He was a Boy, She was a Girl

Aidens POV

The day I’ve been dreading has finally come and I’m still not too excited about it. I should have told her, I really should’ve. But how? Especially now, I mean, come on! Her parents just died! I can’t just drop the bomb that I’m a dad in the same week!
Or I could. I don’t know. Honestly I chickened out. Well, I guess that’s actually pretty obvious at this point since she still doesn’t know and Hannah is coming this afternoon.
I slip out of bed and make my way downstairs. Callie was standing at the stove making…something.
“Callie?” a yawn escaped my lips as I opened them, “what are you doing?”
“making breakfast.” She answers simply like it was an everyday activity of hers. Which it wasn’t.
I wrap my arms around her and rest my chin on her shoulder, “may I ask why?”
“it’s the 23rd sweetie, I thought I’d surprised you!” oh joy. “you’re getting a sister today!” involuntarily I tense up at those words. Sister and daughter…same thing, right? I walk over to the fridge and pull out some juice. “is everything alright Aiden?” Callie asks.
“of course it is.” I reply. I couldn’t tell her now, she’d be heartbroken.
“you just seem worried.”
I shrug trying to brush it off as nothing, “you don’t have to worry Calvina, I’m fine.” I reassure her.
Although she knew me better than that. She knew that I was lying, “okay…”
My parents woke up not too long after and we had the big breakfast that Callie made. Which tasted DELICIOUS! Best damn waffles I’ve ever had.
My parents decided at about eleven that they had some last minute shopping to do, so they left for the grocery store. I knew that the longer I was in a room alone with Callie, the better the odds of me telling her were and I couldn’t do that. Not yet. So I locked myself up in my room while she watched T.V.
Hannah wasn’t coming until one, so that gave me about an hour of alone time. I pick up my black guitar that lays beside my bed and start strumming a few notes…

Her smile
Can’t you see
Well it brightens up the world
From sky to sea
And those eyes
Crystal blue
Beautiful eyes
Shine so bright
The gods go blind

I write down those words and play it again, doing some edits. This is what I miss most about my old life. It’s what I would do with my life if I thought it would get me anywhere. Though I’m just as happy sitting in my room doing it instead of in front of millions of people.

Baby, Baby
That’s what I see
This beautiful girl
Standing right in front of me
Staying close to the side of me
Showing up everywhere I will be
A beautiful girl
Baby that’s all I see

Eh. It’s not bad. If I put some more effort toward it, it would be a great song…I started another song that I had already finished when I heard a knock on my door. It was Callie, obviously, so I didn’t bother to say anything since she’d come in anyways. She stands there for a second by the closed door, watching me. I could feel it, even though my eyes were closed.
“Aiden,” she says, I could hear her footsteps come closer to me but I didn’t want to stop playing. I didn’t want to tell her the truth even when it had to be told. And I most of all did not want her to be worried like I knew she was. I open my eyes and watch as she sits down next to me.
“you okay?” the one questions I didn’t want asked.
“will you stop asking that?”
“when you stop lying to me.” Damn she’s good. Even with that out there though, she continues, “Aiden, Hannah and Reilly are here right now, but you seem really down. Is there something we need to talk about before you go out there?”
I hesitate. Yes, technically there is. But I didn’t want to talk about it. The words were on the tip of my tongue. Really, how hard is it to say ‘I’m her dad’? four small words. Yet the hardest to say.
I shake my head no, “uh, no, we’ll talk about it later.” I tell her. Later. It will always be later.
“you sure?”
I wish she would stop, the more she asked the more I was about to tell the truth.
“I’m sure.”
“okay then.” Just like before I knew she didn’t believe me. Callie stands up and walks over to the door and I follow, wrapping my arm around her hoping to make it seem like I really was alright. “and this is Aidens room with Aiden currently in it.” She tries to joke as the door swings open.
There she was, my daughter. I know it seems like I’m the awful father who ditches right after the birth, but I didn’t have a choice. Now though, I would be seeing her everyday. Holding her, kissing her…she’d be here. Not across the country. Everyone was awkwardly standing around quiet until Reilly burst out crying.
Callie breaks in then, noticing that she should disappear for some time. “here. How about you two catch up, I’ll take Reilly and Joey downstairs for some lunch.” She says. Hannah nods and hands Reilly to Callie. Callie quickly leans up and kisses my cheek before walking out of the rooms.
“Zack won’t believe you’re actually dating a blonde chick.” Hannah says. I laugh. The first thing she says to me in a year has to do with Callie.
“yeah, well, I needed a change.” I say, shoving my hands into my pocket, “you’re early.”
“train came in early, what can I say? It’s not like I have control over it.”
“wasn’t complaining really.”
“so, how have you been?”
“I’m alive aren’t I?” I joke.
“barely. You cut your hair. I can’t believe you did that.”
“didn’t exactly have a choice in it.”
“what else is new?”
“got back into football.”
Her eyes go wide, “what?!”
“kind of forced into it, but also a choice of mine. I guess. I dunno.”
After about an hour of catching up we made our way downstairs. Hannah walked into the living room where Callie was while I made my way to the kitchen for some food. I made a quick turkey sandwich and was in the midst of walking into the living room where everyone was when I heard the door slam. What?
I hurry into the room and find Hannah standing there.
“where’s callie?”
“you didn’t tell her.”
“Hannah, where did Callie go?”
“how could you not tell her?”
“Dammit Hannah! What did she say!?”
“nothing. She said nothing. Which would be my response too if my boyfriend didn’t mention he was a dad.”
“f*ck.” I hear the sound of tires squeaking against asphalt and watch Callie speed down the road. What was I supposed to do now?
I pull out my phone and walk back up to my room. “seriously dude, you call at the wrong time.” Jamie answers.
“Callie knows.”
“what?”
“Callie knows. Hannah told her. She left Jamie. She’s gone.” I bit my lip to hold back the tears.
“whoa, whoa, whoa.” I heard shuffling around and then Mollies voice in the background.
“what happened?” she asks. I didn’t hear Jamie answer her.
“she can’t be that far Aiden. When did this happen?”
“I don’t know. I made a sandwich and went back to the living room and she was gone. So like, five minutes? Maybe less.”
“we’ll find her. Don’t worry man. Mollie and I will be there in three minutes. Call Alice, she’ll have a better idea of where she’d run off to.” I hang up and dial Alice’s number instantly.
“uh, who is this? The number is-“
“Alice, I need your help.”
“aiden?”
“who else?”
“uh, okay…why are you pacing back and forth? What’s going on?” I glance out my window and see her sitting on Callies bed, watching me.
“she’s gone.” I say, looking at her.
“who’s gone?”
“Callie. Who else?”
“why?”
“long story short. I’m a dad and I didn’t tell her. Now, where would she run to?”
“um, I’m drawing a blank at the moment. I’m sorry. Have you tried calling her?” oh, yeah.
“right. I’ll do that.” I press end and call Callie.
“If I’m not answering, I’m either busy or I really don’t want to talk to you. probably the latter of the two.” Dammit.
“Callie.” I say, “please come home and let me explain. Don’t run away like this. Love you.” I press end and try it again and again. My redial button hadn’t been used that much before.
I heard crying from downstairs. Joey had woken up and started crying which in turn made Reilly cry. Hannah was trying to calm Reilly down and I picked up Joey.
“hey little buddy.” I say. He makes a face that’s somewhere between annoyed and disgusted. I poke his nose and he giggles. I laugh, “that’s what I thought. So, any idea where your sister is?” I whisper.
“I’m sorry Aiden.” Hannah says finally, “I thought you would’ve told her.”
I sigh, “it’s my fault. I had the chance to tell her many times and just chickened out. She would have reacted this way no matter what.”
The door burst open and a group of five people came in, my parents being a part of it. “may I ask why there’s practically a-“ my mom starts and pauses when she sees Hannah, “Hannah! You’re here.”
“I am. But there’s some bigger issues going on at the moment, we’ll catch up later.”
“bigger issues?” my dad questions, setting some bags on the kitchen table.
“that’s why everyone is here. Hannah told Callie about Reilly being my kid and she left.”
“did she say anything?” Paige, who just showed up, asks.
Hannah shakes her head no, “I said that Aiden was the father, that’s why he was with my the nine months and then she grabbed her jacket and left.” She explains.
“okay!” Alice says, taking charge, “we’re going to split up. Paige and Matthew, Jamie and Mollie, Cathy and Robert, Hannah and I, and then Aiden you’ll be on your own, that way if you find her you won’t have to deal with someone else.” Everyone nods.
Alice walks into the hallway closet and comes out shortly with a map, unfolding it. She takes a pen and splits it into five. “okay, Paige, you two take the school area. You know her favorite places around there. Jamie, you take the north neighborhood. I trust that you know where she’d be if she were there.” Jamie nods, “Robert and Cathy, I’m going to stick you two in the main part of downtown. I’ll jot down a quick list of stores she loves, but mostly anything that would get her away would work. Hannah and I will scan the opposite side of the river. While Aiden, well, you go to every damn place you can think of. Logan and Christie are at some family event but I’ll call them up to inform them about this. Everybody understand?”
Wow, she would be a great coach. I started to think of places that meant a lot to her, to us. The cabin would be too obvious. She wouldn’t’ go there unless she wanted to be found. My best bet would be Melanies, so that’s where I headed first. I kept sending texts and calls while driving off to the bowling alley. She’d have to reply at some point, right? Or at least read them
Callie, I type at a red light, I know that your mad and you have every right to be. But please, let me at least tell you for myself. Let me explain things. Please. No reply. Where could she be?
I push the doors open in a rush and run to the counter. “Aiden?” Melanie asks, worried.
“is Callie here?” I ask.
“uh, no, she’s not. Everything okay?”
“no,” I say and then leave. Okay, where else?
My phone starts ringing, but it wasn’t her ringtone, it was Logans.
“what?” I ask, not bothering with a hello.
“the maple tree on 7th.” He says, “it’s one of her favorite places.”
“thanks.” I say and press end.
I hated that guy, and still didn’t trust him. But not that I was his ‘friend,’ I was able to be there whenever he was around Callie, making me feel a little bit better about the situation.
I pull up to the side of the park and run up the hill. All I found was Alice standing there. She turns at the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet.
“Well, we think alike. Sadly not good enough. She’s not here.”
“she isn’t anywhere.” I say. Alice walks up to me and puts her arm around my shoulder.
“Aiden, she didn’t disappear off the face of the earth. And the farthest she could be is in the next state over. She’ll be back. Trust me on that. I’ve known her my whole life, she will come back.” I wanted to believe her. I should believe her. But I couldn’t.
I stayed out until midnight looking for her. But didn’t find her. I would never find her.
The moment I stepped into the house, all eyes turned to me. They were talking about me, it was obvious, since they went dead silent when they saw it was me.
“what?” I ask, pissed off.
My mom looked sad, “um, I’m supposed to tell you she’s safe.”
My eyes widen, she called? “where is she?!”
“I don’t know. She just said that she was safe.” I don’t reply and instead make my way upstairs, pissed.
I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I wasn’t awake until noon. “Aiden.” I hear my mom call.
“what?” I groan.
“you need to get out of bed sweetie.”
“why?”
“because I’m your mom and I’m telling you to get out of bed.”
I drag myself out of bed and open the door. “what?” I ask.
Instead of answers she grabs my hand and pulls me out of the room. Finally I give in and follow without her super-mom strength pulling me. “what?” I ask again, really not wanting to do this.
“we found this on the porch.” She says and then leaves me standing there. I turn to the door and see Zack leaning against it.
“HOLY F*CK!!!” I scream, running up to him. He laughed and then pulled back from the hug.
“Aiden!” my mom screams at me from the kitchen, “watch your language!”
I step back, “what are you doing here?!”
Zack stops laughing and shrugs, “got bored in Cali. It’s summer, right? I should be doing something fun.” He says, “so, where’s this girl you won’t shut up about?”
I gulp, “let’s go up to my room and talk about it.” I say, not wanting anyone to interfere.
After a long explanation Zack started to laugh and then stopped when he saw me glaring at him.
“sorry, but it really is your fault for this, I mean-“ he was interrupted with someone opening the door.
“ZACK!!!!” Mollie screams and jumps on him.
It was my turn to laugh, this time at Jamies expression. “excuse me? Boyfriend over here!” he says jokingly.
I throw a pillow at Jamie and he catches it. “any news?” he asks, tossing the pillow on to my couch.
“nope.”
Mollie had let go of Zack by now. “what are you doing here?”
“bored.” Was Zacks answer.
“zack, this is Jamie, Jamie, Zack.” I shortly introduce the two of them. “you guys socialize, I’m gonna go take a shower.” I say and grab my phone in case Callie decided to call.
The whole time in the shower I was thinking about her. How could I not? She just ups and leaves without a word. It’s not my fault Hannah spilled the news!
I love you. I text her. No begging, no pleading, no explanations. Just those simple three words that meant everything.
About an hour later we were all on my couch watching some movie. My phone starts to vibrate on the coffee table and everybody turns to it. We were all thinking the same thing, ‘is it her?’
I click open and see that it’s from Logan.
Sorry.
That’s it. An apology. Why would he-. Oh.
I quickly stand up and grab my keys from the table, leaving the house without a word just like she did the day before.
Why would she go to him? Of all people! And why the f*ck is he sorry?!