A half hour later, Dannon’s eyes opened.

His hair was still soaked.  That made sense seeing how I went back and refilled the water bottle after, deciding to give it another go—not that it worked.  There must have been something wrong with him.  It just wasn’t normal for someone to be that deep of a sleeper.

“Why am I wet?” were the first words that came out of Dannon’s mouth.

“I dumped water on you,” I replied with a nonchalant shrug, looking at my nails from my spot at the kitchen counter.  Dannon leaned against the threshold, his arms crossed lightly over his chest. 

“Why?”

“You weren’t waking up.”  I looked up at him then, allowing an amused smile to cross over my face.  He looked like a drowned dog.  It was kind of hilarious.  If Kyla were here she’d be whispering in my ear about how sexy he looked with his hair sticking to his face, how his eyes seemed to pop now that his hair was two shades darker.  But Kyla wasn’t here.  Thank gosh.

Dannon was quiet for a moment.  I waited for him to realize the current situation we were in—that we weren’t in school but standing in my kitchen.  Whether it was because he just woke up or because he was still tired—which didn’t make any sense—I didn’t know; but he took a really long time to figure it out.  “Why aren’t we at school?”

He said it so nonchalantly.  Like it wasn’t a big deal that we were both receiving unexcused absences for all four periods today.  Like his dad wasn’t probably worried sick about him.  And, on top of that, the school team was going to be missing one of their players at the game today.  Poor team.

“Good question,” I said after a while.  “I was wondering that myself.”

Dannon rubbed his eyes, pushing off the threshold and making his way toward me.  “I’m not even going to ask what I’m still doing here for,” he mumbled sleepily.  “That seems to be rather obvious.”

I laughed shortly.  “Yeah.  You should probably get ahold of your dad so he can tell the school that you’re sick or something.”  I laughed again.  “Wouldn’t want Mr. Popular to have an unexcused absence would we?”

Dannon chuckled.  “Nickname not needed.”

“Sleeping Beauty’s up?” Garrett called suddenly, appearing in the entryway.  He grinned at Dannon, pointing to Dannon’s hair.  “Dude, you’re one deep sleeper.”

Dannon, not at all bugged by Garrett’s nickname, shrugged.  “Yeah, I guess so.”

I cocked an eyebrow at Garrett who was making his way to the refrigerator, probably to steal some of my mom’s food.  He enjoyed eating things that weren’t his.  He ate everything.  Everything.  “Garrett,” I drew out, watching as he pulled out a bowl of chicken noodles—which was my mom’s, by the way.  “Did you ever call the school like I asked you to?”

Garrett set the bowl on the counter, grinning at me.  “Nope, I’ll get right on that!”

“Now.”

I put my hands on my hips, staring him down until he relented.  “Fine!” Garrett sighed deeply.  “I will call your school now.”  He picked up the cordless, waving it at me.  “See?”  He began to dial.  “Calling, right now.”

Dannon shot me a confused look, but I just shook my head, biting my lip to keep from laughing.  This was going to be hilarious!

“Hello?” Garrett asked in a high-pitched voice, leaning back against the counter as the office picked up the phone.  I covered my mouth with my hand, muffling my giggles.  Garrett winked at me before continuing.  “Yes, this is Brianne Nichol’s mom.”  He paused.  “Yes, yes, I’m sorry, I’ve got a cold!”  He coughed ferociously for emphasis.  It was actually quite convincing.  “Yes, I’m fine, thank you for your concern.”  He rolled his eyes.  “Brianne will not be in school today, for she has a bad case of what I have.”  He pulled the phone away from his ear to laugh softly.  After containing his guffaws he brought the phone back to his ear.  “Yes.  Mhm.  Thank you.”

“Great job!” I exclaimed between giggles as Garrett pressed the End button.

Dannon chuckled.  “You’re such a proper lady.”

“Ain’t I?”  Garrett coughed in a not-very-convincing way.  “Darling, you’ve gotten me ill!”

Dannon and I laughed simultaneously.  “Can I use your phone?”  Dannon requested as his laughter subsided.

Garrett nodded, tossing the phone to him.  “Sure, man.”

Dannon caught it easily, smiling.  “Thanks.”

Garrett grinned at me as Dannon walked out of the room, dialing his dad’s phone number.  It was one of those lop-sided grins that looked absolutely ridiculous to me but probably incredibly adorable to girls who were actually attracted to him.  “I really like him,” he declared, nodding in Dannon’s direction.

“So date him,” I replied, gesturing toward Dannon’s general direction.

“If I were gay, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

I hoped he knew how that sounded.  But he probably didn’t.  He was Garrett.

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

Dannon came back a few minutes later, the phone in his hand.  He handed it over to Garrett who tossed it carelessly onto the counter, almost hitting me in the arm.  I leaned back, watching them.  I wondered if Dannon realized that he was missing a game today and that the team was probably screwed without him (as Garner pointed in history class).  I wanted to point it out to him myself, but I kept my mouth shut.

“What time are Mom and Dad supposed to come back?” I asked, turning to Garrett.

Garrett shrugged.  “They’re probably not coming home right after.”  He paused.  “I wonder if they know you’re not at school.”

I scoffed.  “Probably not.”

As Garrett resumed eating everything in sight, Dannon moved next to me, leaning back against the counter, his arms crossed lightly over his chest.  His eyes were distant, a small smile on his face.  I watched him, flabbergasted.  I just didn’t understand how he could be so happy all the time.  Was there nothing that upset him?

I blinked, turning away before Garrett could accuse me of ogling.  “You know you’re missing a football game tonight, right?” I mumbled just to change the subject.  Garrett and Dannon probably didn’t understand why I suddenly felt the need to veer off the subject—which, now that I thought of it, was actually nothing.  And I was glad about that. 

“Yeah,” Dannon replied, unconcerned with a smile on his face.  “They’ll live without me.”

“That’s not what Garner says,” I mused, watching his reaction as I lounged against the counter.

Dannon, of course, was completely unaffected.  “Huh,” he said with a shrug.  “I’ll be there on Friday.”  He paused to grin.  “You guys should come.”

Uh-uh.  No way.  I did not do football games.  Or any sport game for that matter.  I didn’t find any interest what-so-ever in watching men run back and forth on fields chasing after some sort of ball.  I was prepared to tell Dannon just that, but as I opened my mouth, Garrett cut me off, stopping me from even beginning my sentence.  “Of course we’ll be there!” he exclaimed with a chuckle.  “We wouldn’t miss it.  Unless there’s no hot coca.  I won’t go unless there is some.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him.  He was making me go because of hot chocolate?  Wow.  Okay.

“There’s hot cocoa,” Dannon reassured him with a smile.

“So you get a break from school and a game,” I mused, thinking about how much I would love that if I were in his position.  “Lucky boy.”

Dannon, apparently, didn’t share the same appreciation of not having to play sports as I did.  “Oh, I won’t be taking a break from football,” he drawled, dragging his words out slowly.

His tone scared me.

I shot him a suspicious glance, trying to read his expression.  It wasn’t exactly easy when the expression always stayed the same.  You know, smiling.  I glared coolly.  “What do you mean?” I demanded, not quite wanting to know the answer.

Dannon chuckled, pushing away from the counter and facing me with his arms stretching out over his head.  “I’m going to play football today,” he said as he let his arms fall back to his sides.  “And you’re going to help me.”

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

“I really don’t think I should be doing this,” I insisted for probably the thousandth time as the boys and I headed outside and to the front yard.  Garrett tossed a football he’d scrounged up from his bedroom into the air, catching it smoothly.  Dannon stood beside him, a small smile etched onto his face. 

“Shut it, Brianne,” Garrett replied stiffly.  “You’re playing.”

I huffed, my arms instantly winding across my chest.  “But I don’t know how!” I whined like a five-year-old.  I glanced back at the door, wishing I was on the couch watching a movie—any movie, really.  Even A Walk To Remember would have been fine.

“You’ll learn quickly.”

I stared at Garrett like he was insane.  I had the slightest—okay, hugest—temptation to run in front of him and kick him in the groin multiple times.  Then I’d make him play football even though he was injured.  Maybe then it would be more even.  I mean, seriously?  Making me, a girl who couldn’t even win a game of Go Fish, play football?  That was so unfair.

“You know I can’t play sports,” I hissed.  “Can’t we just play pass?”

Garrett laughed.  Not one of those joking laughs where you laughed along with the person, but one of those rude, mocking laughs where you mocked the person you were laughing at.  I rolled my eyes, completely irritated with him.  Why did he have to choose today to be a jerk?

“Dannon!” I shrieked in dismay.  Let’s face it.  I was much more likely to convince Dannon to let me sit out than Garrett.  “Please don’t make me play!”

Guilting him probably wasn’t the most ethical way to go, but it worked.  It didn’t take long for Dannon to take my side.  All he had to do was stare me down for a few incredibly short moments before nodding.  I suppressed a triumphant smile as he turned to Garrett with a, “Garrett, we can’t just make someone play.”

Garrett tossed me a scowl before sighing deeply.  “Lovebirds,” he said with a playful sneer, “are so sensitive.”  He rolled his eyes as he tossed the football and caught it once again.  “Are we playing one-on-one then?”

Dannon shrugged nonchalantly.  “Sure.”

So, it was settled.  I didn’t have to play as long as I stayed in sight.  Apparently I wasn’t trusted inside alone.  I didn’t really understand why.  I mean I’d been left home alone numerous times since my thirteenth birthday.  And, if I recalled, Garrett was the only one who’d ever broken anything.  But I could tolerate not being allowed inside.  If that meant that I didn’t have to play, whatever.  I could deal. 

That being said, ten minutes later I was bored.  Really bored.  Like, so bored that I would rather be sitting in school taking an exam.  Sports never interested me, so watching two teens play it definitely didn’t hold my attention.  I mean, they weren’t even wearing the tights like the professionals did!  I sighed deeply.  I guess I couldn’t deal.  Oh well.  “Can I go inside now?” I whined, leaning back on the porch, staring without interest at Garrett and Dannon as the continued to play football.

Garrett chucked a sour glance at me.  I cocked an eyebrow at him.  Wow, whatever man.  I was just asking.

Another ten minutes dragged by.  I sprawled out on the porch—which wasn’t really comfortable, but whatever—wishing that my mom and dad would show up.  At least then I’d be able to go inside.  But, sadly, the driveway remained empty, and I remained bored out of my mind.  Was it possible to be bored to death?  Because it felt like I was going to die.

As my death was about to become official, I felt a vibrating in my pocket.  I jumped, almost letting out a cry of shock.  I grumbled under my breath.  I completely forgot that I put my phone in my pocket before coming out here.

I could have played games on my cell phone this whole time.  That was depressing.

With a small sigh I opened my phone.  I wasn’t at all surprised to see that Kyla text.  It was probably something angry, like demanding to know why I wasn’t at school and she was stuck alone to endure the school day.  She wouldn’t care that I might be deathly ill or I might have something terrible going on in my life.  Oh, no.  I ditched her on a school day.  That was a huge no-no.

I snickered as I read the text.  I was right—she was pissed.  Instead of answering her text, I pressed the Call button and brought he phone to my ear.  Frankly, I was in no mood to text.

“Why aren’t you here?” Kyla demanded as a greeting, irritation seeping into her voice with every word.  It occurred to me that she had to be on free period right now, or talking in the hall where a teacher would catch her at any second.  I hadn’t even thought of the fact that she was in school.  Oops.

“Hello to you too,” I teased.  “And sorry.  My mom didn’t wake me up for school this morning.”

“Dannon’s not here either!” Kyla whined.  “I have absolutely no one.”       

I didn’t answer at first.  How pissed off would she be if she found out that Dannon was here?  Majorly, probably.  I mean, I probably would have been pissed if my only two friends were together and I was stuck alone at school.  “I’m sorry,” I mumbled finally, not ready to tell her that Dannon was here with me.

“That was a foul!” Garrett called suddenly.

Dannon laughed.  “That was so not a foul.”

I froze.  Did they have to be so loud?  I mean, seriously?  Not only was I on the phone, but I was on the phone with a girl who was already pissed off—and would get more pissed off when she found out Dannon was here. 

The small shred of hope that Kyla hadn’t heard Dannon’s voice shriveled when Kyla muttered darkly, “That didn’t happen to be who I think it is, did it?”

I gulped, not at all looking forward to where this conversation was going.  “Um. . . .”

“Brianne!” Kyla exclaimed.  “Why is Dannon there without me?”

I sighed as hurt and jealously etched into her voice.  Dammit.  I was hoping to avoid this.  Guess that ship has sailed.  “I’m sorry,” I said for the third time.  “It was a last minute thing, and we ended up falling asleep.”

When Kyla sighed I knew that the anger was ebbing away.  I let out a breath of relief.  Thank goodness.  “Why was he there, anyway?” she asked curiously.  

I glanced at Dannon and Garrett, who were still playing their ridiculous game of football, before answering.  “Garrett wanted him over,” I replied, scratching an itch on my forehead.

“Garrett’s here?” Kyla shrieked, all of her previous anger returning.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Damn.  I forgot to tell her everything didn’t I?  “I totally forgot!” I struggled to explain myself.  “I’m sorry.  Oh, before I forget, something important happened yesterday.”

There.  If I could tell her about my mom being pregnant now, I’d be less likely to forget to tell her later.  That way I’d escape any further encounters like this.  Great plan, I know.

“You and Dannon proclaimed your love for one another?” Kyla guessed, her voice light.

I rolled my eyes before looking at the trees across the yard.  I tilted my head to the side as I watched the two squirrels chasing each other.  I wondered if they ever thought to quit it.  Did anyone ever decide to quit it?  I’d appreciate it some people—like Kyla for example—would seriously think about it.  “No,” I drawled, hoping she could sense my annoyance, “my mom’s pregnant.”

“What?”  Kyla gasped.  “Are you serious?  That’s awesome!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction.  I paused, finally allowing a little wave of excitement move its way through me.  Would it be a boy or a girl?  Would it be a cute baby?  Or would it be . . . let’s just say not so cute?  Would it be messy?  Clean?  Irritating?  Hilarious?  Like the rest of the family?

So many questions.  No answers.

“I know,” I said, allowing a small smile to slip on my face.  “At first I wasn’t happy at all, but now I’m okay with the whole idea.”

“Why weren’t you?”

I pursed my lips, not at all wanting to explain last night’s argument.  I should have kept my mouth shut.  “My mom tried forcing me out of my bedroom,” I replied after a moment’s hesitation.  “We had a bit of a  . . . disagreement.”

“The nerve!” Kyla exclaimed.  Now, if she had been here at the time of the argument, her mouth would have been clamped shut.  Don’t let her fool you for a second.

“I know,” I said softly.  “I stormed out of the house, and Dannon happened to be driving down the road.”

“Then what happened?”

I laughed at Garrett as I looked up.  He was doing a little victory dance.  Dannon didn’t seem at all fazed by Garrett’s need to brag.  He simply grinned, getting ready to chuck the ball at his stomach.  I sighed slightly.  Boys these days!

“He took me to Friendly’s,” I replied, directing my gaze away from the boys and to my fingernails.

“What a nice boy,” Kyla commented giddily.  “I cannot wait until you guys get together!  You guys are so cute!”

I rolled my eyes.  “Hold on,” I murmured absently.  I pulled the phone away from my ear, shouting, “Can I go inside now?”  I stared at them flatly as they ignored me, deciding to tackle each other instead.  I swear one of them was going to break something.  “And calm yourselves!  People are going to think you’re brawling.”

“What are they doing?” I heard Kyla ask as I brought the phone back to my ear.

“They were playing football,” I explained, “but now they’re ‘play-fighting in a manly way’ as they like to put it.”

“Oh, I see.”  She seemed about ready to say something else, but all of a sudden the harsh rings of the bell cut her off.  “Ah, damn!  Sorry, free period’s over.  I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay,” I said, smoothing the wrinkles out of my jeans.  “Bye.”

I hung up the phone, standing up and sliding it into my pocket.  I cocked an eyebrow in the boys’ direction.  I trotted off the porch, crossing my arms over my chest as I made my way toward them.  “You guys are idiots,” I declared as I came to stand directly in front of them.

Dannon, still play-fighting, grinned at me as he pushed Garrett’s head aside.  “You’ve said that.  Multiple times.”

I snorted.  “Yeah, because it obviously hasn’t sunk in yet.”  I looked between them.  “You guys are going to break something.”

“Again, you’ve said that multiple times,” Dannon said with a chuckle.  How he could fight and talk to me at the same time, I would never know. 

“Ow!” Garrett cried out suddenly.

Dannon pulled away instantly.  I brought a hand to my mouth, my eyes wide in horror as Garrett clutched his nose.  Ew, ew, ew!  Blood!  I hated blood.  The sight of it made me want to vomit.  “I told you,” I snapped, covering my eyes now.  “I told you that you were going to get hurt.  But no one ever listens to me.”

“I’m sorry!” Dannon apologized frantically as he helped Garrett to his feet.  “I didn’t mean—”

“I know, man,” Garrett assured him, his voice muffled by his hands.  “No problem.”

I uncovered my hands, glowering at the two boys in front of me.  “Instead of standing here,” I drawled, “why don’t we go inside?  I mean, unless you want to bleed out and die.”

Garrett scoffed, mumbling something about me being dramatic, before complying.  He sauntered toward the house without a second look back.  Dannon fell into step next to me, his gaze directed at the ground.  I tilted my head to the side.  “Hey,” I murmured.  He looked up.  “Stop beating yourself up.”  I smiled comfortingly at him.  “He had it coming.”

Dannon returned the smile, however only slightly.  “I guess.”

“Someone open this door before I get blood on it!”  Garrett called.  “I don’t wanna be grounded!”

A nineteen-year-old still fearing being grounded.  Didn’t hear that every day.

I rushed forward, hurrying up the steps and pushing Garrett out of the way.  I shrieked as blood flew off Garrett and almost hit me.  It splattered onto the porch in a small blob.  I stared at it for a moment before turning back to my brother.  “Dude, don’t get blood on me.  This is a white shirt.”

“Don’t shove me then,” was Garrett’s reply.

 Dannon stood at the bottom of the steps, laughing at us both.  I glanced at him.  Glad to see that he was back to normal.  Odd, I couldn’t help but think, that I actually was.

I pushed open the door, going inside and quickly moving out of the way.  “Go clean yourself,” I ordered my brother as he plowed through the doorway.

Garrett cocked an eyebrow, saying a muffled, “Yes, ma’am.”

With that, he trotted down the hall, disappearing into the bathroom. 

I turned to Dannon, who was kicking off his shoes, his white anklets practically glowing on his feet.  I followed pursuit, kicking off my shows carelessly.  I, unlike Dannon, was wearing cool anklets.  Polka-dotted.  You could never go wrong with polka-dots.  Ever.  “What exactly did you do to make his nose bleed?” I inquired, my eyebrows raised.

“I accidentally elbowed him in the nose.”

I sputtered out a laugh.  You would expect something along the lines of, “I punched him!”  The fact that Garrett lost to an elbow was downright hilarious!  “Do you have any blood on your shirt?” I asked as my laughter became somewhat-contained.  “We’ll wash it if you do.”

Dannon, in reply, stuck his elbow out towards me.  “I can’t see!” he informed me, waving his elbow around.  “Is there?”

I grabbed his elbow, forcing him to stop.  “If you stopped waving it around, maybe I could tell.”  I rolled my eyes as Dannon chuckled, checking his elbow for any blood splatter.  It surprised me that his shirt remained blood-free.  I’d expected there to be some blood.  “Nope, you’re clean,” I said, letting my hand fall and taking a step back.

Dannon let his arm fall to his side, grinning at me as I turned away from him and trotted over to the couch, practically throwing myself onto it.  A moment later Dannon was sitting on the other edge cushion, the middle left bare.  I twisted around, resting my feet in the middle.  What can I say?  I liked to be comfortable. 

But, sadly, that comfort didn’t last.  A moment later, Dannon copied me, his legs flopping over mine.

I scowled at him.  “Um, excuse me, but your feet happen to be on my cushion.”

Dannon smiled, amused.  “What, is your name on it?”

“That is such a childish comeback,” I said with an eye roll.  Huh.  I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

I cocked an eyebrow as Dannon moved his feet, sliding so that he feet were connected with mine.  “I’ll fight you for it.”

“A foot wrestle, really?” I laughed shortly, leaning back and raising our feet up.  “Whatever.  You’re going to lose.”

And then it began.

Okay, so maybe I was going to lose.  How did this dude get so much leg strength?  It was a wonder that I was able to keep my place in the middle without him easily pushing my legs up against my chest.  It was hard, might I tell you.  Not even thirty seconds in my legs felt like they were going to fall off.

“Are you even human?” I demanded through gritted teeth as I struggled to force Dannon’s legs to at least budge a little.  In vain, of course.  He didn’t even seem to feel it.

“Uh?” Dannon replied with a laugh.  If you could even call that a reply.  “Yeah, I think so.”

“Do you work out or something?”  I shook my head, tilting my head to the side so I could see his face. He tilted his head to the side as well, smiling brightly in my direction.  Stupid football player with his stupid football player strength.  Or maybe I was just really out of shape.  Or maybe it was both. 

“I have these things called practices,” Dannon teased with a chuckle.  “I’m sure that you’ve heard of them.”

I gave a small cry as his legs took over, pushing mine against my stomach.  Ow.  “All right,” I said slowly as Dannon laughed.  “We’ll call it a draw.”

“You didn’t happen to get that from Monty Python and the Holy Grail did you?”

Damn.  He caught that.  “I might have,” I mumbled, struggling to let my legs fall.  It was rather difficult seeing how Dannon had them trapped.  “Can you move your legs away, please?”

Dannon moved away and I let my legs sprawl out in front of me, smiling triumphantly in Dannon’s direction as his legs hung in the air.  “I’m not moving,” I told him, smiling smugly at him.

Dannon shook his head, smiling as he let his legs plop right on mine.  I gasped, scowling playfully.  “I’m not moving either,” he said lightly.

Great.  So we were back where we were before the pointless foot wrestle.

Garrett appeared, his face now clear of any trace of blood.  He glanced at us and then at our legs, his face pinching in disapproval.  He was just playing around, of course.  But, from the way he was acting, you would think that we were acting inappropriate—which we obviously weren’t.

“Tch,” Garrett said with a grin.  “Teenagers.”

| It ♥ All ♥ Started ♥ With ♥ An ♥ Apple |

Lunchtime was rather difficult. 

Garrett wanted mac and cheese, obviously, but Dannon and I wanted spaghetti.  The problem was that Garrett was the only one allowed to use the stove.  My mom’s rule was simple: when you’re eighteen and older you’re allowed to use dangerous kitchen appliances when the adults are away.  Until then?  Touch luck.

So, bottom line, Garrett refused to make us spaghetti.

“Garrett!” I hollered, irritated.  “Mom’s rule is to keep the guests happy.”

Dannon leaned against the counter watching us argue.  He, unlike me, chose to be neutral, not wanting to fight with Garrett.  “I don’t want to be rude,” he’d whispered to me.  I, on the other hand, was perfectly willing to be.  Garrett was being a jackass. 

“Cooking two meals would be pointless,” Garrett said with a shake of the head.  “Sorry.”

The apology wasn’t aimed at me.

“What is Mom going to do when she gets home and finds out that you refused to cook something that a guest wanted?  Especially him?”  I gestured to Dannon. “You know Mom adores him.”

Dannon shook his head with a smile while Garrett just laughed coolly.  “You act like he’s a toy on display.”

I scowled.  “I do not.”

We continued to fight back and forth, resorting to name calling.  I refused to relent.  Why did he have to eat mac and cheese all the time?  Couldn’t he have a different kind of pasta?  There were several other kinds that he could try.  But no.  He refused to have anything else. 

Our bickering came to an immediate stop as the front door opened.  “Garrett!” my mom called.  “Why is Dannon’s car here?”

She appeared in the kitchen, a bag in one hand.  Her eyes narrowed considerably as she spotted Dannon and me.  “Why aren’t you two in school?” she demanded, cocking an eyebrow.

“Well,” I said slowly, moving away from Garrett and leaning against the counter next to Dannon, “we fell asleep on the floor, and no one woke us up.  So we woke up at like ten o’clock this morning.”

My mom stared at us in disbelief.  It was like she couldn’t fathom that she hadn’t seen her daughter and her friend sleeping on the living room floor.  “How come I didn’t see you?” she wondered aloud, the disbelief seeping into her voice as well.

“Because you’re as blind as a bat,” Garrett answered for us, stretching his arms over his head.  “Did you even see me on the couch?”

My mom pursed her lips.  “No. . . .”

Garrett laughed, balancing on his heels as he exclaimed, “Proving my point!”

My mom sighed.  “Well, my bad.”

My bad?  That was all she said to the situation?  I couldn’t help but smile.

Only my mother.