WHAT IF! cole walter

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, catching up with friends

The next couple of weeks Hollyn kept spending more time with Erin as well, catching up with her and she also spent more time with Jackie too. She hadn't been hanging out much with Jackie and she felt bad for it. She also tried hanging out with Kylie, Grace, and Skylar too. And her friends in art club too, of course. It was a bit hard trying to hang our with everyone and catch up with them but she managed.

During this time she noticed her mom's behavior had changed and Hollyn had started to worry about her. She wasn't eating much anymore and she had lost weight. She knew she wasn't sleeping well either. Hollyn tried asking her what was wrong, but her mom always told her it was nothing. But Hollyn knew better. Something was going on, and she was determined to figure it out. So, one night when her parents were sitting in the living room, Hollyn was doing her homework in her bedroom. She left her door open and she eavesdropped on their conversation, trying to figure out what was going on. She didn't mean to snoop, but she was worried about her mom, and she needed to know what was wrong.

She was able to overhear bits and pieces of the conversation. Her dad sounded concerned and worried, and her mom sounded sad. But the one thing she heard clearly was that her mom was going to the doctor tomorrow. She wasn't sure what was wrong, but she hoped that her mom was okay. She would have to ask her tomorrow what the doctor said. She hoped that she would tell her and not push her away again.

The next morning, Hollyn waited impatiently for her mom to return from her appointment. She didn't have any homework, so she passed the time by taking care of the animals and cleaning around the house. She busied herself texting her friends and checking social media, but she couldn't shake the nervous feeling in her gut. What if the news was bad? What if her mom was sick? She didn't want to think about it, but the possibility was there. She knew her great grandpa on her mom's side had past from cancer, and she couldn't help but think that it could be something like that. But she hoped that it was just her worrying for no reason and that her mom would be fine. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of the car pulling up.

"Hey, kiddo. How was your day?" Her mom asked as she entered the house.

"Good, how was your appointment?" Hollyn asked, hoping her mom would finally tell her what was going on. She noticed the sadness in her mother's eyes, and her stomach twisted into knots.

"It was fine." Her mom said dismissively, not wanting to talk about it. "I'm pretty tired, I think I'm going to take a nap."

Hollyn didn't believe her, but she didn't want to push her mom. She would give her some time, and hopefully, her mom would tell her what was going on later. "Okay, I'll let you rest."

Her mom headed upstairs to her bedroom and soon her dad came in from checking on the horses after he got home. She decided to talk to him about it. Maybe he could tell her something, even though her mom had said not to worry.

"Dad?" Hollyn called out to him as he walked in the door.

"Yeah, hon?" Her dad asked, hanging up his jacket and walking over to her.

"What's wrong with mom? She's been acting weird lately." She replied, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.

"She's just tired, honey." Her dad reassures her, giving her a small smile. "She's been working extra shifts at the hospital lately, and she's just worn out."

Hollyn didn't think her mom was just tired, but she didn't want to press her dad for answers. She trusted that he would tell her if something was really wrong. "Okay, if you say so."

"I do, and everything's going to be fine. I promise." He said, giving her a hug.

Hollyn nodded, trying to reassure herself that everything was okay as she leaned against him, hugging him tightly.