Collision

"Thank you for picking me up." I tell my mom when I slide into her car. I really wish I had mine right now but it won't get here for another three weeks. Until them, I'm stuck either hitching rides with my parents or using their cars.

"Of course." she smiles and turns on her blinker to exit the parking lot. "I just need to stop by my office to pick up my purse."

We drive into town and stop at a three story building painted beige with vines growing up the sides. On the outside reads Carter's Accounting. I begin to stay in the car but I would rather join her inside than freeze to death while I wait for her. I unbuckle my seatbelt and follow her into the large building.

"Good morning, Janet." My mom smiles at the women at the front desk as she makes her way to the elevator. We ride silently up to the third floor that lets us out into a large, modern style lobby. I follow her into her office and wait silently in the plush velvet chair as she retrieves her purse. While she's shuffling through her drawers, I look around.

The room is a decent size, a bit smaller than my bedroom, and painted eggshell white. Besides the walls, everything else is dark, the desk, the chairs, the cabinets. It looks like something you would see in a movie. I trail my fingers on the arm of the chair and trace the patterns in the wood. With the money that my father made, Mom never had to get a job. But she insisted that she wanted to try to be normal this year, for my sake. It's a nice change from her being a stay at home mom to going to work three days a week.

"I think I left it in the break room. I'll be back." She hurries out of her office and I'm left alone. I take out my phone to text Anna but I'm distracted by someone knocking on the door.

"Jess?" someone asks and I turn around, standing up in the process, to see Cameron leaning on the door frame. I go to ask him why he's here but then I remember that his mom works here. He must be here the same reason I am.

"Hey," I greet him and watch as he walks into the office. A few years ago my mom would faint at the sight of me being with a boy alone but since she's taken a liking to Cameron, she doesn't seem to mind our friendship.

"What are you doing here?" He asks and moves across the room to the look out the window, peeling back the curtain. Rain has begun to fall and I praise myself for walking inside rather than staying in the car.

"My mom forgot her purse." I reply and sit back down. I take in Cameron's state while he's looking out the window. He's medium height, a stocky build, and has straight blonde hair. He is cute but not as attractive as Harry.

Harry. My mind wanders back to him coming over tomorrow and I smile. I know I shouldn't trust him because of what happened last time but if this is going to work, I have to trust that he will stick to his promise.

"What are you smiling about?" Cameron's voice pulls me from my thoughts and I see him standing back by the doorway. I almost forgot where I was.

"Nothing." I lie and pull a thread from the string on my jeans. My mom should be here, it shouldn't take that long. Just when I go to find where she is, she walks through the door, almost bumping into Cameron in the process.

"I found it!" My mom waves her purse around to show me before noticing Cameron. "Oh, hello Cameron! I didn't know you were here!" I roll my eyes at her cheerful behavior and stand up.

"I just stopped by to say hi." He tells her before turning back to me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jess." He smiles warmly before leaving the room. I look back to my mother and see a huge smile plastered on her face.

"What?"

"I'm glad you and Cameron are getting close. He's such a sweet boy." She beams.

"We're not getting close, we're just friends." I tell her as we walk out of her office. Cameron is nice but we're nothing more than friends, no matter how much my mother wants us to be.

"Oh, alright." she frowns and punches the down button on the elevator. "But is there anyone you're getting close to? Boy-wise?" She asks, her eyes brightening.

"No. All the boys I know are just friends." I cringe that we're having this conversation but ponder on what she's asked. I only know a few boys and all of them are friends. Plus, I'm not here to get a boyfriend, I'm here to graduate, to get a job and make a life for myself. I can't get distracted by boys, not this early. Especially when it means my future. There is nothing more that I want then to go to college and get a degree in nursing.

I keep telling myself this but my mind always wonders back to the one person that I know will get in the way of my goal. Someone who I can't overlook, no matter how hard I try.

Notes