TEENAGE FEVER

11

Jaden's mother stood in the hallway on the other side of her front door when Jaden answered the door for us the next day. She was a tall, dark skinned woman with short hair that was dyed blonde at the tips. She had a wide, white toothed smile that brightened the dark blue hallway.

"I finally get to meet you!" She announced, clapping her hands together. "I'm Aisha."

My mom smiled at her, a small one but a genuine one. I knew she already liked her because of her beautiful smile. I stared at Jaden's mom, slightly dazed. She was beautiful- more beautiful than I had expected and I immediately wanted her to like me. I fixed my posture and gave her my biggest smile. Growing up in the wealthier side of New York, I usually always had a lot of people to impress. I was glad that the three weeks that I had spent here hadn't erased my ability to impress.

We walked into the house, my mom walking in first. I felt Jaden place a hand on the small of my back and he leaned in towards me, making it look like a hug. I knew it wasn't when I felt his breath on my neck.

"Relax," he whispered, "She doesn't bite."

"Jaden, I know you haven't seen her since Friday but give the girl some space," his mother teased, approaching me with open eyes. "Oh my gosh, she's beautiful! Jaden told me you were but I didn't expect such a stunner."

Jaden grinned and gave her a small eye roll. I was red already, allowing her to hug me. She pulled away after a few seconds, too soon, in all honesty. She was taller than me but she managed not to look down at me. She stepped back.

"Nice to finally meet you Maddie,"

I nodded, giving her my best smile, "It's nice to meet you too. I thought Jaden would keep you hidden forever."

"That makes the two of us," she joked, turning to face my mother. My mother was staring at her in a daze, like this was the first time she had ever met a woman she instantly wanted to be friends with. They began to walk in the direction of what I assumed was the kitchen.I smiled at them, about to follow until I felt a hand slide into mine.

"Not there," Jaden tugged at my arm. I let him lead me. His house was huge, with pictures of Jaden, Uriah and his mom hang everywhere.His dad wasn't in any of them. I kept my questions in as he led me up the stairs, staring at our entwined hands and the back of his head and smiling just at the sight of him.

We walked onto the second floor and I looked around at all the closed doors. The house was silent. I knew that Uriah wouldn't be joining us tonight as he and Jenny were on a date but I couldn't help but think about how empty such a big house must have felt. Especially now that the boys were older and weren't running around as much.

We paused outside a specific room and he turned to look at me, eyebrows  raised. "I have no sexual intentions, if that's what you may think," he told me, "We're just gonna sit in there and if you feel uncomfortable just let me know."

I nodded. "Open the door man," I told him with a small smile. He rolled his eyes and turned to open the door. His room was clean. The walls were painted a dark shade of red, with a bunch of posters with rappers and other things on the wall. He had a small desk by his bedside where his laptop and phone sat, alongside a bowl of pretzels he must have been eating before I came. His table was right by the window and when I tilted, I could see my house.

I instantly felt stupid for texting him earlier to tell him that I had arrived because he could obviously see from his room. He turned to look at me and sat on his bed. He was probably expecting me to  sit at his desk because he looked shocked when I sat on the bed, at the edge, leaving a distance between the two of us.

He patted the spot next to him and I hesitated for only a second before I pushed myself near him. We sat in silence, backs against the wall, nearly touching but not quite.