This Boy And The Depression That Comes With It

Chapter Twenty Six

"That boy," She looks at Dakota, who is in the kitchen, getting me another glass of water. "..is more than a friend to you, isn't he?" This catches me off guard. How could she tell? I mean, we've been distancing ourselves from each other, while my mother is around, except for when he's giving me water. I told him to be cautious around her, so she doesn't suspect anything, but I guess that wasn't enough. "Mom.." I start, but she cuts me off. "It's okay, sweetie. I can tell he is more than a friend to you. Just by the way you two look at one another. It's the way your father and I used to look at each other. I know love when I see it, Rissa, and it's definitely there."

"Are you mad?" I ask her. Dakota walks up, putting the glass on the table, and I grab his hand. "No. I'm not mad. You're fifteen. It's good that you're dating. I don't like the fact that you've been lying to me, but I can look past that. The two of you are a wonderful couple, and I'm not just saying that because I'm your mother, but because it's true. I can tell how happy he makes you, and the way he not only brought you home, but voluntarily stuck around to make sure you were okay, is truly something." she smiles and switches her gaze to look at Dakota. He squeezes my hand and I can feel his body tense up. "Don't hurt her." She demands. "I won't. She means the world to me, and I don't ever want to lose her." He assures her.

"It's getting late. You should probably get heading home. I can take care of her from here. Thank you for everything Dakota. We appreciate it." My mom says to Dakota. "Yes. My mom is probably wondering where I've been. You're welcome, Alison. See you soon." He turns to me, "I'll call you when I get home. Good night." He kisses me on the forehead, and heads out the door. I hear his car start and pull out of the drive way and my mom looks at me. "I like that boy. He's good for you." She smiles, and it quickly fades. "Now, would you mind informing me on how long you've been keeping this from me, young lady?"

"We've been dating for a while now. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, it's just that I wasn't sure how you would take it. I mean, I'm your little girl, and I'm growing up. I really am sorry mommy.." She walks over to me, and sits down next to me. She embraces me in a hug and kisses my forehead. "I know. My little girl is growing up, and it sucks, but that's life. I'm glad everything is out in the open and I expect to be seeing that boy around here a lot more." She finishes and gets up. "Well, I'm going to head off to bed. You should too." She hands me two water bottles and I head towards my room. "Oh, and sweetie, I don't think you should go to school tomorrow. I don't want you to risk having another break down. Sleep in."

"Thanks mom." I smile and close my door, putting the water bottles on my bedside table and turning on my iPod. I lay down and check my phone. As soon as I pick it up, Dakota calls. "Hey baby." I greet. "Hey. You feeling okay?" He asks concerned. "Yeah. I have a stack of water bottles and a glass of water with me. I was just about to head off to bed, before you called me." I inform him, and take a sip of my water. "Well, I should let you sleep then. Oh, and Rissa, I'm glad your mom knows about us now. She seems really nice and understanding about all of this." I smile. "Yeah. She said she likes you and hopes to see you around here a lot more."

"She will. Now, you need to rest. Goodnight darling. I'll see you tomorrow. I assume you won't be going to school, so I'll stop by afterwards."

"Okay. Goodnight." I hang up and start to fall asleep when I hear somebody knocking on my bedroom window. It's Patrick.

I get up and open the window. "Hey. Are you okay? What was with the whole scene earlier? I didn't see you all day after. I needed to talk to you." He asks, not taking a breath between questions. "I'm fine. I've been getting severe stomach pains lately. Dakota brought me home and he's been here taking care of me all day. He only just left a couple minutes ago. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"We need to finish our conversation from earlier.. I need to know how you feel about me." Shit. I don't want to have this conversation with him right now. "Patrick.. I love you, I do.. But only as a friend. I mean, we've been best friends for years, and I'm with Dakota now. I'm sorry, but I don't see anything happening between us. Last night was a one time thing. It can't happen again." I try to let him down easy, but it pains me to tell him this. He's my best friend and I don't want to lose him or make him upset. "Oh.." He says and heads over to the window, to leave. "Patrick. Wait." He turns around to face me. "I don't want this changing anything between us. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you." He looks down and fiddles with his hands. He looks up. "You won't lose me, Rissa. I love you, remember? I get it. Really. I understand what you're saying completely. You're with Dakota. What happened last night, is already forgotten. It will stay between us. You could never lose me, Marissa. You're my best friend." He hugs me and I kiss his cheek. He climbs out the window and starts jogging down the street. He only lives a block away.

I close the window and climb back into bed. I take a drink of my water and quickly fall asleep.