FRESHMAN, cayden collins

CAYDEN CHARLES COLLINS

Cayden's parents were the type of people who really should have never ever been parents. They were young, dumb and a broken condom during a drunken one night stand was all that was needed for a complete disaster to ensue. Neither one of them was ready to give up their lives of partying and being young for a child but they weren’t left with much of a choice but to grow up. Unfortunately, they didn’t know how to grow up. His mother kept partying and drinking, unable to break her addiction from the bottle for nine months, and his father couldn’t seem to keep his job for more than a few months as most. Needless to say, it was a bit of a rocky beginning for Cayden.

Once he was born, it didn’t get much better. As very reluctant first time parents, they hardly had a clue about what to do and even if they did they would constantly fight about who was responsible for taking care of the kid. Add in money troubles, the mother’s addiction and other petty disagreements being blown out of proportion and it didn’t take the two long to split it off. His mother ended up taking custody of him, losing the contest of who wanted Cayden less. Only about two at the time, Cayden doesn’t have many memories of what happened and his father who he never saw again.

Things only got rockier with his father gone. His mother started going out more, leaving him with a neglectful babysitter and came home drunk, bringing home strange men. At the time, the boy didn’t realize this type of behavior was out of the ordinary. He wouldn’t realize that being left with a chain smoking babysitter who put out his cigarettes on his skin and a mother who would constantly scream at him and beat him when she wasn’t out drinking wasn’t normal until he started kindergarten.

Quiet as he was, the boy was able to make a few good friends. Another boy and two girls who would sit with him at lunch and play with him at recess. He went on play dates to their houses and eventually they suggested that Cayden’s house be added to the rotation. They wanted to see his toys and play in his yard and have his mom make them snacks. The boy didn’t see a problem with it, and brought it up to his mom, telling her he wanted to bring friends over during the weekend. Something he said must have struck the wrong chord within her. Whether it was fear or outrage or both, Cayden really wasn’t sure but he was sure it was the wrong thing.

He was slapped around into the next day and woke up to his mother on the phone with the school, asking if she knew that Cayden wasn’t at school and answering why by saying he was sick and not so beat up that even if he had woken up early enough to go to school that he would have been in too much pain to sit through seven hours of classes. Cayden questioned why she didn’t just tell the truth. She always said she hated him for ruining her life and maybe if she told the truth he would have gotten taken away from the hell hole he called home. She never wanted to be labeled as a bad person or mother so she constantly lied and excused her actions. She had something to prove to herself, her parents, her ex and to the world. She could be worth something. Unfortunately, Cayden’s mother never realized just how destructive she could be in trying to achieve that goal.

So it continued. For years. Cayden had no power to fight her, nor did he feel right in doing so. He never wanted to cry out for help, knowing if he did it would break her. He didn’t have much in his life and his mother was one of the few things he could cling to, so he did even though she constantly hurt him. So terrified of what could happen otherwise, he simply swallowed his pride and took the abuse. He lost many friends this way. Constantly being out of school and otherwise being so distant that others could never seem to reach him. His heart broke when he saw the people he once called friends drift off and start to hang out with other people. But how could he blame them? A coward like him was someone no one wanted to be around.

Things changed before Cayden could stop them. He wasn’t happy in life, but he was comfortable. It started out just like any other night, his drunk mother causing terror and him in a corner trying to avoid blows. But her hits became weaker and weaker. She looked confused and shaken, and her skin started to turn an alarming shade of white before she passed out and stopped breathing. Time slowed down as the boy comprehended the situation. He remembered calling 911 and shakily answering the questions from the operator on the other end but much past that was a huge lapse in his memory.

Alcohol poisoning. She didn’t die but things started turning around after that. His grandmother was contacted, and after much fighting and tears and nasty words were thrown around, eventually she ended up with custody of Cayden. In the end though, his mother didn’t seem as bothered as he would have wished. When he moved away, everything was different. He would go home to a clean, well organized house every day. He would eat dinner at the table with his grandparents he had never met before the incident. They took him in and cared for him and loved him like he was their own. Even though it was different and weird, Cayden slowly started to get used to it. Comfortable again, even. At least for a little bit. When it came time to send him off the high school his grandmother, who only wanted the best for him, wanted to send him to Regency Academy. She insisted he’d love it but Cayden was hesitant.

Not wanting to argue, Cayden agreed. Unfortunately, he all but failed out his first year. He ended up being held back and is still a freshman at the academy. He insists the work is too rigorous, but his grandmother insisted he could do it and that his mother would be proud of him. Instead Cayden just felt like regency was an excuse to dump him off away from her. Just another person who didn’t want him. Cayden’s sole goal is now to finish high school. It doesn’t have to be pretty but he just wants to get through.


Cayden's mothers drinking during pregnancy caused a multitude of different ill effects on the boy. His growth was stunted and he only stands at 5'0'', he can't seem to put on weight no matter what he eats, poor coordination, heart problems that prevent him from playing rigorous sports and a number of behavioral problems such as ADHD, learning and memory problems and poor reasoning skills.

I'll add more as I think of things.