“Are you sure you don’t want me to call your mom?” Aaron asked. “You might be out for a day or two.”

Brandon scrunched up his mouth in consideration. After a moment, he began fishing his phone out of his pocket. “All right,” he finally replied. “But make sure I’ve gone through with it before you call her. And her number isn’t under mom. But you’ll find it.”

Aaron slipped the phone into his pocket. “All right. We’ll see you in a few hours,” he said ...