The Breaking ➝ Isaac Lahey

Chapter Eighty

"I'll come knocking. You know I will."

At his softened words, Aspen caught his glance. The intensity shot a jolt through her whole body, and she shook her head to hide her smile. "Whatever," she murmured.

Erica and Boyde dashed from the car before Aspen pulled into a parking spot. She scolded them for not waiting till she came to a complete stop, but the two were suffocating in chemosignals.

Aspen stepped out of the car, the sun blinding her almost immediately. She felt her blood pounding in her ear, and she wasn't sure if her headache was urging her to eat—the flood of students making their way inside blurred into waves of color and loud chatter.

Only when Isaac slid his hand on her shoulder did she blink away her unfocus. "You alright in there?" Isaac asked, eyes searching her own, noticing the blackness of her pupils nearly taking over her whole eyes.

Aspen's lips parted to offer a reply, but no words could form to make him understand what had happened. She was sure it was the lack of sleep catching up to her. "Yeah, fine. I'm good," she assured with a fleeting smile, her hand coming to lay over his arm that was still on her shoulder. His thumb pressed another collarbone, hoping she was alert.

"You sure?"

Aspen shrugged off his concern and shoulders her bag. "Yeah, It's probably the training catching up to me."

Isaac's chest vibrated with a silent laugh as he began walking toward the entrance. Aspen had to skip slightly to catch up with him. She hasn't felt comfort like this in a while. The giddiness she would feel when she would walk alongside Isaac in the halls. It was always just them with no one to mind. But as Aspen's eyes danced across the hall they now trekked, she saw a few girls from her history class throwing glances her way--no. Not her. To Isaac. What they saw now was what she had seen in him from the beginning. Now he walked with his head held up tall, his muscled body filling in his sweater, and the smile he offered to people in passing was simply charming.

Aspen suddenly felt small near him and awkwardly kept her hands close to her.

"I wouldn't worry too much about the training. You did well today." Isaac said, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"So being thrown by Derek is an improvement?"

"I think the fact that you haven't lost it is what he calls improvement."

Aspen cracked a smile as they approached her locker. As her hand trailed to her shoulder to pull her bag from her shoulder, Isaac's hand was grabbing the strap already. "What're you doing--" she mumbled, watching as Isaac grabbed her bag and zipped it open for her, holding up open.

"You should keep weight off your arms," he answered, his tone matching his soft gaze. The drop of his eyes to her arm was enough to indicate what he spoke of.

Aspen avoided his cerulean entrapment of beauty and lust, resorting to pulling her book out from the bag Isaac was holding open. She could practically feel girls glimpsing their way. The gesture Isaac was performing was nothing short of what a boyfriend would do. "I swore they would have healed by now," Aspen said lowly, her forehead creasing as she swapped out books for her first class. "and I don't wanna bother Deaton with all this. Can't go to Mina because I'm pretty sure she would attempt to drown me, and my grandfather isn't answering his phone. Did he forget who I am? Probably. Now I've gone to Derek Hale, the egotistical alphahole who thinks throwing me around is helpful. So now I'm resorting to wearing long sleeves, so people don't think I'm decaying." Aspen punctuated her aggravated ramble with the slam of her locker, making a few peers jump.

Isaac offered the people she scared an apologetic nod before leaning his weight on the lockers, craning his head down to be eye level with Aspen.

"Hey, fight club." he mused with a small, alluring smile.