Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
I’ve spent the morning doing my best to ignore Ares—not an easy task when he insists on sitting next to me in every class.
It’s strange that we’re even in all the same classes.
I wouldn’t put it past Uncle Marcel to have made that happen.
I know he asked Ares to keep an eye on me.
It’s the only explanation for his constant hovering.
His attention isn’t exactly making me any fast friends. Besides Constance, the other girls are openly scowling at me every chance they get. I don’t miss the way they all smile and flirt with Ares, who doesn’t really encourage their advances, but also doesn’t do anything to reject them either.
Like right now, there is a girl sitting on top of his desk, literally sitting on his desk while he leans back in the chair with his arms folded over his chest.
“Ares, please, please, please tell me you’re going to be at the party tonight. You know Jonah throws the best ones,” the girl, whose name I haven’t bothered to learn, asks in a whiny voice.
“Sorry, babe, can’t. I have a family dinner I need to be at,” he says.
The girl pouts, and I can’t help but snort, which makes her turn to me. “You got a problem?”
“I’m not the one sitting there begging for attention,” I say. “So, no, I don’t have a problem.”
“I don’t know who you think you are, but mind your business,” she snaps back at me.
“I’m Zara McKinley. Don’t let me interrupt your attempts to get him.” I wave a hand at Ares, who appears amused.
“Fuck off.” The girl slides down from the desk, turning her full attention on me.
“Angela, back the fuck down now,” Ares growls.
“What? She started it.”
“She has a name. I know you know it,” he tells her.
“Seriously? You’re going to pick that over me?” She points to herself.
“She’s family, so I’d be real careful how you talk about her,” Ares says.
Angela huffs as she stomps out of the classroom. I came in early, wanting a break from people for five minutes. Ares followed a minute after I sat down.
It’s only now that I realise the classroom is still empty. “Where is everyone?” I ask him.
“Everyone who?”
“The class?”
“You’re in the wrong classroom,” Ares says.
My eyes widen. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” I stand and pick up my bag.
“I figured you wanted to be alone.”
“So you followed me? Thinking I wanted to be alone?” My brows draw down. That makes no sense.
“I didn’t say I was going to let you be alone. Just that I thought you wanted to be.” He shrugs.
“Where is the history class I’m supposed to be in?”
“Next door.” He nods towards the wall, and I sit back in the chair.
“I don’t want to walk in late and have everyone stare at me.” I sigh.
“No one is going to stare at you.”
“Yes, they will, and you constantly being next to me isn’t helping me fade into the crowd.”
Ares laughs. “You think you could ever fade into the crowd, P? You stand out even when you’re not trying to.”
There go the little bees in my stomach again. I open my mouth to respond, but then close it. What do I say to that?
“You owe me a secret,” Ares says.
“What?”
“That was the deal. I prove you were as good as family, and you have to tell me something about you no one else knows.”
I roll my eyes. He really needs to stop with this family thing. It’s annoying, and not true. Just because his mum likes me enough to let me go over for dinner does not make us family.
I try to come up with something I can tell him that no one else knows, something irrelevant and not deep. “I’m scared of heights,” I finally say.
“That’s stupid. Tell me something good, something that’s really about you, Zara.”
“That is about me. I hate heights. I hate flying even though I have to do it a lot.” I lift a shoulder.
“That’s not what I want to know.”
“What is it you want to know, Ares?”
“I want to know who hurt you.”
“No one has hurt me.” Why would he think someone hurt me?
“Then why are you sad all the time, Zara?”
His question makes my body freeze. No one has ever asked me that. No one has ever really noticed when I’m sad. My heart picks up speed and a light sweat forms on my forehead.
“I don’t know,” I whisper, because it’s the truth. I don’t know why I’m sad and I don’t know how to deal with him knowing that I am. Before I can stop myself, a tear slides down my cheek.
Ares reaches over. His thumb wipes the tear away. “Is that why you get high?” he asks, his voice soft, almost like he cares.
“I just like the escape from my brain,” I admit. “It’s not a problem. And it’s not your problem.” I’m embarrassed. I can’t even look him in the eye. Standing up, I bend and pick up my bag.
Without another word, Ares follows me out of the classroom. I don’t go next door, like I’m supposed to. Instead, I walk through the double doors, fully aware that with every step, Ares is following me.
I make my way around the side of the building, and Ares grabs hold of my arm and pulls me into a small enclave.
“Why are you following me?” I ask him.
“Because I want to,” he says. “Where are you planning on going, P?”
“Home.”
“Yeah? What are you going to do at home?”
“Sleep,” I tell him. I’m tired. “Not be here.”
“It’s almost lunch time. Constance will be looking for you.”
“She barely knows me.”
“Fine. I’ll be looking for you.”
“You can snap your fingers and have any girl in this school pay you attention. And they would actually want to. Go and find someone else to bother, Ares.”
“You don’t want to pay me attention, P?” He smirks, and my stomach does that stupid dip thing again.
When he looks at me like this, hungry and as if he wants to devour me, I don’t feel sad.
I don’t feel lonely. It’s dangerous. If I’m not careful, I’ll replace smoking weed with using Ares to make me feel good.
“I’m not sure what has given you the impression that I do,” I tell him.
The bell rings out. “That’s lunch. Come on.” Ares slides a palm down my arm and clasps my hand. I look down at where our fingers are joined, and a weird feeling runs through me. I don’t want him to let go. Again, dangerous. I really need to find a way to get him to leave me alone.
Right now, I let myself use him for the comfort he’s giving me and follow him to the table. “You know, if you keep touching me and holding my hand and stuff, people are going to start getting the wrong idea, Ares.”
“What idea would that be, P?”
“The one where you’re off the market. Wouldn’t want all the girls to think you’re unavailable,” I tease. “How ever will you keep adding notches to your bedpost?”
Ares laughs. “The girls here wouldn’t care if I had a girlfriend or not, P. They’d still let me do whatever the fuck I wanted to them. Desperation makes people stupid.”
“That’s… disturbing.” I cringe.
“I wouldn’t actually do it,” he says. “If I had a girlfriend, I’d be loyal. Because I’m not a filthy-rat, cheating bastard.”
If he had a girlfriend, I have no doubt he’d be good at being a boyfriend. If he’s giving me this much attention and we’re just friends, imagine actually being his?
Not that I want to be.
When we reach the table, Ares finally lets go of my hand. I don’t sit down. “I need to go and get something from my locker. Be right back.” I smile at the group now staring at me. “Don’t you dare follow me, Ares,” I whisper to him.
He glares at me intently before nodding his head and turning back to his friends. I don’t waste time rushing off. I don’t have anything in my locker. I just really need to get away from him for a moment.