Brilliant Crazy Me

" Oh, come on, you have to stay,” I complain as my best friend gets up to leave. He doesn’t have to ask; he just sits on my bed.

" I’ll stay awhile, but I’d like to sleep tonight,” Oscar says with his award-winning smile. I remember when he got the Oscar for best actor.

It’s hard being in the limelight growing up. Not that it is all terrible, movie premieres and backstage passes to concerts are pretty lovely. However, the photographers follow your every move and don’t give you a chance to breathe. So, we stay at friends’ houses for weeks at a time to shake them. I don’t get why they follow me either, just because my mom dropped a new album.

" Kayden, I know you hate this life, but it’s been a while since you have even gotten out of the house. The sooner you face the press, the better it looks,” He tells me. It looks like he won’t let me out of this one.

" I stay in because when you’re mom drops an album with a song that features your dad and it’s steamy, and it’s her top single, you don’t wanna talk about it. I know it’s not about making me, but it’s close.”

Oscar laughs at this because he knows better than my quips. He knows I’m trying to play off my feelings. He has known me long enough to know that with jokes comes a deep part of myself that I cover-up.

When he finally stops laughing, he pulls me into a hug to tell me,” With great power comes great pain. I know for me it was in a movie where my parents did it for the camera.”

“Eww, stay away from me with that talk,” I tell him in fake disgust, ” You won an Oscar for that movie because it was so good. I’m not even going for a career in the arts, so stop complaining that you’re the best in you’re field.”

" Yes, I won an Oscar. My parents even named me for it, but I’m human too. I don’t wanna see my parents do it either, and it’s been a while since I’ve even tried to film anything.”

" I can’t go out there none the less. I’m mortified that the press would ask me my feelings on the song. Even if I’m with mom, I get asked questions.”

" So you stay in you’re house for six weeks instead. That’s so healthy for you. Do you really want to get away from this?”

" Yes! I do! Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

" Oh! You know I am! Let’s get out of town for a while.”

" Can we stay at your vacation home in Bali? I do love a good beach. I also wouldn’t mind a nice Bloody Mary on the beach.”

" It might be a while until that one is ready for us to go to. Sorry, babe. What about you’re parents’ house in Bruges?”

" We can stay there. I like that house better than the one in Bali anyway. What if we took off tomorrow evening? ”

“It might be a while before I’m ready to go. Like there is no hope for tomorrow if we don’t get sleep. You know it’s my second favorite pastime.”

" Ok, you can stay here, though, so you get to sleep faster. However, for me, I will be up for a while. So, I’ll go down to the pool.”

I know the more he stays here, the more he likes me. I know better than to kiss him goodnight too, but it doesn’t stop me. I kiss his forehead, and he smiles up at me as I grab my baby blue one piece and head for the pool.

I know I should’ve probably brought him down with me. But when mom sees it’s him in the bed instead of me, she will know I’m home. It’s not like I go anywhere other than his home.

I know that this is a friendship for me, but for him, it’s gonna be more. I’m sure, though, if he was ready for more, he would stop hooking up with models at clubs. He really doesn’t like it when I bring it up, though.

I lay beside the pool for a minute just to breathe in the saltwater smell. I know it helps with my sinuses. Then I hop in.

I know that here I can dream. When no one you live with uses the pool, it becomes your happy place. I let the cool water soothe my tense muscles.

It’s been a long time since I came out to the pool, always afraid I’m going to be swimming with a nut who broke into the estate to get a scoop for a magazine. However, the water makes me moan as the aches go away. I start to swim laps until I calm down.

It takes me a minute to realize that I’m not alone. I call out, ” Whose there? I have a weapon.”

" Ayy- ayy, it’s me. I knew you would probably come down to the pool tonight because your mom and I haven’t seen you outside of your room in a week,” My dad stares at me. I let out a sigh of relief.

" Frist off, don’t ayy- ayy me dad, not after I heard what was in that song. Second I knew better than to listen to that song when I saw you and mom were both on it. Third, why didn’t you too give me a heads up?”

“Oh! I thought you knew. I also didn’t want to have that talk with you.”

" I didn’t want to have the conversation either, but here we are. People from the press ask me questions, and I don’t wanna give it bad press, but I don’t wanna say ′I love how my parents talk about how they have an active sex life′ either. So, I’m going to Bruges with Oscar tomorrow.”

The smile on my dad’s face is unmistakable. It’s the first time in ages I’ve seen him smile like that. I’d say anything about the smile if I knew what to commit. We stay hugging for another few seconds, then we separate. He gives me a goodnight kiss on my head and goes up to his room. I get on the long twisty waterslide I have always loved since I was a kid. It’s been a long time since I felt this calm. It’s all cause I know he is ok too.

I like my life a lot better when my dad is around because he calms me down. It’s always better when you have a parent who gets you on your team.

I head back up to my room and head for the bathroom. I like to shower after I swim to get the salt off my tan skin and out of my blonde hair. I like how it makes me feel when I get out and into a towel from my towel heater. It makes me feel even better. When I finally get into bed, I realize it two in the morning. I’m going to be tired in the morning, but I get to go on vacation. I get to go with my best friend, who is even better. I whisper to him as I fall asleep, ” I can’t believe you fell asleep without me.”