Mystery Boy

"Airea," my mom said in the doorway of my new room, "Evan and Nash are downstairs. Are you almost ready, Honey?"

I looked over to her and nodded my head. "Yeah, just let me grab my phone incase one of the guys calls. Ronnie is going to call me sometime."

My mom smiled. "He's your neighbor, right? The one you share a dog with?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah," I said, "He's great."

"Okay, Honey," Mom said, standing up straight, "I'll be downstairs. Come down when you're ready."

"Okay."

She left me to slip into my shoes and grab my cell phone. In the last hour I had changed clothes and straightened my hair. My jeans were tight and my tank-top was covered by a baggier red hoodie that belonged to Jacky. I zipped it up halfway and tied the laces of my shoes tightly.

I made sure my cell phone was shoved in the pocket of my hoodie before I nervously walked out of my room and shut the door behind me. I really liked my room. The walls were a deep burgundy and the blanket didn't match them, but that could easily be changed. The walls were bare of any pictures or posters and the emptiness was welcomed compared to the falling magazine pictures and the broken skateboard decks that Decklan called decoration. I could do whatever I wanted with the room.

I climbed down the stairs slowly and listened as my mother's voice mingled with a man's. I remembered her telling me that his son was quiet. When I reached the bottom step my mom looked over to me and smiled.

"Airea," she said lightly as she stood up, "You ready to go?"

I nodded my head and looked past her to the two darker-haired boys that sat behind her. "Hello," I said politely, smoothing down my shirt over my stomach.

Evan stood from the couch with a smile on his face. He walked over to stand next to my mom and reached his hand out to me. "It's so great to finally meet you," he said sincerely, covering my hand with both of his, "Your mom has told me so much about you."

I nodded my head. "She's told me about you, too," I replied, smiling. "And about Nash." I looked over at the little boy who was still sitting on the couch, his eyes trained on the iPod on his hands as he played a game. He didn't even bother to look up as I said his name. The little boy's hair was clear past his elbows and fell in brown waves that got lighter as it went down, like it was dyed bleach blonde awhile ago.

Evan smiled and looked back to me from Nash. "He's shy," he said softly, "He'll warm up to you though."

"I know all about quiet people," I said softly, my mind jumping back to Jacky. "It's okay."

Evan nodded then he called out Nash. "Come on, buddy," he called, "Come meet Airea so that we can go eat dinner."

The little boy slid off of the couch without looking up and he slid his iPod into the pocket of his little skinny jeans. He traipsed across the carpeted floor and stood next to his father, his eyes staring at the floor.

"Nash," Evan said softly, resting his palm against his son's shoulder, "This is Heather's daughter, Airea."

Nash glanced up to me and waved slowly. I smiled down at the little boy.

"Mom, you don't have reservations already, do you?"

"No, Honey, why?"

I nodded towards the seven year old and crouched down in front of him. He looked up to me and stared at me, waiting for me to say something.

"Hi Nash," I greeted, "I'm Air."

He nodded his head.

I continued, "Where're going to eat dinner, but I was wondering where you wanted to eat? You can pick if you want, I haven't been here in awhile and I'd love to find a really great place to eat."

I looked up as Evan wrapped an arm around my mom's waist, a smile on both of their faces as they looked down at their children.

Nash still stared at me but after a minute or so, he asked, "I can pick?"

I nodded my head and looked at his shockingly dark eyes. "Anywhere you want," I promised.

He looked up to his dad for confirmation.

Evan nodded his head.

Nash smiled a toothless smile and then asked his dad, "Can we go to that one restaurant that Mommy took me to for her birthday?"

Evan must've known exactly where he was talking about, because he nodded. "Lets go get in the car," he said, motioning towards the front door.

We ended up taking Evan's car since Nash had his booster seat in it. I climbed into the backseat next to the seven year old and buckled myself in as he did the same.

"So, Airea," Evan said as he drove, "Your mom mentioned that you have your license now?"

I nodded my head. "And my own car, too."

"Really?" he asked, glancing in the rear view mirror, "What kind is it?"

"Dodge Viper," I told him proudly.

He nodded. "That's a nice car for a teenager. Usually there are two racing stripes down the hood, right?"

"Yeah," I said, "But mine doesn't have that. It's just white."

"Still really nice," he murmured appreciatively.

"You should see my dad's car."

My mom changed the subject. "How do you like your new school, Airea?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's alright. The kinds are slightly unbearable but I'm not around them much since the guys and I don't eat lunch in the cafeteria."

"Then where do you eat?" Mom asked, slightly startled.

"The back stairs," I told her. I watched her become a little shocked. I shook my head. "It's not as weird as it sounds," I told her, "It's kind of nice, actually. It's just me and the guys."

Evan, Mom, and I made small talk all the way to the Olive Garden. Nash once again let himself become enthralled in the game on his iPod. When we parked he handed it to me so that he could unbuckle himself.

"This is Guitar Hero," I said with an excited smile.

Nash looked up to me and nodded his head.

"You like guitars?" I questioned.

He nodded again and reached his hand out for his game as his dad pulled open the back door for him. I gave it to him and climbed out, too.

We all met up at the front of the car and I told Nash, "My boyfriend plays guitar."

That's when he became interested. "Really?" he asked quietly, sliding the uncased iPod into his pocket.

"Yeah," I confirmed, "He's in a band. He's the lead guitarist. He's quiet like you are."

"Really?" he asked again as we entered the restaurant.

I chuckled. "Yeah. But when he's playing guitar, he gets really into it."

"Not shy anymore," Nash said, his big brown eyes looking up to me as he walked beside me over to the woman who would lead us to our table.

"Nope," I agreed, "He's not shy when he's playing guitar."

Nash half-smiled and followed us over to a both near the back of the building. I sat on the inside next to my mom. Nash did the same with his dad. The waitress came over and introduced herself and told us she'd be back to ask what we wanted to drink.

Nash reached across the table at me to get my attention, although he couldn't reach me.

"What's up, Nash?" I questioned, looking across to him.

He thought about what he was going to say. Then he asked, "Can I meet your guitar friend?"

Mom, Evan, and I laughed quietly. I shook my head. "Sorry, Nash," I said softly, "He doesn't live around here."

Nash looked confused. "Where does he live?"

I smiled and said, "He lives near me. In Las Vegas."

Nash nodded like he understood. "Can we go see him?" he questioned softly.

I shook my head. "He's actually going to be half-way around the world tomorrow," I said enthusiastically.

"Why?" he asked, his eyes wide as he waited for my answer.

"He's visiting his mom in London," I told him.

He pushed his hair out of his face and made his eyes even wider. "But you're visiting your mom, too."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, we both are."

Nash sighed disappointedly at the fact that he wouldn't be able to meet 'the guitarist' but turned his attention to his dad right away so they could figure out what the little boy wanted to eat.

Mom looked to me and smiled. She bumped my shoulder with hers and said, "Thanks Honey. Thank you for trying."

I smiled back at her and leaned my head against her shoulder. "No problem, Mom."