Page 38 of Inseparable
The sobs pick up in earnest, and Ayden carries me to the bed where he holds me all night long, uttering soothing words until my exhausted brain finally succumbs to sleep.
The next day at school is officially the worst day of my life. Everywhere I turn, people are pointing the finger and gossiping about me. News that Becky and Devin are exclusive and official spreads like wildfire throughout the halls. At lunchtime, she sits beside him, fawning all over him, and it’s enough to slaughter my appetite. Ayden sits loyally by my side, attempting to draw me out of my melancholy mood. Mariah wants to personally castrate Devin, and she spends the whole lunch period sending threatening looks at Becky and Devin while I attempt to pretend like my heart isn’t smashed to pieces.
I’m in the smaller, less popular bathroom at the far side of the building just before the last class of the day, washing my hands in the sink, when Becky and her cronies swan in. The door snicks shut as they line up around me. Becky tilts her head to the side, her eyes scrutinizing me with thinly concealed disgust.
“What do you want?” I bark, keeping my head up and my shoulders back. I wipe my wet hands down the front of my jeans.
“I want to set the new ground rules.”
My mouth pulls into an amused grimace. “This should be good.” I fold my arms over my chest. “Let’s hear ‘em.”
She steps forward, putting her face in mine. Her features are twisted with malice as she glares smugly at me. Funny how a person can look aesthetically pretty when they’re completely ugly on the inside. She prods a bony finger in my chest. “First, let’s get one thing straight. I’m in control around here. You don’t get to call the shots, and you don’t get to stand there and mock me.”
“Screw you.”
She shoves me, hard, and I fall back against the counter. I straighten up, ignoring the surge of adrenaline flooding my veins. “I told you I always get what I want, and Devin is mine. All mine. You are not to come anywhere near him. You are no longer friends with him. He is invisible to you.”
I snort out a laugh. “Wow, never thought the day would come where I’d agree with anything that came out of your mouth, but I have absolutely zero issue with anything you have said. I’m done with the loser. You’re welcome to him.”
Shoving past her, I walk toward the door, ignoring the blood rushing to my ears. I’m yanked back by my hair and slammed against the wall. A stinging pain slides across my cheek as she pushes me into the wall, digging her knee into my lower back. “I wasn’t done talking, and you will leave when I tell you to leave.”
I wriggle out of her hold, my cheek scraping across the coarse stone in the process. I jerk away from her. “Get the fuck out of my way. I’ll leave when I want to leave.”
Her fist thrusts out, and she punches me in the gut, winding me. I double over, clutching my stomach in disbelief. I know Becky’s a bully, but I’ve never known her to be physically abusive. “You’re fucking pathetic, and it’s laughable that you thought he’d have any interest in you. I won’t warn you again, Mary. Stay the hell away from Devin, or you’ll suffer the consequences.”
Over the next few days, Becky and her minions wage a subtle campaign of terror. Despite the fact I ignore Devin, and I’ve had no contact with him, those bitches follow me everywhere around school, and they’ve even taken up residence at the diner, taunting me with excessive demands during every shift. Ayden is enraged, especially after what went down in the bathroom. We fought relentlessly over it. He wants to intervene, but I refuse to allow his involvement—that wouldn’t be in any way helpful. I need to deal with this, and I need to be clever about it. The last thing I want is to get hauled in front of Principal Wells. My record is impeccable thus far, and stuff like that matters to me. I want to leave high school with a clean sheet and my head held high, so, for now, I try to steer clear of the bitches and avoid confrontation.
Christmas comes and goes, and I’m glad when it’s over. The effort involved in pretending to be happy is draining. A few days before we’re due to return to school, I accompany Ayden to the hospital to get his cast off.
“Freedom!” he yells, fist pumping the air as we step out into the parking lot. I giggle when he picks me up, swinging me around. “This calls for a celebration.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“A few of the guys are grabbing dinner and a movie later if you are up for it?”
“Sure.” I shrug. “Count me in.”
I laugh myself silly when we get in the Jeep and Ayden lavishes kisses on the steering wheel. “Dude, you are so weird.”
He powers up the engine, almost purring with satisfaction. “You hear that, baby. You hear that beautiful sound.”
I roll my eyes, and he leans over the console, smacking a kiss on my lips. My eyes pop wide in surprise. “Today’s a good day, Lina.” He winks, easing the Jeep out of the space and into the line of traffic exiting the hospital. His blond hair has grown longer over the winter, curling around his ears and the top of his neck. He looks at me and smiles, his gorgeous blue eyes brimming with happiness. Leaning back in his seat, he sighs contentedly. “I’m hitting the open road with a beautiful girl by my side and there’s no school, no practice, we’re free as birds, baby.”
His enthusiasm is infectious, and I find myself laughing along with him.
Later, we drive to the movie theater and meet up with Josh, Cody, two of the other guys, and their girlfriends. Conversation flows freely in the adjoining diner as we eat, and, for the first time in ages, I feel relaxed and more like myself. Ayden keeps his arm around me as he banters with his teammates while I chat with Mariah and Gabi—who has just started dating Josh—across the table.
The jovial mood lasts right up until we set foot in the movie theater and the first people I see are Devin and Becky. My initial instinct is to turn on my heel and run, but screw them, they’re not driving me out of here or ruining my night. Ayden stiffens beside me, taking my hand and keeping me close to his side. “Ignore them.”
Ayden is a protective force behind me as we stand in line to buy our tickets, his arms circling my waist and his head resting atop my chin. I avoid looking over at Becky and Devin but I’m acutely aware of their presence. Everyone is, and tension is palpable in the air.
We grab popcorn and soda and head toward the doors. “You go with the others,” Ayden says, nudging me forward. “I need to use the restroom.” He pecks my cheek, and walks away. I follow Mariah and the others, claiming the last two seats in the row, right by the aisle, for Ayden and myself. The lights dim, and I pull my knees into my chest as the screen sparks to life.
All the tiny hairs on the back of my neck lift, and my heart starts thudding in my chest, for no apparent reason, but I know better. I’ve always been in sync with Devin, and I don’t need to look up to confirm he’s in close proximity. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the form hovering in the aisle, his penetrating eyes boring a hole in the side of my skull. I ignore him, hoping he’ll go away, but he stays rooted to the spot, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, just staring at me. Every head in our row turns to look at him, but he doesn’t seem to care, standing rigidly still and willing me to turn around and look up at him. I’ve no clue where Becky is, but I’m guessing she’s not in the vicinity.
Mariah subtly elbows me in the ribs, and my eyes flit to hers. “I know,” I mouth.
He’s still there, and I wonder what he hopes to achieve. After a couple minutes, unable to withstand it any longer, I look up at him. It’s the first time we’ve looked each other in the eye in weeks. His gaze roams my face as he stares at me with lethal quietness. I regard him flippantly, refusing to betray any hint of emotion, and it’s like some form of silent standoff. A simmering charge ignites the space between us, and the air is laden with unspoken words. His eyes drill into mine, as if he’s trying to implant his thoughts in my head. I don’t know why he’s even bothering or why it matters at this stage.
