Kisses and Near Misses

Chapter 8

Cole frowned as he played the voicemail over again.

"What's wrong?" Derrick asked.

"My mom." Cole huffed as he put the phone to sleep and set it on the lunch table.

"What's up with her?"

"She left me a message. She's mad cuz she hasn't seen me for two weeks."

"We've been in school for a week and a half."

"I didn't go home for a couple days before school started." Cole admitted with a blush.

Derrick wished he could but his mother would kill over before trying to kill him. "Can't relate."

Cole's lips twitched. "She knows I'm in this class. She signed me up for it."

"Just tell her you can't leave your family."

Cole shrugged before texting it.

His phone dinged less than a minute later.

"She says for me to bring them!"

Derrick burst out laughing, making a few nearby girls fawn.

"It's not funny!" Cole was suddenly very stressed out.

Derrick had his seven chuckles. "Ah! Man! I needed that!"

Cole gave him screw face. "Help me!"

Derrick grinned. "Take them."

Cole's mouth fell open. "What?!"

"Yeah. She'll leave you alone when she realizes that you've got a wife and kids and that her new daughter-in-law doesn't want you with your mommy all the time."

Cole's mouth worked. "Really?"

Derrick snickered wickedly. "Yup."

"Okay. When?"

"As soon as possible. When can Jacq get away?"

"She and Gabi are going dress shopping tomorrow-"

"Dress shopping?" Derrick was dead confused.

"What?" Cole lifted a shoulder.

"I've never seen Jacq in a dress."

"She wants to go to homecoming-"

"What?!"

"She said she wants to party this year. That includes going to dances."

Derrick made an impressed face. "Alright."

Cole smirked. "Anyway. She's going shopping with her best friend so maybe I can take them over in the morning before they go?"

"Good idea." Derrick wished he could be there, sure there would be fireworks.

Cole texted Jacq the plans then his mother, sure he'd solved all his problems.

≈

Jacq stared at her phone in dismay.

Gabi looked over her shoulder and squealed. "You're going to meet Cole's mom!"

Jacq gave her bestie a dark look.

"No yay?"

"No." Jacq looked at her like she was crazy. "I don't want to meet his mother."

"Why not?"

"Because she's his mother."

Gabi giggled lowly. "Yeah."

Jacq gave her a slow look. "Look at me and tell me I should be meeting Cole's mother."

Gabi was dead confused.