Solution to feeling lonely

“Come on, let me see your ID!” Candi said as the three of them exited the government building. “No, it’s like stupid.” Bailey sat in an annoyed voice, disliking how he was downgraded from something he didn’t want to something worse. It was stupid, it didn’t matter at all, he knew that, and yet couldn’t help but feel upset. “The clerk had to get Bailey to redo the photo three times, with her looking upset.” Bailey scrunched up his nose thinking about how the middle aged man kept saying. “Aww come on, you are a cute girl you can do better than that.” Bailey never wanted to look at the thing and just stuffed it into his purse without looking at the thin piece of plastic. “See Mom says you got a good picture, come on show it to me….! I showed you mine.” The three started walking across the parking lot to the car, Candi had taken her hand without her asking, as did Bailey. One thinking about how she used to hold the hand of her mother walking, and the other how he used to hold his girlfriend's hand. “No.” Candi puffed up her cheeks and stuck her tongue out at Bailey as she leaned forward to see around Amanda. “You are just upset because you failed the test and didn’t get that boys phone number. You didn’t even say anything about me passing my test. You can be grumpy if you want, but it's like me who should be upset at you.”

The exchange made Amanda smirk, Bailey was sullen and giving terse responses, while Candi was full of excitement and talking faster then she could follow without paying attention. “But I’m totally not upset and I promise to help you study for the next time you take the test and I will be making sure you study this time. You don’t like have to feel bad though, I failed the first time I went to take the test too, that thing is harrrrd. I hate it when questions are like a paragraph long, because like if it was a difficult question I will still be thinking about it when I go to the next question an ahhh… I just hate it.” Bailey shut his eyes for just a second to try and pretend this wasn’t his life right now, but doing so just made everything else about himself stand out more in his mind. The long hair moving and bouncing, his swollen chest sore and moving as he walked, his heavy eyelids, the sway of his hips and the click clack of both his and Mommy’s heels on the parking lot’s asphalt. “Gah.. I wasn’t flirting with that boy and the test wasn’t hard.” Candi laughed and let go of Amanda’s hand before taking a few quick steps in front of the group and walking backwards. “D E N I A L, What does that spell? It spells that my little sister is in denial!” Amanda gave the chipper blonde girl a hard look in the eye, or at least tried to as she had to keep from laughing. “Stop teasing your sister Candi, and Bailey you should congratulate her for earning her license.” Getting your driver's license was a big deal, a right of passage and even if he was hating this trip he knew his friend would be having a like totally different time. “Im sorry, I’m like super happy for you, I bet you are totally happy to be able to drive on your own.” Candi’s face lit up as she nodded, but fell a bit. “Yeah, I’m really, like really really glad, but that will have to wait till Daddy gets back. For like now it is just us girls and we can have fun without him! So Miss Best, where are we going next?”

“We are back to Miss Best huh? No more calling me Mom?” Candi smirked at her and gave a small shrug. “I was having fun, but I can totally call you Mom or if you like what Bailey calls you better I could call you Mommy.” Amanda shook her head and wondered if the girl had purposely called her Miss Best instead of Amanda just to try and get permission to call her Mom again. “I think Amanda or Mandy like your father calls me will do, but sadly I cannot spend the day with you girls. I wanted to take you out to breakfast to celebrate, but I really do have to get back to work.” It was clear on both of their faces that her going back to work and needing to do so now was not the news they wanted to hear. “Try not to look so glum, today is a big day for you Candi and I think the two of you should go have some fun.” She said tossing the teen girl her car keys. “Wait.. OH MY GOD! Really!? Like I can use your car? Like really, really, really?” Amanda motioned to her car, it was only a year old and far from being paid off and hoped she wouldn’t regret this course of action. “I do not see a reason to wait on your father, but Bailey has to do her chores before you go anywhere. Just drop me off at work and I will give you a call when I need to be picked up. Does that sound fair?” Her answer at first came in the form of a hug that didn’t seem to end. “YES, yes! Like a thousand times yes! You are the best Miss Best… Mom I mean Mandy.” Bailey walked over to join the hug when Amanda held one hand out and motioned him over. Candi was calling her Mom and Mandy now, he wasn’t sure if she just swapped between them on purpose or because she had a hard time keeping the names straight after using them that way like he was. After the flashcards and practice it was harder for him to think of her as Mandy for her name instead of Mommy, but that was just a simple habit from doing it over and over, it wouldn’t be too hard to correct it later.

Bailey got into the front passenger seat after they dropped Amanda off at the office and he was more than happy to be out of the back seat. “What do we want to do with our day of freedom?” Flipping the sun visor down Bailey checked his makeup, before looking at the green eyed teen. “Not chores.” Bailey said rolling his eyes thinking of how Mommy had texted him a list of chores to get done before getting out of the car. “They will go much faster with the two of us, like we both can dust and you clean the bathroom while I sweep and then we can ahh hmm… oh! We can go to the water park, we have the passes, remember!?” Bailey hadn’t given any thought to the park, the place where he lost his suit top, had to touch another man’s penis. The memory of it pulsing and squirting on him came vividly back to his mind. “Its like a perfect place for us to have a day. While I drive you can text Ryan and August to see if they want to come.”

Bailey: Going to the waterpark, do like you two want to come?

Bailey inserted a photo he snapped of Candi behind the wheel waving.

Ryan: Wish that I could, my dad is in town

August: Wish that I could, but I’m working

August: I would have called in sick but I’m already here and I have a meeting with HR today.

August: It will either be a surprise ending to my internship or I’m getting hired on.

Ryan: If they fire you I could get you get you a job with me. Might teach you a real skill.

August: Pass

Ryan: Trade skills are much more useful than learning how to properly sit in a meeting and write an email about profit projections.

August: I said PASS

Bailey: Just us then

August: Send pictures!

Ryan: Hey I know I also had to bail on the party and couldn’t do this, but I have to go out with my father to some factory that is being renovated that he was put in charge of after mega corp bought it. So I won’t be able to make Thursday night. And trust me I don’t want to spend time with the man let alone miss seeing Candi.

August: You arn’t going to miss seeing me? I’m hurt. You should come work for Mega Corp, your dad already does, your best friend is about to be hired on.

Ryan: How did someone I know say it? He isn’t very memorable so it is hard to recall. Oh yes, PASS

Bailey: I totally think we should just cancel then

Bailey: Candi is disappointed, but its like family so she understands

Ryan: Could we maybe make it tomorrow night instead?

Candi: OMG YES! I was totally going to make August take us both out if you didn’t show up

Candi: Canceling was not going to happy no matter what my little sister says

August: Should you be texting if you are driving

Bailey: That is totally what I said!

August: Glad to hear we think a like.

Candi: Its fine and you two can swoon over each other tomorrow night

Candi: Ryan you better show up or you will reget it

Ryan: Woman scorned and all that, but I assure you I regret anytime I can’t see you

Candi: Awww!

Ryan: Please concentrate on driving

Bailey: I keep saying that! Well it is more yelling look at the road lol

Ryan: Please take her phone from her

Bailey: Got it! She isn’t happy

Bailey jerked his hand away that held his friend’s phone as she tried to snatch it back from him when they came to a red light. “Little sisters shouldn’t be stealing from their big sis!” Bailey put the phone in the glove box, both able to hear it vibrate in its plastic container. “That is exactly what little sisters do.” He had no real experience with that, but from what he understood younger siblings were always taking what isn’t theirs. That earned a glare from Candi, but she didn’t say anything as they heard the phone buzz a second time. Candi turned on the car radio and moved through the channels till she found a Taylor Swift song that was almost over and turned the music up as they made their way back to the apartment. Bailey glanced down at his phone, seeing August had sent him texts instead of just to the group.

August: Get to see you one night earlier, can’t say I’m disappointed.

August: Honestly I would love to see you every night. Maybe we could keep that Thursday night date still, with jus the two of us :)

Bailey: Auggy that would be like amazing, but Candi is staying with me this week.

August: Like she said I could take you both out, how lucky could a guy be to have you both on his arm!

Bailey: Sorry like we have plans already

August: That was fast

Bailey: That is how we roll

August: I love everything about you

August: I mean I like you and could see myself falling in love with you lol

Clicking the power button to turn off the screen, Bailey just stared at the device for a moment. Love? Love? That boy was trying to move way too fast and if he thought he might be in love or could be or whatever then he didn’t know what love was, wow did Bailey not want to deal with that. Though he knew he would have to and do it in an acceptable way or Aunt Megan would respond for him. Bailey’s blood sudden ran cold and went back to the message, not wanting to leave it hanging like that in case she decided to jump in at that moment.

Bailey: It is like totally okay to love things about me, so long as you like arn’t trying to tell me over a text message that you love me. That would be totally not romantic and like super fast.

August: Yeah, I had a girl want to talk about marriage on the first date. It freaked me out.

Bailey: I don’t like want to hear about your dating life

August: Sorry, sorry

August: How about I tell you about the things I LIKE about you?

Bailey: Auggy that is like super sweet but like don’t do that

August: Your legs, god you have nice legs ;)

August: Your voice, I could listen to you talk all day and I’m told you can sing. I’m hoping to hear some of that myself soon. Maybe on the trip to the concert and back.

Bailey: You say the nicest things you charmer

August: You showed me a picture last night and I would love to tell you what I did, but I can’t get myself worked up here at the office.

Bailey: Please dont

“I have a great idea! Let’s invite Jeremy. He is so nice, maybe we can find him a girlfriend.” Candi’s outburst seemed to come out of nowhere and did pull him away from the conversation with August and hopefully that would be enough to put a stop to that nonsense. “Ah, what about Jeremy?” Candi gave Bailey a sideways look as she pulled into the apartment complex. “I was talking about Jeremy coming with us to the water park, he is really nice and talking with him he like doesn’t have any self esteem. Boy is cute and shouldn't be so hard on himself, so we are going to find him a girlfriend.” Bailey shrugged, if she wanted to spend her time setting him up so be it, but if she thought he was cute why didn’t she just date him. “He is cute huh? Why don’t like you date him?” Candi pulled into a parking spot and moved the car into park before taking off her seatbelt. “You think he is cute too, don’t try lying to me and I am already dating Ryan.” Bailey shook his head as he took off his own seatbelt and got out of the car. “Your not like married, did he even ask you to be his girlfriend?” Candi stopped walking a few steps away from the car. “Well no, but I like him. It isn’t like you would date someone else with how I see you with August.” Bailey rolled his eyes at the comment and thought of being tied to the young man and thought he could use the text message as a way to at least get Candi away from any thoughts of trying to get him and August to fall in love and get married like she did her Dad and Mommy. “Auggy and I asn’t like boyfriend and girlfriend and he like was just texting me and said how he might love me and ahh no, way too fast.”

Bailey watched as Candi moved both of her hands to her mouth as she made that high pitch sound when she got overly excited. “That is sooo cute! You are calling him Auggy now!?” Bailey stomped his helped foot and shook his head. “No, that isn’t the point!” Candi just have her mischievous smile to her friend. “Well I’m not going to date Jeremy and I know youuuu arn’t, besides I know we both like dating older boys, but I bet we can find him someone. Do you have any girlfriends from school we could invite to the water park and set them up on a blinde date? Oh my god how cute would that me!!!” Bailey held up his hands for her to slow down. He couldn’t have her going down the path of school friends or even the subject of school. In fact with how he was now he couldn’t even count Chuck as a friend, he didn’t recognize him, a good thing and a painful one. Liam hadn’t seen through the disguise either, his little protege thought Bailey was just another pretty girl. Right now he really doesn't have any other friends than Candi. “Umm actually… I really don’t have any other friends.” He was going to just say it, but as the words came out his voice got quieter and quieter. Candi had friends back home, not close ones, not girls she had a connection with like she had instantly felt with Bailey. It hurt her soul at the idea that her best friend didn’t have anyone. She didn’t want to harp on the subject, she was curious but considering how Bailey looked it was a sore subject. “That's totally okay, you and I are besties.” Candi moved over and gave Bailey a big hug, happy to feel her hugging back. “We are like more then just friends though.” Bailey accepted the embrace and hugged his friend back, suddenly feeling rather lonely. “I know.. I know we are sisters.” Pulling back from the hug Candi gave Bailey her biggest smile, understanding the feelings she was having. “Yes and you are the best little sister anyone could ask for.” Bailey felt his eyes tear up and hugged his friend again, happy to have someone who was so kind in his life. Girls were lucky with how they could open up their feelings, this wasn’t something he could ever really do with his old friends.