Chapter 6
“HI, STRANGER.”
All the fight I had gathered in my system dissolves into fumes as I welcome the proximity of my friend Aidan.
After spending the day faking smiles and making conversation with people I don’t care about, it’s thrilling to finally stumble upon someone I’m actually glad to see.
Relief spreads through my limbs, softening my stance.
Aidan takes a step forward and, before I can process it, he comes at me full force and wraps me in his arms, squeezing me into a tight hug.
Joyous laughter bubbles from my lips as he lifts me from the ground a couple of inches, spinning me around.
The movement is fast, and my brain struggles to process what’s happening amidst the blur surrounding me.
I think I catch a glimpse of Danny in the crowd.
Once Aidan sets me on the floor again, I shift my position, so I can get a better look at Danny. He’s standing barely a few meters away from Cerys. The sight of her makes a desert spread down my throat.
My friend looks stunning as always, but also so different from the girl she used to be.
Her hair is shorter, the blonde locks barely scratching the fabric covering her shoulders.
Once upon a time, Cerys used to be like a bright light in a crowd.
Now, her glow has dimmed. Life has been rough on her.
You can see her stance has grown closed within itself; her confidence broken.
Returning my attention to Danny, I’m taken aback by the fact that he’s staring back at me, his eyes shadowed by his frowning brows.
A shudder spreads down my spine. I turn away from Danny and meet Aidan’s happy smile. I give his arm a squeeze before letting go, taking a step back.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him, knowing parties aren’t really his scene. “Looking for love?” I tease.
The last time I saw Aidan was when I visited his father during the late summer to pick up the recommendation letter that he personally wrote for me to work at BSIX.
Unlike me, Aidan is the definition of a nepo baby.
Though I’d argue he has the talent to back up his nepotism status, and he’s going through the hoops and loops of learning the art by getting his degree.
Aidan’s father, Aaron Ledger, is someone I consider a legend in the horror genre.
Named one of the most influential figures in the zombie subgenre by multiple film critics.
He won three of the big five Academy Awards for his film Gray Matter, and it completely redefined the genre in the nineties.
He’s a complete badass, but also one of the humblest people I’ve met in the industry. Two years ago, he taught me and Aidan multiple techniques for using practical effects instead of relying on CGI—which was something we couldn’t otherwise have done, given our severe lack of resources and funding.
“Well, never say never on the love thing,” Aidan responds with a boyish grin.
“Come on, why are you really here?” I press, knowing it can’t be that, or at least not completely.
“You want the truth?” he questions. He’s piqued my interest, so I nod effusively. “I joined Delta this year.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.
Things have changed a lot around here, because it’s almost out of character for Aidan to join a fraternity, especially in his senior year.
Surely he knows better than to pledge, considering how much shit I’ve talked about it.
Hell, he witnessed first-hand the torture I went through during my last couple of months at Westbrook. Why would he do that?
“You . . . joined . . . a frat?” I pronounce slowly. The words taste surreal on the tip of my tongue.
Aidan laughs.
“I know, I know,” he says, raising his hands in front of him as if he were waving a white flag. “I promise it’s a much better place than it was last year. The trash was taken out when you left.”
“I won’t hold my breath about it,” I mumble. “But I’m guessing you had an ulterior motive for it?”
“Dad told me I need to broaden my horizons and socialize more, especially since you’re not here anymore. So, you could say he sort of twisted my arm. And I figured living here was a nicer experience than the dorms.”
I wrinkle my nose. I hate to agree with him, but I’ve heard all the horror stories about living in the dorms. Sadly, although the people here aren’t the best, Greek Row has better living conditions.
“What is he giving you in return?” I inquire, crossing my arms.
Aidan flashes me a smile. “He told me he would do five calls on my behalf from his list of B-list actors for my final short.”
Nepotism doing its job.
“Wow.”
“See why I willingly joined?”
“I definitely understand it better now,” I admit.
“Maybe you would like to assist me?” he offers. “It would be just like old times. I hope to start pre-production around spring break.”
“It would be quite the change in our dynamic.”
Since I was ahead of him in my studies, usually he would be my AD—assistant director—while I directed. It would be a different experience to be the AD for him when I know how bossy I can get during productions.
“Would it be that bad? I’d say I handled you bossing me around quite well.”
A laugh spills free from me.
“Oh, please. You loved it.”
Aidan’s eyes darken for a split second as he sucks his bottom lip to hold back a smile. The dimples in his cheeks give him away, even when he tries to hide it.
I tilt my head slightly, taking a good look at him for the first time tonight, noticing how he’s changed in the past year.
Aidan has always been a good-looking guy.
Not the type who’s fawned over by many, but he’s always been cute and geeky in an endearing way.
His brown hair is longer than it was last year—he used to have a buzzcut—and the strands have gained the slightest wave on the tips.
A constellation of freckles adorns his face, giving him a boyish appeal along with his dimples.
His build has always been skinny, but not lanky.
His torso is proportionate and balanced.
Slim, but fit enough to carry a boom mic without getting tired every thirty seconds—we always joked that the only workout film students had to worry about was being able to hold the pole over our heads without ruining any takes because we got tired after fifteen seconds.
He’s cute.
When did he get cute?
“Oh, I definitely did.” Aidan clicks his tongue. For a second, he gives me a once-over. “There’s something oddly attractive about a pretty woman commanding your every move.”
My smile wavers as my body tenses slightly, completely caught off guard by his admission. Holy shit. Is he flirting? I thought we were joking around as we always did, but this seems different. Charged with an undertone I can’t quite decipher.
Before I can stop myself, my gaze moves an inch to the side, focusing on Danny in the background.
He remains in the same spot as he was, but now he’s engaged in a conversation with a girl.
From this angle, I can’t tell who it is.
I can see she’s a petite blonde, and considering we’re at a sorority party, that covers at least half of Greek Row.
A twinge of jealousy awakens and churns in my stomach.
Suddenly, I desperately want a drink so I can put out the fire.
I bite the inside of my cheek and tell myself I need to stop this, just as Danny’s eyes find me again.
Then, he does something I’d almost forgotten about.
He taps twice under his chin and once on the chest.
My mouth dries. Back when we used to be close, Danny spent a while trying to teach me some of the baseball signals his coach used. That one specifically meant hit and run, but it ended up turning into our way of checking in on each other at parties.
I’m so taken aback that I don’t return the signal to let him know everything’s fine. I just stare and frown.
For the first time, I see Danny’s puppy look harden as his jaw twitches visibly.
“Earth to Mabel,” Aidan calls, moving his hand in front of my face to catch my attention. “I lost you there for a second.”
I clear my throat and shake my head to brush Danny away from my thoughts. I shouldn’t care if he’s flirting with someone else and taking advantage of the night. It’s none of my business.
“Sorry. I got distracted looking for Carmen,” I lie. “We had an argument earlier.”
“Little Carmen still driving you nuts?”
Driving me nuts? That’s quite the euphemism.
Her decisions and behavior lately leave a lot to be desired, but there’s only so much I can do as her sister.
Especially when I live across the country.
I have to bite my tongue and wait for her to need me, because as much as I still see her as the little girl who used to sneak into Mami’s closet to try on her heels, Carmen’s an adult now.
I need to trust her choices. Although that doesn’t mean I won’t worry and hang around until she’s ready to confide in me.
“You have no idea.”
“Is that why you’re here and not in LA?” Aidan asks, piecing it together.
Should I tell him the truth about the letters and the threats?
Other than Danny, Aidan is probably the only person who would believe me.
After all, he was one of the few who believed and supported me when Cerys dropped out and I had to finish my degree.
If it hadn’t been for him, I probably wouldn’t have been able to complete the assignments.
Especially as Danny was no longer in the picture.
But the words get stuck in my throat. They refuse to climb the rest of the way and spill from my lips.
“Something along those lines.” I sigh. “You know how she can be.”
“I know, but she’s as strongheaded as her sister,” he says. “It’s a good thing, Mabel. You’ve given her all the tools she needs for the future.”
I press my lips into a thin line. “I’m not sure about that.”
Aidan places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly to give me some support and reassurance.