Dirt Lifter | Craig of the Creek High School AU

In the city

The dial-up static cut out, and was replaced by a voice. "Hello?"

"Hey," said Jason, drawing it out lazily. He was lying down on the couch, and his voice reflected it.

"Hey, Jason," Craig said. "What's up?"

"Not much," he replied. "I was with my mom in Virginia, but I'm in Washington now."

He was lounging around in some cushy apartment complex, waiting for the evening so he could sneak out unnoticed into the city. It was a really nice, Airbnb-type apartment that his dad's company paid for, and also really high up. Buildings in DC weren't skyscrapers by law, but looking out the window still made him antsy. He could have kept staring and let his mind chew on the distance from the ground, but that wasn't good for him, so he moved to the couch and rang up Craig instead.

"That's nice. Do you want to see anything there? Like, tourist stuff."

"Nah, I've been here before. Really just been hanging around with my stepmom." He used the term 'hanging' loosely. His stepmother apparently had nothing better to do than sit in her room all day. This was her vacation, too, and they weren't obligated to be around each other, but he still found it odd.

"Oh. Why'd she take you down to Virginia?"

"She didn't."

"You just said your mom took you. You mean her, right?"

"No, I mean my mom."

There was a pause.

"What, did you think my mom was dead or something?" Jason knew this was incredibly rude, but he was not about to give up this, frankly, amazing teasing opportunity.

"What? No! No, you just-" He could hear Craig choking on his words. The teasing worked, and Jason smirked. "You never talk about her."

"Nope. She's alive. She works overseas, so she's busy as hell."

His mom used their divorce for two things. 1) Get as far away from his father as possible, and 2) get a cushy job as an international marketing specialist for some fast-food conglomerate.

The second part meant a lot of travel, and working in foreign countries across the globe, and that she left him behind. She at least cared about him when they were in the same country, but those times were few and far between. He'd had fun with her in Virginia, but there was always a disconnect between them, after having not seen each other in so long. She was almost a stranger sometimes, an old aunt that he loved to hang out with on holidays, but definitely not a mother. He loved her, and he loved the time they spent together, but she made it hard sometimes.

It would be great if he had an actual parent that acted like one all the time, but he wasn't so lucky. He's gotten over it by now, though.

"Anyways, you having fun there?"

Jason was knocked out of his thoughts. "Not really, but it's fine. Lots of pricky business-types coming around. I try to stay out of the way."

"Are they coming to your house?"

"My dad rented an apartment, so yeah. He hosts these work parties at night. I've been living off of charcuterie boards since I got here."

Craig laughed. "How fancy."

"Not really. It's just cheese and crackers and salami. We don't spring for the expensive stuff."

A door opened across the room. "Hold on," Jason said as he lowered the phone.

His stepmother walked out. Her brunette hair was unbrushed, and she was wearing a tank top and pajama bottoms. She must have just crawled out of bed. "Who are you talking to?" She asked.

"A friend," he replied. "Phone call."

"Oh. I thought your father was back."

"Nope."

This didn't surprise Jason at all. His stepmom had been pretty spacey lately. He thought she just missed her doggies, who she interacted with more than him, but he wasn't completely sure. She was still a mystery to him, even after all these years of living together.

When she retreated back into her room, he held the phone back up to his ear. "I'm back. Just my stepmom. How's it back at Herkleton?"

"Fine. Everyone's out of town, so I'm just hanging around the house all day. It's boring. I miss you."

Jason was caught off-guard by that. He knew that Craig was still working through his own issues about being wanted and stuff. This was probably just a reflection of that, saying that you want someone so they will reciprocate.

But it was still really nice to hear.

He smiled. "I miss you, too."