silent house. His father's deep voice no longer echoed down the hall. The energy he brought home would never come again. When Mom cried, Austin welcomed the earphones as he played Star Runners . There was never any need to talk about the future.
How could this game take his best friend away? And not just away, but across the country? Worse, what would Austin do after graduation? He didn't want things to change. He had been glad to have another year of high school to figure it out. Now, he couldn't ignore the fact he had no plans beyond high school.
He rested his face in his hands, suppressing the lump in his throat. Mom wanted him to go to the local community college, but he would have to go into debt. Dad would have known what to do, what to say.
"Austin?"
He jolted forward and rested his elbows on his desk. He wiped at his face, pretending to take notes on a sticky note.
"What?"
"I thought I heard you on the phone," Mom asked. "Are you okay?"
"I’m fine, Mom."
Her bedroom slippers kicked through the dirty laundry on the floor. His old bed, the bed his father grew up using, creaked as she sat down. For several moments, she just sat there.
"If you need to talk, I'm here."
Austin slid his fingers across his face. "Nothing to talk about."
"Yes there is. I heard about Josh."
Austin leaned back in the chair. “Yeah, he called.”
"Mrs. Morris called me about the same time you were on the phone."
"Oh."
Mom reached forward and touched his shoulder. "Look at me."
Austin turned the chair around, but wouldn't make eye contact.
"I know he's your best friend and I haven't really been there for you." Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Don't give up. We're going to find a way. I promise. You need to buckle down, and I'll start looking for work. You will go to college or do whatever it is you want to do, alright?"
Thoughts of Dad waiting for him after baseball games filled his mind for some reason. Dad always came to the fence behind the dugout to tell him, "good hit" or "nice play." Being a catcher, it took time to put on his equipment. As he did so, Dad always found the right words at the right time. Austin hadn't heard the right words in more than a year.
Grandpa used to visit a couple of times a year before he passed away. Austin remembered watching Mom and Grandpa sitting on the back porch while they sipped on sweet tea. They talked for hours into the night.
Austin cleared his throat. "Who did you talk to when Grandpa died?"
She frowned, her face crumpling. She brought her hands to her face, sitting in silence with her face obscured until she whispered, "I talked to your father."
Until that moment, he never thought of his mother being alone. He complained to the world about his luck and cursed fate, but he never considered thinking about what Mom had been through, the man she had lost. He stood and embraced her.
They cried as the leaves waved outside the window.
CHAPTER FOUR
A Christmas song performed by a chorus played on the old stereo in Austin's living room. The colorful lights twinkled, reflecting rays of rainbows off picture frames on the wall. A dozen wrapped gifts lined in a row under the tree. Josh placed his in the front when he arrived before plopping onto the couch.
Flurries fell past the window. With the threat of snow, Austin hoped for a white Christmas.
He looked back to his friend, who stared into the Christmas tree.
"This is the big week, eh?"
Josh grumbled. "I guess it is."
"You going to see your grandparents tomorrow?"
"Yeah, then I'm leaving the day after Christmas. Mom and Dad wanted to spend some time with me and drive me to San Francisco. Cheaper that way, right?"
"I suppose so. When do classes start?"
"The fifth." Josh’s eyes widened. "You know I get computer access from my dorm? We can still play Star Runners , Skype and whatever."
Austin smiled. "That would be cool."
He walked to the Christmas tree, his feet scuffing the carpet. The ornaments all carried memories. A
How could this game take his best friend away? And not just away, but across the country? Worse, what would Austin do after graduation? He didn't want things to change. He had been glad to have another year of high school to figure it out. Now, he couldn't ignore the fact he had no plans beyond high school.
He rested his face in his hands, suppressing the lump in his throat. Mom wanted him to go to the local community college, but he would have to go into debt. Dad would have known what to do, what to say.
"Austin?"
He jolted forward and rested his elbows on his desk. He wiped at his face, pretending to take notes on a sticky note.
"What?"
"I thought I heard you on the phone," Mom asked. "Are you okay?"
"I’m fine, Mom."
Her bedroom slippers kicked through the dirty laundry on the floor. His old bed, the bed his father grew up using, creaked as she sat down. For several moments, she just sat there.
"If you need to talk, I'm here."
Austin slid his fingers across his face. "Nothing to talk about."
"Yes there is. I heard about Josh."
Austin leaned back in the chair. “Yeah, he called.”
"Mrs. Morris called me about the same time you were on the phone."
"Oh."
Mom reached forward and touched his shoulder. "Look at me."
Austin turned the chair around, but wouldn't make eye contact.
"I know he's your best friend and I haven't really been there for you." Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Don't give up. We're going to find a way. I promise. You need to buckle down, and I'll start looking for work. You will go to college or do whatever it is you want to do, alright?"
Thoughts of Dad waiting for him after baseball games filled his mind for some reason. Dad always came to the fence behind the dugout to tell him, "good hit" or "nice play." Being a catcher, it took time to put on his equipment. As he did so, Dad always found the right words at the right time. Austin hadn't heard the right words in more than a year.
Grandpa used to visit a couple of times a year before he passed away. Austin remembered watching Mom and Grandpa sitting on the back porch while they sipped on sweet tea. They talked for hours into the night.
Austin cleared his throat. "Who did you talk to when Grandpa died?"
She frowned, her face crumpling. She brought her hands to her face, sitting in silence with her face obscured until she whispered, "I talked to your father."
Until that moment, he never thought of his mother being alone. He complained to the world about his luck and cursed fate, but he never considered thinking about what Mom had been through, the man she had lost. He stood and embraced her.
They cried as the leaves waved outside the window.
CHAPTER FOUR
A Christmas song performed by a chorus played on the old stereo in Austin's living room. The colorful lights twinkled, reflecting rays of rainbows off picture frames on the wall. A dozen wrapped gifts lined in a row under the tree. Josh placed his in the front when he arrived before plopping onto the couch.
Flurries fell past the window. With the threat of snow, Austin hoped for a white Christmas.
He looked back to his friend, who stared into the Christmas tree.
"This is the big week, eh?"
Josh grumbled. "I guess it is."
"You going to see your grandparents tomorrow?"
"Yeah, then I'm leaving the day after Christmas. Mom and Dad wanted to spend some time with me and drive me to San Francisco. Cheaper that way, right?"
"I suppose so. When do classes start?"
"The fifth." Josh’s eyes widened. "You know I get computer access from my dorm? We can still play Star Runners , Skype and whatever."
Austin smiled. "That would be cool."
He walked to the Christmas tree, his feet scuffing the carpet. The ornaments all carried memories. A
Similar Books
Beauty and the Brit
Lizbeth Selvig
Sand and Sin
Dani Jace
Tempting Target: Heart of a SEAL
Carmen Faye
Dream of Me: Book 1 The Dream Makers Series
Quinn Loftis
In Medias Res
Yolanda Wallace
Witch Is When the Penny Dropped
Adele Abbott
Grimspace
Ann Aguirre
Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More
Karen D. Badger
Video Game Recruiting (Corporate Marines Book 1)
Tom Germann
The Pearl that Broke Its Shell
Nadia Hashimi