As I Am

Chapter Seventeen

So sorry that this took longer to update than usual. I've had this chapter prewritten for some time however I've been lazy and busy so never uploaded. I hope the 3 800 + words makes up for it!

Silent readers, comment for some dedications! (:

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Seventeen 

          I don’t come out of my room until my Dad has left for work. Mom stayed true to her word by telling him I did not want to be disturbed, so when she called me to come back inside, Dad wasn’t anywhere on the pathway up to my room. When I reached there a bowl of steaming soup was sitting on my desk, left by Mom. I guess she knew I would be hungry regardless of not wanting to sit at the dinner table.

            “He said Cade’s mother wants to talk to you.”

            I keep my back towards my mother as I pry my waffles from the toaster and drop them from my burning fingers onto a plate. She watches me the whole time as I go searching for the syrup, eventually coming up empty handed and taking a bite of one of the plain waffles. They don’t taste very good on their own.

            “Top cupboard beside the stove,” Mom says.

            Surely enough as I open the wooden door, it’s there. “Thanks.”

            “Do you want to talk to her?”

            I sit down at the kitchen table and pour an excessive amount of syrup over the two waffles, feeling my stomach churn from hunger and excitement from the sugary mess.

            “That’s too much syrup, you know.”

            “I don’t want to talk to her,” I say to ignore her syrup comment. I take a bite and swallow as I look up to meet my mother’s gaze. “Is that why she came here, then? To talk to me?”

            Mom nods. “Yes. She got a hold of your father to make sure it was okay with him and me for her to meet with you.”

            I raise my eyebrows and let my fork hover in the air. Syrup drips onto my plate from the delayed bite. “And what did you two say?”

            “We told her that it’s up to you, and we support your decision no matter what it is.”

            I stick the fork in my mouth. “I’m not meeting with her.”

            Mom nods. “Okay.” I think she expects me to respond, but I have nothing more to say. After several minutes of silence and the sound of me putting my dish in the sink, Mom sighs. “She says she has something for you. It’s something of Cade’s.”

            I drop my fork in the sink and freeze.