Grind 2.3

"So, are you going to start or should I?"

Greg stared out the car window, keeping his eyes focused on anything but his mother as the two of them drove away from Winslow.

"Fine, if you're not going to say anything. I'll talk for both of us."

Greg still didn't reply, his fingers playing with his seatbelt as he watched the city rush by.

"I can't believe it, you know." Susan Veder kept her eyes on the road in front of her as she spoke, her voice somewhat more tired than usual. "Suspended, sweetie? Really? I almost can't believe it. This is the first time this has ever happened. You getting suspended, I mean."

Greg sighed, turning his gaze away from the window before replying with a soft "...yeah."

"And for beating up a girl, Greg?" His mom shook her head. "I mean, I would say I taught you better than that but I never had to. You're a good boy, Greg. A nice boy. What's going on?"

Greg sighed for the second time, resting his chin on an upraised palm.

"You know," Susan continued again. "I get that kids act out when their parents get divorced but it's been almost three years since then. If you were going to start doing drugs or acting like this, I feel like you would have already. So, tell me. What's going on?"

Greg's stone-faced expression hardened slightly at the mention of the divorce but he didn't respond.

"Greg, it's me. It's Mom. I'm here for you."

"..."

"I'm sober. I'm working. We're happy, right? We are. I know we are."

Greg sighed again, keeping his head down as he fiddled with his hands.

"Come on, Greg. You have to give me something here. I had to leave work to come and get you because the principal was all up in arms about you attacking a football player and the girls' track team champion?" Susan shook her head. "It doesn't make sense. Just say something."

Quest Created!

A Boy's Best Friend is His Mother

Details: Stop sulking like a baby and talk to her. You're breaking your mother's heart here.

Success: 75 XP, Increased relationship with Susan Veder

Failure: Decreased relationship with Susan Veder, Grounded for a month

Greg winced at the sight of the failure punishment and he reluctantly turned his head to the side, deciding to engage with his mom at the system's prodding. "Okay, first, I didn't attack her, Mom."

Susan raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly so that Greg could see her face. "Alright, then what happened?"

Greg shook his head. "She lied. Sophia lied. I hit the football player because I was trying to help another girl who was getting picked on," Greg muttered, crossing his arms as he sunk further into his seat. "The track girl beat me up. She just lied to the principal to get me in trouble and her friends backed her up."

There was a pause and then Greg blinked in surprise as his mother let out a snort of laughter.

"...Mom?"

"No, it's… just…" Susan Veder shook her head, her shoulders shaking with repressed laughter. "Did you actually beat up a football player? I've seen some of them. They're huge."

"...yeah. I mostly just messed up his nose, though."

"And then you lost to that tiny little thing outside of the principal's office?"

Greg let out a groan. "Mom, please don't rub it in."

"I'm not, sweetie. I'm… I'm..." Susan let out a little laugh, trying unsuccessfully to disguise it as a cough. "That guy has to be twice your size and that girl is at best 5 foot 4."

"I guess," Greg shrugged.

"'I guess', he says," Susan laughed to herself. "Sweetheart, you've never won a fight in your life."

Greg sighed deeply, rubbing his slowly healing cheek. From the corner of his eye, he watched his HP slowly ticking back up, the numbers almost full. "I get it, Mom."

Susan shook her head, clearing her throat as her small laughing fit died down to giggles. "I'm sorry, sweetie. It's rare that this happens to me as a parent but right now, I'm torn between grounding you or buying you ice cream."

"Really?" Greg's face brightened, the idea that he wasn't in trouble enough to get him out of his funk.

"What?" Susan shot her son an unbelieving look as she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Of course not. No, not really."

"Oh." Greg's head went down again, his mop of blond hair covering his eyes. "Thanks for giving me false hope."

Susan rolled her eyes at her son's mood-swings. "Fine, I'll buy you ice cream but there's no way that you're getting out of a grounding."

Greg sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Sweetheart," Susan replied, speaking through gritted teeth, "You actively participated in a fight at school. Doing the right thing in the wrong way doesn't solve anything." His mom shook her head, rolling her eyes as she did so. "I don't know what you expected me to say."

"...Aww." Greg pouted. A moment later, his face lit up slightly as his brain supplied him an idea. "Can I at least get two scoops? One cotton candy. One birthday cake. On a waffle cone."

"No," his mother replied bluntly. "You're getting one scoop and it'll be Rocky Road in a cup."

Greg made a retching sound, sticking out his tongue. "That's more of a punishment than the grounding."

Susan smiled at him, reaching over to ruffle her son's hair to his vocal displeasure. "Just for that, I'm going to buy your order and eat it."

"...that's just heartless."

Quest Success!

"A Boy's Best Friend is His Mother" Completed.

Gained 75xp.