The Boy Who Fell Off a Lawn Mower | Watty's '18

8. Muffins

Chapter 8

Muffins

"Father, it wasn't Levi's fault," Aida pleaded.

"Well, it certainly seems like it was! He stormed out from the dinner table and if there's one thing I know about table etiquette, it's that he doesn't have any of it!" Jay's face was red and he was standing in the kitchen. It had been twenty minutes since Levi had stormed out and Aida had just said a peaceful goodbye and "thanks for coming" to Connor, although it had been quite tart.

"No, no. There's more to it. I think Connor really egged it on." Aida was staring down Dani and her dad, who were standing next to each other by the sink. They'd been in the middle of bringing the dishes to the sink from the table when the argument had begun.

"Egged it on? Levi was just being rude. He didn't want to stay for dinner and took any excuse he could to eat and leave," retorted Dani. Her arms were crossed thickly.

"Listen to me!" cried Aida. "Levi doesn't have a lot of money. I think he was insecure about it and Connor was trying to make a point of it. It was very mean of him and I'm just sure that's what he was doing." Aida's hazel eyes showed her sincerity and she grasped her hands together in an innocent gesture.

Her father held her gaze for a few moments before his expression softened. "You're right, aren't you? Your friend really was bringing it about, I suppose." Aida sighed in satisfaction. "Aida, do me a favor, I had made a batch of muffins for dessert but I think we forgot about them in the hustle and bustle. Make a basket and bring them over to him in apology. It was our guest who messed up, so we should make it right to our employee; wouldn't want him to quit, right? As for that boy of yours, you better have a word with him!" Aida nodded and Dani relaxed her body, going back to fixing up the dishes.

Aida went to leave but turned back. "Dad, by the way, he's not my boyfriend. He's my friend." She drew the word "friend" out as long as she could to make her point.

"Alright, alright." He turned back around to assist Dani and Aida went about pulling the muffins from the tray and throwing them into one of the nicer baskets they kept in the kitchen. Aida got Levi's address from her father and decided to walk the ten minutes to the neighboring street. She used the time to reflect on the past hour, not sure how or why the awkward predicament had chosen to happen to her.

Aida was expecting the houses to get smaller and dingier as she approached the address she had scribbled on a post-it but was surprised to see them increasing in size. Her own house was large, even comparable to a mansion as some people said, due to its high ceilings and old oak fixtures. But she was starting to get closer to some real mansions. Suddenly, she reached it – 1394 Celestial Way. She stood staring at the pristine white building in front of her, the perfectly manicured lawn adding a hint of conformity to it, like the others.

This house was probably the smallest on the block, still considered a house. But what confused Aida, was that it completely went against Tiffany's statement.

He's poor echoed through Aida's thoughts, just as Tiffany had said it that day. This house did not match the description of a poor house. It was beautiful.

Had she had the wrong address? She shrugged as she headed up the walkway anyways, nervous at being wrong but figuring knocking and asking wouldn't hurt.

Aida stood before the ginormous, bright red door that accented the home. She gazed up at the long, rectangular windows on the floor above, curious if Levi himself was secretly looking down at her.

She took a deep breath before knocking. The light knocks sounded useless, so after waiting a moment, she hit the doorbell and was greeted with an ominous ding that floated throughout the house.

Moments later, a woman in a light blue blazer swiftly pulled the door open. She quickly yanked her sunglasses off her face, somehow not messing up her perfect updo with the speedy movement. Aida looked her up and down, noticing the painfully tall and pointy black heels that adorned the bottom of her khaki dress pants.

"Hello?" she asked shrilly.

Aida quickly composed herself from the staring. "Hi, I'm Aida Erikson. I was just looking for Levi." She spoke quietly, feeling like nothing in the shadow of this powerful woman. She suddenly felt subconscious of the awkward muffin basket and held it behind her back, mostly out of sight.

"Alrightttt," she said tentatively, but sharply, drawing out the t in confusion due to Levi probably not having visitors often. The woman turned and hollered his name up the stairs. Seconds later, a loud thumping alerted them of his arrival down the closest staircase. He stopped in his tracks as he came into view of the door, still a few feet away.

"Aida?" he asked, his voice finally sounding off-guard for once. He took the final steps forward.

"Hi, my father sent me," she explained sheepishly, redness drowning her cheeks.

"Ah." He was still confused but managed to return to his usual sheen of coolness. "Thanks, Lena," he said and the woman at the door, whom Aida had assumed was Levi's mother, turned and walked away quickly. He replaced her spot, but did not invite Aida in.

"Well, what is it?" He was clearly still angry about Aida's dinner guest and the comments he made.

"My father sent me over to apologize on behalf of the family and our guest. It was incredibly rude of him and most certainly not fair of him to be making such horrible conversation with you." Aida let her own current opinions of Connor shine through in her apology.

"I thought you didn't have many friends?" he cut in, not accepting it. His tone was playful, but still unhappy. He leaned one arm against the door frame and Aida noticed that he'd showered in the time between the argument. He now wore a fresh white t-shirt and rather than his usual jeans, a pair of navy blue sweatpants that hung attractively low.

"Well, I think I have some now. I hadn't really meant to invite Connor over; it just kind of happened. But that's besides the point." She was getting flustered and awkwardly played with the handle of the muffin basket that was now in front of her in both hands.

"So, what is the point?" asked Levi, running his free hand through his un-styled, wet hair. He was probably going to bed soon and hadn't bothered to do it. Aida had only seen him once complete for the day, and it had been at school that one time. He put his hand down and that sent a wave of oak-scent through her nose.

She locked onto his gray eyes and narrowed her own before speaking. "I'm sorry." The words came out harshly because he had egged them on so difficultly, but they were real because she sympathized with him. She was very angry with Connor for what he'd said.

"I suppoooose I'll come back to work, then. See you Thursday," he echoed from earlier. Aida didn't want him to shut the door but knew he had just decided the conversation was over.

"These are for you!" she squeaked out, almost forgetting about her father's gift. Levi eyed them tentatively.

"Muffins?" he asked, raising a thick eyebrow that was a smidge darker than his hair.

"My father likes to give out food a lot," she said with a shrug and held the basket out. He looked between her and the offering for a moment before reaching his hand out. Again, it met Aida's briefly as he took the handle and the heat from his body infected her for just a second.

"Well, thank you very much. See ya," he echoed and closed the door, not allowing Aida another word.

She sighed and said "goodbye," even though it fell onto no ears. Aida seemed to feel a certain electricity around him but it didn't seem to be a full current since it wasn't returned.

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A/N: I wrote this chapter sitting outside in the dark on my deck, listening to the lake. Very peaceful. Don't forget to vote and comment!! Please please :)

Do you blame Connor or Levi for the fight?

Happy summer ya'll xx