I wasted no time in getting to my mom. I didn't have practice today. It was our down day. So, I met her in her office. It is bizarre having a mom who is also a principle. She used to teach in my grade school too. As a kid it felt like a huge embarrassment having your mom around all the time. Now, and especially at this moment, I couldn't be more grateful.

As I enter she smiles but doesn't say anything to me. She is currently in conference with her Vice Principal, Mr. Nolen and I take a seat and wait for her.

Mr. Nolen comes out of her office and smiles at me, "So are the Leopards ready for the big game?"

"Yes sir. I expect a big win."

"Happy to hear it. She's all yours," he says thumbing back to my mom's office.

"Thanks!"

"Hey Mom!"

"So, trying to bum a ride home?" she says laughingly.

"Something like that," I say not sure how to bring up the topic of Brynn.

"Well, I just need to write up the announcements for tomorrow and we can get going."

"Okay, I'll wait for you out there."

Ten minutes later she was turning out the lights and locking the doors. "Okay all set."

We get into her car and she looks over at me. "So you going to tell me what this is all about?" she says drawing an imaginary circle around her own face. Sometimes her powers of perception are amazing but I can't seem to stop frowning so I think I made it rather easy on her this time.

"I have a problem or a...favor... I'm not sure."

"Hmm...sounds serious. Okay, go for it."

"You know that girl I have a date with this Saturday? Well it's Brynn Shelby." My mom's eyes quickly dart from off the road to my face and then back again.

"I see."

"Her Dad..."

"I know all about the situation, Finn. He was in to see me but I was out at a seminar today so he met with Mr. Nolen. He wants Brynn transferred, and asked for copies of her transcripts."

I sigh heavily. "She doesn't want to go. I don't want her to go."

"What are you hoping I can do for you?"

"Talk with him... write him a letter, explain what a detriment it would be to Brynn to pull her away when she's so close to graduation. I don't know...truthfully I was kind of hoping you would come up with the plan," I say looking out the window, feeling more lost by the second.

"I'm principal of the High School, Finn. Not a miracle worker. I have no control over what a parent does in regards to the education of their child other than getting them in trouble if the child shows to be truant, and even then there are limitations."

I can tell by the look on her face that she doesn't like giving me this answer. My mom prides herself on being able to fix any problem. It's one of the many reasons she is so good at her job.

"Mom, I really like this girl."

"I don't like this situation any more than you. Brynn deserves to stay but if her guardian is no longer able to care for her, there really is little I can do to make her stay."

"So, then you know Brynn is with her grandmother?"

"Yes."

"Did you know her mom died?" I ask the thought just occurring to me.

My mom's fingers tighten on the steering wheel. She is biting down on her lip and I see a tear slide slowly down her cheek. "Mom?"

"Yes, I know. Brynn's mom was my best friend."

That news made no sense to me. I have many pseudo Aunts and Uncles who are my parent's friends and I had never met Brynn or Brynn's parents. "I don't understand?"

"I need a milkshake," Mom says to me and changes course to our local diner.

She didn't answer my question, and in fact she said nothing to me at all until we were settled into a booth and she had several sips of her favorite black and white cookie shake. I knew she was totally stressing because normally she tried avoiding the sweet stuff, not trusting to have it around the house, always worried she'd gain weight or something.

She sighed in either contentment or nervousness it was hard to tell. "Okay, here it goes."

I settled in knowing this may be a long story.

"Her name was Rebecca Rose and did the name ever fit her. She was gorgeous actually she looked just like Brynn, beautiful brown eyes and this reddish brown hair that always reminded me of a lion's mane."

"Brynn's hair is black." I said not meaning to interject into her story but Mom just smiled. "She dyes it. It wasn't always that color. If you search that memory of yours to when you went to grade school together you may remember what it looked like."

I tried but just couldn't, and it irked me.

"Rebecca and I were very much like you and Tyler. Totally inseparable, we did everything together. People would joke that we were sisters separated at birth." She laughs at the memory.

"Our Senior Year, she hooked up with this guy. A real jerk named Greg, he smoked, he hung with a rough crowd and he was a drinker. Needless to say, I didn't like him and I didn't really try and hide that fact. I knew Rebecca deserved better but she was head over heels in love with him. I felt it was my duty to point out his faults, to try and make her see and that's how I lost my best friend forever."

I hated seeing my Mom look so upset. I couldn't imagine if Tyler and I were suddenly not speaking to one another, it would feel like I lost my right arm.

"Funny thing happened," she continued after taking a couple more sips of her shake, "he cleaned up his act and married her."

Whoa, the bad boy is Brynn's Dad!

"I felt horrible. I was wrong or I thought I was wrong, and the girl I stood by since we were four years old was gone. We missed out on the most important events in each other's lives, our wedding, the birth of our children, and their lives. I can't tell you there weren't times I wished I kept my big mouth shut, that I could call her up and tell her about you. It was our dream to have our children grow up together to be friends like her and I were."

"So why didn't you?"

"Didn't what?"

"Call her, try and make up. Become friends again?" I asked, it seemed simple enough.

"I had tried. A few times before they were married. Greg always shut me down. I can't say I blame him. He knew how much I didn't like him and for me he was public enemy number one as he was the reason I lost Rebecca. So, he made sure the wedge was permanent. He wanted no chance of me talking Rebecca out of being with him and the best way to do that is to make my best friend make a choice, her best friend or the man she loves more than life. I couldn't compete."

"Wow, that sucks. Guess you were happy you didn't have to see him today, huh?"

Mom laughed, "Oh, yeah. God was good to me today."

"So...what happened to her?"

My mom's smile disappears...and she lets out a long slow breath.

"You don't have to tell me if it bothers you so much," I said immediately regretting asking her the question.

"No, if you are going to seriously pursue Brynn you'll need to know this. It may explain a lot about why she...why she is the way she is."

I nod and remain silent to let my mom continue.

"When Brynn was in fifth grade I remember the teachers talking about her. She was a great student energetic, smart, did well in all her classes and suddenly she was doing poorly, started keeping to her self and was losing time. There was even talk that if things continued she would be in danger of being left back."

"The one thing I wasn't hearing was why? So, I began looking into it. I took Brynn aside and we talked a long time. She told me her Mom was sick, she had gotten cervical cancer and they were putting her through treatments but she was very weak. Her dad was beside himself with worry. He was afraid they may lose her and he would disappear for days at a time and Brynn did not know to where. It was up to Rebecca's mom and Brynn to take care of her."

"That's why she was doing so bad in school and that's why she was missing so much time. So, I stepped in and began tutoring her during lunch and her grandmother would make sure she'd get time with me so I could keep her up to date. Her grades weren't what they were before but she did manage to recover enough to pass and her mom recovered as well."

"For two years, things looked great. Her mom was in remission. Brynn was back to her old self, it would seem so was her father but in seventh grade Brynn was actually a student of mine and I noticed the change immediately, only this time it was worse. Much worse."

"Rebecca was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and it was in the advanced stages, she had a double mastectomy but it left her body weak and her cervical cancer returned and within a week after her operation she was gone."

My Mom stopped talking for several moments, I could tell she was trying to hold back whatever emotions were threatening to overcome her. She lets out another slow breath and continued.

"Brynn was a mess and rightly so. Her mom was gone, and her dad as well. He began drinking again. He'd go on long binges and leave Brynn alone for days not knowing if he would come back, his state scaring her when he did. So, her grandmother stepped in and forced Greg's hand. She won custody of Brynn and she's been with her grandmother ever since."

"Brynn said, her dad hadn't even talked to her since her mom died," I said.

"I'm not surprised. Brynn is her mom incarnate, she has her mom's spirit. She even gets her talent in art from her. He most likely found it too hard to be around her."

"Screw that!" I said suddenly angered. "What about Brynn? What about what she needs?"

My Mom smiled at me and brushed the back of her fingers across my cheek. "And that is one of the many reasons why I love you!"

I was still mad. Greg was an a-hole. How could he abandon Brynn? No wonder she thinks she's transparent. Everyone she loves disappears on her. Her mom, her dad, and now even her grandmother. How do you trust anyone when the people you love most in this world are willing to give you up so easily? My blood was boiling.

"Mom, she can't go with him. She needs someone who cares about her. I care about her. I don't want her to disappear."

My mom frowned. "I can't make any promises, but maybe I can talk with her grandmother and see how bad things really are, to see if there is a chance she can hold out until graduation."

"Thank you!" I immediately felt better.

"Finn," she warned, "this is not a guarantee. It may not work. So try not to get your hopes up, okay?"

It was hard not too. This was the first glimmer of hope I had all day, and my heart just wanted to wrap it up in bubble wrap and keep it safe. I didn't want my bubble to burst not yet.