•strictly platonic• boy x boy •

•eight•

Robyn Hook

I could hear Em's intense breathing behind me as we ran back to my house. I could hear him asking questions, but I shook my head. I could barely breathe, let alone talk. All I could think was about my mother and why the hell my aunt decided to come back.

~~~
(flashbacks to what happened right before)

When I came back home, it was a pleasant surprise to see my mom out of bed and on the couch, appearing to be very sober as she watched the television. She was drinking from a teacup and was curled under a blanket. It was an image that I hadn't seen in while. The only thing that was missing was my dad. My chest hurt but I gulped and shoved the feeling down.

I closed the front door gently and smiled. "Mom!" I went over to her and tightly embraced her.

She seemed surprised, but still hugged me back. "My little Birdie. Hello, dear. How was your day?"

I sat next to her and shrugged. "Pretty decent, I guess. I did some homework I kinda procrastinated on, played some basketball with my friends, and got some much needed sleep. I'm glad to see you out of bed."

She grinned and exhaled. "Yeah, it was long overdue. I took a walk around the pond earlier to get some fresh air. I'm happy to hear that you're still focusing on your studies. Junior year is one of the most important years in high school. Sleep is important too." She gave me a concerned look. "Are you still having a hard time with it?"

Should I lie for her sake? She didn't need anymore on her plate, especially extra stress. Instead, I reassured her. "I've been getting enough sleep. It's not as bad as before. Don't worry, the Scott family has been a real help."

She nodded slowly. "That's a relief. Oh, speaking of the Scott family, how is Emerson?"

Just the mention of him made me automatically smile. "Still an angel. Did you know he's aspiring to be a pediatrician?"

My mother clasped her hands together. "No, but I can see it. I think it suits him well, that sounds wonderful. Emerson has always been so compassionate and good with children. He is truly an angel. He's an intelligent child, he can be anyone he wants to be. It's nice to know that he has his career planned out."

"I agree. He's always been that way."

"Prepared?" my mother slightly tilted her head.

"I meant, he has always been an angel."

That got my mom to laugh. "Do you have an angel?" Huh? She saw the confusion on my face. "You know, that special flower. Do you have a girlfriend, or someone you like?"

My palms become sweaty despite the feeling of all the blood rushing out my body. I didn't want to have this conversation. I wasn't ready. How to answer this question? And why was it so dang loaded? It made me question myself. Did I like someone? All the blood I felt leaving my body abruptly came back in waves as I remembered my weird reactions to Em. Surely I didn't have a crush on him. That was illegal. A bite from the forbidden fruit. Nope, no way. Nah.

I crossed my arms and adamantly shook my head. "Pfft, girls at this age aren't serious. Besides, I don't have the time to commit to anybody especially when I'm the basketball captain who is also focusing on my grades. That's too much."

My mother raised her eyebrow. "That doesn't mean you don't like somebody." Ugh. I really wanted to change the subject. I wanted to talk about something else entirely. Having a boyfriend was a touchy subject for the both of us and for different reasons. Every time she got herself one, it would end with heartbreak and alcohol. None of them were good enough for her, and that's their loss. But she'll never find anyone like dad, and she needs to accept it. I never wanted to mention anything about dad. Last time I did, she broke the mirror and cut herself on the glass. It was awful.