The Future Of Us ; Lashton

1://Ashton

i can't break up  with Kasey today, even though i told the boys i would do it the next time i saw her. Instead i'm hiding in my bedroom, setting up my new computer while she plays Ultimate Frisbee across the street at the park.

My dad shipped me the computer as another guilt gift. Last summer, before he moved from central Pennsylvania to Florida, he handed me the keys to his old Honda and then started his new life. Him and his new wife just had a baby, so i got this desktop computer.

As i look for screen savers the doorbell rings. I let my mom answer it. Hopefully it's not Kasey at the door. 

"Ashton" my mom shouts, "Luke is here."

Now that's a surprise. Luke Hemmings lives next door, and when we were little we constantly ran back and fourth between our houses. We camped in our backyards, built forts and on Saturday morning he carried over his cereal bowl to watch cartoons on my couch. When we got to high school we still hung out all the time. Then last November, everything changed. We still eat lunch with our small group of friends, but he hasn't been to my house once in  the past six weeks.

i select the screen saver and head downstairs. Luke is standing on the porch, tapping his foot on the ground. He's got the same dirty blond hair but this time it's up in a quiff, and his shy smile as always, but he's grown five inches this year. 

I look into the drive way and see my mom leaving. She waves before turning into the street.

"your mom said you haven't been out of your room all day."  luke says.

"i'm setting up the computer," i say avoiding the whole Kasey issue. "it's pretty nice"

"if your stepmom gets pregnant again you should talk to your dad into buying you a cell phone" he says.

"yeah, right"

before last November, Luke and I wouldn't be standing here awkwardly in the doorway. He would have just gone straight up to my room.

"my mom wanted me to bring this over," he says, holding a CD-ROM. "Australia Online gives you a hundred free hours if you sign up. It came in the mail last week" 

"doesn't your family want it?" i ask

Luke shakes his head. "My parents don't want it. They say the internet is a waste of time, and my mom thinks the chatrooms are full of perverts." 

i laugh. "so she wants me to have it?"

Luke shrugs. "i told your mom about it, and she said it's okay for you to sign up as long as she and Robert can have email addresses too."

I still can't hear Robert's name without rolling my eyes. My mom married him last summer, saying this time she found true love. But she also said that about Erik, and he only lasted two years.

I take the CD-ROM from Luke, and he stuffs his hands in his back pockets.

"i heard it can take a while to download," he says.

"Did my mom say how long she'd be gone?" i ask "maybe now would be a good time to tie up the phone line."

"she said she's picking up Robert to look at some sinks.

I never bonded with my last step dad but at least he didn't tear the house apart.

"if you want,"  i say, trying to fill in the silence, "you can come over and try AOL sometime."

Luke runs his hand through his hair, "Michael say it's awesome. He says it'll change your life."

"right, but he also thinks every episode of Friends is life-changing."