Down In The Forest

Chapter 10

Later that day

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Tyler's P.O.V

I still need to ask my mum if we can afford that school trip. Don't get me wrong I really want to go, but if I have to choose between paying for a trip that's 20 minutes away and paying for food each night, I'm gonna go with the food. It felt so much better telling Josh about what happened but good knows I wasn't telling anyone else. I am greeted by my mum sitting at the laptop, her focus fixated on the screen.

"Hi," I say, going to get her attention. She looks up for a moment and smiles.

"Hi Tyler, how was school? Anything interesting happen?" She asks, sounding genuine interested.

I avoid the second question for obvious reasons.

"It was pretty boring I guess," I lie.

"If you say so." She looks back down at her computer. "I just got this email from school about a trip coming up soon, is that for you?"

"What, the one at Ellin Lodge?"

"That's the one." She scrolls down the screen and her eyes widen, she must've seen the price. "The hundred dollars for a few nights at a lodge twenty minutes away? That's ridiculous."

"Listen if you can't afford it that's OK. I've got some money left over and I can find other ways of making money." She shakes her head.

"I'm afraid you can't, not unless you make money really quickly. There's only limited spaces and it's only the first twenty to pay who get to go."

"Oh..." There's no way we can pay for the trip anyway, let alone before most of the rest of the class. "It's OK, I understand." Secretly, I was kind of disappointed. I would've been fun to depend a few days outside of school with my friends.

"I'm sorry," she says sadly. I walk over and hug her. She thinks it's her fault that we can't afford this kind of stuff, but it really isn't.

"Seriously, it's fine. Don't worry about it," I try to comfort her.

"I know you want to go Tyler. It's not fair that you can't. It's my fault, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. If rather have a house to live in and food to eat than go on a school trip." She looks up and smiles sadly. 

"You know, I think we might have a boy of money left. So you want me to check?"

"You don't have to, use it for something important."

"I'll check anyway, but I think it's only about one hundred and fifty dollars." I myself only had fifty dollars, and even if we did have $150 spare, it still wouldn't be enough to cover the cpoint. Honestly, I don't think there's any point. Another $100 isn't going to miraculously appear out of nowhere. I decide to text Josh and tell him I can't go. I don't know why, I just have nothing else to do.

-Hi, I can't go to that thing at Ellin Lodge. We have a bit of money left bit there isn't enough.

My mum returns and as expected we only have $150. I don't feel like playing music today so I watch TV instead, checking my phone regularly for a reply. After a few minutes I get one. 

Josh: Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that.

-I knew we didn't have enough money anyway so it hasn't come as a surprise.

Josh: Wait, how much do you have?

This reply confused me, why did he need to know?

-$200. Why...???