The New Boy

Chapter thirty-three

"What?" I ask and he sits next to me after he puts his phone away into his pocket. He seems nervous and a bit shaky, but he's trying not to show it.

"You need to, uh, help me make a decision." he says back, stuttering a bit.

"Of corse," I say back and he looks at me.

"That was my Chris telling me that my Mom wants to see me on my twentieth," he says back and I look back at him. His twentieth birthday is in almost a week, on June twenty-second.

"When's the last time you saw her?" I ask, already knowing this is serious.

"I don't remember her at all, so maybe when I was two?" Jake says back and I nod.

"Jake I really don't know, do you want to see her?" I ask and he shrugs, using his knees to rest his arms on.

"I don't know," he says back and I lightly put my hand on his leg.

"Do you think it's worth seeing her?" I ask back and he puts his hand on top of mine.

"She is my Mom, I kind of want to see what's she's like," he says back and I nod.

"I mean, know she cares if she wants to meet you. She remembered your birthday too," I say quietly back to him and he nods.

"Would you do it?" he asks and I look at him.

"In your situation or mine?" I ask back

"Yours," he says back and I think for a minute, weighting out the pros and cons.

"She was always there for me. But no she wasn't, she left me. But my Dad made her leave. But she left because of me too, it's my fault, why would she want to see a reminder of her disappointment?" I say back and him and he rubs my hand with his thumb.

"You're not a disappointment." Jake says back and I shake my head, not conformable with talking about this anymore.

"We are talking about you though, right?" I ask and he nods.

"Do you think I should?" he asks me and I nod, shrugging a little.

"What could it hurt?" I ask him back and he shrugs.

"I guess nothing, but you're coming." Jake says and I nod.

"I know," I say back. I lay on the couch and put my legs on Jake.

"Emily is going to be one in three months," he says back and rests his arm on my legs.

"Our two years is in three months too," I say back and he smiles.

"Maybe we didn't move too fast," he says.

"I'm glad we didn't friend zone each other," I say quietly and lean my head on the back of the couch. He lightly rubs my leg and nods.

"Me too," he says and I put my legs back on the floor. I stand up and fix my shirt when I do. I push my hair out of my face with my hand and walk to Emily's room.

I lightly shake her shoulder, trying to wake her up so she will sleep tonight. I pick her up and she rubs her eyes.