I remember the first time I ever saw Aiden Dennison. I was eight years old in the fall of 1997. I was at my brother's Pop Warner practice standing with Clay on the sidelines, when all of the sudden this scrawny little kid runs into me and knocks me over. So, of course I was mad and started yelling at the poor kid, and the whole time he had his head down and kept saying he was sorry. Clay told me to stop being stupid and let the kid apologize. So I stopped yelling and he looked up and apologized, but all I saw were his pretty green eyes.
I would see Aiden at least twice a week for the next six or seven years of my life because he always was on my brother's team. By then he was fifteen or sixteen and he had gotten taller and got better looking. He had developed really well, he was more muscular and less scrawny every time I saw him and he had those same sparkling pretty green eyes. He had also got his first girlfriend, Ashley Davies, who I would sit and talk to while the boys were practicing, we became fast friends.
It was the boys last year of the leagues before they could play for the high school teams and they had done really well, they had won the championship. So, to celebrate all of the boys on the team got to invite their friends and family to my house to have a celebration barbeque. I saw Aiden there in a shirt that brought out his pretty green eyes really well, and he had brought Ashley with him and I was jealous. I was jealous that they both had someone to care for them, but they were two of my closest friends.
It was at this barbeque that I got to see the other Dennison, Madison, who also had the same sparkling green eyes, and was Aiden's younger half sister who was in the same grade as me. She and I were sitting around talking and playing around, when Ashley comes around and starts acting weird. I just looked at her, but Ashley just shrugged her shoulders and left after a few minutes of awkward tension. For some reason Ashley and Madison never really got along to well together. And Madison would always just stare at Ashley and me whenever we were talking, like she was studying us. Whenever I would ask about it, she would just tell me I was "loca" and would change the subject.
After everyone had eaten, my dad started to set up some fireworks he had to celebrate. Madison was helping my mom and I clean up, and she brings up how hard it was for her and Aiden to get sick, but whenever either of them did, the other would too and they both got it bad.
Madison, Ashley, Aiden, and I all laid out on a big blanket on the grass to watch the fireworks go off. Aiden and Madison insisted on being on the ends with me and Ashley in the middle. We all just laid there and were talking Ashley and Aiden hlding hands, and Ashley's arm constantly brushing mine making me get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was one of the best nights of my life with three of my favorite people.
It was the first day of high school, and I was panicking. The school was so big and I couldn't find any of my friends. All of the sudden arms wrapped around my waist and were spinning me around in circles. I started flailing around my arms, until I hit my attacker in the face. I turned around a saw Aiden, holding his reddening cheek with amusement in his pretty green eyes. He welcomed me to King High School and offered his and Ashley's services to show me around school with Madison.
Sophomore year, Madison and I ruled the underclassmen because of our friendship with Ashley and Aiden and my family ties to Clay and Glen. Ashley and Aiden had broken up over summer, but whenever I asked, they would both avoid answering. And when I asked Madison if she knew anything, she would always tell me it was not her business to tell, but I could tell she knew something. But, I didn't press for answers. The only real difference in Ashley and Aiden's relationship was that they didn't hold hands anymore and make out in front of me and Madison, which I was thankful for. But, I would still see the longing glances Aiden in his pretty green eyes whenever Ashley wasn't looking.
In the spring of that year, Madison and Aiden went on a family trip for a week. So, that week, me and Ashley hung out a lot more, just the two of us. I liked it; it was like we were in our own little world when we were together. We were inseparable that week, and Ashley was over at my house the whole week. And we would just talk about everything and I got to look into her beautiful brown eyes.
The day Madison and Aiden came back they were both tired, so we got to say hi and welcome back. The next day Aiden and Madison didn't come to school, and when I called Madi she said they were just a little under the weather. I said okay and believed her. The rest of the week they didn't show up, and I was called by Mrs. Dennison telling me that both of my friends with the pretty green eyes were in the hospital.
Ashley and I went to the hospital to visit them, but only on visitor were allowed in a room at a time, so she went to see Aiden and I went to go see Madison. When I saw my best friend lying there, in that hospital bed you could tell she was sick. She was able to sit up though, and joke around a little bit about how I was not to take advantage of her just because she was in her hospital gown. She said she was feeling better now and she would probably only be in for a few more days. You could see the truth in her pretty green eyes, that she would be fine.
Then, I went to go see Aiden. And Aiden looked so weak; I hadn't seen him look that weak since the first time I saw that scrawny kid run into me all those years ago. He would joke around with me, but you could see how tired he was in his pretty green eyes.
Two days later, Madison was out of the hospital finally, but Aiden was still in there. Me, Ashley, Madison, went to visit everyday to try and make him smile. He got visited by lots of people, old team mates, friends from school, and of course my family came to see him. I remember the small smile he gave me the last time I saw him, and he told me to not let anything hold me back from what I want, and I may get surprised by the responses I get. And he told me to take care of Ashley and Madison.
Nine days after Aiden had entered the hospital, he had passed away. I remember sitting with Ashley in the waiting room, and then we saw Madi, my Madi who was one of the strongest people I knew, crying. We both knew immediately what happened. I stood up and walked over to hold my best friend as she cried. I walked her back to the waiting room, and both her Ashley clung onto me and we all cried for our loss.
On the day of his funeral, I had to stay strong for my two friends, and I held both their hands as we all watched them close the casket and lower it into the ground forever.
I held their hands and hugged them whenever they needed it. I held strong for them, and would let my emotions flow when I was alone or whenever my mom or dad held me. I held their hands whenever someone would shoot them a pitying glance in the halls at school. I held Ashley in my arms when she cried, because she found an old short of his in her room, that still smelled like him. I held Madison two weeks after the funeral when she walked into Aiden's room to ask to borrow one of his CD's and he wasn't in there to yell at her for not knocking before she came in.
It was when I was at the park walking around while Clay went to get an ice cream and this little kid ran into me that I lost it. Clay found me curled up into a ball against a tree, and did his best to help me. In the end he ended up calling Ashley and Madison, who held me as I finally cried for the loss of my friend.
We all lost a piece of our hearts that day, which would never be able to be replaced. But the only thing we could do was to be there for each other and hope we could make it bearable to live.
Over the years, we all still miss him every day, but we have a new normal now to get us through the days. I have Ashley and Madison by my side and I hope they always will be.