"Rescue at the Door"

Just as Asher thought he was going to lose it, his phone rang, shrill and insistent. He glanced down and saw that it was his best friend, Ethan, calling. Asher felt a surge of relief and quickly excused himself from the table. "Hey, sorry, Mom, I need to take this," Asher said, pushing back his chair. His mom nodded sympathetically. "It's okay, dear. Go ahead." Asher got up and walked out of the room, answering the phone as he went. "Hey, Ethan, what's up?" "Asher, dude, I'm so sorry I'm calling so late, but I just got a call from my sister and she's having a huge meltdown. I need to bail her out of a situation and I was wondering if you could meet me at the coffee shop?" Ethan asked, his voice low and urgent. Asher let out a laugh of relief. "Ethan, you're a lifesaver. I was stuck here with Mrs. Jenkins and I don't think I could have handled much more of her... 'charm'." Ethan chuckled on the other end of the line. "Yeah, I figured as much. She's been a little too friendly lately, hasn't she?" Asher rolled his eyes. "You have no idea. Anyway, I'll meet you at the coffee shop in 20 minutes. Thanks for calling, man." "No problem, buddy," Ethan said. "I'll see you soon." Asher hung up the phone and walked back into the kitchen, feeling a sense of escape. "Hey, Mom, I'm going to run out for a bit. Ethan needs my help with something." His mom nodded, a knowing glint in her eye. "Okay, dear. Be careful." Asher grabbed his backpack and headed out the door, feeling a sense of freedom wash over him. He couldn't wait to get out of there and hang out with Ethan. As he walked to the coffee shop, he felt his tension melting away, replaced by a sense of excitement and anticipation. When he arrived at the coffee shop, Ethan was already there, sipping on a latte. Asher plopped down in the chair across from him, feeling grateful to be out of his mom's house and away from Mrs. Jenkins' prying eyes. "Dude, thanks for bailing me out," Asher said, shaking his head. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't called." Ethan grinned. "Anytime, buddy. Now, what's going on with Mrs. Jenkins? She's been acting weird lately, hasn't she?" Asher leaned in, lowering his voice. "You have no idea. She's been flirting with me shamelessly and I don't know how to handle it." Ethan's expression turned serious. "That's not okay. We need to talk to your mom about this." Asher shook his head. "No way, man. My mom has no idea what's going on. And even if she did, I'm not sure she'd do anything about it." Ethan frowned, concern etched on his face. "We need to figure out a way to deal with her, then. This isn't going to fly." Asher nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of solidarity with his friend. Together, they would figure out a way to handle Mrs. Jenkins and her unwanted advances.