Mystery Boy

"It was nice to meet you, Airea," Shirley said as I climbed back into the backseat of Ina's van.

I nodded and said, "You too," as my father laid a sleeping Taite on his spot and buckled him in, letting Easton climb in next to him before Decklan shuffled back to plop down next to me.

I stuck my headphones in my ears as the door slid shut. For the ride I laid my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. We pulled into the driveway and I let everyone pile out before me, careful to make sure that they weren't paying attention before I slipped behind the back of the car and raced across Ronnie's yard, pushing the door open without knocking and disappearing inside.

I pushed the door closed quickly and peaked out of the front window.

"Finally escaped?"

I whipped around automatically, putting my hand to my heart as I saw Russel sitting on the couch with a grin on his face. "You're not going to send me back, are you?" I questioned, biting my lip.

Russel laughed and shook his head. "I never saw you. You were never here."

I grinned and thanked him before running off to Ronnie's room. Although, when I entered the room I turned around and covered my eyes. "Sorry, sorry, sorry," I said as I peaked over my shoulder.

Ronnie was leaning against the wall with a girl in his lap. When I walked in their lips were connected and her shirt was pushed up around her shoulders. When I looked over again the girl had her shirt on and she was sitting next to Ronnie with her legs crossed and a smile on her face.

"It's okay," Ronnie said with a smirk as he straightened out his own t'shirt.

I turned back around completely and offered an awkward smile to the both of them. The girl climbed off of the bed and held her hand out to me. "I'm Olivia."

"Airea," I replied, shaking her hand.

Olivia turned to Ronnie. "I have to go," she said, "My mother is going to kill me if I'm not back within ten minutes."

Ronnie grinned and stood up. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. I bit my lip to hide my smile as Olivia slipped past us and left Ronnie's house. I smiled brightly causing Ronnie to roll his eyes at me and throw himself back down onto his bed. I jumped down next to him and pushed him.

"Who was that?" I squealed, watching as Ronnie tried to hide his smile.

He shrugged, "Just a girl."

I rolled my eyes. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Ronnie shook his head. "No, Air."

I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest as I laid on my back with my head on his pillow with Ronnie on his stomach next to me. I nudged him with my elbow. "Go get Jacky," I murmured, my eyes closed.

Ronnie scoffed, "Am I not good enough for you now?"

I shook my head, "No."

Ronnie told me to 'F off' as he shoved my shoulder, pushing me closer and closer to the end of his double bed.

"That boy needs to get a cell phone," I whined as I scooted back over towards Ronnie.

Ronnie shrugged. "He doesn't need one."

"Shut up."

Ronnie and I just laid around and talked a little bit about Ina's family. It was nice to have someone to confide in, even if he wasn't always on my side about everything. I went home about a half an hour after I got there. I ate dinner with everyone at home and then retreated to my room to listen to music and lay in my bed.

"Air?"

I looked up to the doorway where my father stood with Taite in his arms. They had woken him up to eat something before letting him fall asleep at the table. "Can I talk to you after I lay him down?"

I shrugged. "If you want to."

"I do," he said before he turned and continued down the hallway.

He came back a few minutes later and sat down on the edge of my bed. I sat up and folded my knees up to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees as Dad began talking.

"I don't know how to start," he said as he ran his fingers over his head, "But I have a lot to say."

I nodded.

His blonde curls bounced as he nodded too. He reached out and touched my arm. "You're not grounded anymore if you promise to try a little harder to like Ina and the boys."

I rolled my eyes. "No promises."

Dad sighed. "Airea, please." He struggled to find the words that he was looking for. His eyes shut lightly as his thoughts bounced around in his head, unable to come up with complete and meaning sentences. When he couldn't process his words, he just reached up and traced my jaw bone with his fingers.

"I love you," he murmured, his blue eyes looking into the ones that were replicated in my skull.

I nodded, "I know, Dad," I said, because it was true. I knew that my father had always loved me and would always love me and I would love him forever too, because he was physically the same person who had raised me.

Dad seemed to find his words then. "Do you remember when you were about nine and we went fishing for the first time that one Sunday?"

I nodded, because I could remember everything about that one day so long ago. It was my favorite memory from my childhood. My father and I left the house about nine o'clock in the morning with two new fishing poles, turkey sandwiches, and "bug juice" which was really just koolaid that you bought from a gas station.

The two of us piled into my Dad's fancy car and drove to a bait shop in town. I picked out the worms and paid for them myself, knowing that if I wanted to catch a fish, everything had to be perfect and precise.

Our car stood out at the pier, and I remember wanting to ride in an old rusted truck like that man and his son who were parked next to us in the lot. I ran all the way out to the end of the pier in my orange flip-flops, purple striped tank-top, and red shorts. Back then style didn't matter to me, having fun was the only thing I cared about.

Dad caught up to me on the pier and we made our spot on the rocks. I strung my pole and then apologized to the worm before I impaled him on the hook and cast him out into the lake.

I didn't catch anything that day, but Dad caught three decent fish that I made him throw back right away. It wasn't about catching fish that I liked, but it was about spending time with my always absent father.

"I remember," I told my dad as he called my name.

"Do you remember what you said to me on the way home?" Dad asked, rubbing his fingers over cheek.

I nodded, but he told me anyways.

"I miss you," he said, "You said, 'I miss you'."

I nodded, "And you told me that you hadn't gone anywhere.."

Dad nodded, his blonde curls shifting again. "You said: 'But you're not really here even when you are. It's like you want to be somewhere else. And I miss you'."

I shrugged. "I was little. I didn't know what I was talking about," I said.

Dad shook his head. "That's a lie. You knew exactly what you were saying. I thought back then that maybe you knew that I was with another woman."

I shook my head. "I didn't know anything. I just thought you didn't care anymore," I told him, watching as he flinched at my harsh words. I continued then, wanting to see him flinch again. "I guess I was right, huh Dad?"

"No," Dad growled, looking me straight in the eyes. "I still care about you, Airea. I always have. I just fell in love with another woman," he said, and in his voice I could hear a pleading for me to understand.

"No," I said, a lot softer than he had. "You just wanted something different."

Dad dropped his head in shame. I didn't look at him, but instead I stared out through the door way and across that hall into the bathroom. I was looking, but I wasn't really seeing. My thoughts were racing back to better times. Times where I was ignorant, but happy.