Bro Code : Luke Hemmings IN EDITING

Chapter Twenty-One

"Hey sweetheart. How was your day?" my mom breaks me from my thoughts. 

"I didn't really do anything. I've been bored all day," I say, rather annoyed with my lack of plans.

"Why didn't you ask one of your friends to do something?" she says, slipping off her shoes and heading up the stairs. I follow her.

"No one wanted to do anything.." I lie. 

"I'm sure they were busy or something," she smiles as she shuts the door, but continues talking as I sit on the stairs behind me. "What about that new girlfriend of yours? Hayley?" I laugh.

"It's Hope. She's not my girlfriend, but I am seeing her tonight," I tell her, a small smile creeping onto my face. 

"I have to meet her. It's a mothers law: no secret girl friends. I must meet and approve of them all," I hear her giggle behind the door.

"Is that really a real thing?" 

"Absolutely," she opens the door, "in my world!" she smiles.

"You're such a loser," I joke. She's wearing her nightly slacks and an old college tee shirt. She walks into the bathroom and once again, I wait for her outside on the steps. 

"It comes with being a mother," she says. "So, tell me about this girl." I'm somewhat caught off guard. 

"Uh, what do you want to know?" 

"Where's she go to school?"

"Private school up on the hill," I tell her. "Same place as Michael."

"How old is she?"

"She is seventeen, I believe," I guess. 

"How did you meet her?" Shit. See what I mean about the questions?

"Michael. I met her when I went to his house one day," I tell her.

"Why was she there? Are they friends too?" she says.

"It's his neighbor. You could say they're friends," I shrug as she walks out. She scoots past me, down the stairs. 

"What do you mean?" she eyes me suspiciously.

"What..?"

" 'You could say they're friends' ," she repeats my words. "Are they not that good of friends, or are they good friends?" she asks.

"Why does it even matter? They're friends? That's it."

"Are you going to tell me or not?" she scolds me with her eyes. Damn mothers, always reading into everything. We've reached the kitchen once again and I watch as she flips on the stove top and starts reaching for a pot. 

"He likes her, she doesn't like him. Basically been that way for about his whole life," I say nonchalantly as she fills the pot with water and reaches for the noodles. 

"Is Michael okay with it?" she looks under her bangs in my direction.

"Nope," I pop the 'P'. "She came to me. I wasn't going to even talk to her again until she text me," I inform my mother. 

"How long did you know her before she asked you out?" she seems confused now. 

"I'd only hung out with her once, at the pool. Then a couple days later, she text me and asked if we could hang out," I purposely leave out the party/kiss part; she'd have my neck.

"You should honestly consi-" my phone cuts her off. I tell her I'll be right back and leave the room to answer it. I check the ID and it flashes Hope's name.