Full Count

thirteen

So fishing is a four-and-a-half-hour-long activity when you're with AJ and his friends, but it wasn't all that bad. Jordan and Zach ended up catching something so they stopped complaining about AJ catching all the fish and Andrew can keep a conversation for a long time about the most random shit on the planet. But now AJ and I are on the way to his house to get his stuff.

"You don't look too excited." I say pointing out the obvious.

"Well I rather not see Pops, but I can't avoid him for forever. I'm just hoping he's not home."

"Yeah let's hope." I reply which seems to end the conversation.

AJ turns on to his street and slows down when we near the house and with his luck his dad isn't home.

"Hey, look he's not home." I say once again pointing out the obvious because I'm not too sure about what to do in this situation.

"Thank god." AJ mutters pulling into the driveway and cutting the engine. "I rather make this fast just in case he gets home. Can you get the mail for me though?"

I shake my head yes and climb out of the truck and head towards the mailbox as AJ goes into the house. Once I get the mail that only has AJ's name on it or things that look like bills I start walking up the driveway Mom calls me.

"Hey Mom." I answer kind of debating on asking her why she called since she never calls me.

"Hey do you have any idea when you and AJ will be home?"

"I mean we shouldn't be too much longer. We're at his dads getting somethings and then we should be on the way home. Why?"

"Annabelle is getting antsy waiting for AJ to come home. She's excited."

"I thought she'd be since she practically jumped at the idea."

"It was a good idea. She thinks AJ's going to love it."

"He'd be stupid not to." I tell mom as AJ walks out of the house. "But I gotta go AJ just got out of the house. We should be home soon."

"Who was that?" He asks throwing his stuff in the backseat.

"Mom. She wanted to know when we were getting home."

Somehow that makes AJ smile.

"What are you smiling about?" I ask once we pull out of the driveway.

"You said we."

"We live together. What else am I supposed to say?" I really didn't think that saying 'we' would be such a big deal but thinking about it has me smiling a little bit too.

"I don't know."

"Exactly." I say handing him his mail when we pull up to a stop sign. "I looked through the mail and grabbed the things that said your name and just left the rest in there."

"That's fine." He says grabbing the few pieces of mail. He shuffles through them and then stops on a red envelope that has his name written on it. He runs his hand through his hair and then throws the mail on the dashboard.

-

"Mom we're home." I yell through the house once we get inside.

Anna and Mom make their way down the stairs a few seconds later.

"Finally, you guys were gone for like a million years." Anna says running up to AJ and then hugging him. "I have something to show you." She tells him after she lets go of his body.