How Could I Make This More Poetic?

“I-uh-I,” I stammered to find the right words to use.

“Ayden?” Alex pushed. I couldn’t think of a way to get out of this.

“They’re working, so they don’t come home much. It’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine,” I said sternly. Both Alex and Jeff didn’t look convinced. “Gees, you guys make it seem like it’s the end of the world. It’s not. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself. I have other friends that are with me anyways,” I continued.

“Whatever, if she wants to live that way she can. We can’t do anything against it.” Jeff got up to leave the room.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Alex grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back into the room. “I know you care, so don’t play that you don’t.”

“Why should I? Come on I’m hungry.” Jeff tried to wiggle free.

“Al, its fine. I promise.” I looked down at my shoes again. I heard him sigh in defeat and let go of his brother.

“Fine, but I’m not dropping this all together.” He pointed a finger at me.

“Mmk,” I nodded and followed them out of the room.

I sat down at the table in between Alex and Jeff. His mom thought there was nothing wrong with me and Jeff, so we decided to keep it that way. Jeff was giving me glares the whole time I ate. It was like he didn’t want to be with ten yards of me and yet he was stuck just ten inches. The whole time was uncomfortable for me. I didn’t want to be there. Jeff didn’t want me to be there. Alex and Mrs. Belfield were acting like nothing was wrong. Mr. Belfield wasn’t even home, I didn’t ask.

“Ayden, thanks for staying,” Mrs. Belfield smiled at me as I headed out the front door with Alex.

“No, thank you for having me. It was nice to see you again.” I waved goodbye and walked out to Alex’s beat up machine that is supposed to be a car. “Do you mind if I say that this thing looks pathetic?” I laughed.

“Ayden,” Alex threw his hand over his heart in mock hurt. “I'm surprised you would say something like that about my baby.”

“Yeah, because he won’t let anyone else say anything about it,” Jeff mumbled as he walked past me.

“You’re coming?” I asked in disbelief.

“Mom thinks were still friends right?” I nodded. “There you go. Now just get it. I don’t want to wait forever for you.” His mood swings were going to get on my nerves even more if I had to spend so much time with him.

“Ignore him. Don’t listen to what he says” Alex told me. I gave him a small smile and got into the back of the car.

“Move it!” Jeff shouted at him brother impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s not like you have any important dates to go on anyways. And don’t you dare bring up any of the airheads that I have seen you with,” Alex glared at him. Jeff just shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Oh! Ayd, your birthday!” Random?

“What about it?” I asked.

“Isn’t it coming up? If I'm not mistaken it was always the weekend after school started or something like that.”

“Uh, yeah. It’s on Monday…You remembered that?” I couldn’t believe it. Someone that I haven’t talked to in three years remembered my birthday.

“Of course I did. I thought that’s why someone always went out on the first every year-.”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Jeff cut off his brother. What did Alex mean that Jeff always went out on that day?

The rest of the car ride was basically silent. No one talked. The only noise was made by the passing cars and Alex’s radio which played All Time Low really softly. I personally don’t know how anyone could play that band softly because when their songs come on the radio, I always turn the volume up, but oh well.

“It was nice seeing you again, Ayden,” Alex said as he pulled me into a hug as I stepped out of the car. “Don’t be a stranger. Even if Jeff is a butt-head, come around anyways. I missed you.”

“Missed you too. You can drop by anytime you want. I’m usually home, or at Dylan’s, Cassie’s, or Tyler’s.”

“O, the other kids that used to always be around?” I nodded.

“Well at least someone has enough since not to drop their friends.” Alex glared at Jeff, who was still in the passenger seat with his arms crossed over his chest. “See ya,” Alex waved as he hopped back into the car. I stood in the driveway waving as the car pulled out and sped away.

“Well that was interesting,” I said to myself before I turned to the house. I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door.

“Ayden, is that you!?” someone called from my living room. I froze. Who was in my house? No one should be here.

“Y-y-yes,” I stammered.

“Ayden!” my mom shouted as she ran up to me. “Where have you been!? I come home from my business trip thinking that you are already home and you don’t turn up until ten at night. Where were you?”

“I was working on a project as someone’s house. It got late and their mom told me to stay for dinner and she would drop me off at my house later, so I agreed.” I shrugged. Mom wouldn’t care. She never did. It was the way things worked. She would be home tonight, act like she cared for five minutes, say she was tired, go to bed, and be gone the next morning before I got up. No note, no goodbye, no nothing. I was used to it this way. My father was the same way, except he usually stayed for about a day before he left again, but he didn’t care either. He always stayed in his study when he was home.

“Mmk, well I’m tired. I'm going to bed. See you in the morning.” Who called that one? She gave me a small wave and headed up the steps. That would be the last of her that I would see for a few weeks.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents. I wish that they were around. It would be nice to have someone older to look out for me, other than my cousin and friends. Some people might ask, “If you see your cousin every day, what about your aunt and uncle?” Truthfully? I don’t know. They never really liked me. They didn’t understand the fact that I wasn’t the least bit, into conformity. I was me. They didn’t approve of that. There was a reason that I didn’t go over Tyler’s that often, and that was it.

I slowly walked up to my room and flopped on my bed. Just as my head hit the pillow, I was ready to be out like a light. The only problem is my cell phone rang.

“Evil people calling when I don’t want them too.” I push the green ‘talk’ button before I even looked to see who it was. “Hello?”

“Hey Ayd, it’s Ty” My cousin’s voice came through the phone.

“Hey, you know that this is the second time in the past week that you woke me up when I was ready to go to sleep right?” I moaned.

“Yeah, sorry about that. But I wanted to call and tell you that I was sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean it. I don’t know what got into me,” He said quickly and on one breath.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down. I know. I don’t know why I got angry. I shouldn’t have. It’s fine really. But can I go to sleep now? I’ve had a rough day.”

“Wanna talk about it?” he asked more like my overprotective cousin than the angry one form earlier that morning.

“Nah, I’m just going to go to sleep. Night.”

“Night.”

I wasn’t in the mood from his random apologizes this late at night. Too much happened today to be able to worry about any of that sort of stuff.