Long Distance

Ten-Austin

AFTER LEAVING SAM'S house, I drive my Mustang to the drive-through restaurant to get my mom and I dinner. I feel sorry for my mother. She loves me, but really, I'm all she has. Her parents are both dead, and she and her sister haven't talked since before we moved. And of course, the entire reason we did move was to get away from her abusive husband that was never there for her anyway. My mom acts lonely most of the time. She's talked about moving back to California, but honestly, I don't think that will happen. She's by herself a lot, because I'm a teenager, and naturally, I'm not home too much. I'm seeing her slow down. Her burning fire of hatred for my father lasted several years, but it's slowly been dying out. It's like she doesn't have any motivation anymore, and though she tries hard to be a good mom for me, I don't think she has a lot left in her. It breaks my heart to watch, so lately, I've kind of been taking care of her. She says she's fine, but I can't tell she's not. She needs help, but refuses it.

I find my mom on the computer when I enter the house. Dressed in her light pink bathrobe, wearing house slippers, and no makeup, her mousy brown hair falling down her back.

"Hey, mom? I brought us home some dinner."

She looks around at me, as though unaware that I've come home.

"Oh! Oh, thanks, honey," she exclaims.

I walk to the kitchen and set the table, setting out our food. Mom sits down, a purple coffee mug clasped between her hands.

"Are you feeling okay?" I ask her.

"Yes, I'm fine...where were you?"

"Sam's house," I reply, "why?"

She shrugs. "Just curious."

Taking a bite of my food, I try to think of something else to say, but she beats me.

"What's going on with you and Lexi?"

I look up at her, shocked. "Um...we're fine I guess..."

Mom smirks. "Austin, honey, I know where you were last night. You may have told me that you were going to Blake's but I saw you walking with Taylor when I went out to run an errand."

Uh-oh. Busted.

"Mom, stay out of this please," I murmur.

"Are you cheating on Lexi? Because you need to be honest, you'll have to choose one of them in the end...girls work and think differently than boys, and I don't want you to break their

heart-"

"Mom, I don't need your freaking relationship advice!" I snap.

She shuts up instantly and looks down at her coffee. "I'm just trying to help-"

"Well I don't need your help, okay?"

I stand, gathering my dinner, and storm off to my bedroom.

What's wrong with me? Why did I just treat my mother like that? I was thinking about how broken she was becoming, and then I went and yelled at her when she was trying to help.

Only, I'm confused. Confused about if I am doing something wrong or not. I feel like I am, I feel like such a bad person. I love Lexi, I miss her so much. But Taylor...I have feelings for her too. It's not love, at least not yet. But there's something about her...she's kind, and outgoing, and smart, and beautiful.

Something my mom said keeps popping into my brain. I'll have to choose one eventually.

So now, I'm faced with the problem of who.

•••

The next morning I am awoken by my cell phone ringing. Groping around for it on my nightstand and rubbing sleep out of my eyes, I bring it to my ear.