messages from a friend who is enjoying summer up in Wisconsin where he quickly moved after graduation, apparently chasing some job opportunity.
A couple of new followers on Instagram. A thank-you DM from the coworker whose car he jumped today—how thoughtful!
But he doesn’t see any notifications he was hoping for.
Like a surprise friend request from Peanut.
Of course his mind would wander back to him.
Liam … Peanut …
Teague wonders if it’s wrong to enjoy how annoyed Liam looked by the revival of that nickname. His scowl was downright adorable. Should he call him Peanut tomorrow just to see that cute expression again? It’s absolutely worth the repercussions, Teague decides with an amused smirk.
The quiet, careful, slightly mysterious, guarded, and studious Liam has always been an enigma to Teague.
He’s been curious about the guy for quite some time.
Liam probably assumes Teague doesn’t notice the first thing about him, since they technically weren’t part of each other’s social circles back in school.
But of all of Teague’s qualities, there’s one that he never makes known: how observant he is.
He keeps his eyes open. He notices everything yet plays dumb so others don’t know how much he sees.
And he’d seen a lot of Liam back in the day.
Now that they’re working together this summer, he hopes to see a lot more.
The patio door slides open, revealing his father’s creased face. “That smelly apron you left on the counter isn’t gonna fold and hang itself, son.”
Teague and Rus both lift their heads. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Make sure you take care of that mess in the garage, too. It’s an eyesore every time I come home from work. Third time I’ve told you to do something about it.”
“Oh, you mean my weights? I’m just trying to keep in shape.” Teague chuckles and pats his belly. “I don’t want to turn into a lazy bum this summer, know what I mean?”
His dad studies him for a moment. “Yet you get the laziest job in town. Doesn’t prove much, son.”
Teague finds himself averting his eyes and petting Rus. It’s his go-to when his dad starts getting a certain way, perhaps to help calm himself and prevent an argument. “No one was hiring …” he starts to explain.
“That’s why you needed to be on top of it sooner,” his dad cuts him off, “instead of just leaving everything to chance like you always do. How many times must you learn this lesson before it sticks? You’re not in high school anymore.
It’s the real world. And if you sit back and expect things to come your way, you’re gonna end up becoming exactly that: a lazy bum with a smelly lapdog. ”
Teague says nothing, petting the same spot on Rus’s head over and over.
After another moment passes, his dad issues a sigh. Then, in a tone much softer, he adds, “There are leftovers from the other night in the freezer if you get hungry. Don’t forget to eat, son.”
Always, after his dad goes on a rant, he comes to, and Teague gets the little gift of his father’s love. It isn’t much, but it’s enough to make Teague smile—even if the smile doesn’t quite touch his eyes. “Thanks.”
His father nods, appears to want to say something else, then just clears his throat and heads back in, the patio door shutting.
Teague brings his face close to Rus’s, earning him another lick right across his nose and causing him to genuinely smile despite his mood.
An hour later when he’s organizing his weights in the garage, he finds himself reminded of the heavy boxes he carried alongside Liam at the store as they stocked the shelves.
Before putting away the last of the weights, he decides to load up the barbell, lie back on the bench, and do a few sets of chess presses.
With each rep, he stares at the cracked ceiling of the garage, brainstorming what he can do tomorrow to make Liam like him more.
And if it backfires and makes Liam more annoyed, isn’t that also kind of a win?
Love and hate, Teague has learned, are two sides of a tricky coin. And sometimes when it’s flipped, there’s no telling which side is which, even after it lands and you’re staring it in the face. “I’m gonna get you to love me,” Teague grunts between a rep, “or hate me … one way or another.”