“Aden? My mother poked her head into my room.

“Hmmm…” I replied, not looking away from the computer screen.

“Dinner will be ready in ten minutes.”

“‘kay.” I scrolled down the page.

She sighed. “You been on that thing non stop for a week. Get off the computer, Aden, and do something, or I’m taking it away.”

“Whatever,” I whispered under my breath, slamming the lid down.

“Do you mind getting dressed for the day as well?” She folded her arms.

I glanced down at my sweats and baggy t-shirt. “What’s the point?” My head fell back. “The day is practically over.”

“Aden.” She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “You will not spend the entire summer locked away in this room. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I breathed.

“That’s what I like to hear. Hurry and put something else on and come downstairs.” She left and closed the door behind her.

Sinking down in my swivel seat, I started spinning around. I didn’t know what she expected me to do. I wasn’t exactly an outdoors person, and I didn’t have a car. My options were kind of limited.

My phone started to buzz from where it sat atop the dresser. I pushed off the desk and rolled across the room. Snatching it, I answered and stood. “Hey.” I walked to the window and sat on the ledge.

“Hi,” said Jack. “I’m just calling to see how you’re taking it.”

I glanced outside to see my mom letting Demon out. The little monster was hiding more surprises on the lawn.

“What about?”

“You don’t know?”

My stomach tightened. “No.” I suck in my lips. “What’s going on? I thought you were leaving today?”

“I’m leaving tonight with Chris.”

“He’s back early from his family trip?”

“Yeah, Coach talked to his dad. They decided football was more important than Mexico. They went to Florida for a week instead.”

“Oh.” I glared at the floor. “Tell him thanks for calling me. I’ve just been rotting away in my room since school let out.”

“Aden, if I didn’t have family things of my own going on, I would’ve done something with you.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “It’s fine. Chris was probably busy too.”

“About that,” Jack fell quiet for a moment. “He has a new girlfriend. I went to a movie with them last night. I would have invited you, but…”

Closing my eyes, I braced myself. “It’s Katy. Chris is going out with Katy.”

“He said you were still friends with her.” Jack laughed nervously. “It’s not the first time he’s gone out with one of your exes. I’ve even dated a couple.”

I clenched my jaw. “Yeah, but it’s barely been a week after she dumped me.” I threw myself on the bed. “Whatever, it’s done. There’s nothing I can do. I know they liked each other, anyways.”

“Don’t act like it doesn’t bother you.”

“It does bother me, but it’s also Chris. There’s not much I can do about it.” I propped a pillow under my head.

“Yeah, because you let him get away with it. Maybe you should try standing up for yourself for once.”

“We broke up,” I muttered. “It happens.”

“Do you ever think Katy did it because Chris said something?”

I sat up. “Chris told Katy to do it?”

“I’m not sure. I overheard some people talking.”

“He wouldn’t though.” I felt my shoulders sag. “He knew how I felt about her.”

“Hey, it’s just something I heard. Don’t let it mess with your head. It’s probably not even true.”

I heard muffled voices in the background. I swore one belonged to Chris.

“I have to go,” said Jack. “Talk to you later, Aden.”

“‘kay,” I said softly. “Bye.”

The line went dead, and I rolled onto my stomach. I just laid there and wallowed in self pity. Turning to my side, I stared at my phone. Chris wouldn’t do that. He’d never tell someone to break up with me. We’ve been friends since elementary school. He’d put me before some girl. At least, I hoped.

Shoving my face deeper into the mattress, I groaned.

The door opened.

“Aden?” My mother gave me a weird look. “What’s are you doing?”

“Nothing.” I kept my face buried in the sheets.

“Well, at least you’re not on the computer,” she breathed. “Dinner’s ready, and your father just pulled in the driveway. So come eat.”

I dragged myself off the bed and shuffled after her. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, I barely stopped myself from falling over Demon as he raced by. I despised that dog.

My dad opened the door. “Hold up.” He grabbed Demon before the puppy could escape.

“Thank you, Quint.” My mother took the dog from him and stood up on her tiptoes.

My father leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek. It was always a funny sight to see the six foot two Italian man next to a five foot nothing, fair skin, blue eyed blond woman. They loved each other. Even though, I didn’t think their genes were compatible.

“How was your day?” my mother asked as she led the way into the kitchen.

“The regular,” said my father as he took his seat at the head of the table.

I slipped into the chair next to the wall and sunk down as low as possible without falling onto the floor.

“Fixed a few fences up by the ridge. Hunters must not be able to read No Trespassing. They keep cutting the wire.”

“Well, hopefully you catch whoever is doing it.” She placed a roast on the table, before taking her seat.

“Looks great, Karen. Thank you.” He gave his wife a smile, before dishing his plate.

My mother put a napkin over her lap and glanced at me. “Aden.”

I quickly sat up straight.

“I told you to change.”

“Sorry, I forgot,” I replied with a shrug.

She shook her head. “Did you figure out if you could get Aden a job?”

“Mom,” I moaned, laying my head on the table. “I hate the woods.”

“Aden.” She nudged me with her foot under the table.

I sat up and let out a deep breath.

“It’s either that, or you can get one at a fast food place. You’re not sitting around in your room any longer.”

“I don’t have a car,” I said softly as I put some food on my plate.

My father cleared his throat. “I actually did find one.” He sat up proud in his green forest ranger uniform. “They’re looking for a campground tenant. You’ll ride out with me a couple of times a week and clean up the ground. Mostly pick up litter and make sure the toilet look decent.”

“Dad,” I whined. “That’s disgusting. I’d rather flip burgers.”

“It’s a job, Aden,” he said sternly. “It’s part-time and ends when school starts back up. It’ll be the perfect job for you. I don’t see a problem.”

“You might love the outdoors, but I’m more of a city person,” I muttered. “Bugs and dirt aren’t my thing.”

“What is your thing?” said my mother, cutting up a piece of meat.

I shrugged. “I’m using the summer to figure that out.”

“Doesn’t matter. I already told my boss you’ll do it.” My father smiled.

My mouth dropped open. “You didn’t even ask me.”

“Work is work. It’ll be a good character builder.” He pointed his fork at me. “Sometimes we have to do things that we’re not comfortable with, and I think this is a great opportunity for you.”

My parents exchanged approving nods.

“Why does everyone hate me?” I whispered, resting my head on my hand and poking at my food. “First Chris and now this.”

“What happened with Chris?” asked my mother.

I mentally kicked myself for letting that slip out. This was a book club topic that would end in disaster. Mrs. Harper, Chris’s mom, ran the whole thing, and I don’t think she’d want to hear about her son stealing my girlfriend. It wouldn’t reflect well on the notorious Harper family’s reputation.

“Nothing,” I took a bite. “He just got home early from vacation and didn’t bother calling me.”

“I thought they were spending a month in Mexico?” said my father.

I shrugged. “He’s the football team’s all-star. The coach talked them into cutting their vacation short.”

“He’s a good player.” My dad dished himself some more meat. “He’ll get scouted for sure. James was telling me the other day that a couple colleges have already expressing interest.”

“Yeah, he’s amazing.” I took a bite of potatoes. “When does this whole job thing start?”

“First thing tomorrow morning.”

I just wanted to crawl back into bed and die. Nothing was turning out right for me today.

My parents continued to talk about their day for the rest of dinner. I slipped away with a simple goodnight and went to my bedroom. Demon came charging up the stairs behind me, but I slammed the door in the little rat’s face before he could get inside.

“Aden,” yelled my mother. “Don’t be mean to him.”

“I wasn’t!”

I trudged over to the chest placed at the end of my bed and sat down. Drawing my knees in, I stared at my reflection in the mirror hanging on my closet door.

I had tried. In grade school, I kept up with my friends fairly alright. But, five foot eight doesn’t scream basketball star. 147 pounds isn’t exactly football material either. The best I could do was probably waterboy. Shifting my gaze to the ground, I felt a mixture of frustration and anger. My dad was a giant, so why did I get stuck with the scrawny white boy genes?

I laid my head on my knees and closed my eyes. If only I could be more like Chris, then life wouldn’t be so damn difficult.