Conveniently Inspired

Chapter Thirteen

"We're, um, getting a ride today."

"A ride? With who? Your boyfrienddddd?" Kissy, puckering faces ensued quickly after.

Lena seemed ecstatic.

"Yay! Kaden's here, Kaden's here!"

As they approached the car, her heart thundered. It was always a weird encounter- having her home life and school life combine. The driver's door opened and Kaden hopped out. He threw out his arms, and Lena jumped in them. With ease, he threw her onto his shoulders. Her squeals had parents turning their heads. "There's my favorite girl!" Kaden chuckled. "Learn anything in school, kiddo? Beat up any bullies?"

"No, no bullies, but I have a husband now!"

"You what?" Kaden pulled a mock face of anger. "Whose this boy? He proposed to you? Show me the ring." Lena's giggles were neverending. "Point him out. Is it him, with the blue jays hat? I'm gonna have a word with him."

Add 'good with children' to the list of things Kaden excelled at. She watched as he listened to her brother explain his makeshift binoculars. He even pressed them against his own face, observing high into the sky and pointing out several birds. "Aliens! Geez, Ben, I don't know what kind of lens you used for these, but I can see invisible UFOs."

"No, you can't!" Lena hollered.

"I can, too!"

Skylar, with her arms crossed, started motioning for him to put Lena down. "Alright, your sister's getting impatient. Come on, let's take you kids home."

The kids were wriggled comfortably in the backseat. Kaden strapped in Lena's seatbelt for her, and when Ben found an old Nintendo DS wedged in one of the compartments, Kaden let him keep it. He even searched up the My Little Ponies theme song and blasted it on AUX when Lena asked.

They pulled into the convenience store parking lot. Another car was already there- a white Sudan. That meant Aaron was here. Her stomach twisted in that way it usually did when he was around. As if on cue, Lena shouted, "Aaron! Aaron's here!"

"Whose Aaron again?" Kaden asked, killing off the engine.

"Our step-dad!" Lena giggled. Skylar felt her little sister's feet kicking into her back.

Kaden threw Skylar a wary glance, as if knowing that one word would trigger her. "Should I come back another time?" he muttered to her.

"It's too late now. I don't wanna be late for the game."

They went through the front door of the store, where Ms. Lin was eating lunch on one of those miniature stools. A staple decorum in an Asian household. At first glance, she wouldn't even know there was someone behind the counter. But at the sound of her children fleeing inside, Ms. Lin hopped to her feet and cried, waving her chopsticks in the air, "Ay! You kids, come give ma-ma a kiss!" She smothered Ben and Lena in kisses, and when Skylar appeared, she merely patted her on the shoulder. "You have any homework today? Go do now." And then Kaden appeared, and Skylar was able to predict the next few steps. And each one involved food, with Kaden taking home bucket loads of it.

"Kaden, I just make some tapioca dessert earlier, you want some-"

Skylar tugged on his hand. "We have to get ready for something, ma-ma. We're going out later tonight."

"Going out?" Ms. Lin wrinkled her brows. "Who going to watch the store?"

"Can't Aaron do it?" But she yanked her pretend boyfriend along, basically pulling him like a rowboat at this point, up the stairs before her mother could reply.