Bates & Landon [Wattys2015]

BATES

I'm going to write the other half of Landon on BATES. Somehow it got deleted so I'm rewriting it. Enjoy.

Landon

"I think it's something past twelve." Bates replied inexpressively. School would be out soon, I thought. "Why didn't you just look on your phone?"

"I don't have it with me. Mandy, my step mom, took it away. I got grounded,"

He frowned, "What for?"

"Uh..Alice and I kinda lied to our parents where we went on the day of the party." I explained a little nervously.

"Oh. Well I didn't have a splendid time after the party either," he saw my questioning look and explained, "We kinda got into an argument."

"Do you have any siblings?" I asked him. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk more about it, so I changed the subject.

"Yes. I have a younger sister. Her names Emma, but I call her Emmy." By the way his eyes lit up and the sound of his voice, he obviously cared for her. "Do you?"

"By blood? No. By marriage? Yes." I said, "My step mom, Mandy, has a son named Connor. He's in college, I barely see him so we don't have a strong bond."

"Does he come in the holidays?"

"Yeah. From college to the house is only a few hours away so he drives. When he does come, Connor and I play video games together while Mandy cooks." I said.

He kept listening, "Do you like her?"

I gulped, "Who?"

"Your step mom," he said, "Mandy."

"Oh, her." I pull a smile, "Yeah! She's great."

He chuckled, "That was so not convincing."

"Man, I need to work on my acting skills," I replied.

He half smiles, it was beautiful. "Why don't you like her?"

Should I tell him? Only Alice knew about Mandy the Witch. No one else did, I told Alice everything. But then I ended up telling him everything she has done since the first time I met her. I told him everything.

"You need to expose her," Bates was frowning, "get a perfect time and let your dad see who she really is. "

"It sounds like she committed a crime," I attempt to make him smile because he looks so cute like that, but he keeps frowning.

"In ways, she did. You shouldn't let her step all over you."

"Yeah, I know," I looked down, "It's kinda my fault I let her step all over me."

"No, it isn't your fault. You can easily make her stop stepping all over you."

"True, I can." Alice had said something similar, it was a lot longer. But Bates gave me a warm feeling in my stomach.

"Are you close with Emmy?" I ask Bates.

"Yeah, I actually am," he answered, his tone soft.

"That's good," I said. We didn't speak that much after that, not that it bothered me, it was a comfortable silence that made me feel at peace. It made me forget all my problems, worries, and everything complicating. Bates made me disconnected from the world around us; it was just us two.