The Switch

Chapter 21

Aria

Friday night I was grateful that Mom was the only home to meet Marcus when he came to pick me up. Dad had to take Emory to New River so he wouldn't be here for it. I had told Marcus this morning at school that I would go out with him tonight, and all he said was "cool, give me your address and I'll pick you up at 7:30" then just went back to his book. I found it kind of annoying, and I swear the only other person that annoys me as much as him is Emory.

I wasn't really sure why I agreed to go out with him, yeah he was cute, and smart, but he was also a jerk. I wanted to talk to Bentley about it, but she was sick today. When I texted her to ask how she was feeling she just told me she'd be back Monday and that she needed rest. I was starting to wonder if she knew what I had done. She didn't say anything though, so I just had to pretend as if I wasn't noticing her complete personality change. She wasn't like this the last time someone broke her heart, I didn't understand she was only friends with her for two weeks. Then again, I did make it look like Emory stabbed her in the back and wanted nothing to do with her.

I glanced at the clock saying 7:47 pm  getting more nervous that he stood me up as I wonder what I could do to fix things with Bentley that didn't involve me telling the truth. "Aria, your dates here," my mother says and I realize I was so caught up in my thoughts I didn't even hear the door.

"Hi Mrs Jacobs it's nice too meet you," he shakes my mother's hand, and I think about how different he looks out side of the classroom and with out a book in his hands. He's wearing a nice button up and his hair, well his hair is still a mess but a cute mess, as if he attempted to contain it and that was the best result.

"It's nice to meet you too, Marcus right?" My mother steps aside for him to come in.

"Yes ma'am," he says awkwardly, then he smiles a bit when he sees me. "You look really pretty."

I didn't want too, but I can't help but blush a bit. "Ye, yeah, thank you." My mother watches us both, the look on her face was similar to seeing Emory with Georgie for the first time. Now when she sees them together how ever, she looks stressed, worried about Emory either teaching him something he shouldn't know, or them fighting. I hope she doesn't make that transition for Marcus and I. "So we should go right?"

He nods, "my bothers waiting, he's driving us, I hope you don't mind." I shake my head, we're both fourteen, I didn't think he'd be the one driving.

"Nope that's fine, right mom?" I look towards her, since she would probably be the only one to have a reason to object.

I know she wants to say no, from.the way she closese her mouth and thinks for a moment. I've noticed that since I was a kid when ever she wanted to say no to something but didn't want to let me down, she would close her mouth, and do this weird movement with her jaw, as she thought. "How long has he been driving?"

"Oh it was a fifteen minute drive to get here," Marcus says as a joke but when my mother doesn't laugh he gets serious again. "Sorry, bad joke. Um he's been driving for five years now, since he was sixteen. He's very responsible, doesn't even let me listen to music when he drives me to practice in the mornings."

"So your brothers twenty-one?" Now I can see where this line of questioning was going,   "does he drink?"

"Mom!" I groan, now wishing dad was hear instead.

Marcus shakes his head, "no ma'am, you can meet him if you want. Like I said he's very responsible, he takes being my guardian very seriously." Once he said that, any questions my mother may have had, died on her tounge.