Stay A Little Longer: A Short Story

•Ten•

"Lay off the junk food, Andy, and try not to get so stressed." the doctor explained to me at the hospital. I left Greyson at school until I came back towards the end of the day, when we're supposed to walk to get the rings.

As if she read my thoughts, the doctor turned around and whispered to me, "And congratulations on the wedding."

I thank her and walk out with my mom, who was on the phone with the planner.

"Yes, I have money for their suits and the groomsmen/women's outfits," I overhear her in the hall. "All I need is a place to hold the wedding, a cake, and catering. Alright... thanks so much!"

"Is everything running smoothly?" I ask while walking down the hall towards the exit.

"Totally smooth... like silk... almond milk..."

"Mom... please stop."

She just laughs and ruffles my hair. "What'd the doctor say?"

"Try not to get so stressed."

She looks at me with a look of doubt. We'd reached the car in the parking lot and she wouldn't unlock the doors.

"What?" I ask when she wouldn't stop staring at me.

"That's not all she said."

"Yes it is..."

"Andy. That is not all she said."

"Fine, she told me to lay off the junk foods."

She unlocks the doors and I jump in the passenger seat, and she falls into the driver's.

"You could've just said that, we'd have been on our way to the school by now," she starts the car and pulls out, heading out to take me back for my last couple classes.

"Well, if I'd have told you that, I wouldn't be able to eat cake!"

Silence for a moment as she thinks this over.

"That is correct," she says finally. "But, if you promise not to eat any junk food until the wedding... I'll let you eat as much of your cake as you'd like IF it doesn't get out of hand. Deal?"

"Totally!"

I will myself not to think about glazed goods or Mom's treats for after dinner...

"We're here," Mom interrupts my failed attempts at being junk food free.

"See you around dinner, Greyson's coming too," I reply, landing a small kiss on her forehead and opening the passenger door.

"That's fine, I was hoping so so we could plan without letting his parents know."

As I close the door and walk up to the front entrance, I think of how my mother has changed, keeping such a big secret from other adults. She was the one who taught me to be honest no matter what.

"Back are ya?" the old security guard at the main desk speaks in his old creepy sailor voice. "You'd'a thought a kid your age would take the opportunity of a doctor's appointment and skip the rest of the day."

"I promised someone I'd be back," I say shortly, then walk on through the doors without a second glance at the old coop.

I grab my books from my locker and, as quickly as I can, run to my second to last class, Foreign Language, where basically you can study whatever language you're comfortable with as long as you don't already speak it fluently.

There, Greyson is waiting for me in the last row, working in his French textbook. I plop down next to him with a quick hello and pull out my Spanish books. I like to keep it simple, and it's easier to learn Spanish than French, in my opinion.