Mystery Boy

"That was really good. Thank you, Evan," I said as the four of us headed back to Evan's car around eight.

"You're welcome, Airea," he replied with a smile.

I got into the backseat of the car and listened as Evan and Mom talked about different things. Nash was half-asleep next to me, his eyes trained on the iPod once again, but this time playing a game I didn't recognize.

I yanked my phone out of my pocket when it vibrated. I grinned at the screen and held it up to my ear. "Hey, Ronnie," I greeted, seeing Nash's head pop up at the sound.

"How's your Mom?" he asked first thing, "You having fun?"

"Yeah," I said right away, "I'm having a lot of fun. What are you guys up to?"

"Just about to eat dinner, but I figured I'd call you first so you can talk to your precious Jacky," he replied.

"You're so funny," I said flatly, "Just let me talk to Jacky."

Ronnie laughed loudly before he passed the phone to Jacky. The boy's voice came through the phone and caused me to grin.

"Hey," I said back, "How're you?"

"Good," he said back softly, "You?"

"I'm good. I still wish I could go with you tomorrow,"

"My mom was disappointed," he replied, a smile in his voice.

I glanced to my mom who was deep in conversation with Evan. I spoke, "I'll figure out a way to meet her. Maybe not this time, but I'll plan something with my mom."

"I hope," he murmured.

There was some more shuffling and then I heard Ronnie shouting in the background. Jacky laughed and told Ronnie to go away, his accent strong as he spoke out. Then Ronnie was talking into the phone.

"Jacky has to go, Air, my dad is going to kill us if we don't go eat. He's recruiting Brad to kick our asses," he said loudly. "Jacky, leave me alone, man. Go eat."

I laughed, causing my mom too look back at me. "Alright, you jerk. Tell him goodbye for me and that he better call me when he lands tomorrow."

"Can do, Air." Ronnie replied quickly, "He says goodbye, too. Got to go."

I laughed again as the line went dead. I put my phone back in my pocket and looked up to meet my mom's gaze.

"What was that all about?" she asked with a smile on her lips.

I grinned. "Just Ronnie," I said, "He's insane."

"In a good way, though, right?" Mom asked playfully.

I nodded. "Completely."

"I hope I get to meet your new friends someday soon," she said before she turned back to face the road.

Her words made me slightly nervous. They weren't the kind of people that she'd be expecting. I'd always been friends with the more popular kids. I wasn't sure if my mom would be surprised by the type of people that I'd taken a liking to.

"Mom," I said softly, drawing her attention back to me, "Do you want to see some pictures when we get home?"

My mom turned in her chair and nodded. "I'd love to, Honey. Maybe we can put in a movie after and curl up on the couch?"

"Sure," I nodded.

When we pulled into the driveway of my mom's townhouse I looked away as she kissed Evan goodbye. It was strange to see my mother kiss someone who wasn't my father, but I had gotten used to my father being with Ina because I didn't see him as they same man.

"Goodbye Evan, bye Nash," I called softly as I climbed out of the car.

Evan smiled. "Goodbye, Airea. It was nice meeting you."

My mom and walked to the house together, each of us waving goodbye to the duo in the car. We went inside as Evan drove off with his son.

"Go get your pictures, Airea," she said softly, "I'm going to pick out a few movies."

"They're on my computer," I told her, "I made a whole file to show you."

She smiled from where she crouched on the floor near the television stand that held at least two hundred movies. "What's wrong, Honey?" she questioned when she realized that I wasn't smiling in return.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I said, putting a smile on my lips, "I just wish I could've gone with Jacky."

Mom sighed and stood up. "I know, Airea," she said softly, "You wanted to go on a trip with your boyfriend. But you're just sixteen, you'll have plenty of time to go on adventures with your friends." She walked over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

I nodded my head. "I know, I just wanted to meet his mom."

Mom smiled comfortingly and nudged me with her elbow. "Go get your pictures. I want to see the boy who's gotten you so fickle."

I laughed and stepped away from her. "Fickle, Mom? Really?" I asked, moving towards the stairs.

She grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "Be quiet and do as you're told," she joked, motioning towards the stairs.

I smiled back at her and hopped up the stairs and into my room. I had unpacked my things earlier so I grabbed the laptop off of the bed and turned it on. I made sure it was charged enough before I headed down to the living room.

Mom had already popped a DVD into the player when I came down. She paused the commercials and patted the spot next to her. I hurried over and sat on my feet next to her.

"Okay," I said, "I have a lot of pictures so we might be here a while. Who do you want to start with?" I questioned, opening up the blue folder on my desktop.

She slapped my knee. "Jacky, of course!" she said loudly, like it was obvious.

I smiled nervously and scrolled through the pictures of my new 'family' until I got to the end. I looked through the thumbnails so that I could pick out the best picture of him without her noticing.

I grinned at the one I had taken just a couple days ago. It was of Jacky and I sitting in my room. We were supposed to be watching a movie but instead I turned on my webcam and took pictures of the quiet boy.

"What are you doing?" Jacky asked quietly, turning his face away from the camera with a light blush on his ghostly pale cheeks.

"It's just a picture," I laughed, "Come on, take one with me."

Jacky shook his head and continued to look at the wall so that the camera could only see half of his face. He looked down to me when I put a pout on my lips.

"Please?" I asked softly, reached up with the hand that wasn't holding the computer. My fingers traced over his jawline gently. His Atlantic blue eyes looked down into my simpler ones. I was mesmerized as he dipped his head down and captured my lips. Without looking I pressed the button and the camera started its three second count down.

Jacky smiled into the kiss when it flashed. He pulled back to look at me with amused eyes. I grinned at him before I turned my attention to the computer screen. The picture was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Jacky and I were lost in the moment, our mouths connected, my hand on his jaw.

I skipped past that picture and clicked on the one next to it, It was from the same day but Jacky and I weren't lip-locked. I'd forced him to take one with me. His chin was resting on my shoulder as I grinned at the camera happily.

I opened it and looked to my mom's face, waiting for her reaction.

Her expression was concealed as she looked over the pierced boy on the screen. The picture showed both of his neck tattoos and lip piercings. I watched my mom's eyes rake over each of them. She licked her lips and motioned for me to show her another picture.

"Band practice," I said, looking at the image of Jacky sitting with his guitar in his lap. He wasn't facing the camera but he was sleeveless, showing the tattoos that covered his arms. His hair was sticking out from under the bandana that we was wearing and his boxers from under his pants.

"Do they all have tattoos?" my mom questioned, "Your friends?"

I shook my head. "Ryan doesn't," I told her, "Not a single one."

She nodded her head but wasn't very relieved.

I flipped through a couple more pictures until the screen ended up on the one of Jacky and I kissing. I changed it quickly when I saw the shock on my mom's face. "Sorry," I said as I settled on one of him and the guys.

She looked over the image on the screen. "Who is who?" she questioned, looking at the teenage boys in front of her.

I smiled at her willingness and started pointing them out. "Ronnie, Derek, Ronnie, Ryan, Jacky, Mika, and Riley."

"Two Ronnie's?" Mom questioned, looking at the two that I pointed out.

I nodded. "Mika was the bassist in their band, but he's not anymore so this Ronnie," I pointed to him, "Is filling in for him."

"Oh," Mom said simply. "Honestly, Airea," She added, "I didn't expect them to have that kind of style, Honey. They're all tattooed and pierced. That's not the kind of people you used to get along with."

I nodded my head again. "I know," I said, "But these guys are so amazing. They're so much fun and they look out for me." I shook my head in disbelief. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have Jacky to watch out for me."

My mom looked away from the image on the scree and back to me. "You two are getting pretty serious?" she questioned, although she probably could've just guessed the answer.

"Yeah," I breathed, looking at the British boy on the screen. "He's so different from anyone I've ever met."

My mom frowned deeply. She bit her lip and looked away from me for a moment. When she looked back to me, she spoke, "Honey, your dad says that his father is severely abusive to him..." she trailed off, watching as my jaw dropped.

"You talk to Dad?" I asked right away, wondering why they spoke behind my back, "When did this happen?"

Mom shifted positions on the couch. "Right after we made plans for you to come visit," she replied, looking guilty, "He wanted to make sure that you weren't going to jump on a plane with Jacky."

I scoffed. "You really think that I'd run away with my boyfriend?" I questioned loudly.

My mom laughed and reached out to tuck my hair behind my ears. "I didn't, Airea, but you know your dad," she said with a smile on her lips.

"Yeah," I said bluntly, "Over-protective and suspicious."

She laughed and pulled me to her, holding me in a hug. "I'm sorry, Baby Doll," she apologized, "I would've picked a more relaxed man to be your father, but nobody could love you more."

"He doesn't love me as much as you do," I replied, wrapping my arms around her narrow waist like I did when I was a child.

"Of course he does," she replied automatically, looking down at my face.

I sighed. "He's going to have three kids in a few months," I told her, "Plus the two that aren't even his."

Mom sighed and wrapped her arm over my shoulder. "Your father is in love, Air," she said softly, not a bit of pain or regret in her voice, "And when you love someone, you want a permanent, physical piece of them. When your dad and I were in love, we couldn't wait to have you." She fiddled with the ends of my hair and pressed her lips against the top of my head. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Airea," she murmured, "I want you to know that."

I nodded my head against her shoulder. "I know," I murmured.

The two of us looked through the rest of my pictures. I pointed out everyone with a smile on my face. Until we got to the picture of my father's son. The young boy with tightly wound curls and blue eyes that matched my own.

"Taite," my mom murmured softly. She lifted her hands to trace over the child. It was a hard thing for my mother to accept. That another child walked in the place of Andy, who boy who died because of a complicated birth. "He's really beautiful," she said, her eyes taking in every similarity between him, dad, and I.

I nodded my head. "He's a good kid."

After that we put in a chick flick and watched every minute of it as we gulped down handfuls of salty popcorn. I curled into her side and rested my head on her shoulder. It was nice being with my mom again. Although it felt like the first time we'd ever spent time together. As I grew older we grew farther apart. After our lives had been flipped inside out and upside down, we reverted back to my younger years. Each of us happy in our own ways.