The "Nauty" List [BxB]

2 - hope you're not on the nauty list

November 28

Cassius Tuffin

"Mom?" Cassius called out, taking off his shoes and dropping his backpack off his shoulders.

"Oh, you're home!" she said, poking her head out from the living room. "Come see the rest of the decorations. I put them up while you and Delaney were at school."

Cassius didn't really care- the decorations went in the same places every year- but he followed her just to be nice.

"Do you like it?" she asked, showing him the finished tree and other things.

He nodded, taking a look around, "Yeah, looks good," he told her.

She smiled, and adjusted an ornament on the tree. Cassius needed to ask her about the Christmas party they were apparently having, but he didn't want to start another conversation about the holidays. He decided to ask her, for the sake of his curiosity and getting the neighbor boy his answer.

"Hey, mom?" he began.

She turned around, "Hmm?" she replied in a questioning tone.

"Are we having a party for Christmas?"

She nodded, "Yes we are- wait, did Delaney text you about it? I didn't tell you, I was waiting until you got home," she answered.

"The guy across the street wanted me to ask you something about it," he told her. "That's how I found out."

"Oh! Was it Robert?" she asked.

"Who's Robert?" Cassius asked in a confused tone.

"The man that lives across the street with his wife and son," she explained. "Was it him?"

He thought of what to say for a moment, "It was a boy named Arlo," he told her.

"Oh, yes, he's Robert's son," she said. "What did he ask you?"

"He wants to know the time that the party starts," he responded. "Says there wasn't an exact time on the invitation."

His mom scrunched her face up in thought, "I thought I might've been forgetting something... Oh well, tell him it starts at six in the afternoon!" she instructed.

Cassius hummed, "Okay, I will."

He went back to the house's small front foyer, put his shoes and jacket back on and walked out the front door. He wanted to ask his mom more details about the party but that talk could go on for hours. Once he reached the end of his driveway he looked both ways for oncoming vehicles and crossed the street to Arlo's house. He walked up the driveway and up the steps to the front porch, knocking on the door.

A moment later, a woman opened the door, "Oh hello, Cassius! What can I help you with?"

He wondered how this lady knew his name, then he thought that maybe she was friends with his mom or something.

"Um, I'm here to see Arlo," he told her.

"Really? I didn't know you two were friends," she replied. "He's probably up in his room, go ahead."

Cassius hadn't intended to make it seem like he'd come to hang out with Arlo, but he must've worded it that way.

"Wait, Mrs..." he started, but realized he didn't know who she was or her name.

"Mrs. Ray. I'm Arlo's mom," she told him.

Arlo Ray, he thought. Kinda catchy.

"Yeah, Mrs. Ray... I uh, didn't come to like- hang out with your son. I just had something to clarify about the Christmas party at my house..." he explained awkwardly.