Crush, No, Crushed

chapter 18

Hey this is just a quick chapter, I'm going to explain things a little better and maybe you can draw more clues to find out what is going on. I recently made it to 51 on the HOT LIST!!!!!!!! Wow. Just..wow. Thank you so much for reading :))))

I turned the sink off and dried my hands on a paper towel before going to see who was here. I went through the living room and heard scuffling on the wood floor. My mind concluded it was Les' dad when I heard the thud of a briefcase hit the side table. I made my way to the door to see a man with a black suit and balding black hair.

"Good afternoon Jerry." I greeted Les' dad.

Ever since Les and I were little I have always thought of Jerry as a second dad. He was so nice and caring; I could see where Les had gotten his personality from. He was always joking around and teasing me. Whenever I would come over here he would treat me like I was family and I never wanted to leave. We would all sit at the table and eat and play monopoly, even though I hate the game because I could never win. I remember always feeling so happy here, no matter what we were doing. Jerry just had that personality that made you comfortable even in the most awkward situations. One time while I was waiting for Les, Jerry told me that he knew I had a crush on Les. I was shocked that he was blunt about it. I was even more shocked when he didn't say anything else.

Jerry turned around and didn't look surprised to see me. He smiled at me and opened his arms. I grinned and ran into his arms. He frame was so wide I couldn't wrap arms completely around him.

"Ruth. Long time no see. Where have you been?" Jerry asked me.

"Around. Les and I have..." I started but I couldn't figure out what to say.

We weren't fighting and we weren't busy. I guess we were just awkward and avoiding each other? I don't know...

He nodded his head knowingly. Suddenly his expression got sad.

"I know it's be a little rough lately but he is going through stuff right now, and he doesn't want to tell you yet." He gave me a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, he told me. I understand, I'm just worried about him." I confessed.

He gave me a sad smile.

"Did you get a call from the school today?" I asked, suddenly curious to know if he knew Les was sick.

He furrowed his eyes in confusion, "No. Why? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing like that." I shook my head, "Les was sick this morning so I took him home. He had a fever so I gave him soup and aspirin. He slept most of the day. He still is. I was just waiting for Renee to come."

His eyes widened and his expression became full with worry. I took a step back afraid of why he suddenly became like this. What was going on? He seemed to be thinking for a second then he finally looked down and saw my scared face and he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry. He's fine. I'm just surprised, he usually doesn't get sick." He told me trying to calm me down.

I nodded my head hesitantly.

"So you stayed here all day and took care of him?" Jerry asked.

"Yeah."

He chuckled, "You're a really good friend Ruth. You have always been there for him. I remember how much you comforted him when his mom died. I don't know how he would be if you hadn't been there for him." He seemed to get lost in his thoughts, he was most likely thinking about his dead wife.

About three and a half years ago I remember Les showing up at my house at one in the morning. I hadn't seen him for days and I was starting to get worried about him. He wasn't in school and every time I would call his house the answering machine would pick up. He had climbed through one of the open windows in the kitchen and snuck his way into my room. I was sleeping soundly when he woke me up. I was shocked to say the least but when I saw the heartbreaking look on his face I knew immediately that something was wrong. He told me that his mom had been in the hospital all week and he was with her. That night she had passed away. I spent the whole night holding and comforting him. I would say anything to soothe him. I was actually a little upset too. I was really close to his mom; whenever I would be at his house she would treat me like I was her daughter. I was devastated about her passing; I could only imagine how Les was dealing with it.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as I felt my cell phone vibrating. I knew it was Renee so I didn't bother to look. I looked to Jerry and he was still lost in his thoughts, a somber expression on his face. I gave him a quick hug to let him know I cared and that I was leaving. I pulled away and he smiled sweetly at me.

"Renee is here. Tell Les to call me when he wakes up please." I told him as I opened the front door.

"No problem. I make sure of it. And Ruth?" I turned back around and saw him come closer to me.

"Thank you for taking care of him. I really appreciate it. I can tell how much you love him." He put his arm around me and walked me outside.

I blushed at him saying that he knew I loved Les but I didn't really mind it. Jerry knew I would do anything for his son. I left him on the door step and went to Renee's car. I hopped in and gave Jerry a wave. He smiled and waved back then turned and went inside. I mumbled a hello to Renee and she started talking to me about things I just tuned out. I was still a little worried about Les. Jerry was right, Les didn't get sick often. I hope that it's nothing serious. My thoughts were a little down as I thought about his mom. We had both lost our mothers, but it was more painful for Les because he actually knew her. I abruptly gasped as I remembered that I was possibly getting a new mom. Are we meeting her tonight? Is that why dad is coming home early? My worries for Les went to the back of my head as I panicked about meeting her. I wanted her to be like Les' mom. Loving, caring, kind. Someone who could cook and was nice to kids. Mostly, I wanted her to truly love my father and be there for him. He deserves to love and be loved back.

Next chapter I plan on it being about meeting Bethany(her dad's girlfriend) then the next few chapters will have more Nicole, Nate and Les.

How do you think Bethany is going to be? A knew mom or an evil step-mother?

Thank you for reading! ((((: