Crossing Paths

Chapter 19

Aliyah

"We're supposed to be working on the project." I pointed out with a sigh, impatiently tapping my fingers against my closed notebook. The few times that Kayden and I had gotten together had resulted in very little information. Progress was going slow and I only had a few paragraphs of notes. That was nowhere near enough to write a full report. To add more fuel to a ship that already seemed to be burning and falling down around me, my aunt was asking for a rough draft within the next two weeks. Which meant that I was determined to make this meeting a productive one. 

Unfortunately, Kayden and I couldn't seem to get on the same page. My tapping grew louder and more impatient as I stared holes into the back of Kayden's head while he leaned forward intently, pretending that he couldn't hear me over the sound of whatever show he was watching. I didn't recognize it and I didn't bother to ask him what it was. We had been sitting there for ten minutes and I still didn't know what was going on other than two men were trying to kill each other and apparently not doing a great job of it. 

"Hello?" I demanded loudly, poking his arm. "Earth to Kayden." 

No response. 

I let loose another impatient sigh before I abruptly stood to my feet and stuffed my notebook into my backpack. As if realizing for the first time that I was there, Kayden glanced over at me. 

"What are you doing?" He asked distractedly, keeping one eye on me and the other on the TV. I stared at him for a couple seconds in disbelief before I rolled my eyes and scoffed under my breath. 

"We're supposed to be working on my project." 

"I know." 

I studied his face for a few moments, trying to decide whether or not he was trying to be difficult on purpose. "Really? Cause I didn't feel like I was getting a lot of participation out of you." 

He pointed a finger in the direction of the television, as if that was meant to clear everything up. When multiple seconds of awkward silence ticked by, he finally explained. "It was a good part. I just wanted to finish it before we started." 

I tried to keep my annoyance under control, but I couldn't hide the incredulous look in my eyes as I stared at him in complete confusion. "Okay, so why didn't you just say that?" 

"I thought I did. That's what the silence meant." He stated simply, innocently shrugging his shoulders. If it hadn't of been for the lost look on his face, I would have thought he was just yanking my chain again. But he seemed genuinely confused as to why I was frustrated. 

Boys were just unbelievable sometimes. Is it really that hard to open your mouth and use words? 

I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair, feeling like a mother trying to deal with a difficult child. "Never mind. Is the show over yet?" 

"Uh.." Kayden glanced over his shoulder at the TV, which showed the two characters still fighting. He looked back over in my direction and must have decided that the deadly glare in my eyes took priority over his show because he made a quick grab for the remote and turned it off. "It is now." 

I rolled my eyes dramatically before I sat back down beside him. "I should have done this with your brother." I grumbled under my breath. "He always likes to talk with me." 

I didn't know what I said wrong, but my words appeared to strike a chord in Kayden. Within seconds, his entire demeanor darkened. "Probably doesn't anymore. He hasn't been talking to anyone." 

My lips dipped downwards in a frown. That sounded like Kayden, not Tyson. "What happened?"

Kayden shrugged nonchalantly, but I could tell it was bothering him more than he let on. "He's mad at the world. Well technically he's mad at me, but now he's taking it out on everyone."