Scholar

Seventeen

"Geez, you woke up later than usual," Chelsea commented as I ascended down the stairs. I gave her the most loving look I could muster; a glare. She laughed and rolled her eyes. "It's two o'clock. What time did you go to sleep?"

"I don't know," I mumbled in reply, sitting next to her on the couch. That was kind of a lie. Ryan didn't leave until three that morning, so I definitely went to sleep later than usual. Plus, I waited an hour for him to text me that he got home safe. It took him about 30 minutes to get home, but he forgot to text me. So, yeah, I went to sleep kind of late. 

"Hey, at least he won't be getting sick anytime soon with all this sleep," our mom chimed in from the kitchen. "Your immune system wakes up when you go to sleep!" Yeah, we knew that by now. It was her favorite thing to tell us.

"There you go, Chels. Just trying to stay healthy," I told her with a smirk. She squinted her eyes at me and pouted. 

"There's something going on with you," she said. I shook my head.

I wanted to wait a couple of days before telling her about Ryan. Mainly because, even though he told me not to, I was still stressing about the big thing in our future. College. I just wondered if this would all be worth it knowing it would end in heartbreak later. 

I went into the kitchen, and my mom was sitting at the wooden dining table, some papers in front of her. I glanced over her shoulder.

"What's that?" I asked, curiously. My mom sighed and shook her head.

"The file on this poor baby coming in tonight. She's thirteen. She's in a coma because her dad was drunk driving and crashed. He died on impact, but she's barely hanging on," my mom explained. I was going to make a joke about patient confidentiality and how she shouldn't have told me that, but I didn't think that was the appropriate time.

"Good riddance to him," I mumbled. My mom smiled a little.

"Her mom is moving her now that she's stable because she says the other hospital isn't doing anything to help her, but looking over this, I don't know what anyone can do but her. She's suffered irreversible brain damage for sure. Maybe, the best thing they can do is have mercy on her and let her go."

"Really, you think that?" I asked. That was uncharacteristically bleak of her. Whenever she said things like that, I couldn't help but worry that maybe she was going back to old, toxic mentalities. 

"I mean, she's thirteen, and she has her whole life ahead of her and all that. But she's going to be spending most of that life on pain medicine, needing a caregiver, maybe not being able to talk or remember anything, probably not able to finish school...it's sad. That doesn't even cover all the psychological issues the poor baby definitely has." She sighed and placed her hand on her forehead. "Just saying, she won't have a happy life." I nodded.

"I hope whatever happens is in her favor," I said simply, unsure of what else to say. She nodded.

"Me too, baby," she agreed. I walked away and grabbed a cup, turning on the faucet and filling it with water. I turned it off and walked over to Chelsea, sitting next to her and taking a long drink.

"Who was in your room last night?" she asked quietly. I, being the cool and collected man I was, gasped while I was drinking and spit water out all over myself and the floor. I coughed and slammed my fist into my chest, putting the cup on the small coffee table next to the couch.

"What?" I asked, coughing a couple more times.

"You're really gonna play stupid after that reaction?" she asked. I nodded, catching my breath. She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Do you have a boyfriend?" I laughed, but it was completely because of my nerves.

"No," I said sharply.

"Then who was here yesterday? Jordan? Ava? Ryan?" I shrugged simply.

"Me?" I responded. She crossed her arms. I saw her eyebrows move towards the center of her face and the corners of her lips turn down. She turned around and leaned over the back of the couch, facing the kitchen.

"Mom!" she shouted. "Alex has a boyfriend!" I glared at her, my mouth agape, and moved to be in the same position as her.

"No, I don't!" I shouted. "What are you, six?"

"Yeah, sixteen."

"We're seventeen, you idiot."

"Mom! Alex called me an idiot! And he has a boyfriend!"

"She's lying! I never said that, and I don't have a boyfriend!" Our mom appeared in front of us, her arms crossed.

"Alright, what's going on?" she asked. "Are you being serious? Alex, you have a boyfriend?"

"Oh my God, no!" I insisted.

"You know I wouldn't be mad if you did," she replied.

"I know, but I don't."

"Alright," she said suspiciously. "But if you do, or if you get one, just remember you still have to wear a condom."

"Gross," I mumbled, my face burning up as I turned around and place my hands over my ears.

"Really," she said, pulling my hands away from my ears. "Yeah, there's obviously no chance of pregnancy, but there could still be STDs spread."

"Mom, gross, I don't want to hear this."

"Me neither," Chelsea agreed. My mom laughed and let go of my hands.

"Well, you already heard it so just don't forget it," our mom said, and I sighed.

"Yeah, I wish I could." I mumbled.

"Alex, come on, you can tell me!" Chelsea insisted as our mom walked away. Sure, I could tell her, but I might as well have punched her in the face while I was at it.

"Chels, really, no one was here. I think whatever you hear was me just getting food."

"Since when do you leave your precious room for snacks? You wouldn't leave your bed once you're in it even if the house were burning down!"

"And when, exactly, did you start studying my night habits?"

"As an avid midnight snacker, I know for a fact that you do not get up for snacks!"

"Creep," I mumbled. Chelsea groaned.

"You can't keep this secret forever!" Believe me, I wished I could have.

"There is no secret." Lying was so hard for me, and I knew that made me awful at it, but that didn't stop me. Chelsea finally gave up.

"I'll drop this...for now. You're telling me about this boyfriend sooner or later," she said. I scoffed.

"Don't hold your breath."

~~~

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