“You can do that?” I asked breathlessly, my gaze shifting from Aidan’s hand to Tyler and back again. “Holy hell!” Maybe it would have been a fair fight, after all.
And that’s when Aidan leaned down and punched him, right in the face.
Tyler’s face was a mess—he’d refused to go to Nurse Campbell for treatment—and Aidan wasn’t speaking to me. Which made art history class the next day so much fun. They sat on either side of me now, bristling, while the gossip raged on around us.
I tried to imagine how I’d feel if I caught Aidan with his arms around another girl—if he’d shoved her away guiltily the second I stepped into the room and then claimed that he’d only been comforting her. Just thinking about it made me feel sick—made my head pound, my stomach lurch queasily.
I glanced over at Aidan’s stony face, wondering if he was actually paying attention to what Dr. Andrulis was saying. His expression was entirely unreadable. If he noticed me watching him, he gave no indication of it.
I let out a frustrated sigh. Enough was enough. It was time for a little telepathic chat.
Can we please talk after sixth period?
He didn’t move a muscle. There’s nothing to talk about.
C’mon, Aidan. You know he’s just my friend.
He remained as still as a statue, staring straight ahead. Seriously, Vi? You two were all over each other, for God’s sake.
This wasn’t going well. Your room, then. Right after class.
The silence in my head was deafening.
“Hey,” Tyler whispered on my other side. “Violet?”
Irritated, I snapped my head toward him. “What?”
He held out my pen. “You dropped it.”
I snatched it from him with a scowl, reminding myself that he had no idea that he’d interrupted a conversation. “Thanks,” I whispered, trying to shake off the hostile vibes radiating from Aidan’s direction.
The next fifteen minutes were pure agony. I almost wept with relief when the bells began to ring.
“Should I wait for you?” Tyler asked, looking uncomfortable. “You know, to walk over to fencing together?”
I busied myself with my bag, unable to look at his swollen, discolored face without feeling guilty all over again. “No. Go on without me. Actually, would you mind telling Coach that I’m not feeling well? I might walk over to the infirmary.” It was only a half lie, since my head was pounding and I was out of Advil.
“Sure,” he said. “Okay, um . . . later.”
Aidan had started toward the door without me. I actually had to grab my bag and sprint toward him, catching up with him just as he stepped out into the hallway.
And then Jenna stepped into our path. “If it isn’t the little lovebirds,” she said, her voice dripping with venom.
“What do you want, Jenna?” Aidan asked, sounding bored.
“A run tonight, if you don’t mind. It’s a full moon.”
“Is it? I hadn’t noticed.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Just be there. You wouldn’t want me to go all wolf without a babysitter now, would you?” Her gaze slid over to me. “If you can manage to separate yourself from your little pet long enough, that is.”
“Whatever. You know there’s an entire security force out there watching the woods at night, right?”
“Yeah, and you better tell them to keep their distance, or else I won’t be responsible for any damage I do. I’ll see you tonight. Usual time and place.” With that, she turned and flounced off.
23 ~ Like Sand Through the Hourglass . . .
How’d you do on the history test?” I directed at the back of Aidan’s head. He was sitting at his desk across the room, while I leaned nervously against the door.
“Fine” was all he said in reply. No elaboration, nothing.
“We, uh, probably need to get together with Joshua and Tyler at some point to finish up our art history project. You know, the Girl Before a Mirror thing. And the sculpture one, too.”
“I knew what you meant.” He opened up his laptop and reached for the mouse.
I took a few steps toward the center of the room, standing a few feet behind him. More than anything, I wanted to hurry over to him and wrap my arms around him. Instead, I held myself in check, fearing his rejection.
“Did you turn in any of your paperwork for AUP yet?” I asked, my voice shaky. “I think the housing form is due soon. If we’re waiving student housing, we’re supposed to tell them where we’ll be living. You know, give them an address.”
His only response was a curt nod as he continued doing whatever he was doing on his computer. He wasn’t staying on any website long—it looked like he was just randomly clicking from site to site, just to appear busy.
“So, you’re just going to sit over there and ignore me?” I asked, sinking onto the edge of daybed with a sigh.
He nodded. “That was the plan.”
“C’mon, after all we’ve been through, we’re going to fight over this? I told you it was nothing. He was crying about Kate, Aidan. Seriously. What was I supposed to do?”
“How about not put your hands all over him?” I couldn’t see his face, but his voice was laced with jealousy.
I took a deep, calming breath. “This is crazy. You know that, right? Tyler is my friend, nothing more. And he’s helping with your cure, by the way.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? That I should thank him by giving him carte blanche to feel up my girlfriend whenever the mood strikes him?”
“It wasn’t like that, and you know it. You’re just being difficult. What can I possibly say to make you believe me?”
“How about giving me a little time? Some space, maybe.”
“Are you serious?” I asked incredulously. This was a complete and total overreaction on his part. It didn’t make any sense. “Where’s this really coming from, Aidan? Because this isn’t you. You don’t do the jealous boyfriend thing.”
He let out a heavy sigh and then finally swiveled in his chair to face me. “I think you need to figure out what you want, Violet. What you need. Who you need. There are no guarantees with me—I told you that.”
I just stared at him, stunned by his words. He dropped his gaze, but not before I saw that same haunting emptiness I’d glimpsed before.
“I can’t believe you’re saying this,” I finally managed.
He busied himself with some papers on his desk, avoiding my gaze. “Yeah, well, I can’t believe I saw you with Tyler Bennett’s hands all over you, so I guess we’re even.”
I rose on shaky legs and headed for the door. “I don’t need time or space to think about anything. I know exactly what I want. Maybe you’re the one who needs to do some thinking. Figure out what it is that you want.” I paused to catch my breath, one hand on the doorknob. “Have fun with your dog tonight.”
Without waiting for his response, I stormed out into the corridor, making sure the door slammed shut behind me.
I headed outside, my pace brisk as I walked aimlessly across the quad. I decided to head toward the river, my breath coming faster as I jogged down the path, desperate to clear my head.
Faster and faster I ran, my sneakers pounding against the pavement as I raced past the chapel. With each step, my anger seemed to dissipate, replaced with disappointment instead.
When I reached the bench at the end of the path, I paused, resting my hands on my knees as I caught my breath.
I rose, swiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of one hand. If he needed time, I’d give him time. Clearly, there was more to it than simple jealousy over a misunderstanding. Maybe he was scared. Worried. I knew he thought that he was putting me in danger, so maybe he was acting out of some sort of misplaced guilt. Whatever the case, I wasn’t going to let him push me away so easily.