Changed

Thirteen.

"Ready to go meet the over dramatic mother of mine?" I smile at Peyton and put the car into reverse, leaving from the other side of campus where Tony stays at.

It's a hot September day and I'm going to see my parents along with Tony by my side. My mom has been wanting to meet my friends, and I considered taking Heather but when I told Tony I was coming home for the day, he involuntary asked to come and I couldn't refuse. I've let Peyton know that I'll be spending my day with my mom and I let him know Tony would be tagging along and we would both be home by 11 pm, and I would come spend the rest of my night with him. He didn't say too much about me going with Tony since I am going to visit family but I still saw the annoyance and hesitance in his text.

For now, I'll shrug it off.

The two hour drive with Tony went nothing more than the usual, he kept pestering me as I drove, played the music too loud, and sung in the most annoying but yet funny voices that came to him. We both laughed and tried to play the alphabet game but Tony sucked and couldn't think of a fruit that start with the letter "P" even after multiple hints that were thrown at him.

I text my mother when we arrive in the small town of where I grew up at, and everything is soaking into me. I have becomed an adult, an official adult. I no longer have my mother to rely on and I am now making something out of myself as I attend college and actually know what I want to do. The emotions are overwhelming me and I can feel the heat in my face and the wetness trying to form in my eyes but I push them back when I remember I'm not alone but joined by a annoying figure beside me...

Tony.

..

"Mom." When her arms wrap around me, I knew that I would forever be amazed by this woman. She has never once doubted me and has always been there and will forever not only be my mother, but my best friend. Not seeing her in the past few weeks have been quite bittersweet and being in her arms makes the unwelcomed tears flow from my eyes. I tried holding it in, but if anything will break me down, it would be my mother.

"Sweetie. Don't cry." My mothers words soothe me and I try to wipe away my tears but her fingers beat me to it and I can see the tears forming into her eyes but theres a smile on her lips.

"You must be Tony." She doesn't bother giving Tony a handshake but instead she wraps him into a huge hug and I can hear her choking on her own tears in the midst. Tony doesn't say anything but look over her should and gives me his sweetest smile. Even though he's taken back by her affection, it's evident that he doesn't mind and that he is actually liking my mother already.

"I bet you guys are starving come on in." She rubs Tony's back and then walks over to me placing her hand on my lower back, as we walk into the house I only lived at weeks ago. It still smells the same but the furniture has been rearranged and more pictures have been filled since the last time I saw.

She has prepared us with finger sandwichs and chips for lunch along with little juices ranging from the blues to reds. I look at Tony to laugh but I can see he's in deep thought and I almost don't hear my moms question as I try and figure out what he could possibly be thinking about.

"Have you heard from your dad lately?" Her question surprises me when I didn't even realize I haven't been greeted by my father yet.

"No, where is he?" I question back at her but she isn't facing towards me but towards the tiny window thats just above the sink.

"He's out with the neighbors, apparently they made this hangout a week ago so he couldn't miss it." She breaks her eye contact from the window and heads over to Tony and I as we munch down on the food infront of us. My thoughts are slowly getting taken away  from them as I think about Peyton and as they make small talk. I haven't ate these mini sandwichs since Peyton's and I's little pinic date that didn't go too well at all. I've came to the conclusion that he did have the munchies from smoking weed too much, but what I don't know is why and how he started smoking. We had only been there for a few days when I found out he was smoking at Ethan's party. Lyla also made the assumption he had done it like a pro and that makes me even more worried.