“What?”
“Aiden will be helping you. Talk to him about the times you can get together. And I expect your grades to improve significantly.”
“But what does Aiden know about calculus?!” I vaguely remember getting a glimpse of his calculus test one time when he handed it in. It was full of confident answers.
“Aiden is among the top students in the senior class in many subjects. He has first choice of most colleges. I can’t think of anyone better to tutor you.”
I knew Aiden was smart, but I didn’t know he was that smart.
Maybe he doesn’t want people to know that he’s smart because it’ll ruin his badass reputation? I mean, he intimidated Ethan with just a sentence, and people practically jump out of his way in the hallway. If there was a pebble in his path that he couldn’t be bothered to walk around, it would grow legs and move out of his way with just a menacing glare.
“Can’t we get one of the other top students in the school to help me?” I protest.
Mr. Fidiott gives me an amused look. “You must think you actually have a choice in the matter. I’ve already asked Aiden to help you and he’s agreed. He helps you, or you fail calculus and don’t graduate. It’s quite simple.”
The bell rings, indicating that second period is over and that we have five minutes to get to third. Mr. Fidiott gets up to erase the board. “You should agree on times as soon as possible.” He pauses. “And that was the bell, get to class.”
That’s him telling me “that’s final,” and kicking me out of his class.
I sigh and leave the room grumbling. What does Mr. Fidiott know anyway? His name literally has the word idiot in it.
Why he thinks I’d benefit from Aiden tutoring me is beyond me.
Even so, why would Aiden agree to tutor me? Why would he show me this little-known fact about him—that he’s actually a genius? We’ve established that we don’t hate each other, and I’ve taken his actions to mean that he considers me his friend, but that doesn’t mean he would willingly volunteer to spend extra time with me alone. I don’t think he’s that worried about me failing calculus and thus not graduating.
This is bull. Aiden can barely speak to me like a normal human being, how is he supposed to teach me to understand calculus? He’ll probably get mad at me for not getting one of the theories, I’ll say something snarky, and the cops will be called by my neighbors to investigate all the yelling.
At lunch, I sit down right beside the Student of the Year instead of in my usual seat. “What the hell, Aiden?” I don’t care that I interrupted Mason in the middle of his monologue about some football game.
“I guess you didn’t enjoy your conversation with Mr. Fidiott?” Aiden says.
“What conversation?” Annalisa asks as she sits down, Julian and Noah behind her.
“Our calculus teacher told me that I need a tutor to raise my mark. If I don’t pass, I don’t graduate. He’s making Aiden tutor me,” I explain grudgingly.
None of the others except Charlotte seem surprised that Aiden is smart enough to tutor me. I guess being as close as brothers for years now, they’d know that Aiden is a genius.
“What the hell, man?!” Noah exclaims. “I ask you to help me with math all the time and you never do!”
“That’s because you’re helpless,” Mason snorts a laugh. “Plus, he got that hot girl from fifth period to help you instead.”
“I’m sure you enjoyed her company more than you would’ve enjoyed mine,” Aiden adds, still looking bored, but slightly more amused.
“Oh yeah! Monica was great. We didn’t do much studying though.” Noah smirks.
“Anyway.” I bring them back to the subject at hand. “Why would you even let yourself get roped into helping me? You don’t strike me as the tutor type.”
“Far from it,” Julian adds under his breath.
Aiden throws a glare at him, and Julian unaffectedly adds, “What? It’s true.”
Aiden looks back at me with a neutral expression. “What? A friend can’t help another friend out?”
What? Did he—? Did I just—?
“So you consider me your friend?”
My voice sounds more tentative than I hoped. Aiden’s piercing gray eyes lock on mine, the intensity of his gaze making my heart speed up slightly. With his eyes holding mine hostage, he says in his steady, deep voice, “I don’t volunteer to give up my time for just anyone.”
I’ve stopped breathing. Unable to take the intensity of his gaze anymore, I look away, praying that I’m not blushing.
“Oh.” I curse myself for being unable to think of anything else to say.
The conversation veers back to Mason’s rant on football, and I sit there quietly, thinking about Aiden’s words. Beside me, I feel Aiden lean over, his face dangerously close to my ear. I feel his hot breath when he says in a low voice, “Plus, I still have to figure out what it is that you’re hiding.”
I turn my head to watch him lean back in his seat, a neutral expression on his face, like he never said anything. My eyes narrow at him while he takes a swig of his soda. No way in hell will I let Aiden crack me.
The day flies by pretty fast after that since my mind is occupied with the whole calculus tutor thing. Maybe Aiden tutoring me won’t be that bad. Lord knows I need all the help I can get.
Shutting my locker and then shoving my way through the body of students, I’m hoping to catch Aiden before he leaves. Out of the front doors, and scanning the parking lot, I’m relieved he’s still here, standing beside his black Dodge Challenger. He’s talking to Mason and Julian, who are parked on either side of him.
“Aiden!”
I crane my neck up as I reach the three towering frames. Mason beams and Julian smiles as well. Aiden crosses his arms, eyes scanning the parking lot with his signature scowl before his eyes meet mine.
Seeing him now—his tall, muscular frame in front of his awesome car, his muscles straining as he crosses his arms over his chest, a scowl on his face—it’s easy to see why he’s so intimidating. I suddenly remember the Aiden who fought off all those linebackers at Noah’s party by himself; the Aiden who can intimidate anyone with just a hardened glare. I blush as I remember that he did both of those things for me.
“We didn’t decide on when you can tutor me. We have a test next week.” I look him squarely in his steely eyes.
“I’ll be at your house tomorrow at seven.” He moves toward the driver’s side of his car.
My mom is leaving tomorrow afternoon for work, so we’ll have the whole house to ourselves. For some reason, the thought of Aiden at my house, the two of us alone, makes the butterflies start up in my stomach. It’s then that I remember he wants to find out what I’m hiding. He’s been to my house before, but never inside it. This is a perfect opportunity to get a better glimpse into my life.
“Why don’t I come to your house? Or, like, the library or something?”
He turns back to me and says, “Your house. Seven.”
“Is he ever—” I’m cut off from insulting Aiden’s stubbornness when a loud engine, getting louder as it nears, roars by.
Mason and Julian both stiffen, looking around the parking lot for the source of the engine. The sound calls Aiden back to us, muscles tense and a murderous expression on his face. The red Mustang that Kaitlyn’s been getting rides in pulls up and stops right in front of us. The driver turns off the engine and a guy gets out of the car.
He’s tall, but not as tall as Aiden’s six foot three. The sides of his blond hair are shaved but the top is long, pulled back into a short ponytail. He’s also pretty toned, and I’ll admit that he’s hot, except for that malicious gleam in his hostile brown eyes.
He slams his door shut and walks toward us, a vicious grin on his face. Aiden immediately steps forward, pushing me behind him. He firmly stands his ground, arms crossed, muscles
tensing for a fight. Mason and Julian take position on either side of him, mirroring his stance.
I shift over a little so that I can see the guy from behind Aiden.
“Ryan,” Aiden growls.
So this is Ryan, the infamous Silver who has a rivalry with Aiden. His smirk sends shivers down my spine. “Relax, boys. I’m not here for a fight. Yet . . .”
“We’ll kick your ass as usual, Simms,” Julian replies.
“Baby!” Kaitlyn throws her arms around Ryan, kissing him before looking back at us, still hanging onto him. “Oh, Aiden. Play nice with my new boyfriend,” she sneers.
Pfft, I doubt she even likes Ryan. All eyes turn to me as I realize that I scoffed out loud. “This the slut who ruined your car?” he asks Kaitlyn, keeping his gaze locked on me.
“That’s her,” she snarls, her eyes alight with victory.
Aiden steps closer to Ryan, blocking his view of me. “I suggest you just get out of here, Simms.”
Ryan gestures for Kaitlyn to get in the car, and she walks around to the passenger-side door. “I suggest you keep a watch on that bitch of yours, Parker.” Ryan leans over to look at me again. “Be a shame if something happened to her.”
Who does this asshole think he is, threatening me? I’m about to push Aiden out of the way so that I can insult this guy myself, but suddenly time seems to slow down and everything happens in slow motion.
Not even a moment after Ryan stops talking, Aiden draws his arm back. In less than a split second, I remember something Noah said a long time ago, the day I came back to school after my time off at the hospital. He said that Aiden can’t get suspended again. Knocking a guy unconscious on school property would do more than get Aiden suspended. I grab his bicep and swing around him so I’m in front of him. I slide my hands down from his bicep to his chest, trying unsuccessfully to push him back slightly as I look up into his blazing eyes. His gaze meets mine, and his eyebrows draw together as if wondering what the hell I’m doing.
“You’ll get suspended,” I warn him.
He studies me for a few seconds before dropping his arm and looking back at Ryan, whose eyes are wide with the realization that he was seconds away from being a bloody mess.
Yeah, bitch. Aiden almost broke your face.
“Leave. Now,” Aiden barks.
Kaitlyn gets in the car and Ryan takes a few steps backward to his car door, eyes locked in a stare-off with Aiden.
“This isn’t over, Parker,” Ryan threatens.
“I’m counting on it.”
If I wasn’t friends with Aiden, I would’ve been seriously afraid of him. I don’t know how Ryan is openly challenging him without shitting his pants. He gets in his car, and we watch as he obnoxiously speeds out of the parking lot. Only when Ryan’s car is out of sight do I look back at Aiden, and belatedly realize that my hands are still placed on his toned chest. Taking a step back, I awkwardly drop them.
“I hate that guy,” Mason grumbles.
“Who is he exactly?” I ask.
I’m not given an answer. Instead, I get an accusatory glare from Aiden. “What were you thinking? I could’ve hit you!” he growls loudly.
“But you didn’t.”
“But I could’ve!”
I step a little closer to him and crane my neck so that I can look him directly in his agitated gray eyes, trying to communicate my trust in him. “But you didn’t.”
“I can’t believe this is the second time I’m telling you not to get in the middle of a fight,” he says.
“I jumped in for you, Aiden,” I say, hoping my cheeks don’t look as warm as they feel. “Look around—there are students and teachers everywhere.”
My words register when he looks directly at one of the vice principals, getting into her car a few rows away from where we’re standing. He looks back down at me, an unknown emotion running through his eyes. “It would’ve been worth it.”
“You’ll get another chance,” Julian cuts in.
I’m brought out of my little Aiden bubble by the sound of Julian’s voice, and step back from Aiden for the second time in the last five minutes.
“Will someone tell me who he is now?” I ask.
“Ryan Simms. He’s a Silver, and someone you don’t want to get involved with,” Mason says.
“Please. If Kaitlyn’s got her grubby little hands all over him, I don’t want anything to do with him.”
“She called him her boyfriend. She sure moves on fast,” Mason jokes.
“It makes logical sense. She feels rejected by Aiden, so naturally she’ll move on to the guy who hates him as much as she does,” I explain, pieces clicking together as I speak.
“They’re perfect for each other, then,” Julian adds.
“Are you going to tell me why you hate that guy or . . . ?”
“It doesn’t matter, just stay away from him,” Aiden says, his impassive face back, but still looking annoyed from the encounter. He walks back over to the driver’s side of his car. “Go home and study, Amelia.”
He gets into his car and the loud engine comes to life, then he pulls out of the parking lot and disappears down the road.
“Did he seriously just leave without telling me who that guy is? He threatened me!” I explain to Mason and Julian.
Mason gives me an exhausted smile. “Come on, k-bear, I’ll walk you to your car.”
We say good-bye to Julian and head to the other side of the parking lot.
“Mason, seriously. Ryan threatened me. I think I have the right to know why you guys hate him.”
He sighs. “He and Aiden go way back. They’ve always hated each other.”
I’m about to open my mouth to ask why, but Mason cuts me off. “I can’t tell you why, just trust me when I say that he’s the biggest asshole on the planet, and that you’re better off not knowing him.”
We get to my car, but I don’t make a move to get in. “Is he going to be a problem?”
Mason gives a humorless laugh. “He’s always a problem.”
“Kaitlyn’s up to something. She hasn’t done anything since she ‘broke up’ with Aiden, and now she’s with his enemy?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you, k-bear. I’ll make sure of it.” The strength and determination with which Mason makes that statement makes me blush.
“I’m not worried about Kaitlyn. I can handle myself, remember?”
I’ve been up against worse than Kaitlyn’s petty pranks and harassment. Besides, if it comes down to a fistfight, I’m sure I can take her.
“I believe you, k-bear.” He gives me a charming smile but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
13
It’s close to seven, and I fidget with my sweater, nervous about Aiden’s arrival. Should I have changed? Cleaned up a bit? What’s he going to think about my house? Wait, why do I care?
Five minutes before seven, the doorbell rings, and when I open the door he’s there, looking as handsome as ever.
“Hey,” I say as Aiden steps inside.
“You ready to learn?” he says as he kicks off his shoes.
“That depends. Are you ready to actually teach?” And not be an asshole is what I don’t add.
He shoots me a smirk and follows me into the house, setting his stuff down on the kitchen table. Before I can wonder if Aiden is going to take this seriously, he gets right into it, pulling up a common problem and explaining how to solve it. I have to resist the urge to do a double take. He explains the problem patiently and calmly, nothing like the Aiden I’m used to.
I follow his steps like they’re a map to a hidden treasure chest, but every time I try, I still don’t get the answer at the back of the book.
“Aiden! I did exactly what you told me and it’s not the answer!” I shove my calculator in his face, showing him the wrong answer. “I knew it! I knew you wer
e just screwing with me! Are you even going to help me or do you get your kicks watching me fail? This is such a waste of time—you’re not even taking it seriously!”
He calmly looks at my calculator screen, then at me, his face blank of emotion.
“Amelia,” he says, “your calculator is in the wrong mode.”
“What?” I’m sure the color drains from my face as I look back at my calculator, and what do you know? It’s in the wrong mode.
I expect some sarcastic comment or asshole remark from him, but he doesn’t even mention it. He simply outlines the steps I should follow again.
“But—but this actually makes sense!”
Aiden leans back in his seat and crosses his arms, a triumphant smirk on his face. “That’s because it’s easy.”
“But I got a question similar to this wrong on the test.”
“You never had me helping you before.”
I actually laugh. What do you know? Aiden’s actually a very good tutor. He’s patient and understanding and nothing like the asshole I’ve come to know. I even ordered us a pizza around the hour mark and we ate like we were longtime friends. About three hours after that first embarrassing outburst, I actually understand the last few lessons from class over the past couple of weeks.
Now, just past ten thirty, we decide to call it a night.
“Thanks for this. And sorry for yelling at you.” I stand up and start clearing the pizza box.
He stands up with me and grabs the discarded plates. “You’re improving.”
“You’re surprisingly really helpful.” I smile. “I never thought that you of all people would be able to help me.”
He leans against the counter, his muscles straining as he crosses his arms across his chest. “What? You didn’t think I was smart enough?”
“No, it’s not that. Well, maybe. Mostly I didn’t think you’d be patient enough. But I guess I am kind of surprised that you’re actually a genius. Not because you don’t look smart, just that you have that I-don’t-care-about-anything-now-get-out-of-my-face kind of vibe,” I rant, letting the worlds spill out of my mouth before I have the chance to realize what I’m saying.
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