Dangerous

Mom... Dating?

We headed to the park in Tristan's car. The park wasn't far away but we still drove there so that we didn't have to find our way in the dark. Once we got there, we got out of his car and started to walk through the park.

"So are you ready for school to start soon?" He asked me as we made our way over to the swing set.

"I guess." I say with a sigh. "It's just going to be weird now..."

"How so?"

"Well... It will just be... different. I don't know how to explain it..."

"Is this because Sam isn't going to be at school with you like she always was?" He said just as we both sat down on swings right next to each other.

I started to lightly sway on the swing. "I guess... well, yes."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I can be your best friend now. I won't be able to do all of the girly stuff that you did with Sam, but I could do my best." He says with a smile.

"But you're my boyfriend."

"I can be both, right?" He said and I smiled.

Just then I realized something. I don't know why, but something boiled up inside me. If I have to resort to my boyfriend to be my best friend, then... "Oh my god!" I sprung out of my seat and stood up. "I have no other friends!"

"What?" Tristan looked at me as if I were growing a second head. "Oh course you have friends. There's Natalie, Dan, Marcus-"

"They aren't really good friends though. They are just friends!" I yelled. Also, those people were his friends, not really my friends.

"We can hang out with them tomorrow. Then you can call them good friends." He said casually.

Really? Did He really think that becoming a good friend was that simple? You can't hang out with a person for one day and all of a sudden become good friends with them. Friendships take time, just like relationships. This got me thinking, was it too fast for me and Tristan to call each other girlfriend and boyfriend? I really need to clear my head.

"Jordan." Tristan said shaking my shoulder. I looked at him to see that he was right next to me and not on the swing. I jumped back a bit.

"Jordan, you look like you have been hit by a bus." He said with a disgusted face.

"I was just... thinking." I said slowly pulling his hand off of my shoulder. He was being brutally honest right now. This a time where being brutally honest is not the right option. I need to get away to think. "I have to go help my mom." I blurt out thinking of an excuse.

"What? But we just got here." He says with a confused expression.

"I forgot that she asked me to help her with something tonight." I says walking to the side walk.

"What do you have to help her with?" He says catching up to me.

Think... think... THINK! "She needs help setting up a Facebook." I say really fast.

"What? I thought your mom hated social media sites." Crap. He remembered my mom's rant about social media. I mean, who couldn't remember that? She practically lost her mind and almost broke a vase with her arms flailing around.

"She does. It's just she wants to reconnect with her high school friends. You know. Maybe some of them live around here and she can be friends again with them."

"Okay. Well, do you want me to drive you back?" He says as he walks towards the driver's side of his car.

"It's fine. I can walk. It only takes two extra minutes to walk." I say and speed up. For some odd reason, he was being annoying at the moment. Maybe if I can get away and think for a while, then I could get out of this brain fart that I have.

"We can hang out tomorrow right?" He says as he reaches for the door handle of his car while I continue walking on the sidewalk.

"Sure." I call out, not turning back to face him.

"I will text you!" He calls out before getting in his car and driving away.

On my walk home, I begin to think about my friends. Now that I think about it, Sam was my only good friend. I need to be more social. Maybe I shoule listen to Tristan and spend some time with his friends and maybe they can become my friends too. I also need to find friends on my own though.

This got me thinking, I could easily become good friends with someone who doesn't have many friends like me. Someone who lives close by. Someone who just moved here. Someone like Mason.

***

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*****

"Mom, I'm home!" I called to her from the front door.

I walked into the living room to see her watching The Proposal. She had a huge bowl of popcorn on her lap and a can of soda next to her on the small coffee table. "Hey Jordan. You have come back early." She said only taking her eyes off of the screen for two seconds before turning back.

"We only went for a small walk." I say quickly before plopping myself on the couch right next to her and stealing handfuls of popcorn.

"Okay." she says quietly.

We watch the movie for a few minutes, laughing at the part where Sandra Bulloks is in the woods with Betty White.

"Jordan?" My mom says while facing me.

"Yeah mom?" I say waiting for her to say something.

"Whould you be okay if... well actually," she though for a second. "Nevermind." She says before facing the TV again.

"Mom... You know that is a pet peeve of mine." I say gritting my teeth. "If you are going to say something, don't back out of it and say 'nevermind.'"

She huffs before continuing on with what she was going to say before. "Whould you be okay if..."

"Spit it out mom" I say impatiently.

"...If I sarted dating again?"

Dating? Why would she ask for my permission? Well, actually I get that point. She would ask me to make sure I don't get mad at her for not giving me a heads up. Now I felt like the mom in this situation. I felt like a mom who has a daughter that just asked her if she could have a boyfriend.

I guess it took me a long time to answer because my mom chimed into my thinking process. "I could let you approve of him before things get to serious?" She says hoping I will agree to her terms.

"Sorry," I say thinking for a second. "This is just a lot to take in."

"I know. I will give you some time to think about it. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with me finding someone."

"Of couse, mom." I say to her. This immediately makes her give me a wide smile. "Of course I am okay with you dating again. I want you to be happy."

She pulls me into a tight hug. "Thank you honey." She kisses the top of my head before pulling out of the hug.

"Just promise me one thing." I say to mom.

"What's that?"

"Don't blackmail anyone into marrying you."

"What?" She says with wide eyes. I point to the Proposal on TV, and she immediately laughs. "No promises." She says jokingly... I hope.