The Fools

Chapter Three: A.. thing?

Galen

Ryder and mom seemed to hit it off pretty well and honestly, I'm not surprised. Ryder is like her in many ways like how she's loud and obnoxious. She used to tell me stories of back when she was younger she was horrible. She smoked constantly, drank and partied all the time, ran away from home constantly, would cuss her parents out, drove without a license, and has been arrested a handful of times for minor things. I don't think Ryder is half as bad as she was. At the most, he drives without a license and drinks on occasion. Thinking my mom is more of a rebel than Ryder is weird to me. I suppose that's why I can handle him.

I stood outside and waved to Ryder as he walked home. I wonder if he will be okay. "Oh, Gaaaaaaaaalen. Wanna tell me just why is it that handsome friend of yours was able to get you to get a piercing and your loving mother couldn't?" I slowly turned around with a heated face. I couldn't understand myself why I was so willing to go with him. "You wanna tell me anything? You know.. concerning crushes.."

"Mom!" I gasped, the thought of crushing on him never crossing my mind before. "I am not crushing on Ryder!"

"LIAR."

"I'M NOT."

"Well you SHOULD be I mean have you even looked at him? He's pretty handsome. Snake bites, that long hair, those eyes. Plus he's a bad boy and you need one of those."

"Mom I do not need a bad boy."

"Yeah, you do. He's probably going to be the one to change your ways."

Why does she assume I'm into guys? I can't even pick up a girl's eraser without the fear of touching her hand, much less having a guy for a significant other. Something like that takes much more courage than getting a piercing.. "I doubt it."

She raises a brow at me and I began to doubt my own words, genuinely only had said that to get her to leave me alone about it but clearly it didn't work. "Hun, I saw your mess of a room this morning. I was the one who put your things away. You were so particular about everything but now that Ryder walks you to school, you rush in the mornings. I see you."

I sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know.. I do do those things.."

"Its because you like him."

"As a friend!"

"Oh, Galen. You don't even know when you're crushing. So sad."

"Going to bed. Night."

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaleeeeeeeeeeeeen." She calls out as I run to my room. I spot the handkerchief Ryder gave me and toss it into a basket with my sheet and set that outside of my door for my mom. I then laid on my sheetless bed, only blankets and pillows adorning it now and not motivated enough to put a new sheet on it.

My phone lights up from its spot on my desk and I rush to grab it thinking it was some sort of amber alert but it wasn't. Its a text from Ryder. Its the first one I've gotten from him since I gave him my number weeks ago.

Ryder: so your mom is pretty cool

Me: I guess. cant really say she isn't since I don't have another mother to compare her too

Ryder: haha ya. I know a bunch of moms so I can say she is. surprisingly lenient

Me: a little too lenient in my opinion. aren't parents supposed to hound their kids into studying or if she knows her kids are hanging out with the bad crowd to tell them not to? My mom not only wants me to get into a bad crowd but she keeps telling me you're cute like she's trying to insinuate something.