Song for chapter thirty seven: Avalanche by Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato
|Skyler|
"Guess who didn't study for the math test!" Josie exclaimed as she approached Aden and I at my locker. Ryan was next to her, scarfing down a cream cheese bagel.
I looked at her, my eyes widening slightly. "We have a test?"
"Oh boy, you're even worse than me," Josie laughed. "I'll meet you there for our demise." she walked off with Ryan, disappearing behind a crowd of other students, all scurrying around or stuffing their faces into their textbooks, studying last minute for their test or quizzes.
"Damn Clumsy, the one thing you cannot do in high school is forget about a math test," Aden chuckled next to me as he took in my panicked expression.
"Its your fault I forgot," I turned to him as I shut my locker. "You're the one who kept me late last night."
"Yes well, it was worth it," he pulled me in for a hug, wrapping his arms around me.
I melted into his arms. Yeah I guess it was.
"Don't worry about the test, you'll do great," his phone buzzed in his pocket and he fished it out, releasing me from the hug. A perplexed expression was plastered on his face when he saw the message.
"Who is it?" I asked.
Aden shoved his phone back into his pocket, seeming nonchalant. "McKenna."
"She has your number?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah from like four years ago I guess," he shrugged.
"Well, what did she say?" I looked at him expectantly.
"Nothing much. I'll see you in chemistry, good luck on your test," he shot me one last smile before walking off. I frowned, suddenly feeling an uncomfortable twist in my stomach as I made my way to math class. For the last five minutes before the bell, I skimmed over the textbook, hoping that my brain could absorb some of those problems.
Surprisingly, for someone who didn't study, it went pretty well. At least, I was pretty sure it was okay. But then again, every time you thought you did fine you would end up doing bad, so it was all in God's hands now. Math was the one thing I couldn't mess up for university.
Chemistry also passed smoothly with a lesson that took up the entire class, and when the bell finally rang everyone was eager to get out for lunch.
"I have to use the washroom, I'll meet you in the cafeteria?" I asked Aden as we walked out of the classroom and into the rush of students heading to lunch.
"I'll just wait outside for you," he shrugged when we stopped in front of the bathroom. I nodded and walked in through the door, immediately crashing head first into another person.
"Oh my god, watch where you're going," McKenna hissed at me and I took a step back. She straightened out her denim jacket, running her hands through her wavy hair when her piercing eyes finally landed on me. "Oh, its you," her voice dripped with disdain, much unlike how she had acted at the Halloween party a week before.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there," I muttered, even though deep down I knew she was just as much in the wrong for not watching where she was going either. I attempted to walk past her, when she yanked on my wrist, her hand clamped tightly around it as she pulled me back to face her. Her face sported a scowl that would have sent chills through me if I didn't need to use the washroom so bad.
Seriously, what is it with girls and not letting me pee in peace? I huffed, turning back to her with my lips pursed as I tried to shove off the anger I was beginning to feel boil in my stomach.
"What does he even see in you?" she narrowed her eyes at me, basically spitting it out in the most venomous tone I'd ever heard.
I found my eyebrows furrowing, whether it was from anger or confusion, I didn't know. "I... I don't know, why are you even asking me this?" I ripped my arm out of her tight grasp.
"It doesn't matter. Lets be honest with each other okay?" she moved in front of me, blocking my path to the door to leave the bathroom. "Aden is way out of your league, and everyone knows he doesn't belong with you."
Are leagues even a thing anymore? I thought to myself. At the same time, I'd never thought that he was out of my league, I mean, I had my flaws and all, but I never believed I was that hideous. I was working myself up to be good enough for Aden.
But never mind that, McKenna was literally Ava — but worse— and I was suffering from Deja Vu. This was why girls went to the bathroom together. Next time, I was dragging Josie along with me.
"And you think you belong with him?" I cocked my head to the side, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Well, yeah," McKenna scoffed, "we've been friends for years and I was his first time." My eyebrow cocked up, this was news to me. Ryan hadn't ever said anything about that before. "Enjoy your relationship while it lasts — which won't be for long, because he will come to me when it's over, just like how Aden and I used to be."
"And if it doesn't end?" I challenged.
Her lips spread out into a malicious smile, one that I hated to admit sent chills up my spine. "Rest assured I always get what I want, and if you guys don't break up, I'll make sure it happens."
I blinked at her. My brain had processed that perfectly fine, my mouth on the other hand had no clue what to even say to that. I didn't even know who this girl was until last week and she already had something against Aden and I. Was it so hard to respect someone else's relationship?
"Have a great day Skyler, hopefully I'll see you around more!" she raised her voice, her nasal voice echoing through the empty bathroom. She eyed me coldly for another short moment before spinning around and walking out the door.
I stood rooted in my spot on the floor, my brain still trying to process everything. McKenna and Aden had hooked up before, which meant that Aden must've liked her at some point. That didn't matter to me as much as I thought it would, after all, that was in the past and I believed him when he said that he was just friends with her. What made my blood boil within my veins was the fact that she still wanted Aden, after all this time. Aden, who was now my boyfriend.
McKenna was indeed worse than Ava, at least she left Aden alone after we began dating.
My mind replayed Ava's words over again, and I didn't even know what to believe anymore. I didn't want to think that she was right, and that I was just a fling, but now McKenna said the exact same thing. I didn't want to believe that I was.
I gave Aden a lot of me, and I just hoped he had been giving me the same.
The only way I could really get this off my chest was to talk with him. The bathroom could wait.
I quickly left the washroom, only to stop in my tracks when I saw Aden and McKenna talking in the halls. My jaw clenched subconsciously as I watched her hand resting on his arm. She stood awfully close to him as he leaned against the locker. He held a bored expression on his face, occasionally nodding and smiling to what she said.
It made me feel just a tad triumphant from the fact that McKenna was wrong about him.
"See you later," she laughed before disappearing down the hall.
Aden only spotted me when he turned his head, his eyes brightening as his lips twitching upwards. His smile faltered however, when I approached him, my own lips pressed to a thin line.
"Is everything okay?" his eyebrows furrowed.
"I need to talk to you about something," I eyed McKenna's back as she disappeared into the cafeteria. "Its about McKenna."
"What about her? She was just here," Aden turned to look down the empty hallway. "Guess she's gone now."
"McKenna's in love with you," I told him when he turned back to me. Aden let out a heavy sigh, pursing his lips, but I continued before he could say anything. I needed to get it out. "Honestly, I wouldn't have minded before, but now I'm uncomfortable with how she's acting around you and how she is treating me."
"I've told you before that I don't like her like that, why are you bringing this up again?" he had an edge to his voice as his eyes hardened.
"I know, and you didn't tell me that you hooked up with her," I crossed my arms over my chest.
Aden ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I didn't think it mattered, we were young and it was a mistake. Why are you freaking out about this?! Just because it's that time of the month—"
Excuse me?
"No, first of all, I'm not on my period," I cut him off, "and second, it mattered to her." I shut my eyes before taking a deep breath to calm myself. I didn't want to fight with Aden, and getting angry never got anyone anywhere. "I just need you to talk to her, and tell her what you're telling me now, so she can leave us alone. She basically just threatened our relationship in the bathroom." I said in an even tone.
"Do you not trust me or something? I told you that I don't like her," he raised his voice slightly, and I almost flinched at the harshness of his tone and his accusation. His eyes narrowed as his shoulders grew taut.
"I never said that I didn't trust you because I do," I found my own voice growing louder.
"You're inferring it," he snapped.
"No I wasn't!" I pulled on my hair, letting out a groan. "You're not getting the point! I just want you to talk to McKenna and tell her what you told me. It's uncomfortable to see her act the way she does around you."
I took a deep breath, feeling tears begin to prickle the corner of my eyes. I didn't like arguing with Aden, but I truly didn't understand why he thought the way he did.
"You're uncomfortable because you don't trust me, that's what your insinuating," his jaw clenched and as did his fists for a split second. He'd never looked at me that way before, and it made my stomach drop in a way that it never had before.
"No! You're not listening to me!" I snapped, this time my anger getting the best of me. "McKenna was in the bathroom with me—"
"Yeah, I am listening. You're uncomfortable because you don't trust me around her," he shot back.
"This isn't about you," I gritted my teeth.
"Yes it is. If you did trust me, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now," his jaw was clenched. "Just..." he sighed and gave me one last look with his cold eyes. I stared at him, unable to form a single sentence with my mouth. How had he gotten that out of what I was trying to tell him?
Instead of him giving me a hug and trying to understand what I was getting at like I thought he would, he turned and walked off without another word, his shoulders hard and head down.
"Where are you going?" I tried to ask him, but he was already too far down the hall to even hear me. I was talking to myself now.
For the second time today, I stood rooted on the floor. Aden had never snapped like that, or walked off like that before. I felt a single tear slip down my cheeks and I quickly wiped it away, sniffing as my heart pinched in my chest.
What the hell?
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Shorter chapter than usual but I didn't want to drag it out. So thanks for reading!
Hope you liked it and wow, Aden, come on man.
~SweetnessInTheSalt