Young Writers Society

Seth POV

Staying with my best friend and the girl I’m in love with was not on my summer bucket list this year.

I mean, I pretty much knew Shelby would be around. I was planning to hang around with Grayson anyway, and it’s pretty hard when they’re so close. I just end up being really quiet and awkward around her. But now it’s even worse, because I’m living with them.

The worst part of all is that Mom didn’t even tell me.

Of course she told me she was going to get surgery on her tumor. I was so happy, dude. For two years she’s been battling cancer, and watching her go through chemo was the worst. I ended up doing most of the housework because she couldn’t even get out of bed. She struggled to work for the Robinsons so we could make ends meet. So to hear that there was a cure? I was willing to do anything.

I thought we’d camp out in Richmond over the summer. I’d stay with her in an Airbnb and take care of her during her recovery, but now all that’s changed.

We’re both silent in the car on the way home. Mr. McKinney’s mac and cheese is filling up my stomach, but what’s filling it even more is a sense of dread. I didn’t realize it till now, but this is surgery we’re talking about. What if she dies? What happens to me? It’s always been the two of us against the world, but what if one of us isn’t here anymore? I turn to her in the passenger seat as we approach an intersection.

“Mom, why? I thought we were in this together. Like a team?” She looks at me with a strange look in her blue eyes.

“Seth, I love you, but you’ve grown up too fast. I think sometimes I forget I’m the adult and you’re the kid, and you end up shouldering all my worries. If I brought you to Richmond that would only seal that in.”

Tears well up in my eyes. I have had to take care of a lot of stuff since I turned 16. I pay for car insurance, the mortgage. I even had a bit saved for college, but I took out all of it to pay for the surgery. It just seemed normal. But something clicks in me.

I’m not supposed to be the one doing everything. There are people out there who don’t do everything for their sick parents. There are 16-year-olds who do hackathons for fun, and not to pay the bills.

Maybe staying with Grayson will change the fix-it part of me.

“Okay, Mom. I’ll stay with the McKinneys.”

She scoffs, which is unlike her. “Seth, you didn’t have a choice.” I recall her statement, which did seem cut and dry.

“Okay…thanks? I’ll start packing tonight, you’re all packed?”

“You’re doing it again, dear. Let me do the adulting. But for the record, I am all packed.”

The smell of smoke wakes me up the next morning. For a second I think it’s fire but then I hear a warm voice from downstairs.

“Sorry, hon! Just making pancakes!”

Although the smell is throwing me off, even hearing the word makes my mouth water. Mom used to make pancakes all the time, before we moved to Summerstead. Her chocolate-chip pancakes? They are heavenly. She swears by the recipe she made up on a whim when I was in preschool, and even more than a decade later they are magical.

I run downstairs, where my red suitcase and backpack greet me. Mom turns around with a smile.

“Hi, hon. All ready?” I nod, still anxious about my mom going up to Richmond.

“What about you? Are you all packed? Do you have your check-in time?” Mom shakes her head, exasperation leaking into her face. She knows that I’ve always had anxiety—even when I was a kid. But sometimes it frustrates her. She’s so go-with-the-flow, so easygoing. She doesn’t get how I can worry so much. But she deals with it.

“Everything is fine, Seth. Please, don’t worry about me.” I sigh and sit down at the table.

The pancakes are burnt, but I don’t want to tell Mom. She hasn’t made them in years! I don’t want to discourage her at all. She looks at my distraught face and lets out a loud laugh.

“I know they’re a bit crispy. I know you like the ones at the diner, so I made them thinner for you. Looking at your face—” she laughs again, “I’m guessing the crispyness is not part of the appeal.” She pulls our another plate, full of the fluffy ones she’s been making for me forever. I dig in immediately. It’s so nice to see Mom laughing again, even if it is at my expense.

“Grayson’s picking you up at ten, and my Uber is picking me up at eleven.” she says, looking down at her phone. “Promise me you’ll be nice? I know you won’t have any problems, but I have to say it.” I roll my eyes. Mom knows that I’d never do anything like that. Heck, I’ve never put down a single finger in Never Have I Ever. I’m just not that kind of guy. Grayson could have had the potential to be a rager-throwing, underage-drinking Willa, but I chilled him out a bit.

At 9:30, Grayson shows up at our door. I’m not really doing anything, but even so I’m a bit irritated. The guy isn’t just punctual, he feels the need to be everywhere early. Girls love him. Guys would love him if he was bisexual like me. But he chooses to date nobody but his soccer ball.

He knocks on the door two times fast, two times slow—just like always. I know it’s him by looking through the window, but it’s nice to know. Being friends with Grayson is a whole lot of knowing. We communicate in quick looks half the time. I don’t know where I’d be without him.

I get up to open it, instinctively looking back at my mom in front of the stove.

Grayson is the peppiest he’s ever been—and that’s saying something.

“Hey, Seth! Is everything ready? We’re so ready, dude. My dad cleaned the guest room and everything. Shelby’s being weird, but it’s fine. She’ll get used to it. And you won’t even be at home that much, because we’re doing EVERYTHING—” he grabs me by the shoulders,”—that this small town has to offer. Which is, admittedly, not a lot. But we’ll stretch it out to an entire summer.” He’s giddy and eager, which makes me feel a little bad for being reluctant. He has a point, though. If I weren’t staying at his house, I’d probably be intermittently working on hackathons and going out for food with him. Now, maybe I’ll do some things.

Mom looks at me wistfully. She’s always liked Gray, for the sole reason that he gets me out of my comfort zone. Now, he’s taking me out of my comfort zone for an entire summer. When your comfort zone is pretty much your house, that’s a lot.

“Go on, Seth. I’ve got things under control. Go settle in.” Tears start filling my eyes, and I run over to give her a last hug.

“Text me, whenever you can, Mom.” She starts weeping as well.

“Of course. I’m going to miss my boy.”

Settling into the McKinneys’ guest room is not as hard as I thought it would be. I’ve crashed her a few times, when Mom was in the hospital, but living here is a whole other ballgame. Mr. McKinney has evidently made sure I have everything I need in the bathroom and reset the bed. He’s a bit too nice, and I should’ve known that. Since I started hacking, Mr. McKinney is where I went for advice. He’s a computer scientist, which is what I want to do, and he specializes in white-hat hacking. He’s the one who paid my entrance fee for my very first hackathon. So the fact that he did not hesitate to refill the toiletries is unsurprising.

I’ve just gotten everything unpacked when the shorter Mr. McKinney calls everyone for lunch. I head out and see Grayson already demolishing his sandwich. Willa and Shelby are whispering to each other at the end of the table, but they stop as soon as I walk in. I’m assuming Willa stayed over last night, and she looks way better now. You can’t even tell she’s hungover.

Gray looks up with a chunk of bread in his mouth as I sit down.

“Hey, bro,” he says, fistbumping me. He drops part of his bread in the process. Without a drop of remorse, he picks it up and puts it in his mouth. Willa and Shelby start losing it, with Willa making loud gagging noises.

“Shel, who would waste a perfectly good piece of bread?” he asks. Shelby rolls her eyes. Her eyes are so pretty. She’s Gray’s sister. She’s really pretty. Oh, who cares?

“Any civilized human being ever. Why are you so gross?”

Gray laughs. “It’s all part of that dashing charm,” he says, combing his hair through his hands. “It’s what makes the ladies love me.” Both of the girls roll their eyes and go back to eating.

“So, what do you want to do, Seth? Robinson’s?” 

I smirk. “I’ve spent way too much time inside of Robinson’s.” I answer. “What about the diner?”

Willa perks up. “Can we come?” Shelby grabs her arm. “No, I’m serious, Shel,” she says in response. “Rehearsal doesn’t start till six. We have some time to grab milkshakes at the diner.” Rehearsal? I didn’t know Shelby was in a play this summer.

“Wait, when’s the play?” I ask.

“August 15th,” Willa responds. “Are you coming? We’re putting on To Kill a Mockingbird.” I discreetly enter the date into my mental calendar.

“Nope,” I lie. “Just curious.” I swear Willa starts tripping over herself when I’m in the room. She’s had this weird crush on me since my mom started working for her dad, which is odd because I think I’ve said a total of twenty words to her, total. And she’s pretty, but not Shelby pretty. Shelby’s naturally pretty, whereas Willa tends to be kind of fake.

“Okay, are we all onboard for the diner?” Grayson asks. Willa nods aggressively, Shelby reluctantly smiles, and I get up.

“Yup. Let’s go already.”