Faking It

26:Faking It:26

Chapter 26

Aiden

Mom likes to think that she's some kind of super party planner, but I honestly think that she creates a party planner persona to make up for Christmas. Every year, she decides to go ahead and throw a huge New Year's Eve bash at our house and invitees practically the whole world.

Okay, that's a lie, but it's not such a far-fetched lie. It just happens to be that we have a lot of people in our family, and those people like to live in different places, all over the world.

And those people have their own people, and so on and by the end of it, our house is filled three quarters with people I don't know and haven't met once in my life.

Now, see, even this I am perfectly okay with. Sure, mom, throw a New Year's party. It's cool. As long as Jeremy and Tyler are here (and now River and Alina and Walsh and Carter and Ferrell and-hell, why not-Nutterwall and Mitchell), then I don't really mind all of the other people. The only thing I get bothered by is when I get stuck doing all the "handy labor work".

Need some decorations? Oh, let's ask Aiden to drive up to the greatest party store, you know, the one that's an hour away. Oh! We almost forgot; we need deserts! Aiden, honey, we hope you haven't let yet.

Sorry, mom, I already left and I'm halfway home.

Oh. Huh. Would you mind just turning back and going to Georgina's Bakery? It's a mile away from the party store.

And it's a cycle of mom forgetting what she needs and calling me up when I'm already on my way home. Not only is it a waste of gas and time, but it also kills me because there's so many other things that I need to be doing.

Mom approaches me again.

I sigh. "Mom, please, ask Em to-"

She shakes her head. "Aiden, you know that she's with Noah right now. Would you mind going up to that-"

"Party store on 45th Boulevard to pick up the supplies," I recite from memory. Every party within these past three years, I've had to go up to that place. The times where I wasn't licensed or withholding a permit, I had to grab Noah and make him drive me up there (which made no sense at all; he could have just gone by himself).

Mom smiles at me. "Thank you sweetie," she sweetly says, patting my cheek and walking off while I stare, bewildered. "Oh," she says, turning around, "Why don't you go and take someone with you for company? We have more than enough people in this household to spare now. Go ahead and grab Alina if you want."

Alright then. Maybe this trip up to the party store won't be so bad.

...

"Oh. You. Don't. Know. What. I. Wouldn't. Do. For. A. New. Year's. Kiss."

I stop in my tracks and listen in before I barge inside to drag Alina off with me.

Sorita laughs. "I know someone more than willing to do it."

Bitch.

"Want. To. Tell. Me. Who?" Alina says.

"Nope," Sor giggles. "You can figure that out yourself." I hear a loud thump. "Hey! No smacking the girl with the secrets!"

Then I interrupt by opening the door. Both girls automatically sit silently, unmoving.

"Okay, Princess, get your cute little butt up and ready; we've got a heck of a lot of shopping to do," I tell Alina, who looks confused.

Sorita looks surprised. "No way. Mom told you that you could take someone for company?"

I nod to her. "Yep. With four extra people, we can spare at least one. And besides, I'm not that great at decorations. Mom practically threw Alina's name out there, because she knows that Alina's got good taste in décor and color coordination."