Unexpectedly Bad

18: Thankful

                                                                        A   I   D   E   N

     There was too many problems happened in my life. My family was messed up. It had never been the same since mom left. A part of me still had hope that she would come back anytime. She would be missing me. There would be a time when she couldn't hold it anymore. That would be the time when she decides to come back.

     I missed her so much. I didn't know if she was living in a decent place, if she had enough money to eat, if she had someone to accompany her, and so on. The thought of her living alone was slowly killing me inside. I knew how it felt to be alone. I didn't want my mom to feel the same. After everything she had done for me, she deserved to be happy. She deserved everything this world could offer, yet she might be living out there alone and working hard for herself.

     There was a lady around forties on the street when I was about to go home after I dropped off Luna two days ago. She was sweeping the side of the road. She looked so tired. Even on the night, sweat was covering her face. I couldn't help but wonder if my mom was doing the same for her life or even worse, if mom was homeless.

     She changed everything in me. She was the one who taught me how to be a good person, but, she left and turned me into someone she could never imagine. She left without giving me something to hold on. My father was not even a father to me. I had no family. I was alone in the world full of people. How could that even possible? But, the loneliness was slowly fading away.

     Luna. She made me felt something I had never felt before. I was not the cold-hearted me when I was with her. The side of me that had been long gone was starting to appear again. The soft side of me only came out whenever I was with her. She didn't do anything. She just simply had been there for me.  With her, I didn't feel alone anymore. I felt like I was the old Aiden, the Aiden before mom left.

     The doorbell rang, snapping me out of my deep thoughts. I was laying on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. There was a knock on my door. I got up and opened the door to see Gretta, my bestfriends, and...Luna.

     "Sup, bro." Ray and Jackson walked into my room. They made themselves comfortable on my couch.

     "Your friends are worried about you." Gretta smiled. "I'm going to be back with orange juices."

     "Can I have apple juice instead, Gretta?" Ray shouted from inside my bedroom. I rolled my eyes as Tristan did the same.

     "Ofcourse!" Gretta shouted back and left.

     "Luna here had been worried about you." Tristan placed a hand on my shoulder before he walked inside my bedroom, joining the other two.

     "Well, aren't you gonna come in?" I asked Luna. She nodded and made her way into my bedroom. She was looking at me and standing awkwardly. She couldn't make herself comfortable as the other three did since it was her first time here. I placed my hand on the small of her back and led her to the couch. I had never let anyone but my bestfriends and Gretta came into my room. Sometimes my father barged in when he insisted. But, Luna was an exception.

     "Why weren't you at school?" She asked me. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Ray and Jackson were grinning at me.

     "I didn't feel like going." I shrugged. She stayed silent.

     "Bro, where did you get her?" Jackson wiggled his eyebrows.

     "What?" I raised my eyebrows.

     "Miss Luna, right here." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. I rolled my eyes. "She's like so cute and innocent and pretty."

     "Exactly like no one you had ever dated." Tristan smirked and Ray laughed.

     "Dude, what's that supposed to mean?"

     "That means, buddy, that your exes weren't the cute and innocent type." Ray smirked. "They were more like the hot and bitchy ones."

     "Don't talk like your exes weren't the same, Ray." I teased and Luna giggled. She looked and sounded so cute when she did that. I found myself smiling at her. Jackson noticed this and gave me that you're-so-whipped look.

     "Well, at least, I have experience. Unlike you, buddy." Ray snorted. I had never dated. I didn't feel like falling in love. I knew what love could cause; pain. I lost my mom-the person that I loved the most, and I was not planning on losing another.

     Gretta came in and placed the drinks on the table. Four orange juices and an apple juice. "Oooh, special for me!" Ray reached out for the juice and drank it.

     "You're always the special one, Ray." Gretta winked and left the room.

     Tristan was sleeping on my bed. Ray and Jackson were laying down on the carpeted floor, playing my Xbox. I was on the couch with Luna beside me. "What's the occasion of you coming here today?"

     She seemed a little bit hesitated before she answered, "I was just worried. You didn't come to school today. The boys were worried too."

     "It's not a new thing that I skipped school." I leaned on the couch.

     "Yeah." She blinked a few times and she looked hurt. Did I say something wrong? "Do you not want me here?" She asked.

     s**t. "No, I didn't mean it like that." I said. She looked down at her lap and fiddled her fingers. "I'm glad you're here."

     "Really?" She looked up at me with the most beautiful pair of eyes.

     "Really." I smiled.

     A thought suddenly appeared in my mind. It would be really nice to have a little fun with her and Alyssa.

     "Hey, how about we go to Disneyland tomorrow?" I looked at her. "With Alyssa as well."

     "Really?" Her eyes showed excitement. I nodded. "Tomorrow?"

     "Yes, tomorrow." I said.

     "Okay! I'm gonna call her mom and tell her about the plan. Alyssa would be so excited, she loves Disney!" She got up and walked out of the door to call Alyssa's mom. A couple of minutes later she came back and told me that Alyssa's mom agreed to the plan.

     We decided to watch a movie. Ray and Jackson joined us while Tristand was still sleeping on my bed. Luna fell asleep on my shoulder during the movie. She looked so pure and innocent.

     "Dude, stop smiling at her like that. It's kinda creepy." Ray grinned as I rolled my eyes.

     "I think I should drive her home. It's getting late." I said.

     "Why?" Jackson asked.

     "Why what?"

     "I mean, you can just kick Tristan off your bed and lay her down. You know, you can spend the night with her." Jackson wiggled his eyebrows.

     "I'm not you." I said as I threw a cushion at him.

     "I didn't mean it like that, bro. I mean, you can just cuddle with her, take your time observing her cute sleeping face, wake up in each others arms, and all that sappy stuff."

     "I feel so sorry for you, Jackie. I know you had never cuddle or waking up with a girl in your arms, because when you wake up, they're already gone." Ray placed his hand on his chest to be dramatic.

     "Talk from experience, Ray of sunshine?" Jackson said. "And don't ever call me that again."

     "I know I'm all shiny and bright, but, you don't have to call me that, you know. You sound like my grandma." Ray rolled his eyes.

     I shook my head at there childish behavior. Bestfriends were never normal, weren't they?

     "I'll be back soon." I picked her up bridal style and walked out of the room to my car. She stirred a bit when I place her on the passenger seat.

     Ten minutes later we were arrived at her house. I picked her up again, bridal style, and rang the doorbell. The door opened and a woman stood there. Mrs. Lynch?

     "Evening, Mrs. Lynch. She was at my house with some other friends and she fell asleep." I explained before she got the wrong idea. She nodded and led me upstairs to Luna's room. I placed her on her bed and pulled the blanket over her body.

     "Do I know you?" Mrs. Lynch asked.

     "I'm Aiden. I'm her friend." Wow, I sucked at introducing myself.

     "Well, thank you so much for bringing her home, Aiden." She smiled. "And you can call me Vivian."

     "Okay. Goodnight, Mrs.-Vivian."

     She walked me downstairs and to the porch. I smiled at her once more before I drove home.

     I felt so grateful to have someone who cared for me. My heart warmed when she told me she got worried just because I skipped school. Not just her, but my bestfriends as well. I thanked destiny for everything; Gretta, Tristan, Ray, Jackson, and Luna.

     There was a time when I felt so lonely, like I was living all alone in this massive world. But, there was a time when I was not feeling lonely when Gretta was there to comfort me, Ray and Jackson were there to boost up my mood, and Tristan was there to help me solve my problems. They were the only ones I had left until Luna came into my life.

     And Luna was there to give me hope.