We make it to my house in less than ten minutes. We sneak in through the back, and all the lights are out besides the access lights in the kitchen, and the hallway.
Aiden's only been in my room once, and it was the night he picked me up from that horrific party. It looks the same except for my wall. All the same pictures are there before, but in the center of them is a picture of Aiden and I at the lake. Our hair is wet from swimming a few minutes before and I'm kissing his cheek as he smiles into the camera. I also used this same photo as my profile picture online.
"I like that you added me to your wall." Aiden says as he falls into my bed. While he's laying there, I dig into my dresser for some pajamas, and go into my bathroom to change into them.
"What year is this from?" he asks me as I'm walking out of the bathroom, and I see he's in a yearbook.
"I'm not sure. I think it's our freshman year." I go to crawl into bed, and he scoots over close to the wall so I can get in, leaving the yearbook between us.
"God we look so different." he's looking at a picture of the baseball team that season.
"And that wasn't that long ago." I proclaim, and he nods while turning through the pages. He spots a group photo of me and my friends at the cafeteria table.
"I wish I knew you back then." He traces his finger over the picture, and grins over at me.
"You did know me."
"Well yeah, but I didn't know you how I know you now." he brushes his hand on my cheek.
"Better late than never." I say, and he pushes forward to kiss me.
"You were such a hottie." he's kissing all over my cheek and neck and I giggle.
"Hey, what about now?" I'm still laughing, and we start to fall down into the bed.
"Girl, you know I think you're hot." he winks at me.
We're laying on top of my covers, when he reaches over me to grab my remote to my TV. "Let's see what you've been watching?" when he turns on my TV it goes to the homepage, and Dawson's Creek is under the keep watching column.
"You gotta be shitting me." he's laughing.
"What!"
"How many times are you going to watch these?" he asks.
"Until I'm out of love with Pacey Witter." I claim, and Aiden snorts
"Pacey Witter? You like his character?" he's looking at me while on his side with his face sitting in his hand.
"How do you even know who he is?" I tease him back.
"Mora, I hate to break it to you, but every girl I know has watched this show. Over the years, I've seen an episode or two." he's still staring at me. "Anyway, Pacey is a nerd." he says and I'm offended.
"No way. He's not a nerd! He's so sweet, and cute." I'm standing up for a fictional character of a TV show. I've reached a new low with my geekiness. "He sacrificed his own best friend for the girl he loved!"
"Well what a crappy friend to even make him choose." he makes fun of me and I roll my eyes, and snatch the remote from him finding another show to watch.
For the next hour I lay in his arms, and we watch a stupid cartoon that he begged me to watch, and I'm almost asleep when he nudges me.
"Hey, It's getting late. I better head out." he brushes the hair out of my face, and I roll over so I can see his face.
"No." I say, and he smiles and kisses the corner of my mouth.
"I have to, my mom will freak if she gets up and I'm not home."
"Fine." I stick my bottom lip out as far as it will go, and act like I'm going to start crying.
"Babe, you'll be fine. I'll see you on Monday?" I pout at him.
"I guess so." I sit up with him, and he lifts his body over mine to get out of the bed. He grabs his keys, and phone sticking them into his pocket. "Do you want me to walk you out?" I'm still laying in bed.
"No. It's okay. I know the way." he leans down and gives me a kiss. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Okay. Good night." I say up to him. "Good night" he whispers and before I know he's gone, and I'm falling asleep.
The next few days I spend my time with Scarlett, Ross, and even Zoe. Zoe went to the movies with me since Emily is gone, and we grab lunch. "I miss Emily." she claims, and I nod in agreeance.
"Me too. I'm happy that you didn't mind filling in for her today. I was concerned with who would go to the movies with me now that she's gone." I dip a fry into ketchup, and Zoe takes a sip of her milkshake.
"No problem Mora. I'm just glad you and I are okay again." she smiles, and I return it.
"So, it's our senior year!" I put my drink down to ask her "what are your plans after?"
"Well, I was thinking about taking a break for a year and travel some if my parents will let me." she takes another drink from her milkshake. I know for a fact that her parents won't let her do that. I know them well. Her mom is an elementary school teacher, and her dad is an IT for a corporate office downtown. You would never believe they raised Zoe unless you saw it with your own two eyes.
"What if they say no?"
"Well I guess I'll just go to the community school here. I'm just not cut out for a big college."
"But Zoe, you are. More so then I am." It's true. Between the two of us, she's meant for more. I fit into the small town life, Zoe on the other hand is meant to experience things, and live life to its fullest potential.
"Are you kidding me Mora. You're meant for more too. You're like Em. Your imagination is much bigger then this place!" she says and maybe I am. I'm still trying to figure out what I want. "So what are Aiden's plans?" Now she's slurping on her shake because the cup is empty.
"I'm not sure. I think he wants to stay more local because his mom would be here all by herself."
"Oh, yeah I almost forgot about what happened to his family. That was so awful. I could see why Aiden was so distant for awhile."
"Yeah. I honestly didn't even know about it until I started dating him. I guess I was in my own little world. Zoe was I a snob?" I ask her honestly.
"No! but I can't believe you didn't know. It was all over school. Aiden even stopped playing baseball for a couple seasons. He's just now getting back into it."
"Yeah, I didn't know."
"Well like you said, you were kind of in your own world Mora. Wrapped up in Ross." she says, and I gasp.
"No I was not!" my mouth is wide open. I can't believe she just said that.
"Mora, please. Everyone knew it. You two were both just too afraid to do anything about it. I guess because of Conner." She's stealing fries from my plate.
"Whatever. I don't know why everyone always pesters me about that. I liked him in grade school and that was it. I wasn't even old enough to know what liking someone really even meant." I snatch a fry back out of her hand, and she laughs at me.
"Mora, I know one thing, if Aiden didn't come in the picture this summer, and with Con in school I promise that something would have finally happened between you and Ross." How could she say that. She doesn't know my feelings or thoughts. I roll my eyes at her and change the subject.
"So I know one thing, I had no idea that you would ever date Zach." I turn it on her.
"Yeah, I had no idea either, but there's something so different about him. I know sometimes he acts stupid, but he just does that to make people laugh. There's a serious side to him too." her face glimmers when she talks about him.
"Well I'm glad he makes you happy Zoe. You really deserve a good guy." and she smiles before we finish eating.
Later that afternoon I face time Conner. "Hey, what are you doing?" he looks like he just got out of the shower when he answers.
"Just got out of practice. About to go down to the food court to see if they have anything good to eat. What are you doing?" I can tell he's looking around me to see where I'm at.
"Just got home from hanging out with Zoe." he rolls his eyes when I say Zoe. "waiting on dad to get back with pizzas." I continue as I walk to the living room to sit down.
"I heard what happened that night you were with her and her friends." He doesn't hide anything.
"I asked Scarlett not to tell you." I'm annoyed. She really can't keep her mouth shut.
"Well she did. Mora, you seriously shouldn't put yourself in that position." Now I'm being lectured from my brother too.
"I know Conner. Trust me. Believe it or not Scarlett didn't understand why I was so mad at Zoe." she wants to tell on me, I'll tell on her.
"What?" you can tell that made him mad.
"Scarlett told me to let Zoe off the hook and just forgive her. So I did."
"Well that's crazy. Anytime you do anything questionable it's when you're with that girl. I know it's not all Zoe, but she's a bad influence still. That is one of the dumbest things that I've ever heard Scarlett say." I can tell he's starting to get ready to leave his dorm.
"I guess I'll let you go find something to eat." I say.
"K. Well call me sometime this week.Good luck tomorrow, and don't forget that you need to meet up with the counselor sometime soon to discuss college Mora." Gosh, since when does he care so much.
"Okay Mr. Responsible." I say to him sarcastically and he just rolls his eyes.
"Love ya sis."
"Love you too." and before I can say bye he hangs up. I imagine right now he's calling Scarlett, and a part of me hopes he was mad at her. Sometimes I think she forgets that I'm Conner's sister, and I don't want him to know everything that goes on in my life.