1985
Boston, Massachusetts
"Why did you take so long to pick up the phone? I was worried sick!"
"Sorry mom... I thought it was someone else."
"I want to talk. I'm coming over."
June shivered. Maybe her mom heard everything that happened the night prior. She didn't want to talk about it and thought that maybe she could make something up... but no. Her mom was coming over and it was going to be bad. June could handle confrontation from anyone, but her own mom... June noticed the tone and it wasn't flattering. It was a very serious and urgent tone, and June knew that she would probably be scolded by her mom as soon as her mom arrived to her apartment.
June opened the door to be greeted by a tight mom hug.
"How are you, honey?"
"I'm okay, mom. Why do you ask?"
"Why did you leave so early?"
"I..." June paused. "I needed to clean my apartment."
"Does this had to do with Conan and what happened yesterday?"
June sighed and closed her eyes, defeated. "Yes."
June's mom came and sat on the couch. June instinctively sat beside her. Being raised as a Christian, June was absolutely sure she would be called out for her behavior, if her mom heard everything, she would know about the kiss...
"I know that you've been jumping Conan's window since you were fifteen." her mom began.
June panicked. She stuttered nervously. "Mom, mom... I'm..."
"I did think you deserved a nasty beating back then." she continued. "But I thought about my childhood instead."
"I always told you that you could date whoever you wanted to." June remained silent and teary.
"I never told you anything about sex. I don't know if you both ever had sex and it's not my business." June's mom continued. "But I want you to know that I never wanted to raise you like my parents did. And I won't."
June nodded. "But we never had sex, mom. I just felt safe with him, because I always sleep alone..."
"I see." June's mom sighed. "You like the boy a lot, right?"
June got teary. "Yes."
"Does he know that?" June's mom now looked slightly concerned.
June shook her head. "I'm not sure. I don't think so... I was angry last night but I never told him more than that..."
Both sighed. June didn't know if she would see Conan ever again. She would miss him desperately. She hadn't thought about that until that moment. He said he was going to California. The other side of the country. Not impossible to meet and hang out eventually but... what worried June the most was the way Lindsey appeared to control Conan, like a puppet. Maybe her sudden change of mind was another way to keep him in check. June wanted to say this to him, but she... didn't want to lose him, or to break his heart. She hated not knowing it, because it affected their friendship in so many ways.
Or maybe... June should just let it go. Let go of Conan. Letting go of Conan would also mean letting go of his family. She would have to let go of her memories with them, she would have to get rid of her photos with him and start over... in another city maybe. Boston and Brookline were... him. He showed the places to eat and have fun, and the aquarium, and... how was she going to visit those places and not think of him? June had to admit for the first time that all of this meant she liked Conan more than a friend, but no, not like a brother. She had to tell him.
But she needed to talk to someone else first.
