𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄, tommy eaton

five

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟒
𝟗:𝟒𝟓𝐚𝐦

in the few hours of the car ride courtney and her mother had already listened to 3 madonna cds, singing along badly to every single song.

"because the man with the cold hard cash is always mr right!" courtney sang loudly, kerry tozier giggled softly.

kerry adjusted the volume of the cars radio causing courtney to pout at her. "inwanna talk to you about something" kerry spoke, her soft exterior crumbling as she gave her daughter a serious look.

"the family you're staying with have a son your age" kerry stated.

"oh" courtney frowned, now more anxious to be staying with them.

"do not have sex with him" kerry added on to her previous statement.

courtney eyes grew wide as she choked on the air. "what?!" she exclaimed.

"your father asked me to have the talk with you," kerry sighed. "i know it's something you wouldn't do"

"can we please put madonna back on" courtney asked, looking up at her mother who was giggling at her.

"wow that really shook you up, huh" kerry laughed softly.

"madonna!" courtney exclaimed. "put her back on!"

"alright, alright" kerry laughed, readjusting the volume of the radio. "keep your pants on, especially around tommy"

"mom!" courtney scolded, hiding her face with her hand.

"sorry," the woman grinned. "i'll stop now"

────

kerry had warned courtney about how close they were, but she thought nothing of it at the time. however, as the pair pulled up in the driveway of the eaton household courtney realised just how serious her mother had been.

"is it too late to turn back now?" courtney asked her mother as she hesitantly undid her seatbelt.

"just a bit" kerry nodded, closing the car door as she walked around towards the trunk.

"worth a shot" courtney mumbled to herself as she climbed out of the family car.

"courtney, hun, can you help me with your bags?" kerry shouted from the back of the car.

"yeah, sure" courtney agreed as she walked towards the back of the car, where her mother struggled to pull a suitcase from the trunk.

she reached into the trunk of the car, grabbing the handle of one of her bags and effortlessly lifting it up.

"how?" kerry spoke breathlessly. "how did you do that?"

"it's easy" courtney grinned, shrugging as she softly giggled.

"yeah, okay" kerry smiled at her daughter, shaking her head.

suddenly, the front door of the house opened, revealing a petite blonde woman who looked to be in her mid thirties.

"kerry!" the woman exclaimed, a wide smile appearing on her face as she ran out of the house. she engulfed kerry into a tight hug, all while courtney stood awkwardly at the side.

"and little courtney," the woman now focused her attention on the younger girl. "although i suppose you're not little anymore"

"it's great to see you again rachel!" kerry smiled warmly at her old friend.

"what are you waiting for?" rachel asked. "come on in!"

the two present members of the tozier family followed the middle aged women into her home, only to be greeted by a man looking roughly around the same age.

"kerry, it's lovely to see you again!" the man exclaimed. "and courtney, you've gotten much taller"

courtney smiled politely, giving her mother a look as the woman only shrugged back.

"it's great to see you too, chris" kerry smiled.

"come on courtney, i'll show you to your bedroom for the summer" rachel smiled as she reached to pick up one of her bags.

"thank you" courtney smiled back at the woman, following her up the stairs as her mother conversed with chris eaton.

────

"i know it's not much," rachel sighed, opening the door to the family spare bedroom. "but you can decorate it in any way you want!"

"well, you can't paint it or anything but you can put pictures up if you'd like" she added on.

"thank you," courtney smiled warmly, pleasantly surprised by her mother's choice of friends. "it means a lot to me actually"

"i want you to feel at home here, dear" rachel spoke as she sat down on the queen sized bed.

"i know it must suck to be separated from your friends for the summer, but i assure you my boy tommy is a delight" the woman smiled at the thought of her son. "his friends are lovely, most of them at least"

"teenage boys? most aren't as lovely as they seem" courtney sighed.

"oh don't i know it, dear" rachel laughed. "when i was in high school, with your mother, i was in love with this guy. his name was john bender, he was a total player but i wanted him more than anything"

"sorry hun, i ramble too much" rachel snapped out of her trance.

"no, no, it's okay!" courtney smiled. "i quite enjoy talking about things like this"

"well then we can gossip as much as you want," the older woman grinned. "but right now you've got to unpack!"

rachel got up from the bed, walking over the the door. "i'll leave you to it for now, shout me if you need anything".

────

"courtney?" kerry shouted up the stairs of the eaton household, catching the attention of her youngest child. "i'm leaving now!"

courtney rushed down the stairs, engulfing her mother into a bear hug as soon as she reached the bottom.

"i love you" she whispered into her neck as a small tear trickled down her cheek.

"don't cry, love" kerry giggled as she pulled away, wiping the tear away with her thumb. "you'll see me again so soon, it'll feel like you didn't even have to wait"

"i'll miss you" she smiled, blinking away the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"i'll miss you too," kerry shared her smile. "but i've got to go now"

courtney watched through the window in the living room as her mother pulled out of the driveway, waving as she caught her mother eye.

the woman waved back before driving away.

and there she was, in her home for the summer.