My Complicated Life

Chapter 12

 When Jason's mom arrived, Ryan asked us to step out in the hall so he could talk to his mom. We sat down on a bench near the elevator and tried to listen to what was going on in the room. Although we were near the door, we really couldn't hear anything. I traced the design on the bench cusion with my fingers as five, then ten minutes passed. 

"They can't have that much to talk about. Why can't we just leave?" Jason asked, more to himself than to me. I answered anyway.

"Maybe if you had said something while we were in there, he wouldn't have any concerns."

"Okay, well maybe I didn't want to share my life story with a stranger."

"Jason, he wasn't asking for your life story, he just wanted to know a few things about you to get to know you better."

"Whatever."

"You know he's going to make you come back," I said.

"Yeah," he sighed", I know."

 Finally his mom came back out and we stood up. She silently walked into the elevator, avoiding eye contact with us. I wasn't sure if she was mad, disappointed, or just ready to leave. When we reached the fancy lobby area, we headed out the glass doors and down the narrow concrete steps. As soon as we shut the doors and his mom began driving was when she finally spoke. 

"Jason you have to talk to the man," she said not angrily but with a firm tone.

"What if I don't want to," Jason said.

"Then we are just going to have to keep coming back until you do. Its not like he asked anything personal, this was strictly for him to just get to know you. So far he probably thinks your a hermit who never talks to anyone or leaves his room."

"So in other words, a teenager."

"Jason, I'm serious. Next time you have to talk to him," she said.

"Okay," he said.

For the next three weeks, we went twice a week to meet with Ryan. He continued to ask us some of the same stupid "getting to know you" kind of questions. We also met privately with him once. I'm pretty sure he's just trying to get through this wall Jason's put up and thought maybe if I wasn't in the room, he could crack him or something. I don't really know, but what I do know is that it didn't work. Eventually he told Jason's mom I didn't need to come anymore, because there was nothing wrong with me. I don't really think there's anything wrong with Jason, but how could Ryan think there wasn't. 

  Thanksgiving break ended and we now had two weeks before this death trip to Uncle Dave's. I was a little scared to be honest. My mom called at one point and asked if I wanted to come home for Christmas break. I decided to bring it up at the dinner table before making a final decision.

"So my mom asked if I wanted to come home for Christmas break," I said.

"That would be nice. I'm sure she'd appreciate having you home for a little while," Jason's mom said.

"Yeah I'm thinking about going since I won't miss school those two weeks," I said.

"I think you should go, but I also think you should come back in time to see your dad when he first gets out of jail," she said.

"Wait does this mean I would have to go to Uncle Dave's by myself?" Jason asked.

"Jason it wouldn't kill you and she needs to go see her family," Jason's mom said.

"She can go, but I'm absolutely not going to Uncle Dave's by myself," he protested.

"Jason you are going to your uncle's house no matter what," she said.