He walked around, looking at my pictures. I fell on my bed, scrolling through my phone.

"Aww. Is this baby Elsa? "

He asked holding out one of my baby pictures. I rolled my eyes in response.

"You used to be so adorable. "

Did he just say Used to be...?

Now, that caught my attention.

"Excuse me, I very much still am." I said.

" No, you're not adorable anymore. Now, you're somewhere between hot and pretty. "

I blinked.

Speechless. My mouth couldn't get a single word out. How can he say something like that. He said it so naturally like it was a normal thing to say.

Well, guess what Aaron, it isn't!

He continued looking, like nothing happened.

"Are this your parents?"

I looked up to find my mom and dad staring back at me, from a photo frame.

"Yeah. That's my mom and dad. Simian and Hyde."

"Now, I see where you got your dimples from." He said and I gave him a small smile.

He sighed, dropping the photos.

"AARON SHAW! GET BACK DOWN HERE!" I could recognize that voice. It's Penelope.

"I'd rather not! " Aaron yelled back.

"Please. " That whined together, sounding as adorable as a baby panda.

"Awwwwn. They sound so cute. Maybe I'll just say hi to them?" He said walking over to the door. I shook my head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I sang.

"Why not? "

"Firstly, you should never trust my sisters, they are crazy. Second, if you go back there you'll never make it back home alive."

" What do you mean? "

"I mean, they'll take you, chop a few parts of your body off. And they'll each keep one to remember you by. "

"Oh my God. Your sisters are..."

"Insane, lunatics, obnoxious and should be locked away in an asylum? I know." I said cutting him off.

"I was gonna say sick, but those work too." He muttered. I shrugged.

"So, " He started slumping down on my bed."Are you ready for the riff off tomorrow? "

I signed. "I guess. But I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean? "

"I mean you've been there for like years. But I'm just starting, yunno. So, I'm a little..."I trailed off, looking for the right words to say.

"Nervous and scared? " Aaron offered.

"Yes, actually. How did you know? "

"Because, that was the same way I felt on my first riff off."

I scoffed. "Liar. "

"You don't believe me? " He asked.

"Of course I don't. Who will? You're Aaron Shaw, the great, confident singer from the boy cruise. No, one's gonna believe you were scared and nervous. "

" I am not great and confident. In fact, I'm anything but. I used to scared just like you, sometimes, I would even shake during rehearsals, they considered kicking me out. And then I realized, if they can do it, why can't I? So I'll imagine the crowd to be in nothing but their underwear. And little by little, I stopped shaking and stammering, and I became what you know me to be."

Wow.

"So, you're saying if I want to conquer my fears, I should imagine everyone in their underwear? " He chuckled, as he heard that. His hard falling back as he laughed.

"What no, I mean just do whatever makes you comfortable around them."

"Ohhh." I breathed. "Thank you, Aaron."

"You're welcome. But this doesn't make us friends, or anything, just so you know."

"Hey! " I said giggling. "That's my line! "

He laughed with me, gripping onto his tummy as he did so. And then I realized.

"Wait, tomorrow's the riff off? " I asked stopping abruptly.

"Yeah, why? "

"Oh, no. That means today's appreciation day! "

"Appreciation day? "

"Yes, my mom makes us say whatever we are appreciative about, immediately after dinner."

"Really? "

"Yes! And I have nothing to be appreciative about."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing." I parted my lips, so he would see how much I meant it.

"What about our project? Can't you be appreciative that you're a mom? "

I gaped at him. "A what? "

"A mom. You're a mother aren't you? "

A what!?

" Dude, if my mom hears you say that, you definitely wouldn't make it out alive."

"But, I'm right, right? "

"No, you're wrong, wrong." I told him."Just because we're looking after an egg, nurturing it, giving it the essential requirements it's needs, till it hatches ____ oh, wait, I am a mother."

"Exactly. And that makes me, the father. "

Why does he look so proud to say it? He knows we're talking about an egg right?

I heard a knock on the door.

"Go away! I love my body parts!" Aaron yelled, before I could even lift a muscle.

As if you have any.

I really hate that voice.

"Relax Aaron, it's probably just Chris." I told him.

"Well, check first okay, check first!"

"Okay, okay. Geez."

He really does love his body parts. But, yet again, who doesn't. I got up and made my way over to the door.

"Is that you, Christian?"

"Yes, it's me." He responded, ending with a giggle. Yep, that's chritain alright.

"See? " I said to Aaron. He gave me an eye roll in return. I pulled open the door, seeing Christian standing there, his hands held together in front of him.

"Well, are you waiting for a special invitation? Get in here! "

He giggled before entering, swinging his arms alone the way. "No one's gonna invite me into your room, silly. " He said, as if I didn't know already.

"Ah, you must be Christian? " Aaron said getting up from the bed.

Christian pulled out his grown up look. The one he uses whenever he meets someone new.
"Yes, I'm Christian Lee hyde. " He answered, puffing out his chest and placing his hands on his hips. "I'm six and seven quarters."

"Wow, look at those muscles! " Aaron chuckled. "I mean, I'm seventeen and six quarters and I got nothing. "

Lies. All lies.

"You're lying!" christain said, giggling.

"Nuh-uh." Aaron pulled the littlest fat on his arm and squeezed."See? Nothing. It's like a noodle."

Christain giggled again. "A wet noodle. " He
said and broke out into a full laughter. He
wiggled his arms in the air, shaking his body as he did so. "Woah, look at me, I'm spaghetti! " He said laughing along with Aaron.

"A cute spaghetti!" Aaron chuckled and picked up christain, and ruffles his hair.

I rolled my eyes. "Once you're done with you're little bromance over there, maybe christain could tell us what he came for? "

"Oh, yeah." Christain breath, as he snapped his fingers. Aaron put him down and flopped back in my bed.

"Mom's back! "

" Gee, christain you couldn't have started with that?" I asked.

"Hold on, she says down stairs is still very unstable and if Aaron comes down, he'll be eaten alive."

"I'm I ever getting out of here alive?!" Aaron wailed, using his hands for dramatic effect.

"Yes , you will. Christan, continue. "

"So, she's said, Aaron should, call his parents that he wouldn't be home till after dinner, so mom would be able to sneak him out. " christain finished.

I looked at Aaron, and raised my eyebrow, asking if he would do it.

"Do I have a choice? " He answered. " Can I use your phone?"

"Yeah, sure." I answered. "Okay, Christan, go tell mom, we'll be down for dinner."

"Okay, I will." He said, skipping to the door. "Bye, Aaron. I'll see you soon." He said, as he got out.

"Geez, chris, you're not dating him!"

Oh, someone's a little jealous.

I really hate that voice.

"How will we know when dinner's ready? " Aron asked.

" Oh, you'll know. Alright. You'll all know. " I said, thinking about the warning bell.

" Yeah, but how?"

I exhaled. "Just shut up. " I breathed out.

"Oh, my, God, Elsa, are you walking, bare footed? " Aaron asked his face in a disgusted frown.

"Yeah, so? "

"Ew. Who does that? " He breathed. "Apparently, you." He said pointing.

"So, you don't like walking barefooted?"

"No, it likes goes against every possible rule there is. " He said.

I scoffed."Pls, name one rule this goes against? "

" Don't walk barefooted?" He said as if it was that's most obvious thing in the world.
This is gonna be a long night.
********
" No, no, no. No. Emily likes Mike. And Mike likes Emily." Aaron insisted.

After Admitting he actually liked power rangers samurai, but made the mistake of saying Emily liked Mike, I had no choice but to set him straight.

"I'm telling you, Aaron, Mike likes Emily, yes. But Emily does not like Mike! "

"Yes she does! " He practically screamed. "Okay, then who does she like? Kevin? "

"What, no. She likes Jayden."

"What! Mia likes Jayden, everybody knows that."

"So, nobody likes Kevin?" I asked.

"Exactly." He said, snapping his fingers.
"Why can't you just admit I'm right and you're wrong?"

"That's because----"

The warning bell. It rang so loud and so suddenly, Aaron fell off the bed.

"Oh my God, an earthquake! "He screamed, scrambling around an the floor. "Everybody save yourself!"

I snorted and waited for the bell to stop before I spoken. "Relax, you big baby. Its just the dinner bell. Come on."

He looked mortified. He was sincerely scared to death.

"Dinner bell?" He whispered."What kind of family uses a bell to call people down for dinner?" He yelled.

"Our family. Now, come on! If we're late mom'll just ring it again."

I told him, grabbing his hand off the floor and dragging him downstairs.

Mom was just about to pick up the bell for the second ring, when she spotted us.

"Oh, they're here." my mom breath, dropping the bell. It was as if a bomb was dropped. The whole room, was pin--drop silent, as they all turned to stare at Aaron and I.

"Are you ready?" I asked Aaron but I didn't get a response.

I found summer narrowing her eyes and glaring at me at the same time.

" Why. is. Elsa. holding. Aaron's. hand?"

I gasped and looked at Aaron to find him starring down at our hands, his cheeks tinted red. That's why he didn't respond. I immediately let go.

"Sorry." I whispered, turning a deep shade of red.

"Uh, no worries." He said, hoarsely. He cleared his throat and moved forward to greet my mom.

"Hi Miss simian, I'm Aaron Shaw. I'm Elsa's partner for a school project."

Thank God, he didn't say friend.

"Oh, I know who you are. " My mom said. "And I'm glad my daughter has you, as her partner." my mom said.

"Us too." my sisters chorused.

Wow, I have to hand it out to Aaron. This is the first time my sisters are actually pretending to be normal. I mean, dawn is actually pretending to be normal, Penelope isn't worried he might have germs, Anais isn't tasting him to find out what gender he is, (trust me, she does that.), Everlyn is sweeter than ever, Everest is actually pretending to be sweet, summer is looking away from her phone for the first time in her life and Chloe hasn't said a single word to her alien friend. (trust me, she has one.)

Like I said, normal.

"Okay, everyone, dinner now. " My mom, said clapping her hands twice.

I went to sit on my chair, labelled Elsa, (Yes, we do label everything in the house. Saves another of argument.) and christain had claimed his chair next to me. I looked up to find that only mom has sat down. All my sisters had their eyes on Aaron, following him as he moved. All chairs were labelled though. So, he had no idea were to sit.

"Come sit with me!" Christain yelled.

"What, no. You can have my chair, Aaron!" Anais shouted.

"Why would he want your chair, when he can have mine!" said dawn.

"Mine is way better!" Evelyn yelled.

"Mine is way cleaner. "

"It's all the same, Penelope. " Chloe said ending, with an eyerroll.

Aaron glanced at me. I shrugged, shaking my head.

He cleared his throat at the arguing girls.
"Yes, Aaron? " They chorused.

"I think I'll sit with christain." He said.

"Yay! " christain yelled, giggling.

"At least, my chair's next to christain's." Everlyn said, a victory smile on her face.

"Just. Please sit." My mom snapped. They all scurried to their seats, and Aaron walked over to christain, lifting him up. He giggled shyly, as Aaron lifted him and took a seating his chair while he placed christain on his laps.

"Good. " My mom said. I could hear Everlyn's loud giggles as Aaron sat next to her. "Now, let's all say grace. Everybody hold hands. " Mom continued.

Christain placed his hands together, and closed his eyes ready to lead us. I know he's young but, he's also the only male. So, he has to do it.
Everlyns giggles got louder as Aaron placed his hands in hers. I could hear Penelope sniff from over where she sat.

She couldn't be crying, could she?

Aaron held out his hand and I took it. I felt my heart beat rise and it started to pound. This is normal. It can happen with anybody.

Relax.

"Everyone ready? " Christain asked.

"Ready. " we chorused and I closed my eyes. I know for a fact that my sisters wouldn't close their's.

And I was right. I peeked through my eyes, to find Everest, dawn and Chloe starring at Aaron.
I glared at them. "Close your eyes now!" I whisper-yelled and they hurriedly shut their eyes.

" Lord, " Christain began. " We want to thank you for this food were about to eat. And to also thank you for bringing this handsome, young man, which I'm sitting on here, into our home. Thank you, you're awesome."

He ended. " Let's dig in."

"Wait! " Penelope yelled. "Did you all wash your hands? "

Here we go.

"I don't really think it matters, penny." Mom said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I mean we're not eating with our hands, right?"

"No, one asked you Elsa." penny said emphasising on my name.

"But she's right." Aaron piped.

"Exactly what I said. We don't have to wash our hands, let's all eat!" she cheered, the little shit.
I removed my hands from Aaron's and started on my food.

"Um, can you let go of my hand? " I heard Aaron say.

"No. Sorry. " Everlyn replied, as sweet as possible. I looked over at her.

"Everyln, let go." I told her. she pouted, before slowly removing her hand. I shook my head and continued and my food.

Aaron dug his fork into his food, taking a bite.

"Oh my God, this is the best turkey I've ever tasted. " Aaron said, as he in rushed more of his food."It tastes like heaven!"

"Oh well, when you come here more, I promise I'll make more of those for you." Dawn told him.

"Really?" He asked.

"No! " I interrupted. "She can't cook! None of us can." I told him. " mom makes the food."

"Well, thanks a lot Ellie! Thanks for ruining my life!" Dawn yelled at me.

What the?

Just let it go , Ellie, let it go.

"Can someone please, pass me the salt. " Aaron asked.

Oh -oh.

They all stopped eating.
Everybody looked at each other, ready to pounce. Then they reached for the salt all at once.

"let go!"

"No, you let go!
"He asked me!"

"He wasn't specific! "

"He was looking at me! "

"No, he wasn't! "

Aaron and I shared a look. This is gonna be a long night.
********
"Aaron honey, when will you be leaving? " My mom asked.

"Um, my driver will be here any minute now. "

"So, you have time to join us for appreciation day! "

Oh-no.

After the disaster we called dinner, we all settled at the living room. Aaron sat on a one-sitter chair, with hopes of sitting alone. But of course, it didn't work. Penny, ever and ever the second, found a way to squeeze themselves with him.
I can definitely say, he would never come over again.

"So, who wants to go first? " My mom asked.

"I do! I do!" Summer yelled in her high pitched voice. But when she remembered Aaron was there, she cleared her throat."I mean, I do." she said much, calmer now.

" Go ahead, honey." my mom said.
She stood up, Smoothened out the wrinkles on her dress, and cleared her voice.

"I'd like to appreciate Elsa. "

"Aww, thanks sum-" I started but she cut me off.

"For bringing Aaron in to our home. Because if not, I wouldn't have been able to get that picture of him, and I wouldn't have been able to get a thousand likes. So, thank you Elsa, thank you." she sat.

Wow. I don't even know if I should be mad or glad?

"Um, okay? " my mom said. "Next!"

"My turn!" Anais yelled.

"Go ahead, Anna."

She stood up and repeated the same thing summer did. "I'd like to appreciate Elsa."

Will every appreciation start like that?

"For bringing Aaron into our home. Because just looking at him, puts a smile on my face. So thank you Elsa, thank you. "

Geez.

My mom coughed." Uh, next? "

"It my turn." Penny said. " I'd like to appreciate Elsa."

Oh, my God.

"For bringing Aaron into our home. Because if not, I wouldn't have known that it's not necessary to wash your hands before every meal."

What?

"Uh," Aaron started " That wasn't what I meant."
" Shh. we both know what you meant. " Penny whispered, winking.

There is something seriously wrong in this house.

"I don't think you all understand the meaning of appreciation." Mom said.

"oh I do! " Everlyn yelled. " Let me go next!please?"

"Okay, Ever."

She smiles as mom called her name and she managed to get up, from the thight squeeze she was in.

"I'd like to appreciate, "

Pls, don't say Elsa, pls don't say Elsa.

" The lord."

Oh thank God.

" For giving Elsa the idea to bring Aaron into our home."

Oh my Goodness.

"Because, if she didn't I wouldn't have known I'm in love. Thank you Elsa, thank you. " she answered a dreamy smile in her face.

Oh lord, deliver me from my nuts sisters.

" I give up. " Mom muttered. "Next? "

"It's my turn. " Everest said. She exhaled, before standing up from her squeeze. I've never seen Aaron look so uncomfortable.

"I'd like to thank myself."

At least she didn't mention my name.

"For being so awesome and amazing to notice that Aaron's in our home."

I repeat, at least she didn't say Elsa?

"Thank you myself. Thank you "

"Okaayy. Next? " Mom said.

Chloe got up, stretched and began.
"I'd like to thank Elsa. "

No surprise there.

"For bringing Aaron into our home. Because if she didn't, Emily would have never fallen in love."

"who? " Aaron mouthed to me.
Her alien Friend. " I mouthed back.
"Eww."

I giggled.

" So, thank you Elsa, thank you."

I rolled my eyes.

"Can I go next? " christain asked me.

"Of course, my little sugar. " He giggled but got up, anyway.

"I think my principal is in love with me. "
I snorted.

"What makes you think that? " Summer asked as she held in her laugh.

"Well, she placed her hand in my shoulder, laughed at something I said which wasn't a joke, and tried to hug me!" He explained. " And everyone knows knows are the three symptoms of love."

I couldn't hold it any more. I busted out laughing, alongside others.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll make sure to talk to her on Monday, okay? " Mom said, pulling her lips in a thight line.

He giggled. "Okay, mommy."

"Elsa, you're turn."

Oh oh. What do I say?! What do I say!? What do I say?

"Come on Elsa, " Everest said tapping her foot in the ground.

"Uh, I'm a mother? "

It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. They froze. Aaron busted out laughing, tears slipping out of his eyes.

"Elsa Joanne Hyde! How could you!? "

Okay, I don't think she gets it.

"Shame on you Elsa, shame." Penny said. I
rolled my eyes.

" Do you think this is funny, young man!? "

Aaron shut up after that.

"Um, mom, it's not what you think?"

"Who's the father!?"

"Mom! " I shouted.

"I can't believe this! My sisters pregnant! "

"No, stop! "

"Elsa, tell me who the father is this instant!" mom shouted.

I sighed. "Uh, Aaron? "

A scream.

"You impregnated my sister! You asshole! "Dawn yelled.

"No, it's not what it looks like!"

"You freaking disgust me! " Everlyn shouted.

"Pack your things now, Elsa, you're moving in with Aaron!" Mom yelled.

"Mom! I'm not pregnant! " I screamed. "It's an egg."

"You have birth to an egg?...yay! ? " Chole asked.

"Okay change of plans, we're going to the hospital."

"Mom! It's our project. Aaron and I are to nurture an egg. So, I'm it's mother. I'm not pregnant." I explained, slowly.

"Oooooooh." They breath out. " Yes, oh. So, calm the duck down."

" So, you're not pregnant? " summer asked.

"No, I'm. not. "

"And Aaron is still single? "

"Yes, he. is."

"Hallelujah." They chorused.

"Shall we continue? " Mom asked, after a year of silence.

"Yeah, Aaron? You're next?" Chloe said.

"Yes Aaron, what are you appreciative for?"

"Hmm, tell us." Anais urged.

"Well, I had some of simian's turkey. And it changed my life."

Their face fell, at what he said.

"You see? That's how to appreciate. You girls could learn from him." Mom said, beaming.

"well-done, " I mouthed to him. " You know, she'll try to adopt you now, right? "

" As long as I get more turkey. " He mouthed back.

I laughed.

••••
💗Muna.