Chapter 3

Aiden

I couldn't get his face out of my head. Those hazel eyes kept haunting me every minute of the day since morning. It made no sense. Why would he be staring at me? I found out he was suspended today so it was weird he would be at school just to stare at me. Maybe he was planning my death for me staring at me yesterday like a love sick puppy.

He thought I was a freak and he was going to tell the whole school. I knew it.

I just started banging the back of my head against the locker. It was lunch time and I waiting for J to come meet me.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jeanine's voice interrupted my personal punishment for being an idiot. "I don't think potential doctors can afford to lose any brain cells and at this rate you're going, you're going to have about one, if you're lucky."

"Jayyy!" I whined to her burying my head on her shoulder. She awkwardly stared to pat my head.

"Don't tell me there's a girl crushing on you," She joked.

"No, it's worse," I cried straitening up to look at her. She hooked her arm with mine and began to drag me to the cafeteria.

"Aww. Well you can tell me all about it while I get some food for my stomach before I die from starvation." Once we got our food and were seated, I began banging my head on the table.

"So what's got your thong up your crack?" I picked up my head to glared at her. She giggled and faked an innocent expression as she used her hand to cover her mouth. "My bad, I mean boxers."

"Ha-ha, you're so funny. No it just w-" before I could say more, Eric, my other childhood friend cane sitting with us. I still hadn't told him I was gay yet; I didn't know how he would take it. I wanted to tell him. I didn't just want to lose him as a friend.

Hey dude, dudette, how's life my peeps?" He said, taking a seat across me.

"Eric!" Jeanine shrieked excitedly.

"J!" He mocked, throwing his hands in the air.

"Don't be a jerk, douchebag," she said sternly but couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Hey Eric," I said, reaching over, giving him one of those guy handshakes.

"Man Aiden, what happened to your hand?" He asked eyeing the wrist band.

"Oh yeah-"

"Aiden got smashed by two football players," Jeanine blurted out with a secret grin on her face.

"What?" He said, his eyebrows raising to his hairline. "Dude."

"Thanks J, yeah, that's pretty much it," I said. I don't know how didn't know, yet it was all over school.

"Well, damn, what did you do? Call then meat head or something," he snickered.

"No, actually we were in class and the door just burst open and in came Kyle and Liam going at it. They collided with Aiden's desk and down he went. The teacher had to pull the dumb jocks apart before they killed Aiden in the process because they didn't even notice him," Jeanine good him while I looked down at my tray, moving a long pea around.

"Man, that blows. You were invisible to them," he said, keeping a laugh in.

"Aww man, I had to go visit my grandma in Alaska. ALASKA DUDE! I was freezing my balls of our there. I seriously had to check if they were still attached to my body every hour, man!" Both J and I were trying to hold in our laughter and I was sticking it in there and I was sticking in there till J spat her water out on the table which caused us to burst out laughing. She was clutching her stomach and leaning on me for support.

"W-well God... forbid... you... lose... your p-precious... BALLS!" J said between chuckles.

"Haha, laugh all you want but I'll like to have little Eric's running around one day!" He scowled stabbing his potatoes angrily but it only made us laugh harder.

By the end of the school, J and I were sitting on the front steps, munching on a bag of chips, waiting for our rides. Eric had gone to talk to his swimming coach since he missed a whole bunch of practices. So we were watching the students walk by and interact with each other. Yeah, when you're bored, anything can be amusing.

"Hey. You never told me what was bugging you earlier," she said turning to look at me. Oh crap, I thought she forgot. I really don't want to tell her I have the hot's for the hottest 'straightness' guy in school and he caught me stalking him with my eyes.

"It's not important." she furrowed her brows at me.

"Are you sure? Because you were freaking out earlier," she put a reassuring hand on shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze. "You know you can tell me anything. I'm here for you. Always."

"Yeah, I know."

"Good. So when are you going to tell Eric about you because I'm tired of tip toeing around him." I looked everywhere but her eyes.

"I don't know... one day." She raised her eyes at me and pushed her lips out a little giving me her usual sassy attitude... I loved it.

"Am I going to have to 'guuurrlfriend' you?" She told me.

"Break out of your shell J," I said laughing.

"I'll." She opther mouth to say more, her finger was pointed in my face but a rude honk interrupted her. I twisted behind me to see my brother's car. I turned back.

"Well, we are gonna have to save this attitude for later, I'll see you on Monday," I said giving her a hug.

I slid into the car and greeted my brother.

"Hey," I said as I buckled my seat belt.

"What's up little bro?" He greeted back ruffling my hair in the process. Swatting his hand way I fixed my hair, I hated it when he did that. "So how was school?" He asked tried to make causal conversation.

"Good I guess. Did you have class today?" He shook his head.

"Nah, I hung with Cassie all day," he said, Cassie being his girlfriend. I nodded.

"That's so cool so do you know what moms making for dinner?" He shook his head, keeping his eyes on that road.

"Nah bro. I haven't been home today.

"Then how did you know I needed a ride?" I asked looking at him.

Nash and I looked nothing like. He had short dusty brown hair that he styled in a messy way. While mine was long, jet black and I styled it to swoop to the left. He was tall while I was pretty short for my age. I favoured my dad more than more mom, where Nash favoured mom. His cheek bones were high just like mom, well dad has pretty high cheeks too. Connie our sister was the one that got mom's gold locks along the high cheek bones. But we all share mom's blue eyes. My dad was the only one with brown eyes.

"Mom called me to come get you, dad's still in a meeting and mom's stuck in traffic."

"Oh... And Connie?" I asked looking out the window watching the scenery pass by quickly.

"Uh, I think she's at home. If not, probably at her friend Jennifer's house."

"Mm."

When we pulled into the drive way, I hopped out and walked up to the door pulling out my keys, unlocking the door. I went straight to my room throwing my book bag in the corner; dropping down on the bed I pulled my shoes off, stripped and went straight for the bathroom.

I took a much needed shower and while I was in there, I was able to think about the one thing that has been on my mind and I just can't quite get out of my head.. Liam.

Why can't I stop thinking about him?

I mean I have been in that school for four years and I have never really paid attention to him. He was never important to me but now he's all I think about.

"Ugh stop!" I screamed at myself. The water was turning cold but barely noticed.

His hazel eyes were beautiful; if you could call a man's eyes beautiful. No tha wasn't even appropriate. They were gorgeous. I just wanted to gaze into them all day, every day. Then there was his perfect dark eyebrows and kissable full lips, his beautiful tanned skin and built figure. Jeez! He played football for goodness sake. He was the perfect male specimen. I wonder what he would feel like on top of m-

"Aiden!' There was a bang at my bathroom door rudely throwing me out of my fantasies.

"Aiden, quit using all the hot water! There are other people in this house too, water buffalo!" Connie yelled from the other side.

Oh right. I was still in the shower.

I shut the water off and grabbed my towel. I wrapped it around my waist and went back into my room to get dressed. I put my wrist band back on; it hurt still but not as much. Heading down stairs, I could smell my mom's cooking, she was making spaghetti. She made the best spaghetti ever!

My stomach growled ferociously in anticipation as I walkrd in to thr kitchen.

"Oh hello Aiden, Did you have a nice day at school Hun?" She asked and I nodded as I took a seat at the table that my brother was already occupying along with my dad. Man, how long was I in the shower for?

"Well, it's good to see you didn't drown. We were worried that we lost you," my dad joked, putting down one of his files and picking up another, sparing me one glance with a smile. He was a big time lawyer and was on a big case this week. Something about a young woman murdered, who was pregnant. I think his client was the guy who was accused. My dad was one of the best lawyers Portland had to offer heck the state had to offer. He buried himself in his cases till he can prove his client's innocence. I know it took alot in him, after every case he was dead tired but he never complains. Just says he loves his job.

"Yeah, I'm still here," I muttered.

"So Aiden, are those boys bullying you again?" My mom said out of the blue. I gave her an ',Are you crazy' look.

"When was I being bullied?"

"Bullying? Who's bullying Aiden?" My brother asked tightly. I looked at him. He was frowning and tense as he waited for an answer, looking from mom to me. I shook my head.

"I don't know what she's talking about," I told him truthfully, I mean, I would sure as hell know if I was getting bullied.

"There's no need to lie Aiden, don't try and protect them. If they're messing with you, we need to know so we can put a stop to it." My mother scolded me waving her red saucy wooden spoon at me.

"Oh gosh!" I muttered, shaking my head in defeat. She'd done it now, she was going to make Nash go on rampage, trying to find non-existent bullies.

Nash was staring at me, his face was slowly turning from concerned to livid. I sighed and hit my forehead on the table with a groan.

"I'll not tolerate gay bashers terrorizing my son!" Mom said, her voice rising with rage. I closed my eyes.

When will this torture end, I cried silently.

"Aiden, are you getting beat up at school?" Bash asked swiftly, standing knocking his shaur to the floor. "I'll pick everyone one of their worthless asses! Tell me their names and I'll end this right now." Nash was fuming and my mother was actually agreeing with him, nodding with encouragement for him to go kill fake bullies.

Why was my family so weird?

"Dad!" I whined at him for help but he was just sitting there amused. Well, he was no help.

"No, there are no gay bashers for the millionth time and no I'm not being bullied Nash so calm down, jeez," I said to him hoping he'd listen because I knew once he was riled up, nothing could get through at him. And it didn't.

"No man, if you have kittle ounks after you Aiden, you better tell me now. No one messed with my little brother and gets away with it!" He exclaimed.

"Exactly Nash, you protect your little brother. No one is going to hurt him!" Mom was practlay his one woman cheering squad as she jumped up and down waving her spoon in the air.

"Mom seriously, quit egging him on!" I whined.

"I'm not egging him on. I'm just agreeing that we need to keep you safe honey," she said to me.

"Oh my god! I'm going to my room!" I said, quickly leaving this freak show but I turned once to give Nash a narrowed eyed look. "Don't even think about following me," I growled.

Collapsing face first in the bed, I groaned. Why can't I have a normal family?

After that, I stayed in my room, the rest of the night, u texted Connie to bring me a bolw if spaghetti and a soda which she did thankfully because I was making earthquakes with my stomach growls.

Once u was satisfied and full, I waited till I knew everyone was in bed to creep down to the kitchen and wash my dish away. I was about to go back upstairs when I saw small circular beans of bright yellow through the kitchen window in the backyard. I focused on the trees but found nothing.

Weird, I thought as I closed the blinds just to be safe. Shaking my head, I went upstairs and want to bed for a much needed sleep.