Chapter 26
Aiden
“Hey, baby,” I crooned as soon as Skye got close to me. I hadn’t seen her since this morning when I went down on her in the shower.
I almost shuddered. It’d been four whole hours since I’d been inside her. She’d only let me use my tongue, but still.
Torture.
“Hey,” Skye answered, kissing my cheek, then hissing when I squeezed her ass.
“Sorry, baby. Did I hurt you?” I ran my hand over the injured buttcheek, and Skye tensed again, moving away from my touch. I wondered if my fingers had clutched her thighs too hard this morning up against the shower door. Maybe I’d bruised her?
“I’m fine,” she laughed a little tightly. “Ready for Health class?”
I scowled.
No. I was not ready for Health class. I hadn’t been ready for my last class, either, but Skye had to go see Wyatt about her schedule, so I’d been alone.
“It’s the advanced class, Aiden, this is great!” Skye said, pulling me by my arm while I stomped after her, trying to make myself heavier so it took longer for us to get there. “Willow and Mia will be there.”
Ugh.
I didn’t need to be reminded. Things were so awkward around Skye’s friends since they’d hooked up with Zephyr.
Well. Awkward for me.
Zephyr was my friend, but he was also Skye’s brother. I was happy for him while also feeling a bit sorry for Skye. She hadn’t been able to confide in her friends as much as she wanted, and I wondered if she even realized she’d been putting up a wall between them.
Skye pulled open the door to the gym, then dragged me inside after her, and I stopped my stomping.
“They’re your friends,” I said, feeling like a brat.
Skye giggled, then gave me a quick hug before a burly voice groaned.
Coach was distracted by several students trying to talk to him at once. Health class was always such chaos. I didn’t know why Coach was the only professor to have students pining for his attention.
Even just calling him professor was weird.
“What do we even call him now?” I said aloud. “He’s technically not just Coach anymore.”
Skye shrugged, her silver eyes darting back over to him.
“Coach? Headmaster? Er…Headmaster Coach?”
Coach –Headmaster Coach?– pinched the bridge of his nose while sighing deeply. He scrubbed a hand down his face, then blinked his bleary eyes at us.
“Brandt, what do you want?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Me? I’m just standing here.”
“Exactly. You look like you’re about to give me a fucking headache.”
My jaw dropped. Skye snickered next to me.
“Aria, I don’t know why you’re laughing. You’re out of this class.”
Now Skye’s jaw dropped. “What?! I just got moved into the advanced class!”
“Sorry,” Coach hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Your Royal ass of a boyfriend moved your schedule around so you don’t break a nail. Take it up with him or your asshole counselor.”
One of Skye’s eyes twitched as she turned to me.
“Why do you get to be in this class?”
“He’s technically not,” Coach said brightly. “He’s my new TA.”
I immediately began to shake my head. “What? How? Actually, nevermind. No. I don’t want to do it. I’m not assisting anyone.”
“Come on, Aiden, it’s not so bad. Students love being my TA. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“Landon died,” a random kid pointed out in passing.
We all stared.
“Sounds like bad luck,” Skye said.
“Agreed. Bad, bad luck.” I said. “I’m very superstitious, as you know.”
Coach spluttered. “Stop it. No you’re not. And it is not bad luck to take a job after someone dies.”
“You better hope not,” Skye said. “Aren’t you only headmaster because Alex…” She drew her finger across her neck.
Coach gave her a bored look. “You’re perfect for that Royal shithead, you know that?”
Skye grinned as Coach whirled on a poor kid who came up behind him to ask a question. After he barked orders at the rest of the class, he turned back to us.
“What are you two doing? Get moving. You’re the TA. You’re not in this class. Shoo.” He waved his hands at us, and Skye bristled, looking like she wanted to hiss at him until I grabbed her arm and pulled her along toward the door.
“What the fuck,” Skye said in a whisper-yell when we reached the double doors, her gait slightly off like she was still sore and lying about the buttcheek. “What am I supposed to do right now?!”
“Call Rafe?” I suggested. “Go give him a piece of your mind.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Skye said softly, mostly to herself. “He’s in the islands today. I’ll go bother him.”
“Sounds good, baby.”
I pulled her into my chest for a long hug, then an even longer kiss.
“Brandt, I swear to God,” Coach yelled out.
Skye pulled away with a gasp, then glared at him over my shoulder before giving me a quick peck before she left.
I dragged my feet as I made my way over to the group of students in the center of the gym, several of which were watching me warily, including a kid at Coach’s side.
An actual kid. A child. He looked to be eight or nine. Or…who knows. I wasn’t good with ages. He had messy strawberry blonde hair and a few freckles across his cheeks.
“What are y’all staring at?” I almost snapped at everyone else.
The students quickly turned around or averted their eyes. Coach began giving directions for the class, and I stared into the polished wooden floors, wondering what Skye might do to punish my Royal ass of a Link-mate. I wished I could be there to see it.
“Did you know there’s never been a red-headed Royal?”
I blinked, then turned and squinted at the kid next to Coach.
“What?”
“There’s never been a Royal with red hair. North America has been controlled by a predominantly Latino Royal family since they declared independence against Europe during the last Telekinetic Inquisition,” the kid said, blinking his big blue eyes at me.
I blinked my eyes back. “Okay?”
“You’re the first one,” the kid said. “How does it feel to be the first?”
“I feel the same as I did five minutes ago, except now I’m annoyed,” I replied.
The kid’s face twisted. “You’re annoyed at fun facts?”
“Alright Noah, that’s enough out of you,” Coach said sternly. Noah pursed his lips and stared at the ground.
“Where’d he come from?” I asked. “I didn’t know you had kids. You seem…kinda old for that.”
Coach stared at me, his expression completely blank for several seconds. “You’re something else, you know that? He’s a foster. Are you ready to do some actual work?
“No,” I groaned.
Coach clenched his jaw while Noah snickered. “Go and get everyone’s name for the attendance sheet,” Coach ground out. “I grade based on whether or not people are here. Then, familiarize yourself with everyone’s affinities and make sure no one’s being a dick. I have to make some phone calls.”
I groaned loudly as Coach strode away. He stomped into his office, slamming the door and pulling the shades closed.
I turned back to the class, already in practice-mode.
Ugh. I didn’t want to do this shit. Why couldn’t Rafe be my Royal ass of a boyfriend, too? Why did Skye get to skip this class? For safety? I was the one who almost got killed all the time!
“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Noah asked.
“Do you even know how to shut up?” I fired back.
Noah raised his eyebrows. “Wow. You know I’m only ten, right?”
“Hey. I know everyone’s name.”
I jumped at the head of blonde hair that appeared beside me. “Fuck, Willow. Where did you come from?”
“You’re not supposed to curse,” Noah whispered loudly.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Not now, Noah.”
Willow rolled her eyes at me, then snatched the attendance sheet. Mia stood beside her, and the two began filling out the paper for me.
“You’re not using a pink pen, are you?” I asked, glancing back at Coach’s office.
“No,” Willow snarked.
“It’s actually a sparkly pink pen.” Mia said, mid-staring contest with Noah.
I think he was winning.
Mia’s words took a second to sink in, and once they did, I spun around, then fisted my hair. “Damnit, Willow! He’s gonna know I didn’t fill it out!”
“You just cursed again.” Noah said.
“Noah!” I snapped.
Willow snorted, opening her mouth to snap back at me, then she paused.
“What the fuck is River Mac still doing here?!”
My eyes darted around the gym quickly, but there was no River in sight.
“Language,” Noah whisper-yelled.
“He’s supposed to be here?” I asked, checking the list. Sure enough, River’s name was there, along with his four affinities.
God. What a dick. Who needed four affinities?
Actually, nope. He wasn’t a dick. Skye maybe liked him, which meant he couldn’t be that bad…just like Wyatt.
I grimaced.
“I want his ass expelled,” Willow whispered. “Maybe Wyatt–”
“Wyatt can’t expel people, babe.” Mia said gently. “Also, he didn’t really do anything to us.”
“You can only be expelled for breaking school rules,” Noah said.
Willow and I jumped. Me and the besties had been standing in a triangle, and Noah suddenly appeared at my elbow.
“Excessive cursing is considered a minor offense in the student handbook, but it falls under the good citizenship section, so it must be followed for–”
Mia frowned at the kid. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“Coach is way too old to have kids,” Willow said. “Wait, is he a grandpa?!” She shrieked the last word like it was something gross.
“I’m in the foster care system right now. My parents went missing a couple weeks ago and no one knows where they are.”
Willow’s eyes widened, then turned glassy. “Oh. Really?”
“Yeah. I think they died the other day.”
The three of us gaped down at the kid as he untied and retied his shoes several times.
“That’s really sad, kiddo.” Mia said, breaking the awkward silence.
The kid shrugged. “Yeah. But they could be not dead. Neither of them have tried to talk to me yet. Did you know there were almost one hundred kids who lost one or both parents in the Gulf Capitol Massacre?”
“Yeah,” I replied, desperate to keep the mood from getting any darker. “I did know that, actually. My Key’s parents died in the massacre.”
Noah’s eyes lit up. “Your Key? She’s from the Gulf?”
“Yep,” I replied. Willow and Mia stared at me, whispering to each other while I entertained the kid. “She and her brother own a coffee shop.”
“That’s cool. I don’t like coffee. My whole house used to smell like coffee. The place next door sold it.” Noah squinted as he looked across the gym. “I miss my house.”
I blew out a breath. Maybe I was being too much of an ass to this kid. He was having a hard time, and I didn’t need to be adding to it. Lord knew how hard my life had been at his age.
“Listen, Noah. How about you go get double check everyone’s affinities are right on the list for me? You…you can write, right?”
Noah stared at me, then took the paper with a dramatic sigh. “I’m ten, not five.”
Willow giggled as Noah stalked off to terrorize someone other than me for at least ten minutes.
“So what are you doing here?” Mia asked.
“I’m the TA now. Apparently Rafe decided this class is a bad idea for Skye.” I replied with a shrug.
“He’s not wrong, she’s gotten into a lot of fights in Health class.” Mia commented, turning so she could keep an eye on Noah.
He was currently standing in front of a group of water affinates while reciting the student code of conduct. The girls all stared at him with confused expressions, their eyelashes fluttering rapidly as they listened to him.
“Yeah,” I muttered. Health class wasn’t a good place for Skye. “Especially not if River’s in this class.”
“Ugh, I hate him. I hope he exposes his idiocy and Skye kicks him to the curb,” Willow practically spat.
“I’m not so sure about that,” I muttered. “Apparently they had a moment.”
“I knew something happened,” Willow practically squealed, pointing at Mia. “She ditched us the other day out of nowhere and then that thing in class happened! It must’ve been bad. Zephyr won’t stop asking questions.”
I winced.
“Maybe keep Zephyr out of it,” I said to no one, since both girls were now ignoring me.
Mia had been staring at her phone while Willow and I complained about River, and now Willow had the phone, staring at it with huge eyes and her jaw on the floor.
“What?” I leaned forward. “What happened?”
“I…” Mia shook her head, turning the phone around so I could see the headline.
Crown Princess Names Herself Queen Without Coronation
I ripped the phone from her hand.
“Aiden!” Willow whined.
I scrolled furiously, reading as fast as possible until I got to the bottom of the article, freezing for a solid five seconds when I read the finishing sentences.
“God help us,” I muttered. “Skye is going to lose her fucking mind.”