About Mora

Chapter Thirty-Six

Aiden picks me up a little past nine. I'm wearing my new dress, with brown closed toe sandals because the night is chilly, and have my hair up in a high bun leaving my baby hairs hanging loose around my face, and neck. "Hey." I say as I get in, and he seems bothered. "Is everything okay?" I say as I put on my seat belt, and he drives off.

    "Yeah. You look nice." his words seem distant. He's in the same hoodie as earlier, but changed into jeans. "You might get cold in that." He says, and I look down forgetting what I had on because I'm so focused on him.

I roll my shoulders. "Yeah, I wasn't thinking. I was just excited about my new dress." I say to him.

"Well you look pretty anyway." he smiles, but seems clearly upset about something.

"Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yeah everything is fine." he assures me, and I let it go.

Once we get to Zach's, Aiden makes me wait on him to open my door. Still a gentleman. "Thanks babe." I say, and while I stand there he drapes his jacket on me, and I'm thankful at this moment that he always carries a coat with him.

"Thank you. I don't know what I was thinking wearing this tonight." I say, and he laughs lightly.

"Let me guess, Scarlett is in the same getup?" he asks.

I laugh loudly. "Yeah, pretty close."

"What are you two laughing at?" Zoe asks from behind. She runs up on the other side of me.

"Hey Zo!" I welcome her, and she gives me a small hug. "We're laughing at my dress." I answer.

She looks me up, and down. "Oh. What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing, just a little too soon for a sundress." I answer.

"Oh, well at least you're cute." she winks at me, and Aiden rolls his eyes.   

"Girls." he says as we make it to the backyard. The bonfire is already blazing, and surrounded by kids.

The whole night we sit around the fire, and watch Zach, and his friends goof around, and Josh cuddling Scarlett, but Aiden is quiet most of the night. His mind is racing with something, and I just wish I knew what it was.

"Hey, do you want to get out of here?" I ask him, and first he looks at me with confusion, but then with sadness.

"Yeah, let's go." he answers quietly.

After we say goodbye to everyone, we start to walk around the front of the house to leave. "Let's go to the lake." Aiden suddenly say's and takes my hand as we walk. I don't respond, but instead follow his lead. It takes us about twenty minutes to get to our spot, and he of course has a blanket ready in the back of his jeep.

After I sit down, he sits behind me and lays his legs on the outside of mine, and puts his chin on my shoulder. We stare at the reflection of the stars and moon on the water for what feels like forever until he breaks our silence. "Mora, I have to talk to you." He says. It must be about his mom.

I turn around to face him, crossing my legs and cuddle myself harder into his jacket I have on. The breeze is blowing my loose hairs into my face so I wipe my face to move them out the way. "What's going on?" I ask him, and he just stares at me for a minute. "Aiden, is everything okay?" I'm losing my patience with him.

"I don't think I can go to A&M." he answers, and my heart drops in my stomach.

I'm quickly losing my breath. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't consider my mom and all her issues. I was so focused on you, and what we had going on that I forgot what it would do to my mom." he answers, and I'm still confused as to what he's really saying.