Edited
"Watcha readin'?" Aiden asked, slamming his backpack down on the wooden picnic table as I jumped in surprise, nearly peeing myself.
Since fifth period was my study hall—and for the first time in my life I didn't have any other homework to do—I decided I'd go outside to the courtyard and start reading. The courtyard was in front of the cafeteria windows but stretching all the way around school. There were picnic tables set out around the entirety of campus and despite the chilling temperatures, I liked to come out here because it was quiet and the scenery was beautiful. From here, you could see the football field in the distance, along with the soccer field and forest that bordered it. As it was now early November, the leaves were starting to turn their beautiful shades of red and orange, while others were beginning to float to the ground, covering it in a brown, crispy blanket. In fact, this time of year you could always see the fields covered in an abundance of dead leaves. The only time the fields were clear of leaves was when there was an upcoming game or practice. Unfortunately, though, our football team isn't the best around. At South Riverside, the most popular sports have always been basketball and soccer.
I looked up at Aiden, answering his earlier question. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,"
"You like Harry Potter?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at me.
What kind of a question is that?! Of course, I do! Who doesn't?! I've read the series so many times I can't even count it on my fingers, but the best thing about them is that each time I read it, I learn something new that I missed the last time, whether it be a small detail or a hidden symbol. The plot of the story is so intricately woven together, and so detailed that it's like trying to piece together a puzzle blind folded. It's so interesting.
"Of course!" I cried, shutting my book. "It's only the most epic book series ever written! I've read the whole series at least ten times."
Aiden winced, looking at me as though I were a stray puppy. "You've got issues."
I glared at him. "Says the one who's eating Go-Gurt right now." I gestured to the tube of Go-Gurt in his hand.
"What?!" he cried, slurping it out of the packet. "My cousin left them in my fridge when he came over a few days ago! And they're actually not that bad." he took another slurp of the packet, before leaning backwards and reading the ingredients on the label, shrugging his shoulders.
I placed my hand over my mouth giggling. Not for a second did I believe that story. It was like that one time Aiden gave me the scout's honor and told me that he learned it from when his dad was a boy scout. I totally don't buy it. I could just imagine a ten-year old Aiden running around with all his little badges, carrying Go-Gurt in his lunchbox. I wanted to die of laughter at that thought, but I held it in.
"You're such a kid," I giggled.
"Hey! I'm eighteen, mind you, I'll be nineteen on December seventh."
"You'll be nineteen?" I furrowed my eyebrows.
He nodded. "Yeah, my mom put me in school late."
It had never occurred to me of the age difference between us. Even though it was only going to be two years, it still felt strange. In the eyes of the law, Aiden was an adult, but I was still considered a child. It's strange to think about.
"Hey, so, uh... you coming to the game?" Aiden asked, wiggling his eyebrows before a grin broke out on his face.
I assumed he was referring to the legendary South Riverside versus North Riverside basketball game that was taking place today. South and North Riverside have been rivals since the day that both schools were built. There's lots of rumors as to why, but no one really knows the real reason. I've always just assumed it's because we're cross-town rivals and our schools practically have the same name, but I guess there's a deeper reason that no one knows about.
The school pep club has been prepping for this game for the last two weeks. They've been selling t-shirts, airhorns, pom-poms, mega horns, and a multitude of other objects. They'd even decked out the entire school with posters that had all the players faces blown up on them. I remember walking to AP bio yesterday and running into a lovely poster of Aiden's face right next to Mrs. Earnshaw's desk. The smirk was spot on and when I saw it, I swear I almost peed my pants laughing.
There's no doubt that tomorrow's game is going to have a huge student section, as well as a huge turnout from the entire town. The word has been spread to everyone that the theme for the game is a white-out, so I guess that means I'll have to dig through my closet to find a white school tee.
"You're going to get to play, right?" I asked, looking up at Aiden
He smirked, the corners of his lips turning up. "What kind of a question is that?"
I bowed my head, looking at my lap, trying to contain the smile that wanted to spread across my face at those words. "I'll be there," I said.
"So, you're not going to be there until late?" I asked Autumn, holding my phone to my ear as I rummaged through my closet.
For the past hour, I've been trying to decide what an appropriate outfit would be to wear to the basketball game, but the thing I can't figure out is why I'm so worried about it. Normally, I'd just throw on a pair of Nike sweatpants and my white school t-shirt, but for some reason my brain was telling me not to wear that. For some reason, my brain was itching my hand to go into the untouched collection of my closet, or rather, I should call it the "only worn once" collection. Autumn always gets mad at me because she looks though my closet and finds all these cute clothes, yet she always sees me wearing tank tops and running shorts.
"I have to run a few errands, so I won't be there early." Autumn explained and I could hear ruffling on the other end of the line.
She must be trying to figure out what to wear too.
"But Aiden said that if we don't get there early, there won't be any good seats."
I pulled a pair of jeans out of my closet and stared at them. They were an old pair of navy skinny jeans I'd gotten shopping with Autumn a while ago. My lips twisted in frustration as I pondered whether I should wear them or not. I remember how snuggly they had always fit me.
"Just save me a seat. Plus, I'm pretty sure Riley's gonna be there, so you can sit with her."
I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "What are you wearing? Because I have no clue what to wear." I huffed as sat on the edge of my bed, staring into my never-ending closet. How can there be so much clothes in there, yet I still can't figure out what to wear?
"Oh my god! Are you actually going to wear something other than sweatpants?!" she squealed and I could practically picture her doing a happy dance behind the phone.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm about to reconsider—"
"No! No! No!" she cried. "Go to your closet."
I sighed, getting up and standing in front of it. "Okay?"
"Now," she instructed, "go all the way to the very far right. There's a pair of navy skinny jeans in the back..."
Only as she began describing them to me I realized that they were the very same pair I had been eyeing not moments ago. I turned around, staring at them as they laid there on my bed, willing me to put them on.
"What's so special about that pair?" I asked, holding the phone to my ear as I continued to stare at them.
She huffed as if she was getting ready to name off a long list of reasons. "First, they make your butt look killer!" she said. "Second, they show off your super muscly, sexy legs," I made a what? face into the phone when I heard her say sexy, "and third... they're skinny jeans."
"Okay...?"
"You have so much to learn." I heard her mutter, before she continued. "Now, roll the ends of your pants up to make them look like capris, so you can show off some ankle—!"
Is showing off your ankle supposed to make people think you're hot now?
"—then pair it with your grey, Nike Roches, and where your white school tee. And put some mascara on! Trust me, you'll thank me later."
"Okay," I whispered, a bit unsure of myself.
I did exactly as Autumn had instructed me, and even put some mascara on while I was at it and I have to admit... that girl really knows her stuff. I stood in front of the mirror, amazed at the fact that I had not only fit into the jeans, but that they also really did make my legs and butt look great. While that normally wouldn't have really mattered to me much, for some reason, today, it did. So, when I stood in front of my full-length mirror, twisting and turning to look at my reflection I couldn't help but smile.
I actually looked... good. And I felt great. I honestly couldn't help the smile that was spreading across my face. Is this what it feels like to be confident? Because if it is, then I'm really starting to like it.
There was a permanent smile on my face the entire time that I was driving towards the school. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get rid of it. So, when I pulled up at the back, gym entrance of the school, I wasn't surprised to see that there weren't many cars here. The first one that caught my eye, was Aiden's car, parked far away where no others cars could hit it, and beside it were Blake and Carter's As I climbed out of the car, I saw the yellow school bus marked with the Columbia County Schools sticker in bold white lettering, indicating that North Riverside had already arrived. The game wasn't set to start for another forty-five minutes, but all teams usually get here an hour early because of warmups and locker room talks.
I walked in, paid for my ticket, and headed into the gym, which was decked out more than usual. Banners of all the senior players had been made and were hanging just to the left of the backboard and as my eyes skimmed them over I immediately recognized Aiden's. I couldn't help but shake my head as I looked at it. He was hanging off the basketball rim with one hand, smirking at the entire world. It couldn't have described him any better.
He was always smirking at the world. Always.
The rest of the gym was as usual. Level one and two bleachers had been pulled out since the school was expecting a full crowd tonight and there were signs up labeling each section. One was labeled Student Section, another labeled Eagle Section, and the last was supposed to be labeled Visitors, but instead, someone had crossed it out and written Traitors in its place. I simply shook my head, before gazing out at the rest of the gym. I searched the crowd for a familiar face, before I caught sight of Riley, waving her hands frantically to get my attention. She had traded in her usual, somewhat punk-chick look, for a casual school spirit look. She wore black leggings, her white school tee, a black and white bandana, and her black converse. I must say, she pulled off the look quite well.
She smiled, gesturing up and down my outfit. "Hey! Cute look!"
"I had help," I confessed, shrugging my shoulders, but trying to keep the smile from crossing my face.
"Autumn?" she asked.
I nodded.
"I swear," Riley laughed, "that girl has a future as a fashion designer."
"I agree." I smiled, looking around for the boys, but there were no boys in site. The entire basketball court was empty. "So, where are the boys at?"
"Oh, locker room. They're getting in uniform."
I nodded, before looking over to see the boys exiting the locker room, decked out in their navy and orange, home jerseys. They filed out one after the other as my eyes skimmed them all over, waiting patiently to see Aiden's smirking face. I wanted to wave and talk to him, but as the last player filed out of the locker room, I realized that Aiden wasn't amongst them.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Where's—?"
"Boo!" I heard a voice say in my ear as I let out a yelp, jumping in my seat frantically, before turning to see who the culprit was. Aiden, of course.
"You jerk!" I cried, smacking his chest.
He laughed, jumping into the seat next to me, as Riley began laughing as well. Carter came up to sit next to her as the rest of the boys on the team walked out of the gym for a moment.
"Do you enjoy giving me mild panic attacks?" I asked, glaring at Aiden.
He chuckled, throwing his arm around my shoulder and rocking me into his side gently. "Admit it, you'd miss me if I weren't here to make your life interesting." He grinned.
"Nope," I shook my head, "I would not. Not one bit."
"Liar," Aiden smiled, shooting me his 100% Aiden grin.
I just rolled my eyes.
"Hey," Riley laughed as Carter kissed her on the cheek and Aiden and I turned to look at her, "who messed up the visitors' sign?" she asked. "Not that I'm complaining."
Carter chuckled at that statement.
"Beats me," Aiden said, but as I turned to look at him, I immediately knew it was him. I could tell he was trying to hold back a massive grin and when I saw his eyebrow do that weird twitchy thing it does every time he lies I knew it was him.
I titled my head to the side, trying to hold back my smile. "It was you, wasn't it?"
His eyes flickered to my lips for a millisecond, but I didn't miss it. How could I? Aiden Parker had literally just been looking at my lips! I couldn't help the lurching bottomless feeling I felt in my stomach as I realized what little space there was between our face.
But I ignored it as best I could, pushing the thought to the back of my mind.
"What?" he furrowed his eyebrows. "No, it wasn't!" I raised my eyebrows at him, as if challenging him, before the grin spread across his face. "Damn it! How'd you know it was me?!" he cried as Carter and Riley began laughing.
"Aiden!" I giggled, as he pulled back. "I've had to grade so many of your papers I'm pretty sure your handwriting is engrained in my brain!"
"Well, shit," he muttered, looking down at his feet, "don't tell anybody!"
Before I could answer Aiden with a reply, the sound of bouncing basketballs filled the gym as the North Riverside Indians exited the girls' locker room, decked out in their hideous blue and white jerseys. They walked with such confidence and arrogance that the air in the room started to grow thick with tension as our accumulating student section eyed them with hatred in their eyes. Our boys' team came back into the gym and you could practically feel the air go thick with unspoken rivalry. Each player from each team stared the other down as though they planned plow them down. As soon as they had entered, Aiden's attitude shifted. He was no longer in his usual playful banter mood, he looked as though he were a man on a mission, his eyes focused and determined. I had to admit, a part of me was...turned on by the sudden change.
Oh, dear.
"I'll see you after the game," Aiden said, offering me a small smile, before he and Carter walked down the bleachers and towards their teammates.
I watched him, before something on the opposite side of the court caught my eye. One of the players from the Indians' team was looking at me intensely and when he realized that I had caught him looking, he didn't back down, he just smirked at me. Let me tell you his smirk was so... sly, it gave me chills. The twinkle in his eyes didn't help ease the feeling that was in my stomach as I watched him look over at Aiden and wiggle his eyebrows at him suggestively. Aiden stared him down, his fingers curling into a tight fist at his sides.
I looked at Riley, gesturing to the two. "What's that all about?"
"Ah," Riley said, "that's Landon Cross," the way she said his name was with so much disgust I almost laughed, "he's like Aiden's arch nemesis. They hate each other, absolutely hate each other."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why?"
"Well, they're both the best players on their teams, so it's kind of natural that they have a very deeply rooted rivalry against one other. And Landon's also a dick too." The way she said it, it was like she had firsthand experience.
"You say it like you know him personally?"
"Unfortunately," she whispered, "I dated him my sophomore year, before I transferred here."
Wait, what? Riley transferred here from North Riverside?
"Wait, you transferred?" my mouth dropped open. "So, how did you and Carter—!"
"Get together?" she asked, before giggling. "It's actually kind of a funny story." I watched as she smiled, her eyes never leaving Carter who, no doubt, was showing off on the court for her.
"When I first met Carter, I had just transferred from North Riverside my sophomore year. Of course, transferring from a rival school automatically made me the enemy... but Carter never saw it that way. The first time I saw him, he was with Aiden and Blake in the gym, playing basketball. I remember watching him and thinking, that boy's got moves." the both of us laughed at that. "I never thought he'd actually even look at me, but he did. He had just scored on the opposite end of the court and turned around to start running towards my end, when he saw me."
Riley smiled and I could see in her eyes that she was thinking back to that day. "He kinda just... stopped. Well, I don't know he didn't really stop, but he stopped running for a minute when he saw me. I thought there was like a girl behind me that he was looking at, but there wasn't." she started to smile really big before bursting into giggles. "I'll never forget what happened next." she smiled even wider. "Aiden threw the basketball at him and hit him right in the face."
"No way!" I cried, trying to contain my laughter.
She nodded her head, laughing. "Yes! But believe it or not that did not stop him from coming to talk to me after practice was over. He had a huge ice pack on his eye and I couldn't help but try not to laugh." she paused, trying to contain her smile still. "And just like that... he asked me out, and we've been together ever since."
"That's the greatest story I've ever heard!" I smiled as we both began laughing again.
"It is, isn't it?!" she giggled.
At this point, the gym was beginning to fill up and the loud sound of hundreds of people chattering and having different conversations was filling the room. I saw Blake in the huddle of players, looking around, up at Riley and I as if he was waiting for someone. It didn't take a genius to figure out who. Autumn. Just as our thoughts shifted to her, she appeared, walking through the double doors as Riley and I waved her over.
"Oh my god, you have no idea how hard it was to find a parking spot!" she yelled over the crowd, taking the empty seat we had saved for her.
I watched her closely as she chatted with us for a bit, before her eyes flickered over to the boys and Blake grinned at her. She pressed her lips together and timidly waved at him as Riley and I looked at each other, before turning to look at her.
She eyed us both. "What?!" she cried.
"So, is that uh, happening?" I asked, a grin on my face.
Riley was grinning too.
"No! God no!" she said. "I just waved at him!"
Uh huh, sure you did, Autumn.
"Right," I whispered.
Autumn glared at me. "What about you and Aiden, huh?! Is that happening?!" she crossed her arms over her chest as Riley turned to look at me as well.
"What?! No!" I cried. "We're just friends!"
We are just friends. Just friends.
Right?
"Just friends my ass," I heard Autumn mutter as I shot her a glare.
Ten minutes later and the first quarter was finally under way. The girls and I were up, cheering and yelling, along with the rest of the student section as we watched the boys battle fiercely with the Indians. Aiden currently had the ball and was dribbling it calmly with a very concentrated Landon Cross guarding him. I watched the two, watched as they stared each other down, as if challenging each other silently, before Aiden charged, doing some sort of dribble move and swooshing right past Landon, making a fade away jump shot.
My mouth dropped open in complete awe. Something in the pit of my stomach was churning as I watched the smirk form on Aiden's face.
No. my brain said.
Yes! my heart screamed.
NO! my brain screamed back.
Aiden turned to me, pointing his finger and winking, shooting me a wink, before he took off to the opposite end of the court. I turned to look at the girls, my cheeks heating up as they pointed and laughed at me. I think the whole student section was laughing at me.
The second quarter rolled around and the Indians had managed to pull up their deficit of nine points. The game was now neck in neck with us in the lead by one point. Landon Cross was currently in possession of the ball, with Aiden guarding him closely. Again, they were doing that weird stare down thing, when Landon's eyes suddenly flickered up to me, before returning to Aiden's cold, hard stare in an instant. I don't know what the heck that was about, but something in Aiden's eyes flashed and he managed to steal the ball from Landon, bounding down the court and jumping up to slam the ball into the net.
The student section erupted into cries of chaos and cheers.
There was no doubt in my mind that Aiden was a better player than Landon ever would be, and something deep inside me told me that Landon knew it too, he'd just never admit it. Still though, I felt like their rivalry went deeper than just basketball.
By the time the fourth quarter came along, the game was still close. The last two quarters had been nerve-wrecking with the lead constantly switching between us and the Indians. As of right now, there was only a minute and a half left in the game and we were up by one, so you can imagine the tension palpable in the air. Everyone was practically on the edge of their seats. But it seemed this game actually wasn't going to be close at all. The last minute and a half consisted of Aiden, Carter, and Blake scoring points left and right. By the time the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game, we had won by six points and the crowd was going nuts.
I just stood there, clapping and smiling as the boys lined up and did their usual after-game routine, before disappearing into the locker room. The student section on the Indians side of the gym shot us all evil glares, before filing out angrily. We all walked to the gym floor, Riley disappearing to find Carter, and Autumn going to see Blake. I looked around, but Aiden was nowhere to be found. Where on Earth had he gone?
"Nice legs, gorgeous, what time do they open?" I heard a taunting voice whisper in my ear as I whipped around, only to come face to face with Landon Cross. His once spikey, butterscotch hair was now drenched in sweat and messily fixed as he stared at me with his honey colored eyes, the smirk growing on his face.
"Let me guess," he whispered, "they're reserved for Parker, aren't they?"
"Get away from me." I whispered, repulsion evident in my features.
He reached out to grab my wrist, but Aiden's hand shot out of nowhere, grabbing his wrist and shoving him backwards away from me. He stood tall, his jaw clenched, and the muscles under his shirt visibly tightening.
"Touch her and I'll break your fucking hand." Aiden said with pure malice and hatred in his voice.
Oh my god, that was so hot.
Not the time, Emery!
Landon chuckled. "You'd look for any excuse to break my hand, wouldn't you Parker? Afraid my game'll be too strong for you next time?"
Aiden scoffed. "I don't need to break your fucking hand to beat you, Cross. In case you didn't check the score board, we won."
Landon's eyes narrowed into slits, before they flickered back to me. The glint in his eyes was seriously creeping me out, but he turned and walked away, making a point to slam his shoulder into Aiden's as he left.
He stopped beside me though, his eyes twinkling. "See you around, Emery."
My breath hitched. How the heck did he know my name?
________________________________________________________________________________
Hey you all! Thank you so much for reading, voting, and commenting! I truly appreciate everything and I'm so happy to see that you all are enjoying my story! Please continue to vote and comment because seeing them puts a smile on my face. :)
So, how are we feeling about Emery and Aiden?
How do we feel about the fact that Emery is starting to see Aiden a bit differently now? And the fact the she's trying to fight those feelings?
Any thoughts on Landon?
Landon and Aiden's rivalry?
- Katy :)