𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭; byler

-4-

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-WORD COUNT: 1016

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MIKE'S MOM IMMEDIATELY sat behind her desk, flipping through a stack of papers manically. 

"We're running so late. God, Mike! I asked you to stay put for a few minutes, was that really so hard!" She called as papers flew around her, still looking for something.
"Sorry, sorry," Mike mumbled, running his hand through his hair nervously. He had done it, he had officially ruined her good mood.

"Where is it!" she yelled in exasperation, moving on to the next pile. Mike took an instinctive step backwards; he knew it was better to get out of her way.

"I guess we'll have to do without it." She said finally, her face flushed and her forehead sweaty.
"You'll be volunteering at our angel program." She said, sitting down in her chair and fanning herself with her hands.

"what program?" He asked. It didn't sound simple like handing out food or manning the phone lines.

"It's something new we're trying out," She explained, "Basically we get local teens to 'partner up' with some of our struggling teens- take them out for coffee, mall, movies or whatever they want. Get the struggling teens some change of pace. We found that our teens don't respond with the programs offered here, so we figured this may be better. All you'll have to do is be a friend."

Mike was speechless. It was actually... kind of genius. 

"I have you partnered up with a boy, I can't find his file and he's supposed to be here any minute..." she said. 

At that exact moment, a slight knock sounded on the door. Before she answered the head of one of the volunteers peered in, her short light brown hair hanging through the doorway like some weird curtains.

"I printed you that file you asked for, Mrs. Wheeler," the girl said. Mike's mom slumped with relief.

"Thank you so much, Robin. You're a lifesaver," she gestured for the girl to come in. She looked kind of familiar, but Mike couldn't really place her. She handed Mike's mom the file, a polite smile on her freckled face, and left.

Mike's mom barley had time to open the file before a knocking sounded on the door again. 
She looked at the watch on the wall, panicked. 
"Shit! They're here!" Mike almost laughed. He'd never heard his mom curse before.

She plastered a smile om, straightened her shirt, and went to open the door.
"stand straighter," she muttered to Mike and then opened the door.

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"Joyce! Hi, hi. Welcome! please, sit down." Mike's mom said, opening the door wider. 

A short woman with brown hair and kind brown eyes entered the room, and sat down in one of the two chairs. After her, entered none other than the weird boy Mike had run into.

He turned a quick glance to Mike, and than blushed deeply and looked away. He sat down next to the woman- Mike could see from the way he was sitting he really didn't want to be there. He was sitting on the very edge of the chair, as if ready to spring out the first chance he got.

Mike could relate.

"Welcome! This must be your son," Mike's mom said, sitting in the chair opposite from the new comers, behind the desk.

"Thank you, Karen. Yes, this is my Will." The woman, Joyce, said. She put her arm on the boy's shoulder fondly.
"Nice to meet you, Will. I'm Karen Wheeler, and this is my son, Michael." She said, and gestured to Mike. He came to stand by her, feeling very awkward.  He waved slightly.

"How old are you, Will?" She asked, but Will's mom answered instead of him. 
"He's just turned 16." She said.

Mike's mom turned to him, "Would you like to introduce yourself, sweetie?" She asked but Mike knew he had no real choice.

"Yeah, umm- I'm Mike, short for Micheal. I'm 17 and, yeah. That's it," he said. Joyce smiled at him with a kind smile, but her son, Will, still didn't look at him. He was a good looking boy, in a very unique way. Mike didn't know what it was- there was just something about him that made looking at him pleasant.

"Nice to meet you, Mike. It's very sweet of you to be doing this," she said. It's not like I had a choice, he responded in his head- but to her he just nodded awkwardly.

"Okay, well I think that's about it. I just want to tell Mike something outside real quick, then I think we can let the boys go and talk a little among ourselves. Sound good?" Mike's mom said. From the corner of his eye he saw her closing Will's file- when had she opened it?

He was amazed at how professional and clam she sounded when just minutes before she had been so frantic. Joyce nodded, smiling a sweet smile at Mike once again.

Mike followed his mom outside. They walked a little away from the office, and she turned to him with the franctic expression back in her eyes.

"I don't have much background about him, I'll try to find more through his mom. They just moved here from Maine, he's home schooled. It's just the two of them, he has an older brother in college far away. And one more thing," She said, seriousness in her eyes.

"Mike, he doesn't speak. At least that's what his mom told me, I don't know exactly why. I'll try to find out more. He'll understand you, but he won't respond. Just be aware of that," She said.

She had paired him up with a boy who can't speak?? what was he supposed to do with him?

"I'm very proud of you for doing this, sweetie." She said, kissing him on the cheek. He liked how she chose to ignore that he wasn't there from his free will.

"try to have fun," she added, going back to the office.

Mike swallowed hard. This was going to be very awkward.