Lessons of the Heart and the Liquid it Pumps ||

51: Pushed Down

Aiden quirked an eyebrow as I leaned with my back against the car door and my feet in his lap like I’d always done. I mimicked this movement which made him shake his head slowly. “You seem happy.” he finally pointed out as he turned the music on the radio down a little bit.

I nodded and flashed him a smile. “The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, women are dancing and children laughing!”

“It’s raining.” he said turning his eyes back to the road for a moment. “It’s Chicago. There are no birds that chirp in the winter. Not to mention it’s morning. The women who dance start later in the day.” he waggled his eyebrows at me and I rolled my eyes in response.

“And the children?”

“Only laughing because they’ve just pushed someone down.”

I leaned forward suddenly and tussled his hair with my hand causing him too look at me as though I were an alien. “Oh my little pessimistic Aiden, you do entertain me so.”

I was simply bursting with not happiness….but nervousness. I’d be seeing Collin today. In just fifteen minutes I’d be sitting before him in my desk and listening to him teach. My body told me to relax but I simply couldn’t. I knew that while I sat and called him Mr.Marrs I’d be secretly whispering Collin in my mind. Energy was just flowing through me and I needed some sort of outlet. So far my smiles seemed to release a bit of the energy so I kept them coming.

“What are you on?” he asked eying me carefully. “Did you take something this morning? Isa are you some sort of druggie?”

“Why yes, I’m high on-“

“If you say ‘life’ I swear to god all mighty I will toss you out the car into oncoming traffic.” he cut me off with eyes narrowed.

He knew me all to well, I had been about to say life. So instead I let out a dramatic sigh and closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Fine then.”

“Isa you’ve gone bonkers.”

I took in his words then nodded in agreement; if only he knew how truly insane I was! My body flowed and tingled with power as my nerves twisted and jumped. I’d be seeing him. As though calling to me I unzipped my backpack and drew out Collin’s jacket. Aiden watched but didn’t say anything. Perhaps it would be a better idea not to wear Castin’s jacket today, even though I had become used to it. I played with the edge of the worn leather of the jacket.

Finally, reaching a decision, I took off the jacket and slipped on Collin’s instead. If I was right and Castin was the reason he was jealous than this would soothe his nerves in the slightest. How he could think I saw Castin as anything but an outlet I was unsure but I wasn’t going to dwell on it. After all, I was jealous of every girl on the planet who’d ever gotten to meet him….dead or alive.

As I tucked Castin’s jacket into my backpack I noticed Aiden nod in satisfaction. “Hey Aiden?” he looked to me and I asked, “Why don’t you like Castin?”

As if flipping a switch his eyes narrowed and he turned his eyes back to the road. “Because he’s a waste of space. Not graduating? Smoking? Skipping school?” he asked and shot his gaze to me. “You’ve known him all of what… like two weeks? He’s already landed you in detention.”