Chapter 14
It was the first day of sophomore year. I should’ve been happy. I was able to see and talk to my friends everyday again. But at what cost? Blake had kicked me out and Hero wasn’t speaking to me.
During dinners, I would sit across from Hero, but he didn’t look at me at all. Not even a glance. After eating, he would excuse himself from the table and hide away in his room. Every time I go upstairs, I would get the urge to knock on his door. But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t do it.
Now, I was standing outside the classroom door, yet again. Taking a deep breath, I entered the classroom. Glancing around, I noticed everyone’s faces were the same as last year’s. Everyone’s.
There was no new face in the classroom.
Hero averted his gaze as I sat down between him and Ayden. Ayden was clueless; neither of us spilled a word of what had happened.
He noticed the tension. “Did something happen?”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”
It would break his heart if he knew the truth. I never should’ve accepted Blake’s deal. I shouldn’t be at this school. And if Ayden knew I was staying in the same house as Hero, what would he think?
Although Ayden was my boyfriend for almost a whole year, I felt as though nothing had truly changed between us. It’s like we were still just friends. But maybe that’s just what a comfortable relationship feels like.
After all of the students had arrived, Miss Kennedy explained why none of the students in the classroom had changed.
She was a billionaire, who bought her way into the academy—that was how she got the job quickly last year—and bribed Principal Evans into keeping all of her students the same. She had grown an attachment to us.
I was envious of her selflessness. She could’ve spent that money on herself, but instead she was spending the money to help students get a non-strict teacher and even made learning fun—or so I’ve heard.
“Welcome back, Pepper,” Miss Kennedy said as she passed around a short assignment. Was I truly welcome, though? Maybe it would’ve been better if I had stayed in the online program. If I did, Hero wouldn’t be ignoring me right now.
I peered over at Hero’s paper. He hadn’t started.
It gave me a sense of deja vu, so I tried to do the same as I did last year—filling it out myself.
But it didn’t go as planned. As I was moving my hand closer to his paper, he slammed his hand on the paper.
I flinched and instinctively took my hand back.
“I’m sorry— I thought you—”
“You thought wrong,” he cut me off. “Just like how you thought I’d want you here.”
He didn’t mean it. I know he didn’t.
“I can’t believe you’re still mad at me,” I blurted out.
“Well, believe it,” he scowled. “I still haven’t even heard an apology from you.”
“Why do you even care?” I asked. “I owe him an apology, not you.”
Ayden leaned in. “What’s happening over here?”
Hero arched an eyebrow at me. “Go on, then. Apologize to him.”
My eyes widened.
“An apology to me?” Ayden asked curiously. “Did you do something?”
No. I didn’t. I didn’t take anything from him. Why couldn’t Hero understand that? Even though I agreed to the deal, I never went through with it.
I exhaled, turning to face Ayden. “I—” I began to explain.
“Alrighty y’all!” Miss Kennedy said, taking the short assignment back. “Time for learning!”
Saved by the bell, I thought, but I could still feel their stares on me throughout the lesson. I couldn’t concentrate on anything Miss Kennedy was teaching.
Once it was lunch time, I attempted to leave but Hero grabbed my arm. “Tell him.”
“Fine,” I muttered. “But you better listen because you didn’t even hear me out.” Hero crossed his arms.
I told Ayden the truth, but just the parts that involved him and that Blake lied about us being poor. I left out the parts where I found out my parents died, and that Blake kicked me out.
“I’m sorry for even accepting the deal,” I said, teary eyed.
“Don’t cry, please,” Ayden said quickly. “You were pressured and had a tough decision to make. I would’ve given you money, had you asked.”
Hero narrowed his eyes, scoffing. He threw his backpack over his shoulder and swiftly walked out of the classroom.
I was about to go after him but Ayden told me to let him go.
We took our time putting our belongings into our backpacks, talking more into detail about how Blake had lied to me.
Ayden wrapped me into a tight hug and I started to uncontrollably sob.
Hearing the clicking of boots, I lifted my head off Ayden’s chest to see Miss Kennedy holding a bowl of candy. “Thank you,” I sniffed, taking a piece of candy.
“You can take as many as you’d like, darlin’. I can afford it.” She chuckled.
I took a handful and shoved them into my pocket. I was hoping to give some to Hero as an apology. I still wasn’t sure why Hero was so upset. During my time away, did the two of them get on better terms? Did Hero care about Ayden?
Why couldn’t he have the same reaction that Ayden had?
Why couldn’t I shake away the feelings I had for him?
Ayden picked up my backpack. He placed his backpack on one shoulder and mine on the other.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I insist.”
He rubbed my back as we walked to the cafeteria.
“Tell me what you want for lunch, and I’ll get it line to get it for you,” Ayden said, setting our backpacks down at our usual table.
“It’s okay, I packed lunch,” I replied. Correction: Marina had packed lunch for me—a PB&J sandwich and a banana. But I didn’t want Ayden to know that. Unzipping my backpack, I pulled out my lunch box.
Ayden sat down next to me. “So, how did you find out?”
“Huh?” I asked, taking a bite of the sandwich.
“How’d you find out that your brother lied about having no money?”
I almost choked. “Oh, uh, he confessed to me,” I lied. That was an obvious lie too, but Ayden didn’t seem to realize. “I’m glad you weren’t mad,” I added.
“I wasn’t going to give Hero the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think he was trying to. He was truly upset at me when he found out. Maybe he wants to be friends with you again.”
“Yeah, right.” Ayden laughed incredulously. “I’ll believe it when I hear those words coming out of his mouth.”
My eyes lit up. “So you want to be his friend again?”
His eyes widened and he scooted back. “I don’t!”
I threw my hands up, smiling. “Alright, fine, whatever you say.”
“I’m serious!” he insisted. “I couldn’t care less what he thinks of me.”
In the corner of my eye, I spotted Hero entering the cafeteria. Ayden turned his head and stopped laughing. I waved him over, which Ayden didn’t really like, and he walked towards us. I was surprised that he did. Placing his backpack down, he sat across from us, not saying a word.
I grabbed a few candies from my pocket and extended my hand to Hero. “I’m sorry, Hero. Will you please forgive me?”
He closed my hand and slowly pushed it back to my chest. I grabbed the rest of the candies and extended my hand again.
“Do you really believe giving me candy will fix anything?” he asked, shaking his head.
“A thousand candies wouldn’t change a thing.
You are the light of this friend group, the one who keeps us sane.
Our moods lighten up as soon as you walk into the room.
You are the most selfless person I know.
So when I heard that you accepted an offer to take money from your friend—no, boyfriend—I couldn’t believe my ears.
I couldn’t care less about Ayden, it’s about morals.
You had a choice and you chose the selfish option.
” He paused. “You lectured me on what I had done wrong, but were you really qualified for that?”
He felt betrayed. I betrayed him and his trust. He had been relying on me. I was keeping him sane—or he felt that way. I was his moral compass and now he was lost.
“You were the one that told her she’d be a good therapist,” Ayden jumped in. “Don’t switch up on her now.”
“You’re right,” I exhaled, staring deeply into Hero’s dark brown eyes. “I shouldn’t have done it, but I can’t change the past. I can only regret my decision.”
Ayden kissed my head and rubbed my shoulder as he pulled me closer to him.
Hero glanced down, fidgeting with his hands. “Did you tell him yet?”
“Tell me what?” Ayden asked.
“It’s nothi—”
“She’s living with me,” Hero cut me off.
Ayden chuckled incredulously. “Why would she be living with you?”
Hero told him almost everything. About how he used a spell to allow me to speak to my parents. My dead parents. About how I called Hero to get answers from him. About Blake kicking me out.
I tried to get Hero to stop, multiple times, but he wouldn’t. Thankfully, he left out the part about how they died. He knew I wouldn’t want to be reminded of that. I didn’t want to be reminded of any of it.
“And you agreed to stay with him?” Ayden asked, narrowing his eyes.
“What choice did I have?” I shouted. “Would you have taken me in?”
“Yes,” he said instantly. “I would have.”
A few seconds of silence went by. “I didn’t want you to worry about me,” I muttered. It was true. He was my boyfriend, and I didn’t want him to find out how bad my life was.
“I would worry less knowing that you’re not in his house,” he said. “I seriously can’t believe you would stay with the guy that almost killed you.”
I scoffed and left the cafeteria without saying a word. I went to the restroom to clear my head, away from all of the noise. Tears were starting to fill up in my eye sockets when a girl walked out of a stall.
Violet.
I wiped away my tears. I didn’t want her to see me vulnerable.
“Don’t just stand there,” I told her.
She walked closer, looking at my face through the mirror. “You were about to cry,” she commented.
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t lie to yourself.”
Violet was right. I was lying to myself. I was nowhere near fine. My parents were dead, Blake blamed me for their death, I got kicked out, and Hero won’t forgive me for accepting Blake’s offer.
“I know what you want,” she continued, “and I can help you.”
“And what is that?” I asked. I wasn’t sure what I wanted.
“Hero.”
My eyes widened for a split second before averting my gaze. “You know I have a boyfriend. Ayden.”
“You’re effing stupid.” She exhaled as if she had greater knowledge than me. “You truly love Hero. I can see it in your eyes.”
“He doesn’t like me back,” I deadpanned, “so I don’t understand what you’re trying to do.”
“Well, that has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” she said, giggling. “It’s obvious that he has feelings for you.”
“Even if that were true, which it isn’t, how could you possibly help me?”
“You need girl advice,” she said, holding up a few strands of my hair. “You need to be irresistible to him.”
I shrugged her hand off. “I just want to be me.”
“Fine, then,” she sighed, pulling out her phone and handing it to me. “If you ever need someone to talk to, or whatever.” The phone displayed “New contact.”
I put my number in her phone. She then texted a quick message to let me know her number. Her lips curled into a small smile before walking out of the restroom.
That was strange. Did she want an excuse to talk to me?
Was that her attempting to be nice, or was it just one of her tricks?
She definitely seemed more genuine, but that’s how she acts when she’s lonely.
Could this be another manipulation tactic?
No. I’m going to trust her. Because not everyone is my br— Blake.