"Caspian?" My eyes locked with hers, but as I caught sight of the cigarette hanging from her mouth I looked away.
"What, you're just going to stand there? Come in." My aunt Karmen grabbed my arm but I held my ground.
"This is only going to take a second, I have to be on my way back to Indiana anyways." I sighed and she dropped my arm stepping out further in her bathrobe and tweety bird slippers.
"How'd you find me anyways?" She asked leaning against a post on her porch and I shrugged,
"You tend to move to only five different places, you just cycle them around because you're afraid of something new and yet at the same time you get bored with things easily."
"Listen if you came all this way to psycho analyze me, then you can take your happy butt all the way back to New York." She threw her cigarette down and started walking towards her door.
"I wanted to say thank you!" I yelled in frustration. And she paused in the doorway. "Because despite the fact that you gave up on me, you still took care of me for a good chunk of my life as your brother just decided to gallivant around the world."
She turned and crossed her arms across her chest. "So?" She huffed. "We're family you yutz."
"Exactly, in some screwed up way you're the reason why I've been so successful. You gave me this crummy attitude and the need to get what I want, you shipped me off to the nut house and yet look at me now."
"In Oklahoma, your ass covered in dust?" She chuckled and I rolled my eyes.
"I was going to say wealthy and successful." Her smiled dropped and she sighed.
"Oh I see, came to gloat." She looked me up and down. "Make me feel lesser, I get it, I gave you hell and now it's payback, well take your swing sweetheart."
I shook my head in disbelief. "Will you just shut up and let me talk?" Her shocked expression almost made me laugh but I reached into my back pocket to get an envelope. "This is for you, for taking care of me, and for attempting to be here for me when my parents weren't." She took it from my hand skeptically and slowly peeked inside, only to slump on the porch post in shock. Her eyes started to water as she shook her head and stuffed the check back in. "No, no." She waved the envelope back at me. "I-I can't take your money." She cried. "You worked for this."
I shook my head at her. "Actually, this isn't my money." I said quietly. "It's money that my parents left over." I sighed smiling. "But seeing as I am well on my feet and satisfied with all that I've made, I feel that my parents are indebted to you."
My aunt tried to push it towards me once more but I just finally crossed over on her porch and gave her a hug. She took awhile to return it but when she did she was a bumbling mess. "Why are you doing this?" She asked in disbelief. "I don't deserve this."
"You do." I leaned back and mentioned towards the house. "No more circulating and moving around, living with random people." I shook my head. "You can settle. You don't have to run anymore, you don't have to struggle." I wasn't stupid, as a child I always remembered watching her try to make ends meet. From selling her class ring, to taking on three jobs she struggled when she shouldn't have had to. I wasn't her responsibility, she was just in her 20's trying to start her life out.
"Thank you." For the first time in a while I saw her laugh lines put to use as she smiled at me wiping away her tears as quickly as they came. "Enough of this sappy shit, come on in." She laughed and I sighed shaking my head.
"I uh, I have to go back home." I said quietly, but my aunt nodded her head in understanding. "It's alright kiddo. You do what you gotta do." She looked back down at the envelope again in disbelief. "Thanks again."
"Yeah no problem." I gave her a brief hug before heading off to my car.
•••
The letter from Vi a few months back was a surprise. It's ivory white color and lace clued me in, but I was still shocked to hear she was getting married. An invitation with a plus one was resting in my glove box as I had finally pulled up to the house. It's been what? Eight years? Nine?
The house had been renovated for what seems like a number of times. But I still remembered the rustic smell. The porch steps still creaked as I approached the door. And the door bell was still the same annoying tune of "Joy to the world." And greeting me at the door was none other than Vi herself.
"Caspian! I'm so glad you could make it!" She gave me a bone crushing hug making me erupt with laughter.
"Vi! You're crushing me!" Mama Vi pulled back to look at me shaking her head.
"Look at you! You grew your hair out again, and the eyebrow piercing, my goodness." She fawned over my face and I dropped my bag in surrender.
"Is the new guy here yet?" My heart thudded at the familiar voice and I snapped my head towards the front door to see Ross leaning against it smiling warmly at me.
"Ross." I breathed out in disbelief. "You didn't tell me you were coming." I uttered.
"This all feels eerily familiar doesn't it?" He changed the subject and I nodded my head in awe. "Only this time you're not towing in a garbage bag behind you." He grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a hug and as I hugged him back my eyes were open in shock. "Earth to Cass?"
"Huh?" I pulled back to see Piper in the house as well smiling brightly at me and I smiled back gasping at the small baby in her arms. "Oh! Let me have her!" I held my arms out right away surprising everyone around me, including myself as I took her into my arms with ease. "What was her name again?"
"We named her Ameriah." Piper watched me with her and I tried to focus my breathing as Ross stepped closer to me to look at the sleeping child too.
"She was awake earlier you should've seen her." Ross smiled at me. "She's a very smiley baby." I looked away in panic and just quickly handed the baby back to Piper.
"Uh, I need to go and freshen up, can you excuse me?" I didn't wait for a response I just went into the house, being thrown off for a second about the changes but continued on down the hall, until I mistakenly bumped into someone.
"Ow, I think your earring is stuck in my shirt. Again." He chuckled. I maneuvered away from them only to gasp in shock at Danny's smiling face looking down at me.
"Danny!" I threw my arms around him without thinking, but he hugged me back just as quickly. Outside of all the drama in this house I could always count on Danny to cheer me up.
"So did Mama Vi invite everyone back?" I asked curiously and Danny shrugged.
"As many as she still had contact with, from what I know not that many RSVP'd." I nodded my head in understanding but froze as Danny had brought my hand to his lips.
"I look forward to catching up with you." He winked at me before going on his marry way.
Oh sweet hell.
•••
"You settling in okay?" Vi asked outside of my old room, well Ross and I's old room. It's so strange that this house isn't packed with kids, I feel guilty considering the fact that it's my fault, but looking at Vi now, she didn't seem so upset about it.
"Yeah, it's just weird, being here." I looked down and shrugged. "I feel bad that you got such a bad reputation because of me." A couple years after the whole "real story fiasco" someone did some digging and found the actual bumpy roads, which led to Vi being bombarded constantly, asking her questions as to how in the world she let a relationship happen under her roof. So parents started to pull their kids out, fearing that they'd await the same harrowing fate as I did.
"They were right, you know?" She asked, taking a seat on one of the beds. "I don't know what I was thinking, or how I could just- I've read it. Your book." I looked at her in surprise. "Just everything that was going on, I just thought you guys were in love, something that would potentially fade away, as most teen love does." She looked around the room. "But if these walls could talk." She looked towards me and smiled slightly, almost sad. "I can't help but think that if I had just kept you and Ross apart, moved you out as soon as there was an opening with the girls rather than so stupidly believing that nothing was happening up here." She wiped at the corner of her eyes. "Maybe you guys would be together now, but instead I'm watching you feel so uncomfortable, and heartbroken-"
"Vi, it's not your fault." I placed my hand on her arm rubbing small circles with my thumb. "And I'm not heartbroken, I've had almost a lifetime to get over it. Seeing him just caught me off guard, but I'm happy he's here, he's my best friend and nothing could ever change that."
"I hope you're right Caspian." She sighed. "Breakfast tomorrow morning, remember be up bright and early, don't make me have to come and get you in the morning you hear?" She said in a mock stern voice before smiling and shutting off my light. "Goodnight Caspian."
I couldn't help the grin the spread across my face. "Goodnight Mama Vi."
•••••••••
YOOOHOOO sorry if this seems a little mashed together but I have been so busy with finals that I haven't really been able to just sit down and PROPERLY write.
But hopefully you aren't confused or anything idk I feel like some people would get confused. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ALSO IM TURNING 17 NEXT WEEK (may 20th)
Anyways, thanks for reading, voting, commenting, and following.