Crossing Paths

Chapter 17

Kayden 

For someone who spent most of my time being silent, I really hated being given the silent treatment. After I snapped at Marian, there was a palpable tension in the air that couldn't be avoided. Our supposed happy little family was spending most of our time avoiding each other. Thomas suddenly had extra hours he needed to pick up at work. Marian only spoke to me when it was necessary, and even then she tended to avoid my gaze. I didn't have any solid proof, but I could tell that both of them were having discussions when I wasn't around. I could see it in their eyes, the unmade decision of whether or not they were going to keep us. Based on the troubled looks I occasionally caught on Marian's face, I could tell that they weren't leaning in our favor.

Not that I cared very much. The minute I stepped into the Blake's house, I didn't plan on staying very long. They were just one more family that was going to eventually abandon us. They were only a temporary place to stay until I finally turned 18 and aged out of the system. The only problem was Tyson. When I tried to make amends for losing my head with Marian, the kid had refused to talk to me. Almost a week had passed and he still wasn't speaking to me. His silence was bad enough, but what really pissed me off was the way he had started to cling to Marian. He followed her everywhere, talking her head off and never leaving her alone. Basically, what he had spent his entire life doing to me. 

I had always been annoyed by it. No guy wanted a snot nosed little brother following him around, copying everything he did and never shutting up. But it wasn't until he decided to get a replacement that I realized how much it had meant to me. As much as I hated to admit it, I missed when it was just Tyson and I against the world. It may not have been healthy or normal, but it was what I was used to. It was familiar to me. 

But then the Blake's showed up and decided to screw with my entire life. The worst part of all of it was that it was no one's fault but my own. I was the one who was insistent on pushing Marian and Thomas away. I just didn't realize I was also pushing my only real family away in the process. The only good thing to come out of the whole ordeal was Aliyah. Despite all of my efforts, she had managed to sneak through a hole in my defenses. A hole that I didn't even know was there. Every time I was around her, I found it easier and easier to talk. Easier to open up. Without even realizing, I began to hope that she would come up to me at some point during the day and ask to work on her project after school. 

That morning was no different. As I stood in front of my locker, I noticed her walking up to me out of the corner of my eye. I continued to thumb through my history textbook, pretending like I hadn't seen her. When she came up behind me and poked a finger in my back, I even acted like she had startled me. 

"Did I get you?" She asked excitedly, a playful grin spread across her lips. Not wanting to burst her bubble, I gave a small shrug. 

"Maybe. If you want a real jump, you're going to have to do better next time." 

"Challenge accepted. Want to come over after school today? My aunt's been trying to sneak a look at my notes and I want to make sure I have enough to give her." 

My eyebrows furrowed slightly as I kept my eyes on the book in my hand. "Your house? You usually come over to the Blake's." 

"I know." She agreed as she leaned up against the lockers. "I'm just getting tired of inviting myself over. I feel like I'm intruding."

"You aren't. Marian doesn't care." 

A thoughtful expression crossed over Aliyah's face. Like a shadow, it was there for a second then gone again. I could tell by the way she was pursing her lips that she wanted to say something but was holding back for some reason. I sighed heavily.