Sure Thing

"What on earth are you doing?" Mrs. Marshall leaned against the counter, sipping on tea and watching wide eyed as she saw Kyle rushing down the stairs with his painting supplies.

"I'm gonna help Amelia."

This got her to turn around as he slapped a few of his paint containers on the ground and he turned and headed upstairs.

As far as she knew, her son didn't allow anyone to touch his paints or his art supplies. Yet this was different.

"Darling, are you sure you don't want me to—"

"No!" He yelled, coming back down the stairs with his face fixed and he almost pointed his finger at her until he remembered exactly who he was talking to. "We don't need to buy brand new paint supplies, we're designing posters."

She leaned back against the counter top, sipping tea again.

"Mom," he said, reaching for his keys. He couldn't bring all these things to her house in one trip. It was March 11, winter was breaking in California and the heat was on.

"Yes, Poppet?"

He stopped moving for a second at the use of his old nickname which she'd agreed to stop calling him.

"Yes, dear?" She inquired again, looking puzzled at his sudden frozen stature.

"Umm..." he trailed off, then remembered his question, "...when was the last time you drank water?"

She smiled, blushed almost and put her cup on the saucer. Nobody in the house could drink tea without a proper saucer.

"I drank some this morning. Around 11."

Kyle checked his watch, it was now after one in the afternoon. He nodded at her and waved, taking up as much as his hands could carry. She watched him as he came and went and came again to pick up the last of it.

"When will you be returning?"

"I don't know. Between us alone, it might take a few hours."

"It's Saturday, darling."

"I know."

She gave him a pointed look, it was obvious he was missing something.

He nodded at her, although both of them knew he didn't know what he was nodding too, Mrs. Marshall smiled softly and waved him off as he got into his car to drive five blocks down. Opening his trunk, he started to look around. There were a few cars he hadn't really taken the time to notice.

He grabbed a few of his canvas papers and put them underneath his arm and grabbed one painting kit and walked to the direction of their open backyard.

Kyle's jaw almost dropped, he met more than ten pairs of eyes.

Why did I think it would be just us?

"Oh! He's here!" He saw Amelia move from the back door of the house and weave herself through the tables and come up to him, taking the painting kit from him.

"Guys, this is Kyle." She turned around with a bright smile, he worried she'd been completely oblivious to the fact that many people were uncomfortable that he was there.

Truly, Kyle didn't know most of these kids from school. He'd seen all of them in classes and in the lunchroom, but he didn't remember ever saying two words to him.

And then, Ashley smiled as she looked behind her.

Coming out of the house, was the same tall guy from the restaurant she worked at, wearing a shirt that must've been cut off at the sleeves, displaying all his tattoos.