by Kent, Rina
Anger sweeps over me like a black, bottomless ocean.
Somewhere in my brain, I realise that I shouldn’t make snap decisions while I’m angry, but I couldn’t care less.
“Deal,” I tell Xander. “I’ll be your pretend girlfriend.”
There’s no better way to have revenge on Aiden than to ‘date’ his best friend.
And I know why Xander approached me.
He likes the idea that Aiden has spent years successfully ‘eliminating’ all competition, just so I’d end up in Xander’s arms.
It’s such a dick move, but I like Xander a little bit for it.
I like anyone who rebels against the entitled, psycho king.
Xander’s lips stretch into a wolfish grin as he offers me his arm. “Let’s make our first appearance, love.”
I reluctantly slip my arm in his.
This isn’t my character.
Hell, I don’t even like to lie, let alone be someone’s pretend girlfriend.
But if Aiden’s using my best friend against me, the only way to strike him is to use his best friend back.
Eye for an eye.
Blood for blood.
He started the war. I’m just keeping up.
My feet falter in front of the cafeteria. There’s a reason I don’t eat here, and it’s not the food.
It’s like a high-end restaurant, but for high school kids. Even the staff appear like butlers straight out of the palace.
During the lunch break, RES’s entire student body gathers here. If something happens in this place, it’ll be engraved in everyone’s memories.
It’ll be posted on social media.
It’ll be the talk of the entire school.
Last week, Silver spilt juice on a freshman — she spills beverages a lot — and it became the talk of the week. The incident reached me even though I don’t eat here.
“Relax.” Xander’s cool voice wrenches me from my thoughts. His face is all grins and smiles.
Easy for him to say. He’s a popular star and the son of a minister.
Attention is his middle name. Hell, he might even thrive on it.
I can end all this now, but my need for revenge simmers beneath the surface like an untamed animal.
This time, I’ll be the one who inflicts pain.
Whoa. That’s a scary thought.
I’m not that person. I don’t need to inflict pain. All I need is justice.
Yes. Justice.
With a deep breath, Xander and I walk into the cafeteria. Chatter and utensils clicking fills the air. Some students laugh at one another, others are in heated conversations, and a few loners sit in the back.
My heartbeat increases with every step I take. Beads of sweat cover my temples and a tremor shoots through my limbs.
Once we’re in the centre of the cafeteria, the chit chat withers away and almost everyone’s attention zeroes in on us.
Some jab their friends while others murmur in hushed tones.
Being in the limelight stiffens my shoulder blades.
My heart flips when I make out where Xander is guiding me.
The centre table.
The football team’s table.
The table at which Aiden sits. He’s nodding at something Cole says while nonchalantly moving his fork around his half-full plate.
He’s wearing the team’s blue jacket with the school’s logo. The first few buttons of his shirt are undone, hinting at his tanned skin and hard muscles.
Ronan is half-sitting on his chair, speaking enthusiastically while the rest of the team snickers. All except for Aiden who’s watching with a poker face.
Cole’s laugh falls as he notices us.
His eyes stray from me to Xander and then straight to Aiden. He doesn’t need to alert him, though.
As if having a sixth sense, Aiden pauses picking at his food and lifts his head. His smoky gaze falls on me, and for a second, he appears to be taken aback as if he doesn’t know what I’m doing here.
Then his eyes dart to where I’m clutching Xander by the arm. It’s at a time like this that I wish Aiden had an expressive face.
His poker mask is strapped tight around his features as he drops his fork with a clank and stands.
He calmly, too calmly, wipes his mouth with a napkin before setting it down.
My heart nearly leaps out of my throat as he stalks towards us with sure, confident steps.
I want to believe that Aiden wouldn’t humiliate me in public now that I’m with Xander, but I can’t put anything past him.
The smirk on Xander’s face isn’t helping. “He’s pissed off.”
“How do you know that?” I whisper back.
He appears completely detached to me.
“The twitch in his left eye.” Xander grins. “He can control anything but that.”
Xander removes my arm from his but just so he’d wrap it around my shoulder.
He smells of sandalwood.
That’s the last thought I have before Aiden slams his fist in Xander’s face.
Chapter Seventeen
I stare in stunned silence as Xander’s body jerks back and slams against a table.
A few girls shriek. Other students gasp.
I’m in the shocked category.
My back hits the edge of a table and I grip the hard wood for balance.
Aiden has never been the violent type. He said it the other day, didn’t he? That he’d rather play smarter, not stronger.
So why is he punching his best friend?
Before Xander can recover, Aiden lunges at him with a slamming punch.
It’s the first time I see him this way.
Violent.
Animalistic.
Out of control.
It’s like a different Aiden altogether.
Xander releases mocking laughter before he shoves Aiden and jabs a punch at his face. Blood explodes from Aiden’s lower lip.
I swallow. Should I interfere? Do something? Say something?
But it’s not like they’re fighting because of me — although I might have played a part.
Aside from the sound of punches, the cafeteria is completely silent. None of the other students utters a word. Hell, I doubt they’re able to breathe properly. It’s understandable.
Aiden and Xander have been close for as long as anyone remembers. No one would’ve imagined that they’d turn against each other.
This fight might as well be the event of the year.
Cole and Ronan are the first — and the only ones — who dare to approach them.
Cole tries to grip Aiden, but he’s like a bull. He shoves him away and lunges back at Xander. At the captain’s sign, the rest of the football team joins. It takes a few of them to stop Aiden and Xander from killing one another.
Two teachers and Coach Larson quicken their pace inside, followed by… Kim.
She called the teachers?
Coach appears pissed off as he orders the football team to drag Aiden and Xander to a disciplinary office.
Uncontrolled murmurs erupt between the students. Even the two teachers appear stunned that Aiden and Xander fought.
RES isn’t the type of school for fights. This place is full of elites and academically accomplished people. Rank, grades, and money are the only things that matter in RES.
Violence has never been something the board had to worry about. Especially not from the two stars of the football team.
On his way out, Aiden brushes past me. My skin electrifies at the harsh contact. I shrink into the table, the wood digging at my back as his hard, metallic gaze falls on me.
The corner of his left eye twitches as he stops in front of me. Hot, intrusive breaths trickle the side of my face as he whispers, “You’ll pay.”
Aiden and Xander don’t come back to class for the second period.
The incident at the cafeteria becomes everyone’s favourite subject of gossip.
I keep getting funny glares, but no one has dared to speak to me.
I find it hard to believe that Coach Larson will allow RES to take his two star players, but the board is strict about any act of violence.
My mind goes rampant with ideas shooting all over the place. True, I wanted revenge and to inflict pain as Aiden had inflicted upon me, but I’m not that person. It doesn’t feel good to hurt others.
Even if they’re monsters.
It’s impossible to concentrate during class. I keep watching the entrance, expecting Aiden and Xander to return. The day ends and neither of them does.
Kim and I leave the classroom together, but neither of us is talking. She’s been throwing me glares since lunchtime, and I’ve been too out of my skin to focus on her moodiness.
When we’re in the car park, Silver and her two minions cut into our path.
Oh, come on.
She’s the last person I need to talk to on this shitty day.
She taps her designer shoes on the ground, staring me down like I’m her maid.
“Who the hell do you think you are, Frozen? You’re a nobody, so stop trying to become somebody.”
I grit my teeth, but I choose to ignore her.
Never give bullies what they want.
“You should go back to your frozen castle,” one of Silver’s minions calls at my back.
“Shut it before she gives you a snowstorm.” Kim snarls at them.
I pull her by the arm towards her Mini. “They’re not worth it.”
“Well, I guess I’ll clean up your mess,” Silver says from behind me in a calm, smug voice that pisses me off.
I don’t want to hear what she has to say, but I also won’t run towards the car and show her my flight mode.
No one in hell will see my flight mode.
“Since King is tense, I’ll have to give him a visit and loosen him up,” Silver continues.
I drop into the passenger seat and slam the door shut harder than I intended.
My breathing is harsh and uneven and my ears ring as if someone slapped me.
Loosen him up.
Who cares who loosens him the hell up?
I’m glad Kim pulls out the car in silence. My temper flares when Silver gives me a smug smile and waves her phone on which ‘King’ flashes.
He’s calling her.
Aiden is calling her.
The entire ride home is spent in unnerving silence.
Despite the weight perching on my chest, I hate the strained air between Kim and I.
I finger the strap of my backpack. “What’s wrong, Kim?”
She cuts me a stern look before she focuses back on the road. “I should be asking you that. After years of brushing off guys, you’re suddenly interested Xander?”
I blink. “I’m not interested in Xander.”
“So you just held his arm for show? You walked into the cafeteria for the first time in years with Xander for show, too?” Her lips tremble. “Wait. Did you… did you have feelings for him all this time?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then, what is it? You know he bullied me for years! I’m sure it’s written in some friendship code that you don’t date your best friend’s bully.”
I stare at her reddened cheeks, incredulous. Being the rational party right now is so freaking hard. “And does that friendship code say that you shouldn’t hug your best friend’s bully and cry in his chest? Does it allow you to act all friendly around him when it clearly makes me uncomfortable?”
Kim’s lips part as she hits the brakes, stopping the car on the side of the road. A driver yells and honks, but she ignores him and taps the steering wheel maniacally. “So this is what it’s all about? You’re taking revenge because of that?”
“I’m not taking revenge.”
“Then what?” Her eyes rim with tears. “It’s Xan, Ellie. You can’t be with him… please?”
“I’m not with him. It’s a pretence and a game to stop the bullying. Didn’t you tell me to use them while I can?”
“Oh.”
Silence takes claim in the car. I stare from the window at kindergarten kids crossing the street.
“King and I aren’t what you think.” Kim’s voice softens.
“Can’t you see he’s getting between us, Kim?” My voice is defeated.
“I won’t allow that. I’m not an idiot, once I get the information I need, I’ll step away from him.”
“What information?”
She goes back to tapping the steering wheel. “I’ll tell you when I’m sure. The point is, I promise to never hurt you, Ellie. You saw me when I was invisible, and I’ll never forget that.”
I face her, tears blurring my vision. “And I would never hurt you, Kim. You’re the best thing that happened to me since I got into this godforsaken school.”
Kim lunges at me in a bear hug. I wrap my arms around her, inhaling her soft, floral perfume. I didn’t know I needed a hug until she offered it.
When she pulls away, her eyes shift sideways before they meet mine. “Why did Xander ask you to be his pretend girlfriend?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s his revenge for Aiden hugging you the other week and all the attention he’s been giving you since.”
Her lips part and she bites back a smile. “Really?”
“Why do you sound happy?”
“I’m not!” She clamps her mouth shut.
“You totally are!” I jab a finger into her side.
She squirms and huffs, throwing a dismissive hand. “You and King, huh?”
My chest tugs at the mention of his name. “Me and King what?”
“Come on, Ellie. The ever so calm King started his first fight for you.”
I shake my head. “He just has some issues with Xander.”
“Yup. He had issues with Xander touching you. I’ve never seen him lose control, not even when his mother died.”
“You were there when his mother died?”
I know Mrs King is no more, but I never actually wondered how her absence can play in Aiden’s life.
How could I not have wondered about it before? People’s psychological issues always start with their parents. The world’s most notorious psychopathic killers usually had mum issues.
“Of course,” Kim says. “We’re neighbours, you know.”
Right. I forget that sometimes.
“How old were you then?” I ask.
“We were maybe seven? I was anyway. She died of illness but…”
“But what?”
Kim lowers her voice as if telling me a top-secret. “Rumour has it that her actual cause of death is suicide, but King Enterprises disguised it as illness.”
“Why?”
Kim shrugs. “I don’t know, but it could be because of stocks and stuff.”
“Was she suicidal?”
“I don’t think so? Aunt Alicia was so sweet and caring. I remember that she loved Aiden and was overprotective of him — something Uncle Jonathan didn’t appreciate. Poor Aiden wasn’t even there during her death.”
I lean forward in my seat. “What do you mean?”
“He went into a summer camp, and when he returned, his mum was dead. I still remember the hollow look in his eyes at the funeral. It still gives me chills… brr. You know, he didn’t cry that day. He stood beside his father in complete silence during the entire ceremony.”
Something tightens at the pit of my stomach. Losing his mother at such a young age while he was away must’ve been devastating. I don’t even remember my parents, but sometimes, I still feel the loss as if it happened yesterday.
Kim drives me home and we spend the rest of the evening studying then binge watch a few episodes of Lucifer until Aunt returns.
A while later, Kim leaves to help Kirian with his homework. She always pretends that he’s a pain, but she can’t spend an entire day without thinking about him.
Kim’s father
is a diplomat who spends most of his time in Brussels and is rarely home. Her mother is a renowned artist who’s usually locked in her studio, so Kim has become a grown-up since Kirian was born eight years ago.
She’s not only his eldest sister, but she’s also his mother and father and best friend. She always said that she doesn’t want him to feel the emptiness she felt while growing up.
Aunt and I prepare dinner together. I barely listen to her and tell her about my day at school.
I’m distracted out of my mind.
“Is there something on your phone?” Aunt asks with a suspicious tone when I check it for the millionth time in the past hour.
I force a smile. “No, nothing.”
Absolute desert.
Aiden didn’t send any of his night texts.
I’ll loosen him up.
Silver’s voice wraps a noose around my neck. My fingers itch and my hands feel dirty even though I just washed them.
I put them underneath the water in the sink then pull back when I notice Aunt watching me.
She knows I only get obsessive about washing my hands when I’m anxious.
“I’m heading to the grocery store,” I blurt to dissipate her attention.
“What for?”
“I ran out of tampons,” I say the first thing that comes into mind.
“But you’re not on your period, honey?”
“I’ll be in a few days. You know I like being prepared.” I’m already heading to the door.
“Elsie.”
“Yeah?” I throw over my shoulder.
Aunt Blair waves a bill. “You forgot the money.”
“Right.” I offer an awkward smile and take the bill from her.
“And wear a sweater. It’s chilly outside.”
“Yes, Aunt,” I call from the doorway.
“Hurry back.”
Shoving my feet into flats, I throw a thin sweater over my black cotton dress on which is written ‘Comfy at Home’. It’s similar to an oversized T-shirt that stops at my knees.
The moment I’m out of the house, the first drops of rain hit my nose and lashes. I could’ve gone back for the umbrella, but I don’t.
Instead, I let my legs take reign.
I run down the empty, lit streets as hard and as fast as I can. The night’s chill slaps me across the face and the rain soaks me in seconds.
But it isn’t enough.
