worth the risk • dean portman

chapter twenty four

dean

"Dean, wake up."

I feel myself being shaken and open my eyes, but close them quickly when I see my mom standing above my bed.

"I'm sleeping Mom." I mumble, turning myself away from her. "It's not nice to deprive your son of necessary things like sleep."

I hear her start laughing, and I have to fight back a smile of my own. "I'm not depriving you of anything." she says lightly. "You've been sleeping for over twelve hours. It's almost noon, and I'm not going to let you sit around all day like you have for the past week. It's time to wake up."

Since I'm facing away from her and my eyes are closed, I mentally roll them at her. I understand that she's trying to distract me from what's happening in Minnesota, but it isn't really working. I came here to get away, yet all I can do is think about everything and everyone I left behind.

I start to drift off again, but my mother throws the covers off of me and turns me over. "What the hell Mom?" I yell, sitting up and glaring at her.

"I wasn't kidding when I said wake up." she responds calmly. "You're not going to just lie in your bed and sleep until you figure out what to about your situation, because I'm not allowing it. Get out of your bed and do something before I do it for you. And trust me, you don't want me to do something."

"Fine." I grumble, scooting myself off my bed and standing up. "Is there anything for breakfast or should I go grab something?"

"I can make you something if you want." she suggests. "But you can go out and grab something if you want to. Either way, we're sitting down on the couch and having a discussion."

"What for?" I ask as I throw a sweatshirt on. "Didn't we just have one? You know, the one where you told me I couldn't stay in my bed forever and to actually face my problems?"

My mom sighs and gives me a look. "Well yes, but this discussion is going to be about how to solve your problems. You know, I was a teenage girl once. I can help you Dean, if you'll let me."

I walk over to her and give her a hug, squeezing her tightly. "Thanks Mom. I appreciate it."

She lets go and ruffles my hair, a smile forming on her face. "Anytime my boy. Now, go get yourself some breakfast. I may or may not have called in a favor to that bakery you like to place a mobile order for some fresh croissants."

There's no stopping the huge grin that breaks out on my face. I give her a quick kiss on the cheek, then run out into the front room and grab the keys. As I start the car, I can't deny that I feel relieved to be doing something other than laying in bed. It was honestly starting to get boring.

Driving to the bakery still brings me the same feelings it did when I was a little kid. I've been going there for years, and it never gets old. I found it on the way home from elementary school one day, and immediately told my mom about it. And from then on, we've never looked back.

They make the best croissants in the whole world, and I always think about them when I'm stuck eating the ones from the dining hall. Don't get me wrong, the dining hall croissants are really good, but they'll never be as good as the ones from my bakery.

When I walk into Laurie's, the name of the bakery, the smell of fresh baked goods fills my nose. There's something about this smell that never fails to put me at ease, no matter how stressed I may be. I definitely want to work here this summer, because I'll be in heaven every day.

I make my way over to the counter and smile at the girl behind the counter. "Hi, I'm here to pick up an online order."

"What's the name it's under?" she asks as she taps the iPad in front of her.

"Stevens." I answer, referring to my mother's maiden and current last name. "First name should be Jennifer."

She searches through the bags until she finds it, and hands it to me with a warm smile. "Here you go."

I return the smile and take the bag, pretending not to notice the curious look on her face. I know she probably wants to ask me something, like who I am and why she's never seen me before, but I don't really feel like answering any questions. All I'm interested in doing right now is going home and eating at least three of these croissants.

Once I'm home, I walk into the dining room and set the bag on the table. I take three croissants from the bag and put them on plates, then call out to my family to let them know I'm back. "Mom, Danny... breakfast!"

They join me in the dining room a few seconds later, and I realize just how much I've missed this. It's nice being back home, especially when I'm surrounded by people I care about and not worrying about things like who's shoes are the most expensive.

When the table is cleared and the dishes are all washed, my mom brings me into the living room and sits me on the couch. "We're having our discussion now."

I cross my arms and lean back into the couch, raising an eyebrow at her slightly. "I don't have a choice in this, right?"

She laughs and I fight back a grin. "No, Dean. You don't."

"Well then." I say, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. "Talk away."

She offers a small smile and placed her hands in her lap. The uncomfortable feeling in my stomach grows, because that's what always happens when my mom is about to be not only serious, but brutally honest as well. "I think you coming home was definitely a choice of poor judgement."

"What?" I blurt out, but my mom holds her hand up to silence me. I immediately shut my mouth and cross my arms again, because I know there's no way I'm getting a word in during this conversation.

"Don't get me wrong Dean, I love having you here. But having you be home for the past week doing absolutely nothing has made me feel like I've failed as a mother." As she speaks, I feel a wave of guilt was over me. I didn't realize she thought that way, and now I hate myself for making her feel so badly.

"I never taught you to run away from your problems, right?" she questions. I shake my head, which prompts her to keep talking. "What have I always taught you about problems and how to solve them?"

"To always try and find a solution instead of running away." I mumble, looking down at my still crossed arms. This is completely off topic, but holy shit do my biceps look huge right now.

"That's right." my mom confirms. "And that's exactly what you are going to do. Who cares if Morgan's dad is being an asshole and is trying to keep you guys apart? Instead of running away and sulking about it, go back and show him just how great of a guy you are. Show him that despite what he thinks, you're the right one for his daughter."

Determination flows through me as I thank my mom, launch myself off the couch, and sprint for my room. I grab my suitcase from under my bed and start shoving things into it, because my mom is right.

If Mr. Andersen doesn't think I'm right for his daughter, I'm about to prove to him why he is completely wrong.

**a/n**
hi guys sorry for another bad-ish chapter. this week is really busy for me and i haven't had as much time to write as i've wanted. i've also noticed quite a few grammar/spelling mistakes across my books, and i will be taking a weekend to edit and fix everything after i finish this book, which might delay the start of my senior year book. hope you all are liking the story so far, only eight more chapters to go!!!
-c <3333