Finding Myself - 7. Chapter 7: Braces & Best Friends

Oct 6 2017

It was a Friday at the end of a long week at school. Jake and I were in the huge backyard of the house playing basketball on the court. Fall had arrived and many of the trees were vibrant shades of yellow and orange, except the pine trees. The large yard also had a big trampoline, a pool (covered for the colder months), a patio, and a large open grassy area. The sun was almost setting and it was almost dinner time, so we grabbed the basketball and began walking back to the house.

“Dude, I’m beat,” Jake sighed, sweat staining his shirt. “I forgot how tiring basketball was.”

I used the long sleeve of my shirt to wipe sweat from my face. “Jake, it’s been a while since we’ve hung out like this.”

“Yeah. Soccer’s kept me busy, but thankfully there’s a break in the schedule this weekend,” Jake responded. We left the basketball on the back patio before going inside.

“Hey, boys,” my mom said. She was making dinner.

“My parents aren’t back yet?” Jake sighed.

“Afraid not,” mom said.

“What’s for dinner, mom,” I scratched my stomach.

“Some spaghetti. Get washed up okay.” She explained. I nodded.

“Hey, um, Miss Jackson,” Jake stuttered. “Um, thanks for helping around here. When my parents aren’t always around.”

“No problem, hun,” mom said. “And, please, call me Nancy.”

“Dude, stop flirting with my mom,” I teased before going into the powder room to take a piss and wash my hands. In the living room, I turned the TV on, and the local news station was on. My jaw dropped when I saw a news story about dad come on. “Mom, dad’s on the news...”

“Oh shit...” she swore as she looked at the screen. Dad had been arrested yesterday for driving under the influence. Further investigation had linked him to various money laundering schemes and is being questioned by the FBI. Dinner went by in awkward silence after that revelation.

Oct 13 2017

The good news: I had the day off from school! The bad news: I was spending the day in court with mom and River. My father’s trial was underway. A lot of the legal terms went way over my head, but he had a secret business that was used as a front for money laundering schemes (whatever that means?). He also had domestic abuse and child abuse charges pending due to my mom and our family therapist. Mom, River, and I were here to be questioned for the court and the jury.

I had to officially swear on the Bible to tell the truth during the hearing. I had to go up to the witness box to answer some questions from some scary lawyers. One of them was representing dad and the other was representing the feds. My questioning was only for a short period but the trial took ALL DAY. It was soooooo boring to sit and watch people argue over whether my obviously evil dad was actually evil or not. I was struggling to stay awake and was startled when the old judge with a powdered wig banged his gavel declaring the trial over for the day. The trial ended at around 3PM and then we had to go to an appointment of mine back in town. The trial had been all the way in Hartford the state capital since it was such a serious case. Apparently the Jury had a week to make a decision.

When we left to go to my appointment, I sat in the front and it was a long 45 minute ride to the orthodontist back in Avalon. At the office I brushed my teeth before the doctor put in some tiny rubber bands into my mouth. Then right before Halloween I’d get my braces put in. It was a bummer I couldn’t eat all the candy I got. But getting braces was still cool and exciting. Most kids hate them but I looked forward to them and I think my little bro River was also wanting braces too. The doctor also took some teeth x-rays to see my overbite and crooked teeth. They’d need to be fixed so the rest of my adult teeth and wisdom teeth can grow in.

After the appointment I ate my snack on the ride home through our town. At home, Violet was hanging out with her girlfriend, Kayley. It was kinda weird seeing two girls kiss, but whatever. It’s not like I’d be totally opposed to kissing cute boys.

I went upstairs and got in the bathtub for a quick bath. It had been a long day and I just wanted to relax. I used the aloe scented soap to clean myself and some shampoo for my hair. I took some time to massage my sore feet in the warm water.

After the bath, I put on some fresh boxers, a plain white tank top, and some sweatpants and sat on my bed for some geometry homework about the Pythagorean Theorem until it was dinner time. Jake’s parents were making a rare appearance for once. I felt a bit silly at a dinner table in such a nice house in my pajamas, but Jake said it was fine. Jake asked me about the trial and I talked about what happened.

“Not all lawyers are that way, sweetie,” Mrs. Grant said to me. She, like her husband, has that obnoxious posh British accent. “I used to be one. We just seek to find the truth through evidence.”

“Ugh I just want to forget about all this really,” I looked down at my bare feet. “Anyways, um, I’ll say grace...” Jake’s parents weren’t too keen on the idea of grace before dinner. But my family is Southern Baptist, so we usually pray before eating. Jake seems to like it too.

“Could I come to church with you guys this weekend? It seems interesting.” Jake offered after I recited the Lord’s Prayer.

“Sure, hun. Everyone’s welcome in the House of the Lord.” Mom said.

“You really think it would be interesting to attend a church service?” Mr. Grant scoffed in his posh accent. “I would find it rather amusing and silly.” He chuckled.

Oh great...

“Well, you are entitled to your opinion,” Mom said.

Shit... we can’t avoid the controversial topics today…

Oct 30 2017

The day went by slowly, but Jake and I finally turned in our hand written essays at the end of ELA class 7th period. After this, it was off to the orthodontist to get my braces put in. I was a little nervous but I was also kind of excited too. Jake offered to come with me and I let him cause he’s a good friend. And, we hadn’t had too many chances to hang out since starting 8th grade.

“Are you ready?” Jake asked as we sat on a bench outside the school to wait.

“Mhm,” I nodded. Jake was eating a protein bar, and I, as usual, couldn’t eat to keep my teeth clean for the braces operation. The weather was damp and cool for eastern Connecticut. I was wearing a red tshirt and jeans. Jake had on a blue hoodie and grey jeans. A few minutes later my mom came to pick me and Jake up to go to orthodontist. River had to go to basketball practice after school at the rec center and got a ride from a friend’s dad. “Thanks for offering to come with me today,” I thanked Jake as I climbed into the back seat of mom’s car.

“No problem,” Jake smiled. “I didn’t have much going on this afternoon, and yeah. I wanted to support you” The blond teen blushed.

“That’s very sweet, Jake,” mom smiled. “How was school, honey?”

“it was a‘ight,” I buckled my seatbelt. “Usual school boringness. I enjoyed art and basketball though,” I gazed out the window. I’ve been doing a lot better mentally after last week’s verdict against my dad, resulting in him being locked up for 30 years. In reality I was doing very well, but I couldn’t tell my mom that!

It was a 10-minute drive across town to the orthodontist office. I brushed my teeth before getting in the chair. Jake sat on a swivel chair in the corner of the room and mom sat in the waiting room, reading a book. When the doctor came in, I got to pick which colors I wanted on the braces. I went with purple and green. And I’d have to come in every couple months to get the braces checked and change the colors. While the braces were being put on my teeth Jake watched for a bit, but mostly browsed flutter on his phone. He had braces previously, up until this April, and still wears his retainer at night.

When all was said and done, my mouth felt weird but the braces were on pretty good. They made my teeth hurt. And I couldn’t eat solid food for a few hours, unfortunately, even though I’m pretty hungry.

“Can we get smoothies?” I asked mom when we got to the car.

“Sure,” she nodded. We went to a local smoothie shop and I got a blackberry and raspberry smoothie. Jake got strawberry and banana. The cold drink felt nice in my sore mouth but I’m glad I got to spend the day with my best friend.

Nov 10 2017

I straightened up my shirt collar in the bathroom mirror and made sure my bowtie was tied up correctly. I rarely ever wear nice clothes, so this was new for me. I’m usually in sweatpants, shorts, t-shirts, and hoodies, but tonight, for the fall art festival, I had to get dressed up. I had on khaki slacks, boat shoes, a purple dress shirt, and a grey bowtie. I was in a mental funk all day due to being nervous about this art event. I finished preparing by spraying some minty breath spray in my mouth and gelling my shaggy hair. I exited the men’s room and I saw Nina waiting in the hall. I saw her cheeks blush. “Oh my gosh, Aedan! You look so cute!!” She ran over and pinched my cheeks.

“Hey, stop,” I whined. “You look cute too,” I smiled at her pink knee length dress and we kissed. Yeah, we got back together earlier this month. Anyways, we were at the Norwich Art Center for the fall festival. I thankfully ended up finishing my piece by the November 1st deadline. A bunch of other middle school and high school artists also had pieces to present tonight. Today was River’s twelfth birthday as well, so it was a big enough day for my mom to take the day off from her evening shift at the local hospital. Thankfully, I had my first basketball game earlier in the week to avoid time conflicts. Outside, the sun was setting, even though it’s barely 5pm. We had come to the Art Center straight from school on a bus, so we had to change here. I got my painting from the teacher. I was really proud of my work. I had painted a scene in a forest of bright fall colors. I painted based on a photograph of course, but it still turned out really well.

“Holy crap...” Vincent said, setting up his piece next to mine. “You’re like some kind of art prodigy, bro.”

I sat in the car on the way home, holding my award. My eyes were a bit red from the tears from having won. I had the highest score among the 8th grade students at the showcase, so there were other winners from the other grade levels. “Where do you want to go for dinner?” Mom asked me from the driver’s seat.

“It’s my birthday...” River complained. He had turned twelve today. “I should pick!”

“How about you both pick somewhere nice to go,” mom said. In the car was Violet in the passenger seat, and River, Jake, and I in the back. Nina had to go with her parents to catch the second half of her older brother’s high school football game.

“Ugh whatever. This is so unfair...!” River whined like a little brat.

“Bro, seriously, stop being a brat!” I growled at him. “There’s no reason we both can’t pick somewhere we both like...”

“Right, Aedan...” Riv perked up a little. “You know what I’m thinking?” It took me a minute to process, but I caught his drift.

“Ye, bro. Say it in three... two... one...”

“OLIVE GARDEN!” We exclaimed in unison.

“You two are obsessed with that place, I swear,” Violet chuckled.

“Because it’s good!” I defended.

“They do have the best breadsticks...” Jake pointed out. I nodded.

Nov 28 2017

Jake and I were relieved to leave ELA class. The school day was finally done!

“Aedan, do you want to go get burgers with me?” Jake asked. “I didn’t get enough to eat at lunch.”

“I wish. A burger sounds amazing, bro, but I have basketball tryouts.”

“Oh, right. Good luck,” Jake fist bumped me.

“Thanks,” I smiled.

In the gym, I was with a bunch of other 8th grade boys. I had changed into a tank top and loose fitting basketball shorts for tryouts along with my new sneakers. We got measured and weighed in. I was already four inches taller than I was back in January! And thankfully my weight is up a bit now because I was skinny last winter. During tryouts, we had to run suicides, some passing drills, and shooting baskets. I was soaked in sweat afterwards, but I think I did well. There were about 21 boys in the 8th grade tryouts and only 12 of us would make the team with the team rosters being posted tomorrow morning. I didn’t bother showering in the locker rooms and ended up riding home with Connor’s mom giving me a ride. When I entered the house, the kitchen smelled like burgers, making my mouth water.

“How was tryouts?” Jake asked. I was half paying attention to him. My stomach was growling and the smell of grilled beef and fries was not helping.

“Tryouts were good. I’ll know tomorrow if I made the team.”

“I got you a cheeseburger, by the way,” Jake pointed to the bag. “There should be some fries left, too.”

“You went to the burger joint all by yourself?” I frowned, popping a french fry into my mouth.

“Nah, River went with me.”

“I’m sorry about that,” I chuckled as I unwrapped my cheeseburger. My brother got very annoying to spend time with.

“It’s fine. He’s very talkative,” Jake laughed. Jake talked to me while I ate my dinner. I’m glad we’re on better terms after hurting him a couple months ago. He and I have matured a lot since summer, and Jake’s got a bit of muscle going on after his soccer season, and I couldn’t help but peek at his thighs a few times in those shorts he was wearing today despite the cooler weather.

“Well, I need to go shower,” I announced, throwing away the empty foil wrapper, the bag from the burger place, and the leftover crumbs of the french fries. I walked down to the basement and put my sweaty basketball clothes in the laundry room, stripping naked while checking to make sure I was alone. I grabbed a towel from the linen closet to wrap around my waist to go shower upstairs.

Dec 2 2017

I woke up at around 9AM. I was in Jake’s bedroom for a birthday sleepover. Jake had a large bed so we slept together in the same bed. Jake was still asleep next to me as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I scratched my bare chest and noticed I had a bit of a morning wood that my pajama pants didn’t even try to hide. It was Jake’s 14th birthday, but I became a little curious. I had never kissed a boy before, and a shirtless boy was sleeping next to me. I had never really thought of Jake romantically, but a little experimental kiss wouldn’t hurt anyone. I quietly sat on my knees, trying to not wake him up. I carefully brushed the blond bangs out of his face. I leaned in and kissed his lips. They were soft, but it wasn’t a good kiss. Which, I was fine with, as he has always been my friend, and I’d be fine with staying that way. That’s when I saw his brown eyes immediately open. He freaked out and shoved me off the bed. There was a thud when my body hit the carpeted floor. “Ow,” I groaned. “What was that for?” I rubbed my back.

“Why the hell did you kiss me?”

“I was curious,” I stood up and fixed my pajamas.

“I guess I seem like an asshole now, don’t I?” Jake blushed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his Star Wars pajama pants.

“A lot, actually, yeah,” I scoffed. Was I really going to lose my best friend over this? There was a moment of silence.

“So, uh, you’re gay, Aedan?”

I nodded. “Yeah, kind of. I’m bi...” I blushed. “But, I swear to God, don’t tell anyone, okay? You’re the only one who knows.” I got back on Jake’s bed.

“Aedan, you know I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Jake nodded and smiled. “And, uh, do you... have... a crush on me?”

“No. Not really. I just like you as a friend. I... I do like Ian a bit though.”

“Ah, right. Ian’s so gay. You two can kiss and make out together...” Jake laughed. Did he seriously just say make out?

I laughed before getting his head in a chokehold and using my less dominant right hand to give him a noogie and ruffle his hair.

“Quit it!” Jake laughed as he and I wrestled on the bed for a bit until I heard his stomach growl. “I’m hungry. Wanna go get breakfast?” he asked. I nodded. “Race ya downstairs!” Jake took off running out the bedroom door. I ran after him down the hall.