A snap that changes Everything

Date Prep

The rest of the day passed without much incident. The couple walked home together as per usual, engaging in the standard small talk that evolved into Cole getting Kai flustered. They parted ways when they arrived at their respective houses.

"See you tonight, Kai. Dress nicely!" Cole called over to him.

Kai quirked a brow. "Alright, see you dude. What time should I be ready by?"

"Uh.. around five? I'll text you if it's different."

"Alright then. See you at five."

"See you."

Cole watched Kai unlock his front door and vanish into his house before entering his own. He had a lot of planning to do before their date, as he was determined to make it a memorable one. As he headed upstairs to begin his work, he was stopped by his mother, Lily.

"Welcome home, Cole. How was school today?"

"Hi, mom. It was the usual."

"Ah. You remember that your dad and I are leaving for Seliel's university trip this afternoon and will be gone for most of the weekend, right?"

"Yup."

"So that means you need to be on your best behavior and take care of the house. No parties or drinking," she warned.

"I know, I know.. is it ok if I have Kai over though?"

"That's fine," she replied, not thinking much of it. Kai was a staple guest in their household, ever since they were little kids. He was almost like a second son at this point, especially since he kept Cole out of trouble.

"Cool."

"I've made you a casserole to eat while we're gone, its in the fridge. Please do eat that instead of ordering pizza every single night like the last time we were gone for a few days."

"Ha... I promise I won't." He had been super drunk that weekend, he recalled.

"Good. I've also left you a list of chores to do while we're gone, just stuff like getting the mail and doing your dishes. I think that's about it, I have to finish packing so I'll come say goodbye to you when we're leaving. Will you be home?"

"Yeah. See ya, mom."

Mrs. Brookstone nodded and headed back into the kitchen while Cole climbed up the stairs and entered his room. He knew he was going to have to go to the store, take a shower, potentially do laundry if he didn't have anything nice to wear, make a reservation, and pick up Kai so he had a bit to do. Sitting down at his desk, he began planning their evening.

Meanwhile, Kai greeted his mom and dad who were in the kitchen talking when he arrived home.

"Hi mom, dad."

"Hey, kiddo," Ray greeted, not taking his eyes off from the newspaper he was reading while seated at the kitchen table.

"Welcome home, Kai. How was school, honey?" Maya asked in her heavily accented voice.

"It was fine. The usual."

"Well that's good. Do you have basketball practice this weekend?"

"Nope. I think I'll be out though."

"Oh, where are you going?" she asked curiously.

"I'll be hanging out with Cole tonight, not sure if I'm spending the night over there or not. Still figuring everything out."

"Ah. Well, you two boys better stay out of trouble. We're right next door if you need us."

"I know, we will," he answered autonomously. She always said that any time he went over to Cole's, or anywhere for that matter.