"Tristan!"
I stopped writing and looked up from my textbook.
"Tristan!" my stepdad was yelling from down stairs. I quickly got up from my desk and moved towards the stairs.
"Don't make me ask you again!"
I rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen where my dad was sitting. "Someone's askin' for you on the phone."
I nodded and took the phone from him. He wiped his nose before walking away. I waited until he was out of the room before putting the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Tris!" Brad's warm voice filled my ears. I smiled, thinking back to the last time I saw him.
"Hi! What's up?"
"Not much. I was just wondering the same about you."
"I'm just doing some homework."
I heard Brad laugh over the phone and my stomach did a flip. It felt good knowing I could make him laugh.
"On a Saturday?"
I felt myself flush. "Uh-um I have nothing better to do."
"I can think of something better than homework."
My face got even redder. I could practically hear his smile through the phone.
"Wanna see a movie later?"
I opened my mouth a few times, words never forming.
"Tristan?"
"I-yes! Sorry, yes. That w-would be, um, fun. Yes."
There was a brief pause. "Great! Great. Uh, does a 4:30 showing work? I know that's kind of soon and we can totally move it to a later- "
"It's perfect." I said quickly, growing embarrassed as I heard Brad chuckle.
"Okay, then. Meet at the park at 4?"
"I'll see you then."
"It's a date!" Brad added quickly before hanging up.
I placed the phone back on the wall with a smile on my face. A date? I had a date with Brad!
I looked up from the table and saw my mother staring directly at me. The smile slid off my face.
"That's the most I've heard you speak in a long time," she spoke quietly. It looked like she was going to cry. I just stared at her.
"And you have friends!"
I nodded.
"Oh my baby." She had that same distant look behind her eyes. She floated over and wrapped her arms around me. "I'm so proud of you."
I felt like crying as I hugged her back. I was confused and overwhelmed. I hadn't heard those words from a parent in so long. "Thank you, mom." I felt her squeeze a little harder before she let go, patted my cheek, smiled, turned, and walked back down the hallway.
I didn't move for a few moments. I was still processing everything that had happened in the last five minutes or so.
I looked behind me at the clock on the stove. 3:30.
I shook my head to clear it and took a deep breath. I had some time to kill before meeting Brad. I couldn't focus enough to go back to homework,so I decided to make something to eat. I grabbed a packaged meal from the freezer and put it in the microwave, the smile returning to my face.
