Chapter 24 #3
“I could use a better tomorrow,” I stated as I got back to Aidan.
“For once in my life, things were…normal. I was finally sorting through things and building a routine. I was happy. And now I’m back to square one of fucking up and I didn’t even do it this time.
It feels like the rug’s been pulled out from beneath me. ”
“I know what you mean,” Aidan muttered.
I didn’t think our two situations compared. If René couldn’t find any proof that I was innocent, I’d be facing jail time.
“Do you?” I questioned.
Aidan leaned over and set his smoothie on the coffee table. He looked back to me, his blue eyes blank. “I had everything. The love of my life. A shot at my dream school. My parents’ praise. And then one moment it’s all gone.”
A pain pulsed in my temple and I thought I was getting a headache. Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head, willing it to go away.
“Your dream school?” I repeated. “You didn’t get in?”
A mean look captured Aidan’s face, darkening his features. “No, I didn’t. It’s one of those things Cameron would’ve cheered me up about. If I had her.”
“I…I’m sorry to hear that.” I pressed a hand to my temple as the pain increased. Something was wrong. It felt like I was hungover.
“No, you’re not. You got in her ear. You encouraged her to leave me. You fed her to my fucking brother,” Aidan practically spat out as he stood and hovered over me. “My shithead, going nowhere, worthless brother.”
“Aidan…” I struggled to get my thoughts in order. The pain in my temple felt like it was spreading to my frontal lobe.
“You ruined my life, Saylor. And it’s only fair I ruin yours,” Aidan uttered as his fists clenched at his sides.
Now I was seeing double. I closed my eyes again and tried to concentrate.
The smoothie. It had to have been the smoothie.
“What did…you…do, Aidan?” I slurred.
Aidan only stared at me, a smirk curling on his lips.
No.
He sighed. “I really wish you would’ve finished the whole thing.”
One second he was standing there, and the next two heavy and large hands were shoving me back hard. In a thud I landed on the floor and bile rose to my throat.
“No!” I yelled weakly as I attempted to crawl away.
“You stole my brother. You stole my girl. And you stole my life, and now I will take something from you,” Aidan swore. “The best part about all this is no one’s gonna believe you because you’ve been a menace your whole life.”
“Because no one would ever believe me, you think you have a right to do this? As if you’re entitled?”
“Radiohead!” he exclaimed loudly and enthusiastically with a wicked laugh. “ ‘Karma Police’ how fitting.”
I had been awful for most of my life, but that didn’t mean I deserved whatever sick thing Aidan had planned. I wasn’t taking it. I wasn’t going down without a fight.
Pushing through the fog in my head, I flipped over onto my back and stared up at Aidan.
He loomed over me with dark eyes and a vile smile. His gaze dipped beneath my neck and raked over my body with a hunger.
Fuck no.
He leaned down. Using all the strength I could muster, I kicked him in his face.
“AHH! You bitch!” Aidan clutched his face and blood leaked between his fingers.
I started to scoot back, but I wasn’t fast enough. In seconds, Aidan was grabbing my ankles and pulling me closer.
He gritted his teeth and blood dripped down from a gash above his eye. “I’m going to fucking kill you.”
I kicked and wrestled against his hold, not letting him have the upper hand. But Aidan was stronger. He wedged himself between my legs and planted his hands down on either side of my head. A cruel smile covered his face as he leaned into mine. “I’m going to enjoy—”
“Hey! Get off of her!”
Tiny arms wrapped around Aidan’s neck as a body flung onto him with a scream.
Cameron.
She was tugging at Aidan’s hair and he was off me. A sense of clarity hit me as I sobered up and jumped into action. A surge of adrenaline raced through me at the sight of Cameron biting Aidan’s neck and him grabbing a fist full of her hair.
“Get away from her!” I screamed, throwing a punch at Aidan’s face. I didn’t stop. As if on autopilot, I kneed him in the groin and threw another punch.
He shoved his hands into my stomach, knocking me back until I landed on my ass.
He flung Cameron to the side and she fell onto the couch. Chest heaving, Aidan glared between the two of us. His hair was a mess, his face half-covered in blood, and still he looked ready to attack.
Aidan peered at Cameron and his face fell. “All I did was love you!” He pointed in my direction. “It’s all her fault, baby, I promise.”
“Fuck you!” I yelled.
Aidan turned on me, his fist balling up. “I’m going to make you eat those words.”
There was only one of him, but he was so much bigger than Cameron and me. We were no match for all of the rage pouring through him.
Aidan launched himself at me and I braced myself for impact.
It never came.
A cold gust of air hit me and I opened my eyes to see two strong and familiar arms holding Aidan back.
“What the hell’s the matter with you? Stay the hell away from her,” Dreux ordered as he held onto Aidan.
Outnumbered and cornered, Aidan put up no fight as he sank against Dreux. Instead, his shoulders shook as he cried in defeat.