Ask. Your mom might respect you asking, thinking it responsible.

I think I'll just ask," you said after a moment or so.

"Do you think that will work?" asked Randall. "Not that I'm doubting your idea, buddy, just that your mom has been pretty set in her ways throughout this whole thing. Is being upfront really going to get her to change her mind?"

Randall was right, however, you didn't really care much for deception unless it seemed necessary. "Look, I'll ask and she says no, I'll just figure a way to sneak out. The only problem there is that once they figure out I'm gone, they know exactly where I'll be."

"I might have a solution for that," said Randall, beaming. "We'll just get a hotel room. I have plenty of money these days. Easy enough to just get one AND, unlike my apartment, your mom won't know where it is."

"That's a great idea, dude!" you exclaimed. "Now that we have a game plan, I guess we'll just put it to the test..."

The next evening at home, you approached your mother after dinner.

"Hey, Mom," you said, trying to sound upbeat and confident.

"What's up, Tim?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, I have some plans for the weekend and I wanted to run them by you," you said. "I was thinking that I could go hang out over at Laura's tomorrow night and on Saturday." Your mother's smile shrank a bit, but you continued, "I know that we spoke the other day about how Laura is a woman now and my teacher on top of that. However, we are still friends and want to hang out together. Outside of school. You can't ignore that, either."

"Well, Tim..." she started.

You cut her off, "Mom, before you say anything, I know we weren't the most responsible last time. I'm trying to do the responsible thing here and be up front with what I want and to get you permission. I promise that it won't be like last time. We're just going to hang out and work on Ran-uh-Laura's apartment on Saturday." Your eyes focused on her intently. Your mother looked right back.

With a deep sigh she conceded, "Alright, Tim. You're a big boy now and I can't tell you what to do forever. I appreciate you asking, instead of just doing. I'm trusting you guys. Don't disappoint me, okay?" You nodded and then happily dashed off to your room. Perhaps your mom would keep loosening up over time. You could only hope. Grabbing your phone off the dresser you quickly typed a message to Randall.

You: Totally a go. Fucking worked.

Randall: I almost don't believe you. Hahaha. Good call.

You: I'm stoked!

Randall: Me too! Can't wait to have a Laura-free weekend... Sick of this shit.

You: I can only imagine. Hang in there, bud. See you tomorrow.

Randall: Night.

Putting your phone aside, you crack a book, spending the remainder of the evening doing homework that Randall, ironically, had assigned.

School breezed by the next day. For the most part it was business as usual. You had lunch with Allison, clearing the air a bit. You apologized for planning out your weekend, but she waved you off, deciding to go to the football game with her friends. Classes didn't bore you. Despite being sore and it only being the first week, you already felt as though you were making progress in your lifting class. By the time the final bell rang, you were riding high.

You didn't go by Randall's room after school. Instead, you headed home to pack, gathering a few things from around your room. Twenty minutes later, a text from Randall let you know she was outside and you left, not bothering to say much to your family.

"Hey," you said, giving Randall a smile as you slid into the passenger seat of her pink Fiat. "What's on the agenda first?"

"Figured we could just head back to the casa. I already went shopping," she said.

"Shopping?"

"Yeah. I'll cook," she said.

"Cook? When did you start doing that?" you asked with an air of surprise. Randall was notoriously lazy when it came to food preparation. His idea of meal could usually be found in a bag or cooked in a microwave.

"Some I've figured out on my own, but I think it's something else that I've, uh, 'inherited'," Randall said. "It's kind of freaky realizing that you know how to do things that you shouldn't technically know how to do, but I'm not gonna lie, it is useful as fuck. Besides, I gotta watch what I eat these days."

"Ppsh," you said, derisively. "Don't tell me you're turning into one of those girls."

"Don't give me that shit, Tim. Miss Card may have been a knockout, but that doesn't mean she could be 'whatever' about it. She was eating right and working out consistently. If I want to keep looking good, I've got to do the same. Besides, I'm sure you can appreciate that." She gave you a mischievous wink. You certainly couldn't deny the results. "Also, my taste buds aren't the same, remember? Pizza and stuff still tastes good, but it doesn't have quite the hook it used to." Randall the healthy eater. You never thought you would live to see the day.

As the two of you arrive at the apartment complex, she hands you a key.

"Here you go, dude," she said with a smile. "Mi casa, es su casa. And, I don't think it would be the best idea if we walked in together, ya know?"

"Yeah," you agreed. "We should definitely try to be as low profile as possible." With that, you got out of the car and went ahead without her. Entering the apartment, you found it largely as you had last seen in two weeks ago, relatively clean. You set your bag down, kicked your shoes off and waited for Randall. A few minutes later, you heard the steady click-clack of the heels she was wearing and she opened the door.

"Bad new, Tim," she said, a panicked look on her face. "We got a big fucking problem."