Setbacks
The dream was alive, it was almost ready to happen.
And then...
"Ally, what is it?" Aaron groggily picked up his phone.
"Aaron, I don't think I can come to the final signing," Ally cried. "My mom is in the hospital right now. She's reAlly sick and she might need to be admitted for a week or more."
Aaron's eyes flew open. "Ally, you have to be at the signing or Barnes&Nobles won't distribute our book."
"I know, but..."
"Hey, which hospital are you at? Is it impossible to leave your mom there at the hospital when we sign?"
"Aaron, how can you not understand? I'm sorry, but I don't want to leave my mom this weekend. She's going to go to surgery on Saturday and I can't just leave her for three hours, without someone to watch my brother, at that."
"Have we come this far to lose it all?" Aaron said angrily, not thinking about Ally's mother in the least.
"Are you crazy?! Have you ever put yourself in my shoes? What if your aunt was in this state?"
Aaron smirked. "We don't have the money. So I would go to the book signing to hurry up and earn some money to pay for the surgery. I don't think you would understand that, with your clothes and shoes and drinks and eating out every week."
"You're the worst," Ally whispered. "I'm not coming to the signing." She hung up.
Aaron closed his eyes and groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "I finAlly had the chance to not worry about school fees and house bills and she's not leaving her mother in the care of medical experts?" He scoffed and check the time. 2:49. He couldn't sleep, muttering remarks about rich people.
At school the next day, to the insistence of her mother's doctors, Ally begrudgingly dragged Billy to his classroom and went upstairs to her locker, looking around to make sure Aaron wasn't around. She was still mad that he wouldn't understand that she had to stay with her mother before she left for surgery.
Aaron trudged up the stairs, just as upset at the prospect of having to struggle with money again. Ally noticed him before he saw her, and hurriedly slammed her locker door shut before scuttling off to her first period class, her expression turning ice cold at his face.
She sat in the front of the classroom, and Aaron sat in the back for Success class, so Ally deliberately did not turn behind to get her binder out from under her, and instead stood up to kneel down to get the binder. Aaron noticed the erratic movement and frowned. I get why she's upset, but she can pay for the surgery, and it's not like she's leaving her mother to the hands of gangsters or anything. I could have finAlly handed my aunt a check to pay off the mortgage.
When the bell rang, Aaron grabbed Ally's wrist and led her out into the library, ignoring the fact that they were going to be late to their next class.
"What do you want?" Ally's face hardened.
"Have you thought about my position in all of this?" Aaron rubbed his head.
"My mom is sick! She needs-"
"Are you leaving the surgery up to idiots? No, the doctors are plenty trained and they'll take good care of your mother. But if our book does well and sells well, and I get 40 percent of the sales, I can help my aunt pay off the mortgage, and we won't have to worry about the taxes and electric and water bills anymore, and we can eat a decent meal everyday! Is that not simple enough?"
Ally softened. "Oh, Aaron..." She thawed.
"When is your mom's surgery?" Aaron relaxed, relieved at letting his pent-up frustrations out.
Ally deflated. "2:00, thirty minutes after the signing would start."
"Ally, are you sure you can't leave your mom until the signing is over? Billy could hang out with my aunt or something. Your mom will be fine even when you're gone."
"Aaron... I don't know."
"Just think about it. It's only a day away. Just tell me later. We'll figure it out."
Each of them wondering what they should do, they walked hand in hand to the office to get a hall pass.
