Someone Like Him

Chapter 31

BIG NEWS!!!: the rewritten SLH is up on my account!! Of course, if you're interested in my super super old writing (from my teenage years), this story will still be on here. But the rewritten SLH will be newer and re-edited! I would so appreciate it if you went and checked it out <3

Chapter 31

At around ten in the morning on Saturday, the doorbell rings. My parents are out of town again, so obviously I have to go down and get it.

I don't have plans today until the late afternoon with Will.

I open up the door and I come face to face with Will's mom.

"Oh, hi Mrs. Lawrence, how are you?" I ask her with a smile, motioning her to come in.

"I'm doing fine," she replies.

"My parents aren't here—"

She cuts me off and says, "Oh no, I'm not here to talk to them. I came here to see you!"

I laugh and nod, taking her to the living room. She sits on the couch and I sit on the chair across from her.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" I ask her, crossing my legs.

Her expression becomes serious, and she stares at me, "You've heard about about Will's—ah—dilemma, right?"

I study her expression, "You mean the Peace Corps program?" She nods.

"Yeah, he told me last week."

Her face lights up, "Oh that's wonderful. So have you talked him into doing it?"

I give her a quick glance before staring at the ground. Was I supposed to?

"This is such a great opportunity for him. He can do great things in life and this will look so great in college applications."

"Is he really going to do it?" I question her.

She stares at me with her blue eyes--just like Will's.

"Of course he is. I warned you once that it's possible for us to leave. The only reason that he's not doing it is because of—well, I guess we both know why he has delayed his trip."

"It's me, isn't it?" I ask her.

She folds her hands together and stares at them in silence, waiting for a few seconds before replying.

"You're a very sweet girl, and I'm glad he has met you, but you guys are only in high school. Did you guys really think everything could've gotten far?"

I don't answer her.

"He told us to give him a small break from making his decision. The only thing stopping him from making his future right," she tells me, "is you."

"I don't want him to leave me," I say stubbornly, twisting the blue bracelet on my wrist.

"Ashley," she says calmly, "You can't just think about yourself. If he goes, wouldn't that help him so much in life? You want him to do good and help others, right?"

My selfish self tries to block all of her words from me.

She gets up from the couch.

"Look, I didn't come here to tell you what to do. I'm just saying—as his mother—he should choose something that will for sure help him learn than to choose something that might only be temporary. I'm not trying to be rude—I promise—but it's just that it's been too long. He needs to make his decision, and maybe you can help him make the right one."