Chapter 4

Aiden.

After that crazy family episode, Jeanine, Eric and I made plans to hang at Starbucks for a while. It was our favorite hangout spot.

It was a Sunday and I was dying to get out of this house. Nash was still hounding me about what mom was talking about on Friday. He just didn't believe me and I was starting to get annoyed. I literally had to slam the door in his face and lock it; he was knocking yelling to open the door for a whole five minutes till he finally gave up. I mean damn do I look like damsel in distress? I can handle myself.

Jeez!

And this was the reason why I was planning my escape from this loony bin I call a joke. I took a quick shower, towel dried my hair; my hair was naturally straight do I didn't have to waste my time on it. I bumped into Connie in the way down stairs, I quickly grabbed her by the arm and steadied her on her feet.

"Dang Con, my bad!' I said to her. I really don't think that she heard me though since she hand her iPod in. I walked past her into the kitchen where my dad was drinking coffee and reading a new book. Sitting at the table across him, I took an orange off the table and began to peel it.

It was silent for a long while.

I was half done with my orange when my dad finally looked up from the book and said something.

"So what's on your agenda for today?" He asked meeting my gaze. I shrugged stuffing the rest of the orange in my mouth.

"Eric and J are coming to pick me up to go to Starbucks," I got up to throw the peels away and turned towards him leaning a hip on the counter. He nodded taking a sip of coffee.

"You should bring Connie with you. She had been bored all day," he suggested. I frowned at him like he was crazy. Connie had friends. She didn't need to hang out with mine.

"She has her own friends; she doesn't need to hang with mine," I voiced my thoughts. He sighed and shook his head.

"I think her and Jennifer had a fight. She has been moping around here all weekend. So I thought you could be a good big brother and take her mind off it. It is it just social suicide?" He said with a fake shocked face. I suppressed my smile as I shook my head at him.

"Okay, okay I'll take her," I huffed at him, leaving the kitchen with slouched shoulders.

I knows on Connie's door.

"Come in," she yelled.

Opening the door, I saw her kaid out on her back, reading some teen magazine.

'Con and magazines' I thought mentally shaking my head.

I looked around her room and saw all the posters and articles she had torn from them tapped to her walls. Her room was sky blue but every inch of the walls were covered in her stupid posters and pictures of friends. Looking over to her, she was staring at me impatiently.

"Hurry uo and get dressed. We are going out," I said before turning to leave.

"Okay," her chipper voiced followed me as I left. I grabbed my phone from my room and called J

"Hey man."

Eric's voice startled me. Did I call the right person? As I was about to check, he said, "Yes you called the right number dumbass but J is driving," he said. I rolled my eyes; smart ass.

"We are almost there!" I heard J yellow through the phone.

"Yeah, like she said. We are almost there," he said.

"Oh ok, I just called to let you know that Connie's coming with us," I told him and heard him repeat it to J and regrettably her scream. 'OMG I miss her. We gave so much to talk about!' I held the phone away from my ear wincing as it started to ring. God, I hated it when she did that.

"Tell her to warn a person first before she goes all banshee statues;" I growled at Eric.

He chuckled and repeated it to her.

Connie came in my room and sat on my bed, waiting for me. I looked at her and rolled my eyes at the phone causing her to giggle.

"What?" I asked Eric because I missed what J was saying.

"She said to get off and shove it," he repeated. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"You doknow you're on speaker right," I heard J say. I shrugged and said, "Doesn't change a thing."

"Whatever jackass; we are outside now. Hurry up, I need my CAFENIE!" She screamed again but this time I just hung up. My friends were just as crazy as my family.

"Come on," I told Connie as I left the room. We bounced down the stairs.

"I'm leaving!" I yelled to whoever was listening.

I heard my dad answer, asking if Connie was with me and I answered yes, rolling my eyes as we made our way to the car. As we climbed into the back seat, J turned to look at us. She looked at me with a big smile.

"Hello fat cow!" She yelled in a fake British accent.

"Hellow fatter cow," I responded with the same.

"Hey Con Con!" J said excitedly.

"Hey, J," she said smiling brightly. At least she was happy. I was going to have to ask her what happened with Jennifer.

"Hey man," I heard Eric say from the front seat, reaching back here to do the guy handshake.

"Hey," I said.

"Alright. It's fine for a daily dose of coffee!," Jeanine yelled before pealing out of the drive way.

*****

Not long after, we were at Starbucks ordering.

"And you sir?" The lady asked me.

"I'll have a mocha frap with an add shot and no whip please," I said then looked down at Connie. "What did you want?" I asked her, taking out my wallet.

"Same as you," she said walking over to where Eric and J sat as I paid an went to join them.

"So how's life Con Con," J said taking a sip of her drink. I don't know how she did it but her coffee was ready when we got here.

We all gave her a crazy look which resulted in a "What, I got hook ups bitches!" and sat down enjoyed her crack because that was what coffee was to her.

"A bummer," Connie answered.

"Aww why?" She asked her, straw still in her mouth like a breathing tube or something. Eric noticed as well and we started cracking up. She gave us a weird look before focusing back on Connie.

"Well me and my bf got in it on Friday," she muttered.

Now I was listening.

"Oh and what happened?" J asked, straw still in her mouth.

"Well, I mean we were having a great time, we were watching new seasons of vampire diaries and then her phone rang so I grabbed it playing around, you know. But when I saw who was calling, I got mad. I mean why would he call her? S-"

"Aiden! Connie!" Our names being called interrupted her story. I quickly got uo and grabbed the drinks, thanking the lady and heading back. Handling Connie hers and a straw I went back to focusing on her.

"Thanks,_ she said to before before continuing. "So anyway, like I said, I was confused as to why he was calling her. So I asked her but she astarted acting weird and wouldn't look me in the eye, then I just knew. She was going out with Bobby, my bobby!" She said animated. She had a scowl on her face. Then it hit me, she said 'my bobby!' She was only fourteen. She didn't need to be dating. Or calling them hers. I mean I was seventeen and I hadn't even been kissed.

Don't judge me.

"No! So this bobby guy is like your boyfriend or something?" J asked consumed in the story.

"Well, not exactly. It's just that I really like Bobby ever since fifth grade and here comes Jen trying to steal him from me. She knows how I feel about him! She exclaimed throwing her hands in the air. I looked over Eric who was shaking his head at how ridiculous this conversation was.

"So she finally told me that Bobby asked her out and she said yes! So I left and haven't talked to her since."

"Well Hun, let me tell you something," J began. "A bky isn't important enough to ruin your friendship with Jennifer. So here is what you do. You go back to your friend's house, tell her what she did was wrong especially if she knew hie you felt about it. Then dit die and finish watching vampire diaries because Damen is a sexy beast!" She said taking a congratulatory sip from her drink. I shook my head.

"Yeah Con you shouldn't even be thinking about boys in the first place,' I told her sternly.

"You're one to talk," she scoffed as she sipped her frappe. My heart stopped as I realized what she said and ehi was sitting at the table. My gaze snapped towards Eric and he had a confused look on his face. He was frowning at Connie before he turned to me. I looked to J with pleading eyes, she caught it.

"So E-r-i-c," she said, dragging out his name to grab his attention. "Did you meat any hot girls in Alaska? Oh wait they were probably all cold weren't they, am I right?" She said raising her hand at him to a Hugh five. Eric stared at her with wide eyes before busting up.

"Ne- never in your life say that again!" He exclaimed clutching his stomach as he hunched over the table.

"What, I thought it was clean!" She grumbled around her straw.

"Yeah, it was so puny," Eric said taking a deep breath. "No but seriously I didn't know that place was hiding all those furry booted babes. I would have visited my pops a long time ago, like the time when I found out what my dick could do!" This caused me to choke in my coffee. Connie was hitting my back as hard as she could. It really didn't help. Once I caught my breath, I gave Eric a death glare.

"What?" He asked, giving me an innocent look.

"My sister's at the table!" I hissed, glaring at him. His mouth formed an 'o' then he grinned sheepishly.

"My bad Con," he said to her. She just waved it off.

"You're such a pig, J said, taking a swig of her drink.

"Oink, oink baby," hsme said wiggling his eyes suggestively. Connie started to laugh at that. I just shook my head, ever since we had seen the Saved by the Bell episode, this was how these conversations ended.

" So Aiden, are you going with me next time to my pops so we can wreak havoc on the ladies?" He asked, looking at me intently. I just laughed nervously.

"Y-yeah, l-let's get in those pants," I said awkwardly clearing my throat. I caught Connie's frowning face.

"What, but I thought you were ga-" J quickly stated coughing loudly causing Eric to pat her back worriedly while I shove Connie's straw in her mouth.

"Let's not let this go to waste," I said, patrint her head. I sighed grabbing my coffee.

My hair was going to turn grey before this day even ended.