Just a Newsboy

Chapter 6

Travel Day

•••••Joshua's Perspective

Aiden's expertly trained hands folded the shirt in half, then folded it again, producing a perfect rectangle.

"That's amazing!" I exclaimed, taking it from her and stacking it atop the other shirts that she'd packed neatly into my suitcase.

She laughed, already beginning to fold another shirt. "Clearly, the next item on my agenda is to teach you how to fold your own laundry."

"Well, I can fold pants and socks and stuff, but I never was good at shirts."

"Fair enough." She shrugged, before glancing up at me. "So, how's the whole friendship thing with Cricket going?"

I laughed nervously. "Depends on what you mean by 'going'."

"How is it?" She clarified. "Is it hard, is it going well, how's she responding to it?"

"It's hard." I said, rubbing my eyes with a sigh. "It's really hard."

She gave me a sympathetic wince. "Yeah?"

I nodded. "She's such a hard person to be around. I mean, I really do want to get to know her, but she makes it seem like the surface layer is all there is."

Aiden tilted her head "The 'surface layer'?"

"Yeah, you know, who she is at first glance."

"I hate to break it to you, Josh," the blue-eyed violinist shook her head and offered a light laugh, "but I'm fairly certain that who you see is all there is. She's not one of those people with a deep, hidden personality."

I furrowed my brow. "That can't be true."

"Josh, I've known her since we were three years old. She's always been like that, and I think I, of all people, would know if there was much more to her."

"Well, if there isn't anything under the surface layer, then there must be something behind it."

Aiden shrugged. "If there is, I've yet to see it."

"That's not a surprise." I scoffed, crossing my arms. "She does a pretty good job of keeping it locked up."

"Well, maybe so," she reached over and patted my arm, "but don't give up on her. Keep doing what you're doing, because she needs it."

I smiled. "I will."

She grinned back.

I looked down at my suitcase. "I think I'm all packed."

"Alright," she handed me the last shirt, "I'll find Sky, you go tell Ben that we're ready to go."

"Yes, ma'am." I packed the shirt in with the rest of my clothes and zipped the suitcase shut.

Ben was in the next room over, the one that he and I shared, sitting on his bed with his headphones in and staring down at a folder full of sheet music.