AIDEN KNOWS ABOUT SATAN, about how crazy his ex-girlfriend is. Of course, when I asked how he found out, he said Jeremy told him.
“I’m not that crazy,” I say as I sit in Aiden’s truck, his eyes shifting from me to the road. He smiles.
“Yes, you are,” he says, “Just not too crazy.”
I glare at him. “You know what I mean.”
“Exactly, which is why I said you weren’t.”
He turns into Satan’s parking lot, and I wonder why he offered to take me.
Better than a ride from Mark, though.
I reach for the door handle, but Aiden passes my normal drop-off spot. I look up at him as he turns, parks in one of the spaces
“What?” he asks.
“You’re going to walk me in?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
I look at him, a smile stretching across my face without my permission. He glares at me.
“Uh… are you okay?” he asks. I laugh, nod as I open the door, step out of the truck. He follows me around to the passenger side, stares at me as we walk through the front doors.
“I’m fine,” I say, “It’s just that Mark never comes in with me.”
“So, I’m supposed to be Mark now?”
“No, it’s just weird that you wouldn’t just drop me off.”
We walk into the elevator, and I press two, wait. Aiden laughs.
“How’s it weird if it’s obvious. He’s a dick and I’m not.”
The doors open and we walk toward Satan’s door, step into the bright lobby. Aiden blinks as I walk up to the assistant’s desk.
“Jane will be ready in five minutes,” she says. I nod, turn toward the chairs. Aiden is sitting in the one closest to the door. I sit next to him, shift uncomfortably. I’ve always hated sitting in this lobby, how hard the chairs are, how bright the room is.
It makes me sick.
“How long does this normally take?” Aiden asks, watching me. I try to keep myself from looking at him by leaning my head against the wall, closing my eyes.
“About forty-five minutes. Why?”
“Because I’ve gotta know how long I have to wait here… and Ethan needs us by three, so—”
I sit up, stare at him. “Wait, you’re staying here?”
“Listen, Emma. I’m not an asshole, nor a jackass, nor whatever you call Mark, so yes. I’m staying here until you come out. Is that alright with you?”
My eyes stick to him as I nod, my jaw slightly dropped.
“Emma,” Satan says as she appears out of the door. I look up at her, her eyes shifting between Aiden and me.
“Hi,” she continues as she walks toward him, “Jane Shepherd.”
“Aiden Carter,” he responds, shaking her hand. My lip twitches.
“So, are you related to Emma?”
“Mm… You could say that.” Aiden and I smile at each other. Satan is quiet, and she turns away, leads me back into her office, into that same loveseat across from her desk.
“He seems charming,” she says as she closes the door.
What’s your point?
I’m quiet as I watch her walk toward her desk, pull her clipboard out from the top drawer.
“So,” she says as she starts writing, “How has everything been?”
“Fine,” I say as I focus on the thread hanging from my shorts. Satan starts writing again, same word every time. Too bad Mark isn’t going to be here to hear about it.
“Who is the boy outside?”
I shrug, smile. “Just someone I’ve known for a long time.”
“Ah. You see him often?”
“Yeah, during the summer. What does he have to do with this?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. It seems to me as though you’re using him for substitution.”
I stare at her, confused. She looks as crazy as she always does, the same sneer, same stone eyes.
“What?”
“Mark told me about him. He thinks he’s one of the causes of your depression.”
Anger’s flying though me, is taking over. How dare Mark say something like that?
“What? How does he figure that?”
“Well, you started cutting around the time you separated. And he feels as though you went to live with your grandfather because of it.”
“Well, it’s not. Mark doesn’t know anything about him, and neither do you.”
“Well, yes, but I would like to know more about him. Why did you break up?”
Why the fuck do I have to answer that?
“It has nothing to do with why I’m coming here, so I don’t think it’s any of your business.”
“Mm… Fair enough, but it does seem to me that you are in denial.”
I look at the clock on our desk. We’ve been talking for ten minutes now, twenty more of listening to this bullshit. I sit back, figure I might as well get used to this.
“I’m not in denial. I was the one who broke it off with him, or did Mark forget to tell you that?”
She glares at me, her pen gliding across the clipboard.
Twenty-nine minutes.
<><><>
I walk out with a cold look on my face, and Aiden notices. I don’t bother to talk to Tracy about coming in next week. It’s Mark’s job, and frankly, I don’t really want to deal with Satan anymore.
Aiden follows me into the elevator.
“Everything okay?” he asks as the doors close. I sigh as I press the ground floor button, wait silently.
“She’s a bitch,” I say, “That’s all.”
“Wow. What’d she say.”
“Nothing important. Why’d you stay so long, anyway?”
“Well, why would I drive you here and not take you home?”
“Point proven.”
He hesitates as the doors open and we walk through the building entrance.
“Besides,” he continues, “I have somewhere to take you.”
He walks toward the passenger side door of his truck, opens it for me. I grin.
“Where is that?” I ask.
“You’ll see.”
“Who’ll be there?”
“Everyone. Anna, Blake, Jeremy… Well, yeah, everyone.”
I frown as I climb into the truck. I guess if everyone else is there, Jeremy wouldn’t be so bad.
I just really hope I won’t have to go home anytime soon.