Chapter 6
Chapter Six
AIDEN
I was so angry I could spit fire. That pretty motherfucker thought he could tell me what to do.
Not a chance.
I stormed away from Sonny before I snapped his neck and sat beside Ella at our table. I liked that I had a safe space with her, away from those jerk-offs who acted like they owned the damn school.
“You didn’t have to get into a fight with Sonny over me,” Ella said as I raised a forkful of lasagna to my mouth.
“Yes.” I chewed a bite of my food. “I.” I swallowed. “Did.”
Ella dragged the half-eaten garlic bread across her plate, scooping up the sauce. Instead of putting it into her sexy mouth, she continued playing with her food.
“Eat, Cinders.” I tipped my head at her plate. “You’ve barely touched your food.”
Ella nibbled on her bottom lip, eyes sweeping over the crowded dining hall. “I’m not hungry.”
“Talk to me.” I dropped my fork onto the plate. “Tell me why everyone is so afraid of your dad.”
“It’s not just my dad.” She swirled the bread in the sauce and took a bite. “My brothers are known for being a little… crazy. And unpredictable.” She let out a deep breath and shook her head. “In eighth grade, I told them about a boy making fun of me, and all three of them came to school and hung him on the flagpole by his underwear. He stayed there until his pants finally ripped and came crashing to the ground. The kid went to the hospital with a broken nose, cheekbone, and ribs.”
I could see why everyone stayed away from Ella. Being her friend was dangerous for most people. But I was not like most people. My family was untouchable. Besides, I would never do anything to hurt her or get on her family’s radar.
“I’ve only been in Devil’s Creek for a few days. So I don’t know how all of this shit works.” I wiped my mouth with a cloth napkin and tossed it onto the table. “But I can tell you this. My grandfather is very powerful. People fear him, and you don’t see anyone running away from me.”
She laughed, but it was more like a derisive snort. “That’s because Carl Wellington has a different kind of power. He has money and connections that could get a man off death row. Being in your presence is a good thing. The students at this school would befriend you in a heartbeat if you let them.” She briefly lowered her eyes to the half-eaten plate before returning her attention to me. “And you should, Aiden. This is your last year of high school. Have fun. Sit with the popular kids. They will accept you, but they will never accept me.”
I ate so fast that I practically choked down the rest of my food. Ella was still playing with the bread and sauce, pretending she would finish her plate.
I slid my hand across the table and touched her fingers. “I don’t want them to like me. Not if they’re too stuck up and stupid to see they’re idiots for ignoring you.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I’m a good judge of character.” I flashed a smile that got her to mirror my expression, though her smile didn’t fully reach her big, blue eyes. “I know you’re good people. Their loss is my gain.”
She glanced down at where our fingers touched, studying the tattoos on my forearm. “I work at The Ink Yard on weekends. If you want more ink, I can hook you up.”
I lifted an eyebrow, curious about her offer. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “You should stop by sometime.”
“I will,” I said with a wink that flushed her cheeks. “I could always use more ink.” I leaned forward, searching her body to see where she hid her tats, but if she had any, they were fully covered by the prep school jacket and button-up shirt. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Once again, her skin turned a deeper shade of pink, and I loved how she responded to me. “Are we talking about ink?”
“Of course.” I shrugged. “Unless you have other things in mind.”
She cleared her throat. “Um.”
“You don’t have to be nervous around me.”
She gave me a coy smile. “You’re the first guy who’s ever talked to me without saying something mean.”
My heart broke at her confession.
Why are people such assholes?
“I’m sorry,” I told her. “I hate how people treat you, and I won’t put up with it. As long as I’m here, I got your back.”
“Thanks, Aiden.”
Girls at our last school treated my sister like shit because she was prettier than them. Alex could have been a runway model. We both had offers over the years, especially since we were identical twins. But our mother ruined every chance of us ever making money and getting away from her. She refused to sign the consent forms.
We inherited our mother’s looks, but she never showed us an ounce of love. Our father was spineless and stupid and did whatever our mother wanted.
“How did you get into Mrs. Waters’ painting class mid-semester?” Ella asked. “No one has ever done that before. It’s like the hardest class to get into at Astor Prep. I had to apply last year.”
I rolled my shoulders against the chair. “No idea. I told my grandfather I wanted to paint with Alex, and he worked his magic. But the Salvatores must have intervened because I don’t have any classes with my sister.”
“They’re notorious for doing that.” She sighed. “Those boys control everyone and everything at this school. Especially Luca. He’s the mastermind of the group.”
“I plan to knock his ass down a peg. He’s not getting what he wants from my sister.”
“If I had to choose between the four Salvatore brothers, I would pick Marcello.” Her eyes darted across the room to the football team’s table. “He’s nice. Everyone likes him. And he’s really cute.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I told my sister the same thing. Marcello is her best chance at having a normal life.”
I followed her line of sight, but my eyes landed on Sonny instead of Marcello. That arrogant dick pissed me off. He seemed friendly enough, but I hated being told what to do. Jocks were not my thing. I was too punk rock for him. Although, I wouldn’t have minded seeing how nice his ass looked in a pair of football pants.
“Have you been accepted to art school yet?” Ella said, drawing my attention from the hot jock and back to her.
“Yeah. I’m going to RISD with Alex in the fall.”
Her mouth widened in shock. “I applied for an early decision. How did you hear back already?”
I shrugged. “Family connections.”
“Yeah, that’s one nice perk of being a Wellington, huh?”
I wanted to say being a Wellington kind of sucked, but I kept that to myself and said, “At least you’ll have two friends at your next school if you get accepted. And none of these assholes there to hold you down.”
I liked the idea of introducing Alex to Ella. They would hit it off. And like Ella, Alex never had a girl friend. She was treated similarly to Ella at our last school by the girls she tried to befriend. They all thought she would steal their boyfriends or some shit. So we stuck together and did our own thing.
I nodded at her plate. “Finish eating. I have a surprise for you.”
She didn’t ask questions and scarfed down the last bite of garlic bread and rigatoni. After she wiped her mouth clean, I shot up from the table and offered my hand.
When she hesitated, I pulled Ella toward me. “Let’s go. We’re not sitting over here anymore. This is your last year at Astor Prep. No one is putting Cinders in the corner anymore.”
She giggled but didn’t say anything. Not until I led her to Sonny’s table, holding her hand.
“Aiden, no.” Ella tried to yank her hand out of my grasp. “We can’t.”
Everyone stared at us.
I didn’t give a shit.
“Yes, we can.”
I tapped Sonny on the back.
He angled his body to look at me.
“Move over, Pretty Boy.”
His blue eyes flicked from me to Ella and then back to me. “Aiden, we talked about this. She’s bad news.”
“You talked. I didn’t listen.”
Ella clutched my arm. “Aiden, it’s okay. We can go sit somewhere else.”
“Yeah, good idea,” a meathead-looking guy with dark brown hair said with an attitude.
“Got something to say?” I snapped, ready for a fight, my free hand balled into a fist at my side.
I didn’t know this girl, but I wouldn’t have thought twice about swinging at anyone who talked shit about her. She reminded me so much of my sister.
Innocent.
Sweet.
Hated for existing.
I spent my entire life defending my sister, protecting her from our shitty parents and the mean girls at school. And I would not stand here and let these rich pricks treat Ella like crap.
Meathead glared at me. “You’re making a mistake, Wellington.”
I hated that name.
It sounded so weird when people called me that. Until recently, I didn’t even know I had a grandfather. And it pissed me off to no end to find out he was one of the wealthiest men in the world. Meanwhile, Alex and I were starving to death and getting abused daily. Where the fuck was he when we needed him most?
I glowered at the dumb jock. “The only mistake I’m making is wasting my breath talking to your ugly ass.”
“Aiden,” Sonny groaned, pleading with his eyes for me to give up.
I bent down to be at eye level with Sonny, who leaned forward in his chair. “You want me, Pretty Boy?”
He nodded. “You know I do.”
I clutched his chin, our mouths so close we could kiss. “Either we sit with you, or you can forget about anything happening between us.”
His gaze drifted up to Ella and then back to my lips. “You’re so stubborn.”
I let my hand drop from his face and rose to my full height, standing beside Ella, who looked like she wanted to run. “You’re just figuring that out?”
Sonny tapped his long fingers on his knee, considering his next move. “Fine. But if she does anything to piss me off, she’s gone.”
“I’m not my father,” Ella said, her voice so small and soft. “Or my brothers.”
Sonny snickered, tossing back his blond head.
“I’m not like them.” Ella pushed her hands onto her narrow hips, which only drew more attention to her big tits that popped out of her shirt. “If anyone at this school would give me a chance, they would know that.”
Sonny scrubbed a hand across his jaw and sighed. “I’m doing this for you.” He licked his lips, staring at mine. “Don’t make me regret it.” Then he snapped his fingers at the guy next to him. “Move over two chairs.” He looked down the row and repeated the same motion. “All of you move down.”
“What the fuck, Sonny?”
“Are you crazy?”
“She’s a criminal.”
“A freak.”
It continued down the row, with one person complaining after the other, but no one questioned him. Some of them made comments about Ella. All it took was one look from me, and they shut their mouths.
Sonny slid into the chair beside his and pointed for me to sit beside Marcello.
I shook my head. “Ella sits between us.”
I liked the sound of that.
The three of us.
He rolled his eyes and hopped back into his seat, leaving the two chairs to his right open for us.
I tipped my head for Ella to sit.
She sucked in a deep breath and did it without a word.
Once seated, I put my hand on Ella’s knee, resting it below the hem of her skirt. Sonny’s eyes lowered, his jaw clenched. I had to claim Ella for people to stay the fuck away from her.
She was mine to protect.
Mine to claim.