Chapter 77

                                    

                                          
Clay came downstairs after taking his usual morning shower and getting dressed for the day. As he entered the kitchen, he found his mother preparing breakfast as the sweet-smelling aroma wafted around the room and throughout the main level of the house. "Morning, Mom." The boy greeted as he came to stand by the older woman to see what she was currently making. "Hey, Sweetie." Lainie replied, briefly glancing over to see her son as he came to stand nearby. "Whatever you're making smells really good." The teenager commented as he watched the breakfast food being made. "I hope you're up for pancakes this morning." Mrs. Jensen said with a bright smile, already knowing that pancakes made from scratch were her son's favorite. "Are you kidding? I'm always up for pancakes." The 19-year-old remarked as he returned a smile, moving to get himself a plate and a glass from one of the cabinets mounted above the counter. 
                          
"How's that college application coming along?" Matt asked from the kitchen table as he sipped on a cup of coffee and read most likely the morning news on his tablet. Clay had been working on a college application for roughly a couple of days now. It's taken him a few days, because he had to request his high school to send his transcripts over to the college he's applying for, as well as request his ACT and/or SAT scores to be sent over - for merit scholarship consideration - as well, since he had taken both tests over the last week. "I think it's coming along pretty well. I still have to fill out at least one more thing before sending it in." The blue-eyed teen said as he joined his father at the table with a plate full of some pancakes, scrambled eggs, and even a few slices of cut up fruits. Matt smiled at his son as he already felt really proud of him for all he had accomplished so far. "I'm going to say it now. With your grades and how well you're doing, I guarantee they'll accept you." He said, causing Clay to look at him. "You think so?" He asked curiously. "We know so." Lainie commented as she joined her husband and son at the table, smiling warmly as they turned their attention to her. Just then, Allison entered the room with Harley close behind her. "Something sure smells good." The older sibling said, breaking the family moment she was unaware of. "Grab a plate and get yourself some food while it's still hot." Matt told his daughter as he glanced over his shoulder. 
                          
Once breakfast was finished and the dishes were all rinsed and placed into the dishwasher, the Jensen teen decided to head back up to his room to finish filling out his application requirements, but his parents stopped him when he was about halfway up the stairs. "You've been working pretty hard for the last couple of days. Why don't you take a break and we can get out and do something together like we discussed the other day?" Matt suggested, and Clay instantly knew what his parents were thinking. "Yeah. I guess I could use a small break." He said. "What did you two have in mind?" He questioned, though he already had an idea. "How about we get out and go see a movie together?" Lainie suggested as her husband nodded his head in agreement. Their son thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders. "Sounds good to me." He replied. "Alright, then. How about we leave here shortly to see a movie around 11:30am?" Matt asked after checking his phone to see that it was already 10:40am. After agreeing to the plans, Clay headed upstairs to brush his teeth and change into a pair of navy blue shorts shorts, and a plain light gray t-shirt that had two darkish brown undone buttons, much like a collared shirt but without the collar and with the buttons on the t-shirt being slightly bigger than those on a dressier shirt. To complete his look, the boy put on his black and white converse sneakers before leaving his room.
                          
When the clock struck 11:00am, Matt, Lainie, and Clay left to head over to the town's movie theater. The two parents had asked Allison if she and Harley wanted to join them, but when Mr. Jensen mentioned the movie they would be seeing, the older sibling decided to politely decline the offer as she didn't think her daughter would like the movie too much at her young age and that she had made plans with this boy she had been seeing for some time now. At the response, Lainie became curious as to when they were going to finally get to meet this boy, but Allison smiled and had replied by saying they'd get to meet him soon. So now, with two of the five family members not being present, the three Jensens soon arrived to the popular theater and quickly found a nearby parking space before walking over to the slightly crowded ticket booth.