AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You know I would have, but my mom wanted to take me for a girl’s day.”
“How is your mom?” my mom asks, knowing full well how overprotective Lulu’s parents are. “I’m honestly a little surprised she let you out of the house wearing that.” She gestures to her dress.
“Oh, she didn’t.” She laughs. “Well, at least not like this. She made me wear a cardigan over it.” She rolls her eyes.
“I see that didn’t last long.” I chuckle.
“And this must be Alec.” My attention is back to Alec.
“Oh sorry.” Lulu laughs. “Alec, this is Wendy, Hope’s mom. Wendy, this is my boyfriend, Alec.”
“Hello, Alec.” My mom extends her hand to him. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” I subtly nudge her with my elbow.
“All good things I hope.” He grins, showing off his mouth watering dimples.
“All good things,” she confirms, giving his hand a gentle shake before releasing it.
“Well, we should probably get going,” I announce, ready to get this over with.
“I want to get some pictures before you leave,” Mom reminds me. “Why don’t you three go down and stand on the sidewalk?”
We file down the front steps one at a time and suffer through a good ten minutes of my mom snapping pictures from every angle. She takes some of all three of us. Some of just me and Lucy. Some of Lucy and Alec. And then, right when I think she’s done, she directs me and Alec to squeeze together.
“Mom,” I groan. “He’s Lulu’s date, not mine.”
“So, he’s still your friend and I want a picture of the two of you together.”
“It’s cool, Russell.” Alec slides up next to me, and to my surprise, loops his arm around my waist. I’m immediately accosted by his incredible smell. A spicy combination of cologne and soap.
I’m so overwhelmed by his nearness that I totally forget my mom is waiting to take a picture. Suddenly it’s not Lulu, Alec, and me, it’s just me and Alec. Me and Alec heading to Spring Formal together. And for one brief moment, I let myself revel in that thought.
I plaster a smile on my face, the action much easier to do with Alec’s arm wrapped around me, as my mom snaps a couple of pictures.
And even though it kills me to do so, I force the fantasy down and immediately step away the moment she’s finished.
“Can we go now?” I hit her with an annoyed look.
“Fine. Go.” She shoos us away. “But be careful,” she calls after the three of us as we make our way to Alec’s Jeep. “And wear your seatbelts.”
“We got it, Mom,” I call back, waving her off.
“Bye, Wendy.” Lulu waves excitedly at my mom.
“I love you!” she hollers as we reach the vehicle parked on the curb.
“I love you too, Mom.” I shake my head before peeling open the backdoor and quickly climbing inside.
“Your mom seems really cool,” Alec observes as he climbs into the driver’s seat and snaps his seatbelt in place.
“Wendy is the best,” Lulu agrees. “I wish she was my mom.”
“Your mom isn’t that bad.”
Yes, Lulu’s parents are a bit overprotective, but that doesn’t mean they’re horrible people. If anything, it makes them good parents because they don’t let her run wild. Not that my mom does either, but she trusts me a lot more than Lulu’s parent’s trust her. Probably because I’ve never given Mom any reason not to trust me.
“Says the person who doesn’t have to live with her,” she grumbles as Alec fires the engine to life.
I settle back into my seat and look out the window, watching my house disappear from view as we pull away.
