"Promise me you'll be on your best behaviour, Miles." That must've been about the fifth time since they set off that his mother had impressed upon him the importance of behaving at his new home for college. Though he was a bit confused as to why, he was a nerd and he was fairly sure he never got into trouble at school, not even a single bout of detention, always did his homework didn't go partying or anything like that (mainly as no one invited him.) "I promise mom, again." He said with a hint of sighing annoyance at the tail end, he really didn't know what she was worrying about and in his mind, he had bigger worries, like how he was going to make friends in a completely new city or whether he'd finally get a girlfriend or even whether he'd even pass and head to university next as his mother hoped. Miles suspected that he wasn't alone having thoughts like that, wondering if his mother and father had the same kind of thoughts when they'd been at that stage in their lives.
The first hint of what she might've been worried about came on their arrival at a rather fancy-looking home, the kind that had a security guard at the gate and an intercom. It buzzed after his mother lent out of the window to push the button. "Hello, Janice Williams... I believe I'm expected." A crackly voice replied to wait a moment before another buzz saw the mechanised gate sliding open which prompted a question from Miles. "What was it your friend did again?" He asked, feeling a pang of anxiety clench in his stomach as they rolled up a long gravel driveway, making him feel like his outfit was severely lacking for such a place. "Oh, she's quite important, though we don't talk about work... Senator or governor or something or other." His mother shrugged it off as she turned and the car rolled to a stop and she touched up her hair using the rear view mirror as Miles took in the place he was seemingly about to call home. To call it big was like saying the ocean was wet and he felt a little bit like he needed to rent a tuxedo just to be within a mile of it. In his view, Miles wasn't anything special to look at, a slim build that had begun to push toward lean rather than skinny and a fair complexion dusted with freckles on his face hidden behind some thin rimmed spectacles.
"Uh, are you sure this is the right place, mom?" He asked and received a confident chuckle in return. "Quite sure, now please just make sure you won't do anything that'll have me getting a call from her to pick you up?" Miles sighed, he could sort of understand it in a way, given that he suspected the towels in this place cost more than their entire bathroom as his mother motioned her hands to shoo him out of the passenger seat to get his suitcase and camping pack. He stepped out of the car, feet crunching on the gravel likely imported from some far-off place for its unique colour, he hauled his belongings out of the back as his mother walked up to the front of the house and waited.
"Here goes nothing I guess." Miles muttered as he could see the front door finally open as he struggled to pull the wheeled case along behind him, wondering if this would even work out in the slightest and just hoping he didn't do something to mess up as objectively speaking, this was a pretty sweet deal all things considered. Though quite what his mother's friend actually did for a living, he had no idea and neither did she, his mother stating they didn't talk about work usually, which just made him all the more curious given where she lived.
The first hint of what she might've been worried about came on their arrival at a rather fancy-looking home, the kind that had a security guard at the gate and an intercom. It buzzed after his mother lent out of the window to push the button. "Hello, Janice Williams... I believe I'm expected." A crackly voice replied to wait a moment before another buzz saw the mechanised gate sliding open which prompted a question from Miles. "What was it your friend did again?" He asked, feeling a pang of anxiety clench in his stomach as they rolled up a long gravel driveway, making him feel like his outfit was severely lacking for such a place. "Oh, she's quite important, though we don't talk about work... Senator or governor or something or other." His mother shrugged it off as she turned and the car rolled to a stop and she touched up her hair using the rear view mirror as Miles took in the place he was seemingly about to call home. To call it big was like saying the ocean was wet and he felt a little bit like he needed to rent a tuxedo just to be within a mile of it. In his view, Miles wasn't anything special to look at, a slim build that had begun to push toward lean rather than skinny and a fair complexion dusted with freckles on his face hidden behind some thin rimmed spectacles.
"Uh, are you sure this is the right place, mom?" He asked and received a confident chuckle in return. "Quite sure, now please just make sure you won't do anything that'll have me getting a call from her to pick you up?" Miles sighed, he could sort of understand it in a way, given that he suspected the towels in this place cost more than their entire bathroom as his mother motioned her hands to shoo him out of the passenger seat to get his suitcase and camping pack. He stepped out of the car, feet crunching on the gravel likely imported from some far-off place for its unique colour, he hauled his belongings out of the back as his mother walked up to the front of the house and waited.
"Here goes nothing I guess." Miles muttered as he could see the front door finally open as he struggled to pull the wheeled case along behind him, wondering if this would even work out in the slightest and just hoping he didn't do something to mess up as objectively speaking, this was a pretty sweet deal all things considered. Though quite what his mother's friend actually did for a living, he had no idea and neither did she, his mother stating they didn't talk about work usually, which just made him all the more curious given where she lived.