For the second time since we had started hanging out, Conner was nowhere to be found when I woke up. I had slept until almost noon and my mom was already in her bedroom asleep. She was, no doubt, exhausted from her twelve hour shift at the hospital.
I tiptoed down to the kitchen, poured myself a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee, and sat at the island to eat. I scrolled through social media as I ate and finished my cup of caffeine, when the text tone dinged. It was Conner, asking Can we talk later?
Oh, God, that sounded foreboding. I waited a few minutes before responding, a weight settling in my gut. I finally gathered the bravery to text him back, saying yes. I told him that my mom would be working again tonight so we could talk here because we'd have the house to ourselves. The only response I got was an, okay, more than an hour later.
I kept myself busy all day, pacing, cleaning, packing, and doing laundry. My mom woke up around six that evening and ate the dinner that I had made for her. We hung out until it was time for her to go to work, talking about her job, and about how much I had gotten packed.
"So, are you ready for next week?" Mom asked me, smiling over her plate of chicken and mashed potatoes.
"Yeah, I think so. I've got everything packed, except for the stuff I'm still using," I responded.
"Good," she said. "That's my girl. Always prepared. Gosh I'm going to miss you." Her eyes started to tear up, and she swiped at her cheeks quickly, not prone to showing her emotions.
"I know, Mom. I'm going to miss you too," I reached across the table and grabbed her hand.
She sniffled, and smiled at me. "Okay, you cooked, so I'm cleaning up. Then it's off to work I go!"
YOU ARE READING
The Price of Falling
RomanceConner Price and Griffin Smithey have grown up in the same town. They went to the same school. But they had completely different personalities. He was the quintessential bad boy, and she was...well, she was a planner. She needed rules and order. And...
