AM, PM

chapter 3

Aiden

"Moommm! Daaaaad! I'm home." I yell closing the front door behind me.

To my surprise, all the lights are off. I can see the shadow of the kitchen door probably because of the light the moon let in, but there isn't a soul in movement. I slowly approach the dining room to my left where I saw a candle light flicker. I put my heavy school bag on the ground and take the first potent object I see: my mother's favorite vase.

God, help me if I must use this.

The moment I step a foot past the beam in the middle of dining room entrance all the lights turn on. All my family, even those living across the country are there. All of the yelling and chanting and bringing towards me the candle's light I see that was surrounded by fifteen other ones on top of a chocolate less cake. The hugs and kisses I am accepting are quelling my potent being, but at the same time I feel like a man even though I felt like less of a boy.

"Happy birthday son," my father says, patting my back proudly. "I just wish..."

I just wish she was here.

"Yeah, me too." I give him an empathetic smile, took in a deep breath and blew the candles out.

 I made the same wish my dad had made and I knew it was the same we all did whenever we got the chance. I missed her so much. I gave my mom a kiss, but I had to disturb everyone's party vibe.

"I am sorry everyone,” I announce, “but I do need to take care of my hygiene since I am a newly turned sixteen year old. So may I disappear for a tiny 15 minutes to get rid of the sweat and dirt and—”

"Aiden!" my mom interrupts. With a chuckle she continues,"we don't need to know, you are excused." Her chuckle turns to a full on laugh and I laugh as well leaving the room.

It makes me feel so good to be in a happy environment.
-

"I'll see you in the future when we're older and we are full of stories to be told, across my heart and hope to die, tonight." the lyrics go. And then I hum along, unable to contain my love for the song. "I'll see you with your laughter lines!"

I need music to do anything. To wake up, to change, to read, to study, basically all the time. While I am putting on my grey sleeved baseball shirt, my phone rang. Let me rephrase that; my full of shit, egregious, horrible phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello to you too, Mr. Ozim," a feminine voice greeted.

Whoever this person is, he or she isn't in my contacts, knows my family name and sounds mad as hell.

"Uh, yes? Who is this?"

"You've got to be kidding? First you're the only person who accepts to fix my crappy car, then you don't make a big deal out of your birthday, then you try paying for free cupcake and THEN you don't recognize me on the phone! I am officially offended."

I chuckle. "Hi, Layla."

"Hi, Layla, he says," she says in a mocking voice. "Aiden seriously, how can you not tell me it was your birthday?"

I am cleaning my room up while I'm talking to her. I hold the phone between my ear and shoulder, picking up clothes from the ground. "I don't know it never came up, plus I mean you already gave me a free cupcake, I didn't need to bring it up."

"Well you will have two evil consequences."

  Throwing myself on my bed, I say: "Punish me, your highness."

She laughs."First, you will have to come over tomorrow and work on the car."

"Gladly."

"And, you’ll accept the undeniable honor of being my plus one at a party this weekend. AND YOU'RE COMING!" She yells.