𝐌𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍 | 𝖩𝗈𝖻𝖾 𝖡𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗁𝖺𝗆

¹³. 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗏𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗂𝗇𝗀

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━   𝖠𝖫𝖤𝖷 𝖵𝖠𝖫𝖤

AS SOON AS I got the text from Jobe inviting me to his game next week, I practically jumped out of my skin with excitement. Of course, I wanted to go. Who wouldn't? But then reality hit, and with it came three problems: work, Uncle Joe, and, finally, my mom.

Convincing Uncle Joe about work wasn't going to be too difficult—I could already imagine his gruff but understanding nod when I told him why I needed the time off. Work was manageable.

But my mom? That was a whole different story.

The disagreement we'd had was still fresh in both our minds, and I knew it was going to influence whatever answer she gave me. Even though we rarely fought, the tension between us right now made me hesitate. Would she see this as another excuse to avoid responsibility? Would she shut me down without hearing me out?

I sighed, pacing the room with my phone still clutched in my hand. My excitement dulled slightly at the thought of how complicated this could get. I stared at Jobe's text again, his words practically radiating warmth:

"You should come to my game that's coming up. I know you're busy tho, but I can get tickets for you, Layla, and Ethan."

The fact that he remembered my friends made my chest flutter. It wasn't just the thoughtfulness of the invitation—it was that he cared enough to include them. It showed me that he'd been paying attention, that he understood how important Layla and Ethan were in my life.

A small smile crept onto my face despite the lingering stress. I reread the message, letting it sink in. He didn't have to say anything big or extravagant—just that little effort, that little gesture, was enough to make me feel special.

I was gearing up to FaceTime the group chat, ready to tell Layla and Ethan about Jobe's invitation to his football game next week. The excitement was bubbling up inside me, but there was also a tiny sliver of nervousness.

Would they be as thrilled as I was? Or would Ethan, being Ethan, find a way to turn this into something hilarious at my expense? Either way, I knew I couldn't keep this to myself. They had to know—and I needed them there, not just for moral support but because I genuinely wanted to share the experience with them.

I opened the chat and hit the FaceTime button, already anticipating their reactions.

"Oh my fucking God, Alex. What could you possibly want?" Ethan groaned, his face obnoxiously close to the screen. I could hear Uncle Joe's unmistakable laugh booming in the background. Definitely a family reunion.

I sucked my teeth, ignoring Ethan's theatrics. Before I could respond, Layla's face popped onto the screen, her bright smile lighting up my phone. Behind her, her dad shot her a side-eye, probably wondering what kind of chaos I was about to drag them into.