Everything I'm Not ~ Solangelo

Chapter 24

I skipped downstairs to the the kitchen on Monday morning in an unusually good mood. Hazel was already at the table, serving herself a plate of toast. 

"Hey, Nico," she said as I entered the room. 

"G'morning, Hazel," I answered, seating myself across from her. 

"I won't be riding home with you, today," she announced. 

I looked up at her, "Why?"

"I'm going to hang out with Piper and Annabeth after school," she explained. "Is that okay?"

I nodded, "Sure, have fun. I'll see you when you get home."

Hazel grinned, "Great."

We finished breakfast and hurried out the door to board the bus. When I arrived at school, Will was in his usual place. As soon as he spotted me stepping off the bus, he grinned and jogged towards me. 

"Hey, Nico," he said. 

"Hi, Will," I answered. 

He looped his arm through mine, "What'd you think of our date?"

"It was pretty great," I said. "But I could do better."

Will raised his eyebrows, "Is that a challenge I hear?"

A smirk crept across my face, "Indeed it is."

"Well then, game on," Will responded. "But, you might want to give up now."

I looked at him quizzically, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I want you to meet my mom tonight," Will answered. 

The color drained from my face, "What?"

"I'm taking you to meet my mom," Will repeated. "It'll be great."

"No, no, no! Bad idea!" I protested. 

"Why?" Will asked. 

"We've been dating like, what, a week? And you want me to meet your mother? In case you haven't already noticed, I'm not exactly a huge people person," I reminded him. 

"You could be if you tried," Will replied. 

"I do try!" I retorted. "You can't imagine how hard I try. Sadly, I can't just walk into a room, smile, and start talking to people like you can."

Will chuckled, "You don't have to be Prince Charming, you just have to be Nico."

I glared at him, "Thanks, Plato. Only problem with that plan is that most people don't like Nico."

Will met me with his brilliant blue eyes, "I like Nico. Doesn't that count for something?"

I couldn't help but smile a little. "Yes," I answered. "That's all that counts."

Will patted my shoulder, "Good. As long as you hold onto that, everything's going to be fine."

I took comfort in his words. Will believed in me. Will loved me. Even if nobody else in the world did, Will always would. Somehow, he managed to make everything seem okay. 

We joined the sea of students stampeding through the doors and followed them to my locker. Even though I was with Will, I still couldn't ignore the foul feeling in my gut. 

When school finally ended, I packed up as quickly as I could. I stood at my locker, desperately trying to recall what books I needed for homework, but all I could think about was meeting Will's mom. Would she like me? Would she hate me? Would she insist we get married on the spot, or never let me see Will again? My gut twisted at the thought of meeting her.