𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋! | harry styles

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

I hear the door of the Brandon's house swing shut from my kitchen, and only a minute later a very angry-looking Cody stomps through our front door, slamming it behind him.

"Cody Reynolds, you better apologise for slamming that door."

Flinching, Cody's head snaps up, his face paling when he spots me in the kitchen. "Sorry," he says quietly.

I hear him dump his school bag on the floor and flip off his shoes, leaving both in the middle of the floor. I'm waiting for him to appear at my side in the kitchen, but instead turn around I find him standing in the kitchen doorway, shuffling from foot to foot.

"You okay?"

He shrugs but nods at the same time.

I pat the stool at the kitchen counter, and with a sigh, he trudges into the kitchen and pulls the chair out. The two of us are silent as I pour him some soda, waiting for him to spit out whatever it is that's bugging him. He lifts himself into the seat slowly, and I pull the chopping board back over and continue cutting up vegetables for dinner.

Cody sits quietly, watching me work, fidgeting as his brain ticks over. "Mom," he says finally. "Why can't girls and boys be friends? Why do they has to be boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Who said that?" I ask as I hand him a pile of carrot sticks.

"Lucy."

"Rosie's friend Lucy?"

He nods, munching. "She said me and Rosie aren't supposed to be best friends 'cause I'm a boy and it's weird."

I shake my head. "It's not weird. I think maybe Lucy is a little jealous because you and Rosie are such good friends, and you get to live next door to her and she doesn't."

This gives Cody pause, and he slips back into that quiet place he goes so often, thinking while he crunches carrots loudly.

I drain the pasta and dig through the pantry for a jar of Mary's marinara sauce. When I return, Cody is still deep in thought, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth the way mine does when I'm lost in my own head.

"Girls are so dumb," he whispers after what feels like an age, and I can't help but laugh. His expression is so utterly perplexed.

"Rosie's a girl, you don't think she's dumb, do you?"

A deep red blush appears, pinking his cheeks, and I have to hide my smile. "No," he says. "I guess not all girls are dumb."

"Like I said, maybe she's jealous. Maybe Lucy has a crush on you, and she doesn't want you spending time with Rosie."

Or maybe Lucy's parents need a good smack upside the head.

"But that's so stupid!"

I laugh at Cody's exasperation, reaching over to ruffle his blonde hair. "Just ignore her, baby. You and Rosie can be friends no matter what, okay?"

"It's not weird?"

"Of course not. Now, give your momma a kiss and then go get your homework out."