#11 Future Descendants of the Past ch. 11

Audrey's hear sank.
"Oh...okay. Where will I be?"
Her mom sighed. "I'm trying to set it up for you to go to your aunt's house upstate."
Audrey tried not to choke. That was NOT going to work. She wasn't just going to leave Cass to carry the mission for three weeks. She needed an excuse and fast. "But what about school?" She asked.
"Oh...right..."
"I could stay here! I'll be in school most days and I can crash at Destiny's place if I have to."
"Sweetie, are you sure? That's a lot of time alone!"
"I'm positive, and I won't be alone. I have Hazel!" she told her mom, thinking it would be better to not mention Cass.
"You'll need to check in with me every day if I let you stay alone," her mom insisted.
"I will. Wait, couldn't you have waited until you got home to tell me?" Audrey asked.
"Unfortunately no," her mom apologized. "I have to leave extra early tomorrow and I'm not going to be home until very late tonight."
"Geez, alright. Will you at least wake me up to give me a hug when you get home or before you leave?"
"Of course I will. Did you find something suitable for dinner?"
"Yep! I found some leftover chicken stir fry and I think I'm going to make some Ramen to go with it!"
"Okay, honey. Love you!"
"Love you too mom, be safe!" Audrey said before hanging up. Her head began spinning with all of the information she was processing when she heard a knock at the door. She went to open it and found Cass standing on her front porch.
"Hey! I'm finally done with chores and ready to smooch a slimy little amphibian! Are..." he trailed off when he saw her expression. "Audrey? What's wrong?"
She just stared at her shoes. "Nothing. I'm good."
Cass didn't say anything. So, she jumped a bit when he gently tipped her chin up.
"You can tell me anything, okay?" He whispered, his eyes echoing his sincerity.
Audrey blinked back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "My mom is going on a three week trip to New York for work, and the last time one of my parents went on a long trip they never came back!" she blurted out, falling into his arms sobbing. She cried on his shoulder for a good five minutes before she finally calmed down enough to realize what she was doing.
She moved back a few steps, her cheeks turning red. "S-sorry, that was...weird."
Cass shook his head and pulled her into a gentle hug. "No, it wasn't. Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes. Crying is a normal part of being human." He paused and stepped back, smiling sadly. "Y'know, unlike sleep. Sleep is for weirdos and inhuman beasts."
Something about his smile seemed to help ease the pain in heart a little.
"So, um...I get it if you don't want to do the frog thing right now," Cass ran his fingers through his hair.
Audrey shook her head. "Nope, let's go, I need to get my mind off of all this," she insisted as she tried to wipe the tears away from her eyes.
" Hey," Cass took a step forward and brushed a stray tear off her face. "It'll be okay," he told her, his expression making her believe every word.
Audrey squeezed his hand gratefully before turning to grab a jacket.
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Writing by Rena Gale and Calla Tolliver
Music from the public domain