Catch Me, I'm Falling

August Part II

"No."

"Please?"

"Aden, it's August, we aren't watching Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever ."

"It's never too early for Christmas!"

"If we watch that trainwreck of a movie one more time somebody's going to die, and I'll give you a hint, their name rhymes with Hate Him ."

"Harry Potter marathon?"

"Acceptable."

Friday nights in the Woods-Pine household were always filled with good-natured bickering over what movies to watch, as had become a tradition. Harry Potter marathons were commonplace, and Aden was donning his favorite pair of Hufflepuff sweatpants and an old gray t-shirt, perfect movie watching attire.

"Wanna go get Linc, Pipsqueak?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

On his way out of the in-home theater, Anya threw a pillow at the back of his head, as she always did whenever he exited a room. His cousin claimed that watching him fall was one of the funniest things in the world, and sent projectiles flying at him often, to 'keep him on his toes'. He'd just gotten better at dodging and keeping his balance.

"Hurry up or we're starting without you!"

In a flash, Aden was bolting down the elegant staircase, not paying much attention to what was in front of him, as his blue eyes were fixated on his own feet, concentrating on not tripping and flying down the steps face-first.

"Whoa there, kiddo." Aden yelped as he collided head-on with the soft, yet firm form of his mountain of an uncle, who was making his way towards the stairs from the first floor. Aden looked up sheepishly, a half-smile on his face.

"Sorry, Uncle Gus, Anya said they'd start without me if I didn't hurry." Gustus was a tall, bulking man, who looked extremely intimidating upon first glance. He had a beard worthy of a bear-wrestler, and tattoos covered the expanse of his exposed skin, a product of running his own tattoo parlour, but he was a gentle giant, filled with bad jokes and deep belly-laughter and the warmest hugs. Aden often wondered how his aunt and uncle had gotten together, what with Indra's strict, no-nonsense behavior—which had come as a result of being a highly feared lawyer—being the complete opposite of Gustus's demeanor.

"Of course she did," Gustus chuckled, shaking his head and maneuvering Aden so that the blonde boy was no longer pressed up against his stomach, "just as impatient as her mother, that one." While Anya was adopted, there was no doubt that she was Gustus and Indra's child, right down to her mannerisms. "Better get going if you don't want to get left out."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

With a faux salute and cheeky grin, Aden bolted out of the door, not taking time to worry about such trivial things as shoes, feet gliding over the smooth pavement of their driveway down to the wrought-iron gate, which he scaled quickly, knowing that opening it would take much too long. The community that they inhabited was definitely a high standard of living, what with Indra's income as a top-notch lawyer, as well as her share of the Woods family fortune. While Indra was only a Woods through adoption, Aden's own father, Alexander, loved her dearly, and she'd always been included in the business aspect of things, and often helped with legal matters.

The run to Lincoln's home a few doors over didn't take very long, especially with Aden's speed, flying over the sidewalk and up the driveway to the equally impressive home, rapping on the door several times in rapid succession.

On the fifth knock, the door was opened sharply, and Aden almost fell forward, not prepared for the door to move. It usually took Lincoln much longer to open the door, as he was almost always occupied with homework, or art, or cooking something or other.