Read With Friends Like These for Free Online

“Yeah, cool, I’ll meet you at your house, but I’ll call you when I’m ready, okay?”
    The minute he got off the phone, I said, “So, what was that all about?”
    He shrugged off my question at first. But I guess the look on my face told him he couldn’t just blow me off.
    “Oh, that’s nothing,” he finally said. “My mother trips sometimes. After I told her you were my girl, she started talking ’bout I’m too young to be serious with anyone. She claims we have a plan—college, grad school, then a serious girlfriend. So rather than deal with her, I just let her think I’m with her plan.”
    I didn’t say anything as I followed him inside the restaurant. We put our name on the waiting list and were standing off to the side when Walter’s cell phone rang again. I bit my lips, but didn’t say anything. I hoped his phone wouldn’t ring all evening.
    “You coming over here?” I heard him ask. He paused. “Yeah, we’re ’bout to be seated, then we were talking about catching a nine o’clock movie. We can meet you there. Cool.”
    He snapped his phone shut, then turned to me. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told Sam him and his girl could meet us at the movies.”
    I faked like I was pouting. Although I was just playing, I really did want our first date to just be us.
    “Aww, c’mon, there’s nothing wrong with having a little company tag along with us.” He playfully pinched my chin. “Besides, we’ll talk about all the private stuff over dinner, long before the movie starts, anyway.”
    I smiled. “I was just kidding, I don’t mind. But you still didn’t tell me what’s up with your folks. I mean, what do they have against me?”
    “It’s nothing like that at all. I mean, they don’t know you. I’m telling you, my mother is just afraid I’ll get all wrapped up in some girl and my grades will fall, and all that stupid stuff. Nothing for you to worry about, though. I got them under control.” Walter took his arm and threw it over my shoulder, pulling me closer.
    By the time they called us to our table, I was afraid Walter could hear my stomach growling. That’s just how hungry I was.
    At the table, we ordered, laughed, and talked until our food arrived. I loved the way things with us just seemed so natural. We were just finishing up dinner when we heard a voice say, “So, now you’re in the business of lying to your mother.”
    Walter’s eyes got huge as he jumped up. “Mom!”
    “Don’t mom me.” His mother folded her arms. She was a very elegant-looking woman, with beautiful blond hair that hung loosely around her face. She looked like she couldn’t have been a day over thirty and was dressed like she was someone important in some navy linen capris and a cream tank. “I was leaving Pier One, and I thought that was your car over here,” she said. “Since you were supposed to be at Sam’s studying, I came in here to see for myself if my son had turned into a liar.”
    “Mom, are you following me?” Walter asked.
    “Follow you? Son, I don’t have to follow you. Or at least, I didn’t think I needed to follow you.” She must’ve finally decided to acknowledge me, because she turned to me, her nose in the air. “So, are you the reason my son has taken to lying?”
    I stood up myself, not wanting her first impression of me to be a negative one. “I’m Camille.” I stuck my hand out. She didn’t shake it.
    “Mother, this has nothing to do with Camille. I chose to lie to you on my own because I knew you were gon’ be trippin’,” Walter said.
    “Gon’ be trippin’?” his mother mocked. “Do you think they talk like that at Princeton? Do you think you can have a career in politics talking like that? Not only that, you have a very important exam tomorrow, and you’re up here hanging out! You gon’ be at the community college if you keep this up!”
    Walter rolled his eyes. His mother turned her attention back to me. I was still standing there, not sure what to