Triangles

1- Opportunity

Mitch was lying on his bed, listening to music, when the door to his bedroom opened. "Hello?" He called out, removing his headphones.

"Mitch, could you please come downstairs? Your dad and I need to have a talk with you," his mom told him, speaking softly.

"Uh, yeah, I'll be there in a second." Mitch reluctantly rolled out bed. He knew what to expect from these "talks." They usually addressed his bullying situation, asking him how things were going and what they could do to help, even though they all knew there was nothing they could do that they hadn't tried already. The talks were pointless.

But, he would never disobey his parents wishes, so he trudged downstairs and had a seat at the dining room table, bracing himself for the upcoming conversation.

"What's up?" Mitch asked expectantly.

"We need your opinion on something," his dad began.

That got Mitch's attention. These discussions usually didn't start out with his parents asking for his opinion. "Okay..." He waited for his dad to continue speaking.

"Well, we've been talking back and forth with the Hoying's-"

"Are they coming to visit?!" Mitch exclaimed. Mitch loved the Hoying's, they were like a second family for him. If they didn't live two hours away from each other, he and Scott would be best friends.

"No. But if you want to, you can visit them."

There was a pause in the conversation. "Can you guys stop being so cryptic? I don't understand."

"We definitely should've thought of this sooner," Mrs. Grassi continued, "you've been miserable for too long."

"I haven't been miserable," Mitch lied. "I have Kirstie." Kirstie was Mitch's best friend, the only friend that had stuck with him when he had been unwillingly outed to the entire school, and he became public enemy number one.

"Mitch, you don't have to lie to us. We're your parents, and we can tell how you feel." Another long silence. "Anyways, the Hoying's offered to have you come stay with them for the rest of your junior year. And, if all goes well, you could go back and finish your senior year with them as well."

Mitch was shocked. "Are you serious? They said I could live with them?"

Mrs. Grassi smiled at her son. "Yes. They want you to be happy just as much as we do."

"Oh my god. Yes! Yes I want to stay with them! When can I leave?"

---

The Hoying's dinner was interrupted by the sound of their home phone ringing.

"Answer it, it could be the Grassi's," Mrs. Hoying told her husband.

Scott looked up from his meal. Why would the Grassi's be calling? Are they coming to visit?

Mr. Hoying left the dinner table to pick up the phone. "Hello?" Scott strained to hear what was being said on the other side of the line. "That's great! Ok, we'll let Scott know. Talk to you guys later!"

"Are the Grassi's coming over this weekend?" Scott asked.

"No. It's something much more important," his dad answered, returning to his seat at the table.

"Um, okay? Are you going to tell me about it?"

"Scott," his mom began, "you know about Mitch's situation at school, right?"

Scott lowered his eyes. "Yeah," he mumbled. He hated knowing that Mitch was suffering. He wished that he lived closer to him so he could make him feel better.

"Your father and I offered for him to come live with us for the rest of the school year. His parents thought it was a good idea, and they just called to tell us that Mitch wants to come stay here!"

Scott's heart rate picked up considerably at the news. Mitch? In the same house as me?

Scott knew he liked Mitch from the moment they first met, at five years old. Just when he thought he was over him, the Grassi's would come to visit, and all his feelings resurfaced. Now he was going to live with him? How would he survive?