You were just about to get up from the table when Aiden's phone buzzed as a text came through. Your nephew's poker face desperately needed work as you saw his expressions change in real-time, from confident back to scared then to apprehensive and finally to resolute. Aiden texted something, got a response then nodded to himself, looking pleased.
"Your friend's almost here, I take it?" you said, preparing to make yourself scarce.
All at once Aiden's face turned from pleased to frightened, as if he'd just been caught doing something wrong.
"Um, no, actually. It, uh, looks like she's not coming after all," Aiden said.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," you said.
Aiden shrugged, surprisingly unconcerned for someone who'd been so nervous minutes ago about his first date going well.
"On the plus side, I guess this means we can have that talk after all," you said.
Aiden's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly like a fish out of water. "Uh, no, sorry, I can't. Something's come up, actually. Group project."
"You... have a group project?" you said slowly. "That you're just remembering now?"
"No, uh, I'm, um, n-not just r-remembering it n-now. After my friend texted me, another friend texted me about the group project, so while one plan cleared up, another plan replaced it! See? I just forgot I had the second plan until my classmate reminded me!"
You blinked. "Is everything okay, Aiden?"
"Yeah, yeah, everything's fii-ine," he said, his voice getting more high-pitched the more he spoke, cracking on the last word. "It's just my classmates will get really mad if I ditch them, so I gotta go now. We'll do this another time. Sorry to make you come all this way for nothing!"
"You're not leaving on foot, are you?" you asked, worried because that was clearly your nephew's intention. "Why don't you wait with me and we'll split a Tiny Travels RC?"
"No, sorry, quicker if I walk," Aiden said, then winced at how obvious the lie was.
"Aiden," you said, trying to sound more authoritative. "Your mothers wouldn't want you going on foot. Especially not when you have a safer means of travel available. Don't you remember what happened to Aunt Ashley's dad?"
"Stop treating me like a little kid!" Aiden snapped, stomping his foot, ironically making himself look like a little kid. "I'm 21! I can take care of myself! I don't need everyone babying me all the time! Not my moms and not you! God, I thought you of all people would understand!"
"Aiden, wait!"
You rose to stop him but he pulled his arm out of your reach and practically sprinted down the walkway. You remained frozen in your half-sitting, half-standing position. You were shocked. You'd never seen Aiden act out that way before.
Were you really being that overprotective? After all, he was 21 and you knew what it was like to be smothered throughout your childhood. Your mother Lauren had been insanely overprotective for most of your early life, driving you absolutely crazy until you eventually exploded at her to stop babying you. Of course, that had ended up resulting in years of pain and heartache due to your mother's newfound blasé attitude towards your wellbeing, believing you could get out of dangerous situations on your own, or that you "didn't mind" being squished as a result of your independence.
I'm not my mother, you reminded yourself, annoyed at even making the comparison.
But I'm not Aiden, either, you conceded.
You knew your nephew's track record wasn't perfect. Like all affected, he'd been squashed in the past by oblivious women--your wife and daughters sadly among them--but he'd ended up alright. You had to remind yourself that not all tinies shared your seemingly supernatural bad luck. Maybe a walk really wouldn't be the end of the world for Aiden.
You were just about to resign yourself to heeding your nephew's wishes and giving him some space when you realized, in his hurry, Aiden had left his phone on the table. And it was open to his most recent text. Your respect for Aiden's privacy briefly warred with your concern for his wellbeing. Ultimately the latter won out and you read the text on his phone quickly before the screen went dark and you were locked out.
Aiden's crush was a girl named Honey. You hated that name. A knee-jerk reaction but it was the name of your least favorite character from your least favorite anime, the Supreme Super Size Sisters. You knew the name was just a coincidence but you still had to fight the feeling of irritation as you read the text.
"Hiii Aidy-baby!" Heart emoji. "I'm so sorry! I goofed!" Blushing, embarrassed emoji. "I was so totes stoked to see you that I fell and sprained my ankle." Frowning, bandaged head emoji. "My friend's picking me up but it'll be 20 mins. Will you please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease keep me company until she gets here?" Prayer emoji. "I'm only a block away! And I wanna finally meet you in person, Aidy-baby! Please?" Big, pleading, puppy-dog eyes emoji.
You saw Aiden's response and the rising dread in your gut reached its apex.
"I'm on my way, Honey!"
"YAAAY! THANKS, AIDY-BABY!"
A picture of an intersection showed her location and a wall of heart emojis followed.
"FUCK!" you shouted.
Putting Aiden's phone in your pocket, you sprinted down the walkway after your long gone nephew. This wasn't you being overprotective, this was your nephew being lured into a trap! The sprained ankle story was obviously bull and why else would this "Honey" want to meet him outside of one of the only affected safe spaces in Oakland?!
Evidently the best judgement of a hormonal 21-year-old college boy who never dated before wasn't as keen as you'd hoped.
*****
Aiden couldn't believe he'd forgotten his phone. Heck, he couldn't believe he'd lost his temper with Uncle Matt. He'd never snapped like that before... but he had a right to be mad! Honey was right. Everyone was always coddling him and they'd never respect him until he started standing up for himself. Still, losing his temper meant now he would have to go back for his phone and risk a lecture from his uncle.
But he'd only be doing that after he saw Honey. He'd waited long enough to meet her and nothing was going to stop him now. He'd already left the Holly Grounds and it's bouncer behind after making a turn at the corner. Another turn and he'd be right where Honey was waiting for him.
He turned.
He froze.
"Hiii, Aidy-baby!"
The woman standing before him used Honey's petname for him, but she wasn't Honey. Honey was a lithe, red-haired woman with a pretty face and round glasses.
The woman looming over him like a colossus had pale skin and short black hair. There was also absolutely nothing "lithe" about the woman in front of him, whose substantial excess weight went mostly to her large breasts, larger hips, and somehow-larger-still ass, with only a tiny bit contributing to her full stomach. The word overweight came to Aiden's mind, but quickly realized it didn't quite apply and instead sent up the word "thicc" to act in its place. She wore a black tube top that her chest was practically popping out of and a pair of black leggings so tight they looked painted on and black boots. She was drop dead gorgeous.
But she wasn't Honey. This was someone even the 99% virtual-schooled Aiden knew by reputation alone as pure evil. One of the biggest monsters and tiny torturers to ever walk Weston's campus, second only to Persephone Graham in depravity.
This was Ivy Green.
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