Aden
I look at my phone. I still can't believe I got partnered with this silly girl. One minute she was serious the next she was making sex jokes. I don't know how to take her.

It also didn't help that she was their little sister. Maybe I'd find April easier to deal with if those two weren't always around. I pull of my t-shit and look at myself in the mirror. The skin on my shoulder is taking on a purplish color. I try to move it and it stings a little.

Damn heavy handed meat head. I really wish my body didn't bruise so easily.

Someone knocks at the door. "Aden honey it's time for dinner." Mom calls from the other side of the door.

I quickly put my shirt back on in case she opens the door. I don't want her to see what happened.

"Here I come mom. Just give me a minute." I say.

"Okay just don't take to long." She say before leaving.

I sigh and rake my finger though my brown hair. I don't want her to know how bad things are for me at school. She works so hard to make sure I'm comfortable. She knows I down graded economically when I chose to stay with her and tries hard to make up for it.

I open my door and see a little brown and white blur go racing past me. I look down the hallway to see my brother, David, chasing our dog down the hallway. His reaching the stair way.

I run and swoop him up before disaster hits. Ugh he's getting heavier. I wonder what mom has been feeding him.

"Easy the little guy." I say smiling at him.

"Doggie!" David says leaning toward to reach to dog. I have to pull him back into my arms which is a bit of a struggle.

"Yeah I know the doggie but you're going to bust your head open if you aren't careful kid."

I care him with me down the stairs. I see my step-dad walking through the door. He smiles when he sees me.

"Aden you're home early." Michael, my stepdad says.

"Yeah piano classes got canceled." I say putting David down.

The moment he is out of my hands he races over to his dad. "Daddy!" He exclaims.

Michael laughs and crouches down. "It's good to see you too little man." He reaches out for his son but before he can get to him David turns and runs the other way "Doggie." He screams chasing after spike out albino pit.

"I think I got seven new gray hairs the day that boy learned to walk." Michael said.

I smile back at him. He is a good dad and a genuinely kindhearted person. I'd been reluctant to get along with him when we first moved but after a while I stared seeing him as my second dad. Plus he makes my mom happy which is something my real dad never did.

"You want me to go get him?" I ask.

"Naw you go eat I've got him." Michael answered before chasing after his son.

I went into the kitchen. My mom was pulling out another one of her 'famous' casseroles. My stomach did a flip at the smell of it.

Mom looks up and smiles at me. "Hey honey, I think I finally got moms recipe right." She says looking down proud at her creation.

I love my mom but she didn't get an ounce of my grandma's cooking skills. We all suffered through and ate it because we knew how hard she tried. I just hope that if I do ever get married it is to a woman who can cook. I don't know how much more of my mothers cooking my stomach can take.

"Oh Aden don't make that face. I know my cooking isn't as fancy as your dads professional chefs but it's not going to kill you." She said with her hand on her hips.

"I didn't say anything mom." I say taking a seat.

"You didn't have to. Your face tells no lies."

I smile and take my place of food. " thanks for cooking mom." I make a show of stuffing a fork full of the toxic stuff in my mouth. I fight against my gag reflex. It taste like paste.

"Very funny Aden. You better eat all of it too." She says before turning back around to finish the dishes.

"How was school today." She asks.

I shrug my shoulders. "It was school."

"I just love how descriptive you teenagers are."

"It was fine. I got my biology test back and we got partnered up for the next project."

"Partner? Who'd you get partnered with? Was it a girl? Is she pretty? How soon can I expect my grand kids?" Mom said hitting me with rapid fire question.

"God no mom. It's not like that. It's just a project." I say

Her big blue eyes widen comically. "So it is a girl."

"What's a girl?" Michael asked standing in the doorway with David in his arms.

Mom looked back at him. "Aden and his new girlfriend are going to be working on a project together."

"Mom"

I love how she blows these things out of proportion.

"I never said April was my girlfriend."

Mom got a big cheesy grin on her face and I knew I had said something wrong.

"Her names April. How adorable. Aden and April. You guys are perfect together." Mom said.

"You don't even know here."

Michael walked over to the table. He sat David down and turned to me with a serious look in his eyes.

"Son there comes a time in every boys life when he needs to have a talk man to man." Michael said resting his hand on my shoulder.

I groan and pull away. These two couldn't get any more embarrassing.

They both laughed watching my face turn red.

"I'm leaving." I said standing up.

"Oh, come on. We're messing with you. You don't have to leave Aden." My mother called as I made my way up the stairs.

I don't turn back around. I don't want to hear another thing about April Robinson. This project hasn't even started and I'm already dreading it.