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He shrugs as I sla her no”

“So do you” She narrows her eyes “You spoil her too much”

“And vice versa” He leans down and whispers sole and blush

That is my cue to leave, because in just a few ross

I hurry out of the kitchen and up to e out of my pajamas I select a black tank top and a pair of cut offs then braida dab of eyeliner around ainst and rock out on ht ht on really quick

After the druuitar I turn on “Buried Myself Alive” by The Used and struers are nuoout the lyrics I stop when I’m hoarse and flop down on my bed to draw covers for the albums I have yet to create

Once h it’s one of s to do, I sometimes feel like I lack in the lyrical departsty, emotional, semi-twisted, and moves the soul Mine always see with tie I know my dad wrote some of his best lyrics in his late teen years, when he was pining over my mom He even told me once that the et Now, if I could just get those experiences like he said, life would be fantastic

I’h For theI have decent, pretty cool parents who support every drea to create et to do a lot of things I want to do, like go to concerts, art shows, meet semi-famous musicians I’ve spent a lot of ti artists record I have a lot of friends, granted none of them I would consider a best friend, but there are still occasions where I feel lonely

Bored Ordinary That’s what my life is And ordinary doesn’t make awesome music

Plus, even if I writer ever, I could never sing in front of anyone Just playing the guitar forisan instrument Much more real Exposes the soul soshit out of me, because I fear people won’t like what’s in me

By the ti over the city of San Diego, and the sky is shades of florescent pink and orange

“Lyric, it’s ti my notepad under my pillow

Sighing, I slip on my black boots and trot down the stairs

“How long of a drive does it have to be?” I ask her as I wander into the living roo our entire DVD collection onto the coffee table

Movie watching is an adoption day tradition We start off with dinner at the Gregory’s, where everyone gets reacquainted with each other Then we come over here to watch aroom

“I’athers lose strands of her red hair out of her face while she scans the roorey and blue paint in her hair and on her cheek, which means she’s been in her studio for ”

“Batteries You’ve been e them for like teeks” I chuck her the remote that I collect from the armrest

She catches it “Yeah, that’s it What would I do without you?”

“Probably lose your marbles”

She patsroom Minutes later, she returns with the remote and my dad in tow

“Everyone ready?” she asks as she tosses the reo”

“Do I really have to go this time?” I whisper tosunlight “It’s starting to get really old I et to see the newbie tomorrow And the day after that And the day after that”

My dad swings an arm around et it now, but one day you’ll see the importance”

I look up at him “In what?”

“In the family you have,” he says as we round the picket fence on the line of our property We hike up the Gregory’s driveway to their two-story home that is very similar to ours The only noticeable difference on the outside is the shade of the siding—white and grey “You’re really lucky to have every single one of us And you should really get to know the new kid He’s your age, and I’m sure he could use a friend with … soh You could be that friend for hiood”

I wonder what he means by stuff

“I know I’ to know hio with Mo and help out I give ie McMellford last year, despite the fact that no one was nice to her and she didn’t knoho Nirvana was until I let her listen to them”

“Really? She didn't knoho Nirvana was?”

I shrug “Unfortunately, a lot of kids don’t have an old man musician father who knows all the classics”

“Old man?” His brow arches “Ha, ha, you’re a riot, Lyric Scott”

I innocently grin at hi the truth”

He chuckles and I laugh with hiory’s enormous sedan rolls up the drive

I sigh asfor the scared little puppy dog All I find is what appears to be a guy craory clan I’m not one-hundred percent sure what he looks like, since I don’t have a clear view into the backseat, so I wait in anticipation until the sedan parks and the clan piles out

Normally, the newbie remains in the backseat, too afraid to leave the vehicle This one just hops right out and rounds the car toward us as if he doesn’t have a care in the world

He doesn’t look like the rest of them either Honestly, he kind of looks like Uncle Ethan in the pictures I’ve seen of hier Black hair, dark eyes, tall He’s dressed head-to-toe in black, wearing a … I squint to see if I’ a leather collar around his neck

I’m not sure what to make of this What it says about him At my school, the kids who dress like this are the rebellious trouble to be? Part of me is thrilled at the idea, while the other fears it

“Everyone, this is Ayden,” Aunt Lila introduces hiently places her hand on Ayden’s shoulder

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Ayden glances at her hand, and by the hardness in his eyes, I expect hiry with her, but he doesn’t utter a word

“And, Ayden, these are our neighbors, Micha and Ella Scott” Lila hter, Lyric”

S, I wave “Hi”

He doesn’t say hi back Doesn’t wave either He just stares at et a bit unco from his eyes It’s kind of hard to endure andbehind et scolded for being rude so I keepat the black nail polish

I listen to everyone yaer Ayden’s sad eyes reure out all of his secrets, his weirdo side, his shady past