The Unsolvable Equation

Chapter Fifteen

When Alexia reached home, she spotted Caden sitting on the lawn reading a book. She tried to sneak around and get to her front door without having him notice her and, as a result, be forced to socialize. However, at that moment, he looked up and waved to her. Alexia forced a smile and wondered how fast she could dart into the house.

Too late.

Caden was already making his way over to her and Alexia wanted to cringe and disappear beneath the earth when he said to her, "Howdy there, neighbour!"

Alexia forced herself to look him in the eye. "What, Caden?" she said curtly.

"Hey! Just trying to be friendly here, what's with the hostile reception?" he said, holding up his hands in defense. 

"Nothing. It's just that social interaction isn't exactly either of our fortes." 

"Aw, c'mon Alexia, I thought we agreed on a truce," Caden said, pretending to pout, an action which reminded Alexia why she wanted to be rid of his existence.

"Fine. How was your day?" Alexia conceded, rolling her eyes. 

"Good. The weather's good too, if that's your next question," he smirked at her. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you downplayed you interaction abilities."

"Sorry, my neighbour-friendly skills are a little rusty after years of ostracization from my previous neighbours, but why did you move here, anyway?" Alexia asked, deciding to play the friendly neighbour.

Caden shrugged. "Beats me, really. All i know is that one day my parents were complaining about some financial stuff and the location of our house and the next, we were packing up," he leaned closer and wriggled his eyebrows. "Or maybe it's because of, as they say, fate." 

Alexia had to muster up all her power to keep from scrunching up her face in disgust. "Don't go there," she pleaded, and took a step back.

Caden laughed. "So tell me about this place. What do I need to know about this neighbourhood?" 

"Honestly, if you're looking for tips on getting to know others, I'm probably not your best bet. I don't even know half the people living around here. The only thing I really know is that the couple living in this house before you bear a bigger grudge against humanity than I do," Alexia told him.

"Wow, that explains your demeanour," Caden joked. "Hopefully I leave this place unharmed." 

Alexia whacked him in the arm. "Shutup!"

Ask him about him and Natalie! a voice nagged in her head.

"Speaking of which, what's with you and Natalie?" she tried to ask innocently enough.

Caden's face gave nothing away. "To be honest, i don't really know. She's not exactly, how do I say this, a very decent person to be around, you know what I mean?" he shrugged nonchalantly. 

"Are you going to the dance with her?" Alexia pressed on.

"We'll see what happens," he lowered his voice. "But frankly, I'm not particularly keen on hanging around her for the entire night. And besides, she seems to have taken a liking for Chris."

"Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"Can't say I'm heartbroken," Caden replied. 

Alexia laughed and Caden switched subjects as quickly as Alexia had started them. "But I suppose you're going with your boy toy."

Alexia gave him a look. "Boy toy, Caden? Is that a common phrase now used in our shallow minded society, or did your crummy brain just coin that phrase?"

"Just answer the question, genius."

"Why are you so interested to know," Alexia teased. "But yes, he asked and I accepted his invitation."

"Oh," for some reason, Caden looked dejected. "I bet you'll have fun." There was a sour tinge to his tone. What is with him?

"Well, yeah. You go have fun with Natalie," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Caden groaned. "I don't even like her that much, you know. Hell, I don't even like her at all. God knows what possessed me to go out with her." 

Alexia looked this this version of a romantically frustrated Caden with great amusement. She opened her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by him.

"Have you gotten a dress?" he suddenly blurted out.

Alexia snorted. "Funny you should ask that. I just went dress shopping with K.H today, or at least we attempted to. We didn't find anything, though, sadly."

Caden stared hard at her for a moment and he looked like he was weighing his thoughts. "Actually, I," he hesitated. "I might be able to help you with that."

"How would you, Caden the great footballer, be of any fashion assistance to me?" Alexia smirked.

Caden folded his arms, as if accepting a challenge. "My mom happens to be a seamstress and she's got a few dresses that she's throwing out. You might want to try some on, she's got great skills," he smiled proudly.

Alexia didn't know how to reply. She didn't want to think about how badly K.H would tease her, but still, she did need a dress. So, she decided to accept Caden's invitation. "That would be really nice of you. She won't mind right?" Alexia asked.

"Nah. Like she always says, you can't waste a good dress," he rolled his eyes. "Especially just because some brat changes her mind at the last minute and doesn't want it. 

They entered Caden's house and he led her to a room which was littered in fabric and cloth. It had racks and racks of material and one big sewing machine. He reached into a box and pulled out a light blue dress. It had an off-the-shoulder design and sleeves that ended above the elbow. The skirt flared out to just the right extent and reached just below the knees. There was a beautiful, intricate lace design around the neckline, waist and the tips of the skirt. In all, the dress looked like a modern toss between a 1950's style frock and a product of the victorian ages.

"Try it on," Caden said and exited the room to give her some privacy.

Alexia cautiously slipped into the frock and to her surprise, it fit her to a tee. She felt the luxurious fabric enfold her body and played with the edges of the skirt. Alexia was thrilled. She felt like a little girl playing dress up in her mother's clothes, except this time, she could fit into them. She began twirling around in the dress before realizing how stupid and childish she must have looked and felt embarrassment creep up her neck, even though no one was looking. For God's sake, Alexia. This is Caden's house, control yourself! She self-consciously slipped out of the dress and put her clothes back on. Alexia awkwardly opened the door and thanked Caden for the dress. She promised to send Mrs Gordon a gift to show her gratitude soon, and hurried home.

Later on, she told K.H about how she had gotten the dress. K.H, as usual, was thrilled. "That's so cool," she had remarked. "It's like you've got your own fairy-godmother!"  

Alexia had told her that she was being silly, but inside, she was singing with gratitude towards Caden and his mother. Maybe he won't be such a bad neighbour, after all.

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