A Friend Of A Friend

Chapter Thirty Seven

Chapter Thirty Seven:
Sadness Can Be Joyful

October Fifteenth

~POV: Jaiden~

I sighed as I walked into my mom's house.

"Mama! I'm home!" I called. My mom walked around the corner.

"Jaiden!" She ran down the stairs and threw her arms around me. She hugged me tightly and I hugged back just as tight.

"Hi, Mom." I said. She let me go and we went up the stairs.

"So, when does everybody get up here?" She asked.

"Already here and at the their homes. Aaron is outside." I said. As if on cue, Aaron walked in the door.

"Aaron! How's my favorite boyfriend of my daughter's?" Mama asked him grinning.

"Great! How is my favorite Mama Rutabaga?" He responded.

"Good. Not very excited for the days to come, but very happy to have all my kids back." She said. Aaron hugged her tightly before wrapping his arm around my waist. He seemed on edge. I gently kissed his jaw.

"You okay, babe?" I asked him softly.

"Yeah." He choked. "Fine." He fake smiled at me. I gently kissed him.

"Hey, you seem tired. Go back to my room and take a nap." I instructed him. "It'll help. I promise." I said, gently caressing his cheek. He nodded and gently kissed me before walking back the hallway to my bedroom. I watched him walk back the hallway. I sighed as I watched him.

"He seems off." Mom said.

"He's been like this since we saw his parents last month." I said. Mom hugged me around my neck.

"I'm sorry, Jaiden. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Maybe. I'm just worried. I haven't been sleeping well." I said.

"Why don't you go sleep, too? It'll do you good, too."

"Okay." I walked back the hall and laid down beside my boyfriend before I shut my bedroom door. Aaron's arms snaked around my waist and pulled my back against his chest. I quickly fell asleep.

October 17

I stood at the back door already clutching a cup of wine. Aaron was across the room talking to Emma- Abby's little sister. We had a slide show of videos and photos of Eliza. I had put up a playlist of all of her favorite songs.

I was alone as normal for this day. I sighed and started outside. I was thinking of Eliza. I had been all day. I walked over to the bakers rack where the alcohol was. I downed the rest of the wine in my cup and went for the alcohol. A hand stopped me, though.

"Jaiden, no. It's time to break this habit." Aaron told me.

He took my cup and put it down on the counter. He drug me to the center of the room.

"Hey! Everyone! I have something to say!" He announced. The music was paused, but the slide show continued. "So, today, Eliza was supposed to be seventeen on this day. She was too young for this. I wish I would have gotten to meet her. I have heard so much about her. I  know she was a good kid. So many people who's lives she has touched. Since she left, this day has been remembered in sadness." He looked at me. "I hope you all don't mind if I change that." He smiled. "Jaiden Rose Rutabaga Tasker, I love you so much. After Amanda, I thought that for the rest of my life, I would be alone. I was wrong. You came into my life and changed everything.