Every Little Thing

Chapter 8

"Surprise.." My mother said in a shaky voice. Surprise!? Surprise my ass. I crossed my arms and shoot her a venomous glare. Surprises were meant to be good. This one created in the depths of hell.

"What do you mean?" Chase asked innocently. I looked at Chase and felt a prickle of sadness surface within me. My mom opened her mouth to say something but closed it once she saw my glare deepen. "It means she's dating someone." I deadpanned.

She sighed and gave me a disappointed look. Once again I felt anger boil inside me. How could she even think to give me that look. The universe has taken my mother and sent a new one in her place. One that didn't know how things worked here.

"Carter...I thought you—the both of you, would be happy that I'm seeing someone that makes me happy." My mother said softly, reaching for Chase's hand. Of course Chase being Chase let her. I sent another glare at the both of them. Realizing I still had the phone I slammed it on the table and slid it across the table to where she stood. "Carter!"

This day will go into the books as one of the worst. My life hasn't felt so fucked up since my parents got divorced. My mother was saying something but I didn't bother listening, instead I just left the living room. How could she..?

When I reached my room I spammed the door closed and locked it. Walking over to my bed I put on my earphones, blasting the volume, and continued reading where I left off from Eleanor & Park.

*Morning*

Beep. Beep. Bee- I smashed my hand down on my stupid alarm. For the love of God please tell me yesterday was a dream. Rubbing my eyes, I squinted at my bed stand. My eyes widened when I realized my glasses weren't there, soon panic started to take over. Stay calm Cater, I told myself. They probably fell, it's not like you're blind.

I sat up and leaned over my bed to the gap between my bed and nightstand. Fortunately, I felt my glasses sitting pretty on my carpet floor. Once I had my glasses on I began the hunt for my phone. It didn't take long, all it took was some sheet ruffling. Turning on my phone I saw that my alarm woke me up twenty minutes earlier.

"Are you kidding me." I whispered to myself. Was it weird that I said a thought out loud to myself, in an empty room? Probably not.

Strangely I decided to just get up without the usual getting up conversation I had with myself in the mornings. With a small yawn I made my way to my bathroom and continued with my routine.

After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I looked at my hair in the mirror. What was I going to do with you? I wondered. Fifteen minutes later I walked out of my bathroom with a lazy bun. Next thing to tackle was my outfit, not that I was the type to put much thought into it. In the end I settled for black leggings, a white collared shirt and a navy blue knitted sweater to go on top.

While I was putting on my sweater I hear my phone buzz. Looking at the screen I saw it was Dylan. My face lit up and a smile surfaced on my face. I had given my number to Dylan during history. We texted a little during the night, where I learned he had a bit of an ego.

Unlocking my phone I read the message, then quickly replied back. Yesterday we talked about a book I recommended him to read. Of course he complained because the author was "main stream", even though only one or two of her books have been made into movies. Dylan had apparently read the first couple chapters and enjoyed them. His previous text was asking for a few spoilers, to which I deviously disagreed to.

Dylan: Hey do u drive to school??

Carter: not today family probs. I'm probably walking :/

Dylan: can I walk with you? :)

I've never walked to school with a guy before, other then Chase of course. It's not like it meant anything, but still, I might make it awkward. All these worrisome thoughts kept creeping into my mind. Walking with Dylan could be fun, if things got awkward I could bring up the book.

Finally after battling my inner worries, I said sure to Dylan. I texted him my address, which to my surprise was only two blocks from his house. He said he would knock on my door, even though I argued against it.

I headed down stairs and sat on the couch waiting. Foot steps made their way downstairs and I saw my mom. Scowling I ignored her and began checking my Instagram.

"Good morning Carter. Chase isn't ready yet, so you'll have to wait." She reported as she made herself a cup of coffee. Soon the apartment was glazed with the sent of coffee. Although I loved coffee with a passion, the stench of the circumstance made me feel sick.

"I don't need a ride I'm walking with a friend." I spat. Her back was to me, but I could tell she stopped moving."A boy friend." I added monotonously. As she turned around there was a light knock on the door.

We looked at each other and both bolted for the door. Victoriously I reached it first and opened it, revealing a smiling Dylan. With a smug look on my face I slipped on my flats and shut the door behind me. The look on her face was priceless. Oh mother you should know I'm not one to be messed with.

"Your mother seems...nice." Dylan stated confusingly. Glimpsing up at Dylan I smiled. "Just be happy she didn't say anything." I joked. He stopped and looked at me seriously.

"Is everything okay? That wasn't exactly a look a mother makes when saying goodbye to her daughter." Dylan questioned. He seemed genuinely worried. I don't understand why he would be worried I've only known him for a day.

"We're just going through bumps in the road. No need to worry" I insisted. He took a step closer to me and smiled warmly, his eyes soften gazing down upon me. Although he was about four feet away I smelled his cologne, which I could smell forever. "If you ever want to talk about anything, anything at all, I'm here." Dylan said.

A car honked in the distance and our moment ended. I walked beside him the whole way to school. We joked around while enjoying the delicious donuts he bought for us. I found myself hopping that Dylan and I would become close friends.