April's POV
I grinned at my vintage blue car, patting its bonnet before jumping inside, dusting down the surfaces as I got in. It could break down any minute, but this car had been with me since I had come to America, and it was sold cheap, hence it being in bad shape.
Once I reached school, I jogged over to my locker, sighing as I glanced around me. Even the sight of Miss Rosalinda, my Spanish teacher from the darkest abysses of hell, was a pleasing sight. I never thought I would survive the kidnapping - I was certain I would be dead. Or worse.
Kayla's blonde curls came into my peripheral vision, but she was moving so quickly I barely recognized her. She was probably going to cheer practice. Nina was probably in the canteen but I wanted to be in class on time, so I decided to go straight to Maths before the bell.
After 5 minutes, students began milling in, chatting to their friends about their weekend and messing around whilst I waited patiently for the torture to begin. I smiled at some people and made idle small talk, but in the end, I resorted to looking out of the window. My I hate everyone and everything attitude was coming back to me as more and more people filled the room. Once we were all sat and the atmosphere had finally lulled to a dull hum of normalcy, there was an interruption at the door.
"Sorry I'm late Miss. I got lost - I'm new here."
My head jerked up at that voice. Aiden grinned sheepishly at Miss Harp. My mouth dropped open. What the hell is happening? She instructed him to sit anywhere and Aiden looked up and caught my eye, winking. He started taking slow steps towards the only empty seat in class - next to me.
My breathing became jagged and I shoved my bag up more prominently to look bigger in the adjacent seat to stop the advancing Aiden. He reached my table and cocked an eyebrow. Miss Harp and the class were looking at me expectantly, so I hesitantly moved my bag, allowing him to sit.
Did he follow me here? My horror soon turned to curiousness and I glared at Aiden from the corner of my eye.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I told you, I'm here to make your life hell. And to make sure you stick to the deal. Remember?" He whispered back. Several people were staring at the new edition to the class, and I, as a result was also being stared at for talking to the new edition. I tried to concentrate on the lesson, but Aiden was distracting.
"How?" I muttered through gritted teeth.
"It was easy. I'm a new student - Falls High School don't do very good background checks. To them, I'm simply a student who fell behind in his studies when he traveled the world with his parents at 17. Finding you was a piece of cake - you don't hide very well."
I scoffed. I was not going to talk to Aiden or give him anything to be happy about - meaning my misery. Miss Harp has set us some questions and Aiden had leaned back in his chair.
He kept prodding me and poking me, asking me what I thought the answer was, but truthfully, I couldn't even work out the first question. Maths was too hard and it was even worse having to concentrate when Aiden was here. He then proceeded to mess up my perfectly arranged pencil case. In the end, I stomped on his foot and swore at him, giving him the most hateful glare I could muster.
"Hey, April? Miss Hart said you have to show me around - after all you are my girlfriend now." Aiden smirked, knowing he'd gauge a reaction out of me.
"There is no way in hell I'm showing you around. If you're clever enough to fool the school into enrolling, you're clever enough to find your way around."
He made a cooing noise. "I'm clever? That's so sweet, April."
"Yeah, you're clever. But not at the right things." I snapped, giving a pointed look at his empty maths sheet.
He raised both eyebrows at me, acknowledging my point and then his expression sobered as he stared down at his sheet again. If I looked carefully, I could almost see the cogs in his brain setting into motion as his eyes skimmed over the questions easily, not pausing.
As for me, I was still staring at my blank sheet 10 minutes later after the bell had gone. Maths was too damn hard.
"Why didn't you do the work? You're supposed to be a nerd." Aiden said, furrowing his eyebrows as he assessed me. "And, you have to take me to my next lesson."
I grunted and carried on walking, ignoring his comment. "I'm not a nerd. And maths sucks."
"Come on then Cruella, show me where my next class is," Aiden teased.
"Don't call me that."
"Call you what?" He feigned innocence.
"Cruella." I yelled, my forehead scrunched in worry - did I really remind him of Cruella frickin' Deville? The woman who hurts puppies?
"But you are - haven't you looked in the mirror lately?"
"No, because you broke it," I shot back.
"I broke it on purpose so that when you did, you wouldn't faint."
"I am only a fool if I argue with one," I said wisely, trying to stare haughtily at Aiden, but the phrase had clearly confused him because his eyebrows were raised pointedly at me, as though that was the worst piece of advice anyone had ever given him.
I groaned in frustration and asked to see his timetable. Pointing him out to his next lesson, I rushed off to my next lesson, grumbling under my breath about how I was going to kill him the next time I saw him.
By the time lunch came, I happily speed walked to the canteen. I had managed to avoid Aiden's insults and showing him around all day which I was pretty proud of. I'm sure the new suspicious mane of red hair that popped up in the corridor was Emma, and the deep chuckles floating out of classrooms were Diego. I shook myself off - they can't have all joined school, right? Aren't they too old?
I spotted Nina from a distance, laughing, tucking her hair behind her ear shyly as she sat down on a table with.... Oh my god. Aiden and the gang. I was frozen to the spot. I guess they all really did join the school - they are taking over my life, my sanity, my freedom... My damn school. I turned away, my eyes burning. How the hell did they take over school in just one day? There was no way I was going to that table. I would rather die, I thought dramatically.
Daniel momentarily looked up, catching my eye and he instantly beamed, his electric blue eyes alight as he beckoned for me to come over. I turned on my heel, not smiling back and stormed out of the canteen as un-dramatically as possible.
Instead, I retreated to the library. This was my haven. Aiden would never step foot into the library, so I could finally have some time to think, process and plan. Nina and Kayla were probably ecstatic that they had made all of these nice, new friends, but I knew exactly what was really going on and I would distance them from Aiden. Would my kidnappers really know if I reported them to the police? Or if I told Kay and Nina? A disturbance in the corner of my eye caught my attention.
"Diego," I breathed in surprise.
"Hey April." He bated his breath. "Listen, April. I'm so sorry," Diego began, biting down on his lip, "We needed to keep an eye on you, which is why we came here. You made a deal - you have to stick to it till the end."
"Did Aiden send you?" I deadpanned.
"No. And I know that you have every right to be angry, I know that. I just wanted to say... on behalf of all of us, we're sorry." He replied anxiously.
I wasn't sure how to reply to his niceness. After a while, I heard Diego's footsteps walking away. I quickly stopped him. "Diego wait! Thank you... For the apology. I appreciate it - but it's not you that needs to apologize, it's that dickhead Aiden."
"I know Aiden's not the nicest to be around, April. But don't judge him so quickly. Give him a chance - he might surprise you."
"I don't want to be surprised." I admitted. "And I shouldn't have to give him a chance - he didn't give me a chance when he kidnapped me. It's traumatizing. It's seriously messed up." My voice cracked a little at the end and I cursed myself for it.
Diego sighed, running his hand through his hair again and again. "I am sorry. We're sorry."
"You know, it would mean more if the person who was responsible said it. And meant it. And maybe left me alone whilst he was at it."
"April -"
I cut him off. "Diego, stop apologizing. I appreciate it, but this has gone too far. Now, you guys have intruded my school life, my home life, my friends. How much freedom do I have left?"
Diego hung his head in shame. He fell silent, words trapped in his throat. He could only send me one last apologetic look before turning on his heel and leaving.
The rest of the day went by in a blur and finally the end of school arrived. I nearly ran to my car, struggling to open the door quickly enough. I spotted Nina coming my way and I instantly tried to get into the car more quickly to avoid her. But she'd already reached me. She smiled warmly at me, leaning against the car so I couldn't get away.
"Ap, we haven't seen you all day. Where have you been?" She asked, frowning at my frantic behaviour. Aiden was nowhere to be seen - yet.
"I was just busy with school, you know... maths and work and the library and stuff..."
"Hmm-hmm," she said apprehensively. "Well, we're going to the cafe now, if you want to come?" Nina said hopefully, straightening up and grabbing my hands.
"We?"
"Aiden and his friends. They're new to the school so we thought we'd hang with them and introduce them to everyone."
"As if!" I replied incredulously, shaking my head. I yanked the car door open. Nina was shaking her head at me in disbelief.
"April, if you never get out, you'll never step out of your comfort zone. Aiden was telling me how you snapped at him today - Diego too! What's been wrong with you lately?"
My mouth hung open. I was lost for words. Why would they tell Nina that? I fell silent, shaking my head at Nina, silently telling her: I'm not going. "I'm sorry Nina, I don't want to go. I'm way too busy and I don't want to spend time with them." I replied honestly.
And so I left her and went home, my heart hammering against my ribcage. But even at home, I wasn't left alone because the doorbell rang once, twice, thrice. I frowned. I wasn't expecting anyone, and my room mates were all at work still. I slid over to the peep hole, looking through it. Oh crap. It was Aiden.
"April, open up, I know you're in there." Aiden sung playfully.
"N-no," my voice shook. I turned up the volume of the TV. There was no way I was letting him in.
"Let me in or I'll break the door down - you know I will if I wanted to," he threatened. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. He really needed to work on his intimidation game. I opened it slightly and peered out at him. He glared, pushing the door open all the way, pouting as he did so. He was about to step in, but I side stepped him and looked at him expectantly.
"You're not coming in here with a cigarette Aiden," I said pointedly. He sighed angrily and ran his hand through his hair and threw him cigarette down and crushed it with his foot, causing a small burn mark on the carpet.
A few moments of silence. "What are you doing here?"
"Nina told you to come to the cafe and you refused. Why? Well, because you're sad , but the only way this" he gestured to us, "is going to work is if you come out in public and socialize."
"Don't tell me what to do."
"Actually, I can," he pointed out.
"Well I don't want to go. And you can't make me."
I immediately regretted saying those words. Aiden sighed tiredly, as though he had predicted I would say that and rose to his full height. I was currently curled up on the sofa, looking up at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then, without warning he flung me over his shoulder and walked over to the first bedroom with an open door, which just so happened to be my own. I cried out and kicked and punched him and even tried pulling his hair, but then I felt bad, because hair is a really sensitive part of someone and I would hate someone pulling my own.
He dumped me down on the bed and chewed his lower lip as he debated what to do. He looked so out of place in my poster ridden, neat/messy room. My desk was littered with books and tickets, my walls were a pristine white and covered with pictures and my perfectly aligned pillows had now been ruined.
"Get out you creep!"
"Get changed. We're going." He commanded. He finally relented at my expression. "Please?"
"Please? You actually said please."
"Shut up April."
"Wow! Aiden the jerkface learned manners. It's amazing what a day of school can do for you, ladies and gentlemen."
He looked beyond unimpressed. Instead, he crossed both arms over one another, leaning back into the wall. I could see the bottom of a tattoo peeking out from his t-shirt, which had ridden up every so slightly as he stretched.
"You have to leave if I'm going to get changed." I pointed out.
"Hmm-hmm." His eyes followed my body and I froze, the hairs rising on the nape of my neck. "I don't mind staying, you know," he trailed off, crossing one leg over the other as he smirked and watched me squirm.
"Aiden, get out!"
"What's the magic word?" He pricked an ear.
"Jerkface? Twat?" These just earned me a glare. I finally relented this time, rolling my eyes as I muttered out, "please."
He grinned at me. "See? It pays to be nice, doesn't it Cruella?"
"Shut up."