Hanging With The Boys

07.

"WANNA GO GROCERY shopping with me?" my mom asks me Sunday morning. Of course, I agree. My mom and I always used to go grocery shopping together before we moved. It was basically the only thing I did besides go to school. So, compared to that, I find grocery shopping rather enjoyable. Especially since I knew I would never see anyone at school out grocery shopping. The students at my school preferred to go bowling or for frozen yogurt as a way to pass their time.

I push the cart down the aisles of the store, walking alongside my mom. We pick up the necessities like breakfast food, fruits and vegetables and anything we think we'll need for the coming week. Turning the corner into the freezer section, I almost run into someone else's cart. "Sorry." I say, looking up to see the person. It's Forrest. "Hey." He says. My mom looks over at me, probably wondering how I know him. "Mom, this is my friend Forrest. Forrest this is my Mom." I introduce them and my mom's face lights up. I have no idea why, but she continues to smile as she shakes his hand. "It's nice to meet one of Henley's friends." She says. "It's nice to meet one of Henley's parents." He smirks back.

My mom preoccupies herself by looking at some dips close by, while Forrest turns towards me to talk. "You're working at The Bean today, right?" he asks. "Yeah, my shift starts in about half an hour." I say, checking my watch to be sure. "I can give you a ride if you want. I'm heading over there anyways to study for math and to hangout with Merissa for a bit." He offers. "Sure." I say, glancing over at my mom to make sure it's okay, that I leave with Forrest instead of her. It's not like I even have to ask her formally, I know she's listening to our conversation anyways. She nods in agreement. "Cool. I'll let you finish up here and I'll be waiting outside." He says. then he heads over to the checkout and I continue down the next aisle with my mom.

"He's cute." My mom comments.

"Yes, he is. But we're just friends. Merissa is his girlfriend. And Evan is my boyfriend." I say, just to get the point across.

"Boyfriend now, is that right? How's that going by the way? Is he treating you the right way? Is he a good guy?" She asks, a mix of concern and happiness on her face.

"Oh my god, you sound like Luke." I groan. "But everything is going well, mom. He's a good guy. I wouldn't continue to go out with him otherwise." I assure her.

"So, Luke is being overprotective then?"

"Technically, Tyson is the overprotective one. Luke just doesn't like Evan for these random reasons that come as a result of him reading too much into things." I shake my head.

"Hmmm. Interesting."

"What?"

"Nothing...I don't want you to be late for work. So, you can go ahead. I'll be fine."

"Mom! What's interesting?!"

"You don't need to worry about it. See you at home!" She says, quickly turning the cart around and speeding down the aisle in the opposite direction.

"Bye." I laugh, wondering what she finds so interesting about Luke not liking Evan, but I shake it off and head over to meet up with Forrest.

Once he finishes checking out and paying for his groceries, we make our way to his car. "Thanks for the ride." I say when we get into his car. "It's not a problem." He shrugs. He tells me that he has to make a quick stop at his house, so he can drop off the groceries he picked up. "I didn't get a chance to tell you last night, but you looked really beautiful. Which doesn't come as a surprise but I thought you ought to know." He says. "Thanks." I say.

"I have to ask you a question." He says, and I get slightly nervous at that statement. What could he possibly need to ask me? "Do you like Merissa? I want your honest opinion. I won't tell her, and I won't get offended." He says. "Well...I'm not her biggest fan." I reply. "And your reasoning is...?" he presses. "I don't know. I guess she reminds me of some girls I used to know at my old school. Girls that I was not necessarily fond of, to say the least. But generally, I just don't like it when people think that the world revolves around them and I get that kind of vibe from her." I answer. There are a few other things, but I decide not to mention those reasons to Forrest. How according to the guys, she likes to make drama out of nothing. On top of that she's always giving me dirty looks in the cafeteria and in the hallway. Almost as if she wants to make sure that I'm aware she's dating Forrest and that he 'belongs to her', treating him as some sort of possession.