Summer Lovin'

I ignored Aiden’s whining as I turned the page in my book, trying to assimilate how hydrogen bonds formed and worked. Sadly, my attempts at ignoring were not working very well, especially since he was right next to me yelling in my ear. I shot a glare at his head, wishing I grab his phone and throw it out the window.

“C’mon Carter, come to the beach! I’ll be there and I want to meet your friends!” Aiden shouted at his boyfriend, pouting. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, marking my page and putting my book away. Now I was going to have to drive Aiden to the beach just so that he could make kissy faces at Carter. “Carter!!!” He whined, and I twitched a little. “Yeah! Thank you baby!” He shouted, making a kissing noise before hanging up on Carter and shooting a hopeful look in my direction.

I scowled, pointing at the stairs. “Get dressed and grab your swim suit. Mom will be angry if you get your boxer’s wet with salt water again.” He cheered and tackled me in a hug, quickly sprinting up the stairs.

My shoulders slumped and I brushed back my bangs, grabbing my shoes. He would be done in, oh, an hour so I had enough time to get something to eat, get the car started, and finish my chores before we had to go. I mean, I love my brother, but he is such a girl when it came to looks.

Walking into the kitchen, I ran my hand over Marie’s - our lovely grey long haired cat - head as I went to the refrigerator. I opened it and stared in for a moment before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, counting to ten hoping that what I was seeing was an illusion. Opening my eyes again, I growled and gently closed the door.

Of course we would have no food, of course we wouldn’t. Simply because mom spent all of it spoiling Aiden and buying purses that she didn’t need. Shaking my head in disgust, I decided to just let it go and get started on my chores.

Half an hour later just as I began putting the dishes away, I heard Aiden pound down the steps. I frowned and put the plates down, going out into the living room to see why he was down so early. Pausing in the archway between the two rooms, I felt my patience begin to crumble. “What is wrong with you?” I asked, my hand tightening on the door frame.

Aiden pouted and looked down at his clothes, trying to see what I saw. Of course, he would never see what was wrong with him wearing a Speedo and one of mom’s old spaghetti strap tanks to the beach. Why would he? He found it fine when he put it on. “I don’t get it Jim.” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

I sighed and rubbed at my cheeks, wishing that I wasn’t the one who had to discipline him. “Aiden, if I let you keep the tank top, will you get rid of the Speedo and put on actual swim trunks?” I was just so tired of fighting with him.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head at me, and I could see the thoughts going through his mind. ‘God, he’s such a loser. Doesn’t he get that this is high fashion!’ Or some nonsense like that. “Fine Jimmy, I’ll go put on swim trunks. Be down in a second!” He called, going straight back up stairs.

I rolled my eyes and went back to the dishes, quickly putting them away before heading outside. To keep Aiden happy - which, according to dear old mother, was the most important thing in the Baker house - I had to have the car ready to go before he got out of the house.

Sliding into the driver’s seat of my shitty old car, I turned the key in the ignition, hoping that the car would start. Sometimes it would take two or three times for it to start, and then sometimes it wouldn’t start at all and then Aiden would whine and mom would get angry and I would be stuck listening to her rant for hours on end.

I mentally cheered as the car started and I immediately rolled the windows down, feeling the lovely South Carolinian wind blow in. That was one of the few things I truly loved in the world - the wind made me forget most of the shitty things in my life. “Jimmy!” I looked to see Aiden running towards the car, and I shook my head.

He had changed, but the trunks he had on were like the bottom of a preteen girl’s bikini, way too tight for Aiden and not something he should have been wearing to a public beach. If he was going to Carter’s house just to hang at his pool that would have been fine but god…

“Those are not swim trunks Aiden.” I told him as he got into the car, waiting for him to fully close the door before carefully pulling out of the driveway. He ignored me and began texting some one, most likely Carter from the grin on his face.

I sighed and focused on the road, knowing that he didn’t care one way or another what I said. He only cared about getting reactions from the people around him, no matter if they were good or bad. Sometimes I wished he would care more about what came next instead of what was happening right in that moment.