Chapter 17! This one ends really badly also, but it was long enough.

Once the girls were outside, Katie turned on Sophie, "God, Sophie, you spazz! Just go ahead and jump to conclusions like that. Real smart, Sophie real smart. Aiden's only one guy. He's almost too much trouble than he's worth. Are you really that much in love with him?"

Sophie stammered, "In love! What are you talking about? I'm not… in love with Aiden… I think…" Sophie had never thought about it before. Did she really feel that strongly about him? I suppose I do, Sophie mused. "What's it to you?" she asked Katie.

"What's it to me?" Katie repeated incredulously. "I've got my eye on him too, you know. Of course you know."

It's just a game to her, Sophie thought to herself as she put the violin back in the trunk and got in the car. She has to have everything I want. "Can't you just leave him alone? Any guy would go for you, he's the only guy I've ever liked this much."

Katie sighed, "Fine. I won't push it, but if he asks me out, I'm not saying no. Let's just hope we don't catch him at an autistic time," Katie joked.

Sophie nodded and stared at the window, thinking. If Aiden could just see that I'm the one that really cares for him, then this shouldn't be a problem, she thought.

"Aren't you going to tell me where to go, freak?" Katie said, throwing the paper with directions at her.

"Whatever," Sophie said. "Turn right. His house isn't too far away. Just on the other side of the mountain we were camping on."

They passed by the open space. "Aiden didn't have to go very far to get here," Katie commented. "It's only a mile or two from the institute."

"Jeez, can you imagine carrying that violin two miles?" Sophie replied. "He sure had a lot of resolve. Take a left on Bluecrest road."

Katie obliged and turned up said road.

"These streets have cute names," Sophie observed. "Tangerinebreeze, Moosewood, Redtracks, Pinegoose, Rosefield… Rosefield! Turn there!"

"God, Sophie, pay attention!" Katie yelled as they made a very sharp turn. "We almost missed it."

"Sorry. Turn right on Greenfox. And now it's number twelve. I can't believe we're here. I'm so nervous. What if his parents are weird? What if they won't let us see him?" Sophie babbled nervously as they pulled over in front of a quaint two-story white cottage-style house.

"Chillax, Sophie. Everything will work out just fine," Katie said, getting out.

Sophie got out and took the violin and backpack out of the trunk. She followed Katie up the walk and stood behind her on the porch as she rang the doorbell.

Sophie noticed the window curtain move in one of the second floor windows and then Aiden's yell of, "I'll get it!"

No one came to the door, but the girls heard the following conversation: "Oh no you won't, boy! Don't go scaring the neighbors!"

"It's okay, Mom! They're my friends!"

"Friends? You don't have any friends! Did you meet them on your little escapade? I bet they're hookers."

"Mom! I'm going to get the door!"

"Don't keep your 'friends' waiting! Whatever you want, Aiden."

A red faced Aiden opened the front door, and instead of a 'hello' or a 'how are you', he said, "You heard all of that, didn't you?"

Sophie thought Aiden looked very different in baggy red plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a white undershirt than what she was used to seeing him in. "Yeah, we did," she answered.

"What are you guys doing here?" Aiden asked, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed.

Katie gestured to the violin case in Sophie's hand, "Well, we came to give this back to you. And we need to talk before you get all crazy again."

Aiden shifted his stance, annoyed. "I do not go crazy, I just… become… a little strange…" he mumbled. "How'd you find me anyway?"

"We went to the institute and they told us where you went and gave us directions," Sophie replied.

"Yeah and Sophie here went ballistic when the receptionist said, 'Mr. Cooper is no longer with us,'" Katie added in a disparaging tone.

Aiden grinned lop-sidedly and asked Sophie, "You thought I died?"

Sophie nodded, blushing. She looked away, embarrassed but slightly assured that Aiden knew she cared about him.

"So you guys want to come in?" Aiden asked, moving out of the doorway to let the girls in.

Katie smiled graciously and stepped inside, removing her shoes on the marble floor of the foyer. Sophie did the same, setting the backpack down and handing the violin over to Aiden as she did so.

Wordlessly, Aiden led them up the stairs before Sophie could see any more of the house. They walked down a short hallway and stopped at a closed door. The doors were painted white, very uniform with the rest of the neat house.

Sophie thought it was an old person's house. That must make Aiden feel out of place even in his own home, Sophie thought, feeling pity as well as love for this strange boy.

Don't you love all of the streetnames I made up? We'll learn more about Aiden's mother in the chapter after next. Review!