A prompt a week - 30. Young Love - Prompt 396

“When will I see you again?”

Dennis paused in the doorway and turned to see Nikki standing there.

“I don’t know.” Dennis looked at the suitcase in his hand and then back at Nikki. “I can’t stay with him any more Nik. If I do ….”

Nikki came over and tossed her arms around him. “I know, love. He can be really sweet and a real bastard.”

Dennis took a deep breath to keep from crying. Nikki had taken him in when his family had to move to California just months shy of his graduation. Justin meant more to him than anything else and he didn’t want to lose him. Nikki let Dennis move into their house and she knew they had been in love. Who expected Justin to change and find someone else?

“You want me to call your momma?” Nikki’s eyes never left Dennis’ face.

“No. We only have a week ‘til graduation. I can crash at Tina’s or Marky’s place. Then I will check in with the family.” Dennis held the suitcase like shield before him. “Just don’t want mom to know she was right.”

“Right about what?”

“I was too young to make this type of decision.” Dennis wiped at his face and turned to the door. His voice was really soft when he spoke again. “Thanks for everything, Nikki.”

Nikki reached out to touch Dennis but he moved out the door quickly, leaving her in the silence.

“I’m going to skin his hide.” Nikki shook her head. “He better have an explanation for this mess.”

Nikki finished cleaning the kitchen and then sat down in the living room waiting for her son to come home. The house was getting dark when Justin finally came in the front door.”

“Momma? Why are you sitting in the dark?” Justin slipped off his jacket and turned on the light.

“Justin, sit down.” Nikki sighed. “We need to talk.”

“Okay, Momma.” Justin slid into a seat across from her on the couch and kicked off his shoes. He was about to get comfortable when he seen the look his mother was giving him. “Sorry. You wanted to talk?”

“Justin, you know I pretty much try to let you be your own man. You are eighteen, about to graduate, and you have a job. All signs of adulthood.”

Justin smiled and leaned forward.

Nikki reached out smacked the baseball cap off of his head. “So why the hell are you acting like an asshole?”

“Momma?”

“Don’t you ‘Momma’ me.” Nikki stood up and began to pace. “I watched that boy walk out of here totally destroyed. Never seen a soul crushed so badly.”

“Dennis left?” Justin started to stand up but one look from his mother and he sat back down.

“I don’t ever like to get in your business. You came out, and I supported you. You wanted to wrestle, I supported you. You wanted your boyfriend to move in cause his family was moving, hell, I supported you. You broke that boy and left him on his own. That that I can’t support!”

“What are you talking about? Where is Dennis?”

Nikki stopped pacing and scowled down at her son. “He’s gone.”

“Where?”

“Where? Does it matter to you?” Nikki watched her son closely.

“Of course it does!” Justin stood up and tried to stare down his mother.

“Sit your ass down boy. I ain’t done and I ain’t letting you go ‘til I know if he was right or not.”

“What are you talking about?” Justin crossed his arms and stared at his mother.

“Fine. Did you kiss another boy today?”

“No, I …,” there was a pause and the color drained from Justin’s face. “Zach.”

“Zach. Yeah. So I heard.” Nikki shook her head. “You kissed the boy you’ve had a crush on since grade school and your boyfriend got to witness it.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Justin began to explain. “Zach was telling me he found a scholarship for me while he was researching his. I only have two days to get the application in but if I get it, hell it will pay the way for college. I was so happy I just grabbed and kissed him.”

“Yeah, you did as Dennis walked in and got to see the one person he loves kissing someone else.” Nikki shook her head. “Dennis said he had to wait a period to get himself together to talk to you and when he did you told him your day was okay and you had some stuff to get rid of later. He figured he was one of the things you were getting rid of.”

Justin collapsed onto the couch. “I wasn’t thinking like that. Where is he, mom? I gotta explain to him!”

“I’m not sure. He packed everything up into that single suitcase he has and walked out of here.”

“Jesus. Mom, what am I going to do?” Justin began to sob on the couch. The tears were coming so hard his body shook with them.

Nikki looked on and for the second time that day she had a young man crying his heart and soul out on her couch. Finally she grabbed a box of tissues and sat beside her son. As Dennis had done earlier, Justin turned and cried in her arms. She sat there rubbing his back, waiting for the sobbing to slow and her son to regain control.

“Momma? What am I going to do?”

A small smile and a hug was all the comfort she could offer her son for a moment. “He talked about going over to Tina or Mark’s place. Call them. You are going to have to prove yourself to him. You broke his heart and he thinks you cheated on him. If you really love and want him back you need to be honest.”

“Thanks, Momma.” Justin hugged his mother tightly.

Nikki shook her head. “Get out of here. Don’t you come home without him.”

Justin nodded and ran for the door, his cell phone in his hand.

“Love? I’m getting to old for this.” Nikki wiped away her own tears and went in to make sure Dennis’ bed was ready for him.