Status: Ongoing :D
One Story, Four Lives, and the Thing that Changed Them All
Starting Affairs
Affairs. Everyone has them in their life, no matter what kind of affair you have or what you like to call it. Whether it be your, calling, duty, mission, obligation, responsibility, task, thing, I could go on forever. Or no matter what you do it with, a person, a sport, school, work, but mainly a person. Like what do people have affairs for? There's the main reason, sexual, or some people have affairs with someone they're more proud to show off. Whatever the reason is, everyone has an affair.
So I guess the topic now is, ¨Amelia why are you talking about affairs?¨ Or, "She's totally having an affair." Well, for those questioning -- this is when I started to have an affair, of sorts. So those of you who are as great at guessing things as I am, you're kind of right, for now. At this point in my life, I didn't know what to do with myself, Aiden wanted me to agree to an outed relationship. My dad wanted me to get married, my best friend just wanted to party and have fun with me, my boss wanted me to take over her shop part time and I felt obligated to do it all.
This chapter's not really going anywhere, we're just going to view the concert...in better detail and a few other stops along the way. We'll see our boys - Colin and the[i/] gang I mean - not Spencer and the[i/] guys. You'll see the spark of our friendship as they toured the US in hopes of success and by the end of this book, hopefully, you'll see just how far they went.
"Isn't that the point of a meet and greet?" I asked following, the shorter of the two men. He turned and looked at me giving me a funny look before laughing to himself.
"Oho yeah! I should probably get the guys to that... forgot. Thanks."
We walked into what looked like a run down lounge. There were some couches and a table. If you walked straight forward about 20 feet you ran into the counter where there were mirrors and hair supplies. A woman who looked about twenty five with dyed black hair was hair spraying Colin's, they both were smiling and laughing.
"You will bow down to me!" was being screamed at Zack by Ethan. Zack was laughing and holding a camera at Ethan who was screaming the words while jumping on the couch.
"Boys! You've got visitors," Russ said as everyone piled in.
"Russ I told you to stop bringing meet and greet people into the lounge." Colin started turning in his chair. "Oh."
"Yeah." Russ replied plainly.
"Hey, it's you." Colin said, ignoring Russ, his face broke into grin. He jumped out of the chair waving the woman that was doing his hair off and walking the small distance over to us.
"It's you," I copied. "Hey Colin." I broke into a grin.
"What're ya doin' here?" He asked closing in and giving me a hug. His musky mint smell overwhelmed me, making me want to continue hugging him forever. But his smell didn't take away the fact that I felt awkward hugging him; I had always seemed to comfort myself so when someone tried to cuddle with me or touch me I felt uncomfortable. So the hug didn't last long before I pulled away and stepped back. Mentally slapping myself for not giving him a better hug because once we did step away I could see he felt rejected.
Zack walked over with Ethan in tow, and Thor stayed a respectful distance away nodding at Avery when she waved at him.
"Well, my dad... You see.." I stumbled over my words brushing my hair back with my hand.
"Her dad was given the tickets and he gave them to us," Avery jumped in. "Said he didn't know if we had heard of you, we hadn't but we came anyways." Colin nodded at her words.
"Well, join the party," Ethan piped in. "We're all dicks."
"Hey Aiden," Spencer started, "you'll fit right in." Everyone chuckled.
"Alright boys, you've got some fans awaiting your arrival," Russ said after he had glanced down at his watch.
"Showtime, showtime," Colin cheered. "The lot of you can watch from side stage or crowd, your choice." I looked over to Aiden and mouthed 'crowd.'
***
"I hate crowds, you know this," Aiden mumbled into my ear as we pushed our way to the front.
"I know, and we'll be sore tomorrow. But I love the feeling, if you want to go back stage with everyone else I'll understand." I looked at him.
"I'm already here, no going back." I nodded.
"Let's go then." I took his hand so I wouldn't lose him. But anything was possible with a crowd like this.
***
I can still remember when the nightmares started to haunt me, it was one of the many weekends that I had spent at Spencer's house. Amelia and Avery were starting to spend the whole day locked up in Amelia's room experimenting with makeup. Spencer said they had been doing it since before Freshman year had started but I hadn't noticed until that day.
The trampoline in the backyard only had a small hole in it then, and the girls were out jumping and laughing hysterically.
"I'm making lunch do you guys want anything?" Blake asked, sticking half of his body out of the sliding glass door. I stood behind him, Avery was jumping as high as she could and Amelia sat bouncing up and down off of Avery's jumps.
"No... I think... We're good." Amelia said between jumps, glancing up at Avery who nodded.
" Hey.. you guys... should... have a... jumping competition... with us!" Avery yelled. Amelia glanced up at her with a menacing look, then looking and Spencer and glared.
"Uh.." Spencer glanced back at me and I shrugged. "I think we're good."
"Oh you wimps, you're just... afraid.. of being ...beat by... girls!" Avery yelled. Spencer glanced back at me and I shrugged again raising my eyebrows. We backed up into the house and Spencer slid the door shut. We made our lunch, eating and watching a bit of TV.
When we finished I looked over at Spencer, "Are they still out there?"
"Who, the girls? Probably, you know Avery."
"She'd camp out there if she could." Spencer laughed. "Should we go?"
"Sure." So then we stood up and headed outside, Amelia and Avery were just laying on the trampoline when we got there. "Saving your energy?" Spencer yelled at them.
"No, Avery got lightheaded," Amelia yelled back without glancing at us.
"Of course she did," I mumbled to Spencer.
"Hey!" Avery yelled as she pulled her body up. I looked at her with wide eyes, surprised that she had heard me. "So you guys decided to agree to my challenge." I chuckled.
"I guess we did."
"Alright get up here you fat lot." Little Avery used to spontaneously get British. Immature I know but, if you want to hear this story then you have to deal with that. The 'competition' ended up being just us messing around and seeing who could fly higher. We all joked and talked about school and the students, we even talked about Amelia and Vinny's current relationship.
The most important part of that day was when Avery tripped, her foot hit the trampoline weird and she bounced up and then landed on Spencer. As they tumbled me and Amelia were in the air and as she landed on her feet, she tried to stop herself. I put my hands onto her shoulders to steady her and stop myself from bouncing up again, but we both ending up falling. I landed on top of her, getting a bit whiff of her perfume my body went rigid.
It was one of the weirdest moments, because I was new to turning and hadn't gotten used to any of the feelings.
Let me shed a little light for you before I continue: Pixie blood, is pure. It's clean and fresh and gives the biggest high to Vampires. It's been illegal since the beginning of everything. When Vampires drink Pixie blood they go on rampages. Very rarely is it fine; very rarely can a vampire get it without notice.
We have been held from it so long that the majority of us have forgotten there's a difference. Some vampires even go and say that it's disgusting; because they haven't had it in so long -or not at all- that their body would not be able to withhold it. To put it dully, the "dehydration" might just cause explosions.
Being a new vampire I hadn't really been up close like this with a pixie; so the adrenaline of jumping and then falling all kind of just kicked in together and my body, well, reacted. Our outer image doesn't change much when we smell blood, especially when we're new because it's harder for our body to react. We have a lot of delayed reaction at first, along with a lot of fangs appearing without any reason. ssmbn bb
Honestly to get the point across straight I had a vampire boner. Aiden sighed. I should have just started there...but getting back to what I was talking about.
It was very hard for me to control myself in the moment because my urge to kill Amelia was so strong. But I recovered pretty quickly for not being used to the change, I could feel the veins in my cheeks appear and my eyes change. I jumped up after 5 seconds, realizing what was happening and the fact that I was going to be able to control myself. I untangled my body from hers and jumped up, getting off the trampoline and heading inside.
"Whoa someone's on his period," Avery had said as I ran inside.
"Amelia, are you okay?" I heard Spencer ask. I don't know what happened then because I ran up the the bathroom in Spencer's room and stared at myself in the mirror. I pulled my lip up and was looking in the mirror at my new face. I had veins in my cheeks and my eyes had changed, my teeth grew fangs that seemed to shine. I scared myself and I knew I had to leave the house because I could still smell Amelia and I was afraid I would hurt her.
Ever since then, I've had nightmares about attacking but I never have because technically I can't. Having nightmares about drinking can cause vampires to go insane, and I'm as never going to end up like that. It was not going to happen, because I had it under control. But every night I face the nightmares, in different places but the prey is always the same. Amelia.
***
The bell to the front door rang through the empty bakery, I turned towards the door wiping my hands off on my apron.
"Hey there," Colin said as he walked towards the counter that I stood behind.
"Oh, hey." We both just stared at each other for a moment a dry sort of uncomfortable silence forming in the air. "What-- what are you doing here?" I asked as I picked up a rag and headed out towards the tables to wipe them off.
"I-- Oh is this a bad time?" I turned to face him.
"What? No! I mean, not at all." I let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry my awkwardness is getting to me today. I meant, what made you stop by?" I started to laugh and Colin chuckled, his deep chuckle.
"Well, we're in town for a few more days and I thought I'd stop by ta see ya.."
"That makes sense," I laughed awkwardly. "Would like anything to drink? Water, tea?"
"Just some water, thanks." He nodded his head. It got kind of awkwardly silently before Colin spoke up again. "So, what are you doing this weekend?"
I almost dropped the glass in my hand, water spilling onto my shoes. "I..I uhm," I thought about it, what's was[i/] doing this weekend? "I'm going to a party actually." I mentioned
"Oh, cool. Do you think I could, stop by?"
"Sure," I answered rather fearsly. Colin seemed surprised.
"Okay, so can I get your number?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah." I walked to my bag that hung in the wall in the back room, grabbing my phone. "I'm glad to admit that this will in fact be my first international phone number." I laughed trading phones with Colin.
"Well I'm honored to have popped your cherry." I laughed loudly at his joke.
"You must be pretty skilled at it, I mean it was so fast and completely painless."
Colin laughed, "You're good."
"So are you guys touring the US?" Colin and I traded phones once again.
"Yeah, kind of. Russ pretty much grabs us gigs where ever we end up, that parts easy. We're trying to get signed over here, which is the hard part."
"Oh what a struggle your life must be.." I mocked him.
"Hey it is, I live on a bus with smelly guys."
"I bet you don't even notice."
"I don't, not until it gets really bad."
"TMI." I laughed, Colin looked down at his phone.
"Well, I really hate to cut out fun short but I have an interview in about half an hour. This was fun Amelia." He smiled.
"It was," I smiled back. "I'll see you around Colin."
"You definitely will, I'll text you." I nodded as he set his cup down and headed out the door. I couldn't help the smile that was permanently pasted onto my face the rest of my shift.
***
Senior year slowly began to progress at a rapid rate. It was now October and Aiden's birthday was right around the corner. I didn't know what we were doing, our group I mean. We've done the party thing, we've done the small get together thing, and we've also done the surprise thing. There really wasn't anything new that we could pull off. With all the birthday's in our group, we've managed to do everything. This year, we left it up to the boys. I would be surprised if it wasn't just a trip to Hooters.
"What kind of party do you think the boys will plan for Aiden?" I asked Avery as we hopped out of Sally. It was Monday, we carpooled on Mondays. Avery had volleyball practice after school but it ended an hour before football and cheer practice so that's when she would leave. Plus her mom lived on the opposite side of town and she usually would head there Monday afternoons, and so I waited for Spencer to take me home on those days. I tended not to drive myself to and from school.
¨I think Vinny mentioned something about a bon fire? I could be wrong.¨ Avery locked Sally as we headed towards the high school buildings.
¨Vinny..." I said softly, my eyes shining. Avery glanced at me with a look as if her heart had stopped beating.
¨Oh my god, Amelia I totally understand if you don't want me to hang out with him. He's your ex an-¨ Avery stopped walking.
¨Avery, calm down. I was just going to point out that you guys have been hanging out a lot, you must really like him.¨ Avery nodded.
¨I do. And he doesn't know everything about me but it's just like -not to sound all cheesy- we click.¨
I laughed, ¨You ¨click'?¨.
¨We do.¨
¨So, how far have you - you know.¨ I bounced my eyebrows up and down.
¨Jesus Amelia, who do you think I am? Get your head out of the gutter.¨ I laughed at this.
¨Well, you never know. Teenagers these days.¨ I shrugged. Avery and I continued to walk in silence towards our group of friends. Aryah and Scott were holding onto each other, Aiden was saying something loudly and with tons of arm movements making everyone who had arrived laugh; Vinny jumped in, his voice loud and full of animation.
¨We've got close though," Avery whispered as we approached the group. ¨Morning!¨
¨Morning,¨ Aryah replied.
¨I'm so ready to be graduated." I said as I set my bag down on the table that we occupied.
¨We've barely started the year." Spencer pointed out.
¨Exactly.¨ As the word slipped out of my mouth the bell rang signaling that we had two minutes to get to class. First period flew by without a thought, and second after that but as third period came the day slowed down.
¨Are you noticing the people talking and pointing, or is it just me?¨ Avery asked as we headed towards her locker.
¨It was just you, until you pointed it out,¨ I said as I glanced at the girls walking opposite of us, they whispered viciously to each other. The girl who was talking pointed towards us with her finger, not trying to hide the fact at all. ¨That's weird.¨ My eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
¨What do you think it's about?¨
¨Jake and I's breakup? That's all I can think of.¨ I looked at Avery.
¨No, that was a couple weeks ago, everyone already knows.¨ I looked at her pointedly. ¨What? Sorry, but it is true.¨ She shrugged.
¨I know.¨
¨Hey ladies,¨ Aiden said as he walked up towards us with Vinny in tow.
I glared at him, ¨The 'ladies man' thing so does not suit you.¨ I rolled my eyes. Vinny walked up to Avery giving her a hug.
¨Your clothes don't suit you.¨ He threw back, smirking.
¨I'm sure.¨
¨So has anyone else noticed the pointing going on today?"Vinny asked. ¨At first I thought it was because of Aiden's fat head but it's not.¨
¨Amelia and I were just talking about it.¨
¨I didn't notice at first but once I did-¨ The bell rang interrupting me again.
¨I'll see you guys later,¨ Avery said starting to walk away.
¨I'll go with you,¨ Vinny insisted. The pair walked away, Vinny took Avery's hand in a sly motion.
¨I love them being together.¨ I looked at Aiden.
¨Yeah, they're a good pair.¨ We started to walk in the opposite direction. ¨So, are we going to hang out today?¨
¨Don't we hang out every day?¨ I laughed.
¨Well yeah, but I mean hang out[i/] like you and me.¨ I thought about it for a moment.
¨Sure,¨ I smiled.
¨You do not know how much I want to kiss you right now.¨ I glared at him
***
Lunch came swiftly and before I really took note about it I was sitting down next to Aryah with my lunch.
¨So, have you noticed the people staring?¨ I spoke to Aryah, glancing around at the staring eyes.
¨Yeah, I heard some girls whispering about something in the bathroom today. Apparently something illegal is going on?¨ She took a bite of her pasta.
¨I haven't heard anything, and I believe I would be one of the first ones hear about it. Both because of cheer and because my dad is the dignitary here.¨ Avery showed up after I spoke, Vinny showed up not long after.
¨It's only Monday,¨ Vinny said as he set his lunch down onto the table.
¨And a crappy Monday at that,¨ I added, taking a vicious bite of my salad.
¨Perk up guys, we've got the whole year ahead of us.¨ Aiden said making an appearance.
¨Who knew that you would be the perky one in the group.¨
¨I'm just a mystery. How's your shoulder today Vin? You gonna go to practice?¨ Aiden and Vinny jumped into their conversation. More of our friends slowly floated towards our table. Scott and Spencer joined Aiden and Vinny's conversation. Once Grace had sat down Avery was up for cracking the mystery of the day.
¨I overheard some girls in the library talking about Tori and Jake.¨ Grace mentioned after Avery had laid out what she had heard. Grace wrote in her notebook, somehow fully listening on both our conversation and her school work.
¨I thought we didn't talk about Jake Seeger..¨ Freshman looked at Avery after she had spoke.
¨We don't,¨ Avery gave a pointed look towards Grace. ¨But it's okay Grace, you didn't know.¨
¨See, I told you it had to have been about Jake and I's break up. He broke up with me and now he's getting all up in Tori's HIV infested junk."
¨I guess bu-¨
¨Oh are you guys talking about what everyones talking about,¨ Tom mentioned as he walked up, chewing a piece of the sandwich he had in his hand.
¨Yeah, we've been wondering about it all day.¨Aryah answered back.
¨You don't know?¨ Tom seemed genuinely surprised.
¨No clue,¨ Spencer jumped in.
¨Amelia and Aiden...¨ Tom looked around the table. ¨About how they're getting married?¨ I dropped my water bottle, the contents of the container spilling all over my lap and Grace's notes.
¨Oh my god, Grace I'm so sorry!¨ I tried to pick up the water with the napkins I had sitting next to me, but her writing continued to bleed into itself.
¨Nice Amelia, could you be any clumsier?¨ Aiden commented on my moment of klutziness.
¨Jesus, you people are so dull¨ I heard Tom say before he disappeared.
***
¨I found a place for us to hang out,¨ was the first thing Aiden said when I sat down in front of him at our place. We were meeting up after practice, it was 7:30 and we had met on the other side of town. ¨Just so you know, nobody accidentally runs into us. Dani has a place in town and she said we can hang out there since she's always with Zack.¨
¨You told Danika?¨ I asked nervously, Aiden took my hand.
¨Amelia, calm down it's just Danika. She's not going to say anything.¨
¨Oh my god Aiden, you just want everyone to find out don't you?¨ I ran my hands through my hair. ¨It's just a matter of time--¨
¨Before what?¨ He snapped. ¨Everyone already knows.¨
¨No, they don't. They know that we're in an arranged[i/] marriage, not that any of our feelings are real.¨
¨It's going to be real at some point.¨
¨Can we not[i/] focus on this, can we just focus on us spending time together?¨ I pleaded.
¨Yeah..¨
¨Here's your coffee Miss.¨ The waiter set down the coffee cup in front of me.
¨Thank you.¨ I took a sip. ¨Have you looked in your ¨binder¨ or whatever that my dad gave us?¨ I asked.
¨I… skimmed.¨ He shrugged, watching the table.
¨We have Latin lessons next Tuesday.¨
¨What happened to not talking about this?¨ Aiden smirked at me.
***
On Wednesday I sat at our table earlier than most of the group, I was working on homework when Avery arrived. She was in one of her many Avery moods, but it wasn’t a good one, I could tell by the way she set her binder onto the table. The harsh look that was on her face sent Freshman and a couple Sophomores running to class early. Knowing my best friend, it was a look that she would regret later on.
Aiden who had sat down just before her, also sensed the tension, making eye contact with me before picking up his notebook and taking off. Rage for him built inside as he had left me with only Aryah for backup.
“What’s up?” I asked gently.
Avery sat across from me, shrugging before throwing her textbook open a loud ‘hmph’ noise coming from her. Aryah and I gave each other a look, curious to what had Avery’s panties twisted into such a large knot.
I wasn’t going to be the one to push the subject though, if Avery didn’t want to talk about it then I wasn’t going to press it. She had spent the last two nights at her moms place so there was no telling what new emotional scars she had received.
But throughout the day I noticed the distinct separation between Avery and Vinny. Something was going on between them, which made me unhappy and a little nervous. I wanted them to be together and this tension along with the sexual tension between them was something I didn’t like to see.
But I was a good friend and so I didn’t say anything all day.
***
Thursday night I had planned on walking upstairs and talking to Avery about what was going on between her and Vinny. Once everyone had winded down and Vinny had left for the night, I walked up to her room.
Arriving at the door I noticed it was cracked and that multiple voices could be heard both a male and a female.
“You’re being impossible Avery,” said the deeper voice.
“You’re[i/] being impossible Vinny,” Avery replied back, so Vinny hadn’t gone home the night. “I’m[i/] being perfectly logical. We cannot have a serious relationship.”
“Why not?” I could see Vinny in my head beginning to get frustrated.
“Well because dammit we’re already borderline illegal and I don’t really feel like getting executed by Aiden’s Uncle thank you very much.”
“Aiden’s Uncle doesn’t care, the government doesn’t keep tabs on us over here. They could care less about our city. It’s not like we’re gonna have kids or anything, Avery. You aren’t even a legal adult, and I’m just barely.”
“Yeah but-Vinny.” Her voice broke.
“What?” His voice was quiet and I pictured him trying to hug her.
“No, stop. Vinny I can’t do this.” I stepped closer to the door trying to hear them clearer. My foot was too close and my shoulder pushed the door open, I could now see Vinny in the mirror. Vinny never got mad, nor if he was did he look like he was, and yet here in this argument with Avery he was pissed beyond control. His jaw was clenched, his shoulders were rigid and something about his stature made me feel like he was a water balloon that had been filled to it’s breaking point.
I wanted to hear his reply but the door along with Vinny’s anger scared me. If I was caught, from the look of things, my neck would probably be snapped within seconds.
I turned on my heel and ran for the stairs hurrying, I stumbled and slid on my heels down about six of them. I stopped and walked the rest of the distance to the living room, jumping onto the couch next to Aiden.
“Did you fall down the stairs?” He turned and looked at me.
“Slid.” I nodded, rubbing my leg.
He chuckled, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I stared at the T.V. “Are you seriously watching Pearl Harbor?”
“I just turned the T.V. on.” He motioned to the remote in his hand.
“It’s okay it’s a go--” That moment pounding was heard from the stairs. Vinny stormed through the living room and into the main hall, the front door slamming not long after.
“What was--” Aiden Started
“I don’t know.” I looked to Aiden.
“Do you think Avery’s okay?”
“I don’t know..”
“Should you go check on her?”
“No, she’ll come and get me if she needs me.”
“Oh.” We both turned back to the T.V.
***
¨Do you think Aiden is going to like the party?¨ Avery asked as we carried a chest full of soda and beer to Spencer's suburban. It was Saturday, and we were setting up everything for tonights bon fire.
¨I have no clue.¨
¨I think he will, well, I don't think he'll like the party part. You know Aiden and parties, he's just not much of a party guy. Are we going to head the The Cove later?¨
The Cove was our groups little nature spot, a few years back while camping we had found it. The clearing that we were having the main bon fire was about a mile hike away from the spot; you could only distinct the trail if you knew it was there. It followed the beach edge and into the forest, twisting and turning down the mountain
¨Maybe, we usually do, so probably.¨ Avery and I got into the vehicle and drove to the clearing where the bonfire would start. Once we had pulled up we saw that Spencer and Vinny were collecting wood from the nearby forest towards our pre-created bon fire spot.
¨Hey boys,¨ Avery yelled as we hopped out of the suburban. ¨How's the set up coming along?¨
¨It's coming along pretty well if I do say so myself,¨ Spencer answered.
¨Where's Aiden?¨ I asked.
¨Him and Scott are carrying some of the extra beers over to The Cove.¨
¨Awesome,¨ said Avery. ¨When are we going to light this place up?¨
¨Once the sun goes a little farther down. Who's going to get the food and blankets?¨ Said Vinny.
¨I can go,¨ I spoke up.
¨I can go with you,¨ said Aiden as him and Scott walked out of the forest.
¨Really?¨ Avery questioned raising an eyebrow. I walked away from the group with Spencers keys in my hands, Aiden followed. As we approached the SUV I pushed the unlock button, hearing the faint click.
¨There are some blankets in the back, I can grab the groceries out of the back seat.¨ As I finished talking I opened the door grabbing some bags from the back and the portable stereo for The Cove. I shut the door with my foot starting to walk back around the hill towards the others.
¨Is that all of the blankets?¨ I heard Aiden ask before I was completely out of earshot.
¨In there! There are some more in my car that are for The Cove, I'll come back for them in a bit.¨
¨Wait, Amelia come back!¨
¨What do you want?¨ I asked as I rounded the car.
¨I just wanted to say that you look really pretty.¨ I blushed at his comment.
¨Thanks,¨ I said looking down at my feet, Aiden stepped closer to me. ¨Aiden stop.¨
¨Why?¨ He took another step towards me, I followed with a step back.
¨Not here.¨ I shook my head before turning away and heading back to the bonfire; Avery and I continued set up a table for the food and drinks.
¨I think we're good,¨ Avery spoke looking accomplished with her work.
¨I think we ar- Oh crap! I almost forgot to bring the other blankets to The Cove.¨ I exclaimed hurriedly running for the cars.
¨Hurry up! They're going to light the fire soon!¨ She called towards me.
As I got closure to the spot we had left to park cars, a deep voice spoke up from behind me, ¨do you want some help?¨
¨Holy shit! Aiden don't do that!¨ I exclaimed hitting him, he chuckled. ¨Happy birthday by the way,¨ I smiled at him as I grabbed the blankets out of the car, I handed him a few and took the rest.
¨Thank,¨ he said, giving a toothy grin. ¨So how're you?¨ Aiden asked, bumping his arm into me a bit.
I laughed, ¨Are you really asking me that?¨ We made our way past the clearing and towards the forest.
He chuckled, ¨I guess I am.¨
¨I'm good, how are you Aiden?¨ I smiled at him.
¨I'm pretty good,¨ He grinned back. His energy seemed to perk up a bit and he took a few extra steps forward turning around. ¨Do you remember the first time we came out here?¨
¨I don't think I could ever forget it.¨
¨It was a lot of fun.¨
¨For you! I almost drowned and unless my memory deceives me it was your fault.!¨
¨Okay, for the record I told you to take a breath.¨ His eyes got big with animation.
¨I didn't think you were serious!¨ We walked down the rocky path towards our spot. I set the blankets down on one of the logs we had brought down from the forest above. ¨I love this place,¨ I said smiling.
¨It's really pretty,¨ Aiden said after he had set down the stereo next to the ice chest. I looked over at him as he walked towards me, getting closure and closure. ¨But you're prettier.¨ He pushed my hair back with his hand, his eyes glancing from my eyes to my lips. His eyes were the color of rain clouds, the deep grey giving off an emotion I had yet to decipher. My breathing became heavier with each inch that he got closure; Aiden's lips seemed to tremble as they brushed mine. Moving slowly he gently pushed his lips onto my own, his arms dropping to my waist pulling me into him.
I moved my arms wrapping them around his neck, my fingers beginning to play with his hair. I couldn't figure out why Aiden was kissing me the way he was but whatever possessed him to do so was killing me. I was ready to melt into a puddle of nothing, my heart pounded and I felt like I was suffocating. I pulled away slowly, allowing Aiden to lean his forehead against mine.
¨Oh my god..¨ I breath, my eyes still closed.
¨Jesus Christ,¨ Aiden panted. Aiden took my hands in his, weaving our fingers together.
¨We need to head back.¨
¨I know.¨ Aiden took my hand and we left for the party. Once we had gotten there he let go, a good amount of people had arrived and we were able to fall away from each other without anyone noticing.
¨Amelia!¨ I turned around seeing Avery who had yelled my name, I could feel my eyes growing large and awareness. ¨Look who I found!¨ Avery had her hand locked with another, glancing behind her I noticed Colin. Colin immediately let go of Avery, bringing himself forward.
¨Hey!¨ I smiled, moving in to hug him; I gave Avery a look that asked why she had brought him over here.
¨Welp! Looks like I found her, see ya Colin!¨ Avery slightly punched his arm.
¨You came,¨ I pursed my lips together, playing with my hands.
¨I didn't want ta miss out on a real American party did I?¨ I laughed at his rhetorical question.
¨This isn't even a party, just kind of a get together I guess you could say.¨ I looked around at the bodies glowing in the fires light.
¨What's the occasion?¨ His blue eyes were bright with excitement.
¨Aiden's birthday, but he's not much of a party guy though. Honestly he's not much of a celebration guy, I think it makes him nervous. I don't know, I think the bon fire sort of thing kind of takes the attention off of him. His names kind of been in spotlights lately.¨ Colin nodded his head as I talked, my words really seemed to sink in with him.
¨Are you and 'im like a thing?¨ Colin raised an eyebrow.
¨Oh, no. No, we're not.¨ He smiled.
¨Well, why don't we go get you a drink?¨ As Colin and I walked towards the table with the alcohol, I noticed Zack and Thor were sitting on a log talking to Avery. ¨I hope you don't mind, the boys and I brought something a little more hardcore I guess you could say. We figured you guys probably wouldn't have be able to get any.. good alcohol..¨ I laughed.
¨Well, I'm sure everyone appreciates it.¨ Colin poured us both a drink before we walked towards the fire. We sat on the log across from the one that Avery was sitting on.
¨Hey, Colin! You should sing a song!¨ Ethan offered.
¨I don't know.¨ Colin seemed to give the idea a cold shoulder.
¨You should!¨ I put my hand on his arm smiling.
He looked at me, grinning back, ¨You think?¨
¨Yeah! Everyone would love it!¨
¨I'll go get grab my guitar.¨ Zack mentioned, running off.
¨What should I sing?¨ Colin asked, his accent rooted deep in his voice.
¨I can't choose.¨ Zack then appeared with a guitar, handing it to Colin.
¨Thanks mate.¨ Zack nodded. Colin ran his fingers over a few chords, the crowd began to quiet down.
¨Okay, I have a song in mind.¨ He began to play, his hands plucking at the strings in the most beautiful way. I recognized the notes as All Time Low's Somewhere In Neverland[i/].
¨I love this song,¨ I whispered, I could see Colin smile.
¨Say goodbye to the halls and the classes, Say hello to a job and the taxes, The weekends with old friends spilling into 9 to 5 routine, Tell me how you feel over and done with, Like your life is a map with no compass to guide, At the bar drinkin’ way too much, We sing along to "Forever Young".-- Amelia you should sing with me.¨ Colin spoke, prolonging the guitar verse.
¨I.. I don't think so.¨ I shook my head.
¨Oh just do it!¨ I heard Russ said from next to me, a few people began to join in with him.
Colin's smile grew wider as I shook my head holding my hands up, ¨Fine, fine, one verse.¨ I ended up singing the rest of the song with him; Colin melted it into Passenger's Traveling Song[i/]. But before he could get me to sing another I stood up to get another drink.
¨Hey,¨ Aiden said walking over to me, I poured the liquid into my cup. ¨We should head to The Cove.¨
¨What time is it?¨
¨About 12:30.¨
¨We should, I'll grab the others.¨
¨I didn't--¨ He sighed.
¨What?¨ I turned back to him
¨Nothing,¨ He shook his head. I made rounds, collecting our group. Slowly and separately we all headed down the star lit trail, each of us managing to wrangle up a member of Roadside Roar. The night winded down there, just our group, with our blankets, marshmallows and beer. Colin, Thor and Russ had left early mentioning something about plans for the morning, but the rest stayed to soaked up the night life.
The fire crackled and the waterfall splashed as we all sat silently, listening to the laughs and screams of the party not far from us. Avery and Vinny sat on the log farthest away from the rest of us. They were arguing silently, a large tension still between them. Spencer was talking excitedly with one of his buddies that had made an appearance at the party, I think I had heard something about them working together.
¨Hey,¨ Aiden said as he sat down next to me.
¨Hey,¨ I smiled at him before watching the marshmallow roast on skewer. ¨You look cold,¨ I added. I offered him some of my blanket, Aiden took it graciously. ¨Did you enjoy your night?¨
¨Some of it,¨ He looked at me. I looped my left arm through his right, leaning over and setting my head on his shoulder. We sat in silence, roasting our marshmallows.
¨I brought you guys something to drink,¨ Ethan said setting down two cups.
So I guess the topic now is, ¨Amelia why are you talking about affairs?¨ Or, "She's totally having an affair." Well, for those questioning -- this is when I started to have an affair, of sorts. So those of you who are as great at guessing things as I am, you're kind of right, for now. At this point in my life, I didn't know what to do with myself, Aiden wanted me to agree to an outed relationship. My dad wanted me to get married, my best friend just wanted to party and have fun with me, my boss wanted me to take over her shop part time and I felt obligated to do it all.
This chapter's not really going anywhere, we're just going to view the concert...in better detail and a few other stops along the way. We'll see our boys - Colin and the[i/] gang I mean - not Spencer and the[i/] guys. You'll see the spark of our friendship as they toured the US in hopes of success and by the end of this book, hopefully, you'll see just how far they went.
"Isn't that the point of a meet and greet?" I asked following, the shorter of the two men. He turned and looked at me giving me a funny look before laughing to himself.
"Oho yeah! I should probably get the guys to that... forgot. Thanks."
We walked into what looked like a run down lounge. There were some couches and a table. If you walked straight forward about 20 feet you ran into the counter where there were mirrors and hair supplies. A woman who looked about twenty five with dyed black hair was hair spraying Colin's, they both were smiling and laughing.
"You will bow down to me!" was being screamed at Zack by Ethan. Zack was laughing and holding a camera at Ethan who was screaming the words while jumping on the couch.
"Boys! You've got visitors," Russ said as everyone piled in.
"Russ I told you to stop bringing meet and greet people into the lounge." Colin started turning in his chair. "Oh."
"Yeah." Russ replied plainly.
"Hey, it's you." Colin said, ignoring Russ, his face broke into grin. He jumped out of the chair waving the woman that was doing his hair off and walking the small distance over to us.
"It's you," I copied. "Hey Colin." I broke into a grin.
"What're ya doin' here?" He asked closing in and giving me a hug. His musky mint smell overwhelmed me, making me want to continue hugging him forever. But his smell didn't take away the fact that I felt awkward hugging him; I had always seemed to comfort myself so when someone tried to cuddle with me or touch me I felt uncomfortable. So the hug didn't last long before I pulled away and stepped back. Mentally slapping myself for not giving him a better hug because once we did step away I could see he felt rejected.
Zack walked over with Ethan in tow, and Thor stayed a respectful distance away nodding at Avery when she waved at him.
"Well, my dad... You see.." I stumbled over my words brushing my hair back with my hand.
"Her dad was given the tickets and he gave them to us," Avery jumped in. "Said he didn't know if we had heard of you, we hadn't but we came anyways." Colin nodded at her words.
"Well, join the party," Ethan piped in. "We're all dicks."
"Hey Aiden," Spencer started, "you'll fit right in." Everyone chuckled.
"Alright boys, you've got some fans awaiting your arrival," Russ said after he had glanced down at his watch.
"Showtime, showtime," Colin cheered. "The lot of you can watch from side stage or crowd, your choice." I looked over to Aiden and mouthed 'crowd.'
***
"I hate crowds, you know this," Aiden mumbled into my ear as we pushed our way to the front.
"I know, and we'll be sore tomorrow. But I love the feeling, if you want to go back stage with everyone else I'll understand." I looked at him.
"I'm already here, no going back." I nodded.
"Let's go then." I took his hand so I wouldn't lose him. But anything was possible with a crowd like this.
***
I can still remember when the nightmares started to haunt me, it was one of the many weekends that I had spent at Spencer's house. Amelia and Avery were starting to spend the whole day locked up in Amelia's room experimenting with makeup. Spencer said they had been doing it since before Freshman year had started but I hadn't noticed until that day.
The trampoline in the backyard only had a small hole in it then, and the girls were out jumping and laughing hysterically.
"I'm making lunch do you guys want anything?" Blake asked, sticking half of his body out of the sliding glass door. I stood behind him, Avery was jumping as high as she could and Amelia sat bouncing up and down off of Avery's jumps.
"No... I think... We're good." Amelia said between jumps, glancing up at Avery who nodded.
" Hey.. you guys... should... have a... jumping competition... with us!" Avery yelled. Amelia glanced up at her with a menacing look, then looking and Spencer and glared.
"Uh.." Spencer glanced back at me and I shrugged. "I think we're good."
"Oh you wimps, you're just... afraid.. of being ...beat by... girls!" Avery yelled. Spencer glanced back at me and I shrugged again raising my eyebrows. We backed up into the house and Spencer slid the door shut. We made our lunch, eating and watching a bit of TV.
When we finished I looked over at Spencer, "Are they still out there?"
"Who, the girls? Probably, you know Avery."
"She'd camp out there if she could." Spencer laughed. "Should we go?"
"Sure." So then we stood up and headed outside, Amelia and Avery were just laying on the trampoline when we got there. "Saving your energy?" Spencer yelled at them.
"No, Avery got lightheaded," Amelia yelled back without glancing at us.
"Of course she did," I mumbled to Spencer.
"Hey!" Avery yelled as she pulled her body up. I looked at her with wide eyes, surprised that she had heard me. "So you guys decided to agree to my challenge." I chuckled.
"I guess we did."
"Alright get up here you fat lot." Little Avery used to spontaneously get British. Immature I know but, if you want to hear this story then you have to deal with that. The 'competition' ended up being just us messing around and seeing who could fly higher. We all joked and talked about school and the students, we even talked about Amelia and Vinny's current relationship.
The most important part of that day was when Avery tripped, her foot hit the trampoline weird and she bounced up and then landed on Spencer. As they tumbled me and Amelia were in the air and as she landed on her feet, she tried to stop herself. I put my hands onto her shoulders to steady her and stop myself from bouncing up again, but we both ending up falling. I landed on top of her, getting a bit whiff of her perfume my body went rigid.
It was one of the weirdest moments, because I was new to turning and hadn't gotten used to any of the feelings.
Let me shed a little light for you before I continue: Pixie blood, is pure. It's clean and fresh and gives the biggest high to Vampires. It's been illegal since the beginning of everything. When Vampires drink Pixie blood they go on rampages. Very rarely is it fine; very rarely can a vampire get it without notice.
We have been held from it so long that the majority of us have forgotten there's a difference. Some vampires even go and say that it's disgusting; because they haven't had it in so long -or not at all- that their body would not be able to withhold it. To put it dully, the "dehydration" might just cause explosions.
Being a new vampire I hadn't really been up close like this with a pixie; so the adrenaline of jumping and then falling all kind of just kicked in together and my body, well, reacted. Our outer image doesn't change much when we smell blood, especially when we're new because it's harder for our body to react. We have a lot of delayed reaction at first, along with a lot of fangs appearing without any reason. ssmbn bb
Honestly to get the point across straight I had a vampire boner. Aiden sighed. I should have just started there...but getting back to what I was talking about.
It was very hard for me to control myself in the moment because my urge to kill Amelia was so strong. But I recovered pretty quickly for not being used to the change, I could feel the veins in my cheeks appear and my eyes change. I jumped up after 5 seconds, realizing what was happening and the fact that I was going to be able to control myself. I untangled my body from hers and jumped up, getting off the trampoline and heading inside.
"Whoa someone's on his period," Avery had said as I ran inside.
"Amelia, are you okay?" I heard Spencer ask. I don't know what happened then because I ran up the the bathroom in Spencer's room and stared at myself in the mirror. I pulled my lip up and was looking in the mirror at my new face. I had veins in my cheeks and my eyes had changed, my teeth grew fangs that seemed to shine. I scared myself and I knew I had to leave the house because I could still smell Amelia and I was afraid I would hurt her.
Ever since then, I've had nightmares about attacking but I never have because technically I can't. Having nightmares about drinking can cause vampires to go insane, and I'm as never going to end up like that. It was not going to happen, because I had it under control. But every night I face the nightmares, in different places but the prey is always the same. Amelia.
***
The bell to the front door rang through the empty bakery, I turned towards the door wiping my hands off on my apron.
"Hey there," Colin said as he walked towards the counter that I stood behind.
"Oh, hey." We both just stared at each other for a moment a dry sort of uncomfortable silence forming in the air. "What-- what are you doing here?" I asked as I picked up a rag and headed out towards the tables to wipe them off.
"I-- Oh is this a bad time?" I turned to face him.
"What? No! I mean, not at all." I let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry my awkwardness is getting to me today. I meant, what made you stop by?" I started to laugh and Colin chuckled, his deep chuckle.
"Well, we're in town for a few more days and I thought I'd stop by ta see ya.."
"That makes sense," I laughed awkwardly. "Would like anything to drink? Water, tea?"
"Just some water, thanks." He nodded his head. It got kind of awkwardly silently before Colin spoke up again. "So, what are you doing this weekend?"
I almost dropped the glass in my hand, water spilling onto my shoes. "I..I uhm," I thought about it, what's was[i/] doing this weekend? "I'm going to a party actually." I mentioned
"Oh, cool. Do you think I could, stop by?"
"Sure," I answered rather fearsly. Colin seemed surprised.
"Okay, so can I get your number?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah." I walked to my bag that hung in the wall in the back room, grabbing my phone. "I'm glad to admit that this will in fact be my first international phone number." I laughed trading phones with Colin.
"Well I'm honored to have popped your cherry." I laughed loudly at his joke.
"You must be pretty skilled at it, I mean it was so fast and completely painless."
Colin laughed, "You're good."
"So are you guys touring the US?" Colin and I traded phones once again.
"Yeah, kind of. Russ pretty much grabs us gigs where ever we end up, that parts easy. We're trying to get signed over here, which is the hard part."
"Oh what a struggle your life must be.." I mocked him.
"Hey it is, I live on a bus with smelly guys."
"I bet you don't even notice."
"I don't, not until it gets really bad."
"TMI." I laughed, Colin looked down at his phone.
"Well, I really hate to cut out fun short but I have an interview in about half an hour. This was fun Amelia." He smiled.
"It was," I smiled back. "I'll see you around Colin."
"You definitely will, I'll text you." I nodded as he set his cup down and headed out the door. I couldn't help the smile that was permanently pasted onto my face the rest of my shift.
***
Senior year slowly began to progress at a rapid rate. It was now October and Aiden's birthday was right around the corner. I didn't know what we were doing, our group I mean. We've done the party thing, we've done the small get together thing, and we've also done the surprise thing. There really wasn't anything new that we could pull off. With all the birthday's in our group, we've managed to do everything. This year, we left it up to the boys. I would be surprised if it wasn't just a trip to Hooters.
"What kind of party do you think the boys will plan for Aiden?" I asked Avery as we hopped out of Sally. It was Monday, we carpooled on Mondays. Avery had volleyball practice after school but it ended an hour before football and cheer practice so that's when she would leave. Plus her mom lived on the opposite side of town and she usually would head there Monday afternoons, and so I waited for Spencer to take me home on those days. I tended not to drive myself to and from school.
¨I think Vinny mentioned something about a bon fire? I could be wrong.¨ Avery locked Sally as we headed towards the high school buildings.
¨Vinny..." I said softly, my eyes shining. Avery glanced at me with a look as if her heart had stopped beating.
¨Oh my god, Amelia I totally understand if you don't want me to hang out with him. He's your ex an-¨ Avery stopped walking.
¨Avery, calm down. I was just going to point out that you guys have been hanging out a lot, you must really like him.¨ Avery nodded.
¨I do. And he doesn't know everything about me but it's just like -not to sound all cheesy- we click.¨
I laughed, ¨You ¨click'?¨.
¨We do.¨
¨So, how far have you - you know.¨ I bounced my eyebrows up and down.
¨Jesus Amelia, who do you think I am? Get your head out of the gutter.¨ I laughed at this.
¨Well, you never know. Teenagers these days.¨ I shrugged. Avery and I continued to walk in silence towards our group of friends. Aryah and Scott were holding onto each other, Aiden was saying something loudly and with tons of arm movements making everyone who had arrived laugh; Vinny jumped in, his voice loud and full of animation.
¨We've got close though," Avery whispered as we approached the group. ¨Morning!¨
¨Morning,¨ Aryah replied.
¨I'm so ready to be graduated." I said as I set my bag down on the table that we occupied.
¨We've barely started the year." Spencer pointed out.
¨Exactly.¨ As the word slipped out of my mouth the bell rang signaling that we had two minutes to get to class. First period flew by without a thought, and second after that but as third period came the day slowed down.
¨Are you noticing the people talking and pointing, or is it just me?¨ Avery asked as we headed towards her locker.
¨It was just you, until you pointed it out,¨ I said as I glanced at the girls walking opposite of us, they whispered viciously to each other. The girl who was talking pointed towards us with her finger, not trying to hide the fact at all. ¨That's weird.¨ My eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
¨What do you think it's about?¨
¨Jake and I's breakup? That's all I can think of.¨ I looked at Avery.
¨No, that was a couple weeks ago, everyone already knows.¨ I looked at her pointedly. ¨What? Sorry, but it is true.¨ She shrugged.
¨I know.¨
¨Hey ladies,¨ Aiden said as he walked up towards us with Vinny in tow.
I glared at him, ¨The 'ladies man' thing so does not suit you.¨ I rolled my eyes. Vinny walked up to Avery giving her a hug.
¨Your clothes don't suit you.¨ He threw back, smirking.
¨I'm sure.¨
¨So has anyone else noticed the pointing going on today?"Vinny asked. ¨At first I thought it was because of Aiden's fat head but it's not.¨
¨Amelia and I were just talking about it.¨
¨I didn't notice at first but once I did-¨ The bell rang interrupting me again.
¨I'll see you guys later,¨ Avery said starting to walk away.
¨I'll go with you,¨ Vinny insisted. The pair walked away, Vinny took Avery's hand in a sly motion.
¨I love them being together.¨ I looked at Aiden.
¨Yeah, they're a good pair.¨ We started to walk in the opposite direction. ¨So, are we going to hang out today?¨
¨Don't we hang out every day?¨ I laughed.
¨Well yeah, but I mean hang out[i/] like you and me.¨ I thought about it for a moment.
¨Sure,¨ I smiled.
¨You do not know how much I want to kiss you right now.¨ I glared at him
***
Lunch came swiftly and before I really took note about it I was sitting down next to Aryah with my lunch.
¨So, have you noticed the people staring?¨ I spoke to Aryah, glancing around at the staring eyes.
¨Yeah, I heard some girls whispering about something in the bathroom today. Apparently something illegal is going on?¨ She took a bite of her pasta.
¨I haven't heard anything, and I believe I would be one of the first ones hear about it. Both because of cheer and because my dad is the dignitary here.¨ Avery showed up after I spoke, Vinny showed up not long after.
¨It's only Monday,¨ Vinny said as he set his lunch down onto the table.
¨And a crappy Monday at that,¨ I added, taking a vicious bite of my salad.
¨Perk up guys, we've got the whole year ahead of us.¨ Aiden said making an appearance.
¨Who knew that you would be the perky one in the group.¨
¨I'm just a mystery. How's your shoulder today Vin? You gonna go to practice?¨ Aiden and Vinny jumped into their conversation. More of our friends slowly floated towards our table. Scott and Spencer joined Aiden and Vinny's conversation. Once Grace had sat down Avery was up for cracking the mystery of the day.
¨I overheard some girls in the library talking about Tori and Jake.¨ Grace mentioned after Avery had laid out what she had heard. Grace wrote in her notebook, somehow fully listening on both our conversation and her school work.
¨I thought we didn't talk about Jake Seeger..¨ Freshman looked at Avery after she had spoke.
¨We don't,¨ Avery gave a pointed look towards Grace. ¨But it's okay Grace, you didn't know.¨
¨See, I told you it had to have been about Jake and I's break up. He broke up with me and now he's getting all up in Tori's HIV infested junk."
¨I guess bu-¨
¨Oh are you guys talking about what everyones talking about,¨ Tom mentioned as he walked up, chewing a piece of the sandwich he had in his hand.
¨Yeah, we've been wondering about it all day.¨Aryah answered back.
¨You don't know?¨ Tom seemed genuinely surprised.
¨No clue,¨ Spencer jumped in.
¨Amelia and Aiden...¨ Tom looked around the table. ¨About how they're getting married?¨ I dropped my water bottle, the contents of the container spilling all over my lap and Grace's notes.
¨Oh my god, Grace I'm so sorry!¨ I tried to pick up the water with the napkins I had sitting next to me, but her writing continued to bleed into itself.
¨Nice Amelia, could you be any clumsier?¨ Aiden commented on my moment of klutziness.
¨Jesus, you people are so dull¨ I heard Tom say before he disappeared.
***
¨I found a place for us to hang out,¨ was the first thing Aiden said when I sat down in front of him at our place. We were meeting up after practice, it was 7:30 and we had met on the other side of town. ¨Just so you know, nobody accidentally runs into us. Dani has a place in town and she said we can hang out there since she's always with Zack.¨
¨You told Danika?¨ I asked nervously, Aiden took my hand.
¨Amelia, calm down it's just Danika. She's not going to say anything.¨
¨Oh my god Aiden, you just want everyone to find out don't you?¨ I ran my hands through my hair. ¨It's just a matter of time--¨
¨Before what?¨ He snapped. ¨Everyone already knows.¨
¨No, they don't. They know that we're in an arranged[i/] marriage, not that any of our feelings are real.¨
¨It's going to be real at some point.¨
¨Can we not[i/] focus on this, can we just focus on us spending time together?¨ I pleaded.
¨Yeah..¨
¨Here's your coffee Miss.¨ The waiter set down the coffee cup in front of me.
¨Thank you.¨ I took a sip. ¨Have you looked in your ¨binder¨ or whatever that my dad gave us?¨ I asked.
¨I… skimmed.¨ He shrugged, watching the table.
¨We have Latin lessons next Tuesday.¨
¨What happened to not talking about this?¨ Aiden smirked at me.
***
On Wednesday I sat at our table earlier than most of the group, I was working on homework when Avery arrived. She was in one of her many Avery moods, but it wasn’t a good one, I could tell by the way she set her binder onto the table. The harsh look that was on her face sent Freshman and a couple Sophomores running to class early. Knowing my best friend, it was a look that she would regret later on.
Aiden who had sat down just before her, also sensed the tension, making eye contact with me before picking up his notebook and taking off. Rage for him built inside as he had left me with only Aryah for backup.
“What’s up?” I asked gently.
Avery sat across from me, shrugging before throwing her textbook open a loud ‘hmph’ noise coming from her. Aryah and I gave each other a look, curious to what had Avery’s panties twisted into such a large knot.
I wasn’t going to be the one to push the subject though, if Avery didn’t want to talk about it then I wasn’t going to press it. She had spent the last two nights at her moms place so there was no telling what new emotional scars she had received.
But throughout the day I noticed the distinct separation between Avery and Vinny. Something was going on between them, which made me unhappy and a little nervous. I wanted them to be together and this tension along with the sexual tension between them was something I didn’t like to see.
But I was a good friend and so I didn’t say anything all day.
***
Thursday night I had planned on walking upstairs and talking to Avery about what was going on between her and Vinny. Once everyone had winded down and Vinny had left for the night, I walked up to her room.
Arriving at the door I noticed it was cracked and that multiple voices could be heard both a male and a female.
“You’re being impossible Avery,” said the deeper voice.
“You’re[i/] being impossible Vinny,” Avery replied back, so Vinny hadn’t gone home the night. “I’m[i/] being perfectly logical. We cannot have a serious relationship.”
“Why not?” I could see Vinny in my head beginning to get frustrated.
“Well because dammit we’re already borderline illegal and I don’t really feel like getting executed by Aiden’s Uncle thank you very much.”
“Aiden’s Uncle doesn’t care, the government doesn’t keep tabs on us over here. They could care less about our city. It’s not like we’re gonna have kids or anything, Avery. You aren’t even a legal adult, and I’m just barely.”
“Yeah but-Vinny.” Her voice broke.
“What?” His voice was quiet and I pictured him trying to hug her.
“No, stop. Vinny I can’t do this.” I stepped closer to the door trying to hear them clearer. My foot was too close and my shoulder pushed the door open, I could now see Vinny in the mirror. Vinny never got mad, nor if he was did he look like he was, and yet here in this argument with Avery he was pissed beyond control. His jaw was clenched, his shoulders were rigid and something about his stature made me feel like he was a water balloon that had been filled to it’s breaking point.
I wanted to hear his reply but the door along with Vinny’s anger scared me. If I was caught, from the look of things, my neck would probably be snapped within seconds.
I turned on my heel and ran for the stairs hurrying, I stumbled and slid on my heels down about six of them. I stopped and walked the rest of the distance to the living room, jumping onto the couch next to Aiden.
“Did you fall down the stairs?” He turned and looked at me.
“Slid.” I nodded, rubbing my leg.
He chuckled, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I stared at the T.V. “Are you seriously watching Pearl Harbor?”
“I just turned the T.V. on.” He motioned to the remote in his hand.
“It’s okay it’s a go--” That moment pounding was heard from the stairs. Vinny stormed through the living room and into the main hall, the front door slamming not long after.
“What was--” Aiden Started
“I don’t know.” I looked to Aiden.
“Do you think Avery’s okay?”
“I don’t know..”
“Should you go check on her?”
“No, she’ll come and get me if she needs me.”
“Oh.” We both turned back to the T.V.
***
¨Do you think Aiden is going to like the party?¨ Avery asked as we carried a chest full of soda and beer to Spencer's suburban. It was Saturday, and we were setting up everything for tonights bon fire.
¨I have no clue.¨
¨I think he will, well, I don't think he'll like the party part. You know Aiden and parties, he's just not much of a party guy. Are we going to head the The Cove later?¨
The Cove was our groups little nature spot, a few years back while camping we had found it. The clearing that we were having the main bon fire was about a mile hike away from the spot; you could only distinct the trail if you knew it was there. It followed the beach edge and into the forest, twisting and turning down the mountain
¨Maybe, we usually do, so probably.¨ Avery and I got into the vehicle and drove to the clearing where the bonfire would start. Once we had pulled up we saw that Spencer and Vinny were collecting wood from the nearby forest towards our pre-created bon fire spot.
¨Hey boys,¨ Avery yelled as we hopped out of the suburban. ¨How's the set up coming along?¨
¨It's coming along pretty well if I do say so myself,¨ Spencer answered.
¨Where's Aiden?¨ I asked.
¨Him and Scott are carrying some of the extra beers over to The Cove.¨
¨Awesome,¨ said Avery. ¨When are we going to light this place up?¨
¨Once the sun goes a little farther down. Who's going to get the food and blankets?¨ Said Vinny.
¨I can go,¨ I spoke up.
¨I can go with you,¨ said Aiden as him and Scott walked out of the forest.
¨Really?¨ Avery questioned raising an eyebrow. I walked away from the group with Spencers keys in my hands, Aiden followed. As we approached the SUV I pushed the unlock button, hearing the faint click.
¨There are some blankets in the back, I can grab the groceries out of the back seat.¨ As I finished talking I opened the door grabbing some bags from the back and the portable stereo for The Cove. I shut the door with my foot starting to walk back around the hill towards the others.
¨Is that all of the blankets?¨ I heard Aiden ask before I was completely out of earshot.
¨In there! There are some more in my car that are for The Cove, I'll come back for them in a bit.¨
¨Wait, Amelia come back!¨
¨What do you want?¨ I asked as I rounded the car.
¨I just wanted to say that you look really pretty.¨ I blushed at his comment.
¨Thanks,¨ I said looking down at my feet, Aiden stepped closer to me. ¨Aiden stop.¨
¨Why?¨ He took another step towards me, I followed with a step back.
¨Not here.¨ I shook my head before turning away and heading back to the bonfire; Avery and I continued set up a table for the food and drinks.
¨I think we're good,¨ Avery spoke looking accomplished with her work.
¨I think we ar- Oh crap! I almost forgot to bring the other blankets to The Cove.¨ I exclaimed hurriedly running for the cars.
¨Hurry up! They're going to light the fire soon!¨ She called towards me.
As I got closure to the spot we had left to park cars, a deep voice spoke up from behind me, ¨do you want some help?¨
¨Holy shit! Aiden don't do that!¨ I exclaimed hitting him, he chuckled. ¨Happy birthday by the way,¨ I smiled at him as I grabbed the blankets out of the car, I handed him a few and took the rest.
¨Thank,¨ he said, giving a toothy grin. ¨So how're you?¨ Aiden asked, bumping his arm into me a bit.
I laughed, ¨Are you really asking me that?¨ We made our way past the clearing and towards the forest.
He chuckled, ¨I guess I am.¨
¨I'm good, how are you Aiden?¨ I smiled at him.
¨I'm pretty good,¨ He grinned back. His energy seemed to perk up a bit and he took a few extra steps forward turning around. ¨Do you remember the first time we came out here?¨
¨I don't think I could ever forget it.¨
¨It was a lot of fun.¨
¨For you! I almost drowned and unless my memory deceives me it was your fault.!¨
¨Okay, for the record I told you to take a breath.¨ His eyes got big with animation.
¨I didn't think you were serious!¨ We walked down the rocky path towards our spot. I set the blankets down on one of the logs we had brought down from the forest above. ¨I love this place,¨ I said smiling.
¨It's really pretty,¨ Aiden said after he had set down the stereo next to the ice chest. I looked over at him as he walked towards me, getting closure and closure. ¨But you're prettier.¨ He pushed my hair back with his hand, his eyes glancing from my eyes to my lips. His eyes were the color of rain clouds, the deep grey giving off an emotion I had yet to decipher. My breathing became heavier with each inch that he got closure; Aiden's lips seemed to tremble as they brushed mine. Moving slowly he gently pushed his lips onto my own, his arms dropping to my waist pulling me into him.
I moved my arms wrapping them around his neck, my fingers beginning to play with his hair. I couldn't figure out why Aiden was kissing me the way he was but whatever possessed him to do so was killing me. I was ready to melt into a puddle of nothing, my heart pounded and I felt like I was suffocating. I pulled away slowly, allowing Aiden to lean his forehead against mine.
¨Oh my god..¨ I breath, my eyes still closed.
¨Jesus Christ,¨ Aiden panted. Aiden took my hands in his, weaving our fingers together.
¨We need to head back.¨
¨I know.¨ Aiden took my hand and we left for the party. Once we had gotten there he let go, a good amount of people had arrived and we were able to fall away from each other without anyone noticing.
¨Amelia!¨ I turned around seeing Avery who had yelled my name, I could feel my eyes growing large and awareness. ¨Look who I found!¨ Avery had her hand locked with another, glancing behind her I noticed Colin. Colin immediately let go of Avery, bringing himself forward.
¨Hey!¨ I smiled, moving in to hug him; I gave Avery a look that asked why she had brought him over here.
¨Welp! Looks like I found her, see ya Colin!¨ Avery slightly punched his arm.
¨You came,¨ I pursed my lips together, playing with my hands.
¨I didn't want ta miss out on a real American party did I?¨ I laughed at his rhetorical question.
¨This isn't even a party, just kind of a get together I guess you could say.¨ I looked around at the bodies glowing in the fires light.
¨What's the occasion?¨ His blue eyes were bright with excitement.
¨Aiden's birthday, but he's not much of a party guy though. Honestly he's not much of a celebration guy, I think it makes him nervous. I don't know, I think the bon fire sort of thing kind of takes the attention off of him. His names kind of been in spotlights lately.¨ Colin nodded his head as I talked, my words really seemed to sink in with him.
¨Are you and 'im like a thing?¨ Colin raised an eyebrow.
¨Oh, no. No, we're not.¨ He smiled.
¨Well, why don't we go get you a drink?¨ As Colin and I walked towards the table with the alcohol, I noticed Zack and Thor were sitting on a log talking to Avery. ¨I hope you don't mind, the boys and I brought something a little more hardcore I guess you could say. We figured you guys probably wouldn't have be able to get any.. good alcohol..¨ I laughed.
¨Well, I'm sure everyone appreciates it.¨ Colin poured us both a drink before we walked towards the fire. We sat on the log across from the one that Avery was sitting on.
¨Hey, Colin! You should sing a song!¨ Ethan offered.
¨I don't know.¨ Colin seemed to give the idea a cold shoulder.
¨You should!¨ I put my hand on his arm smiling.
He looked at me, grinning back, ¨You think?¨
¨Yeah! Everyone would love it!¨
¨I'll go get grab my guitar.¨ Zack mentioned, running off.
¨What should I sing?¨ Colin asked, his accent rooted deep in his voice.
¨I can't choose.¨ Zack then appeared with a guitar, handing it to Colin.
¨Thanks mate.¨ Zack nodded. Colin ran his fingers over a few chords, the crowd began to quiet down.
¨Okay, I have a song in mind.¨ He began to play, his hands plucking at the strings in the most beautiful way. I recognized the notes as All Time Low's Somewhere In Neverland[i/].
¨I love this song,¨ I whispered, I could see Colin smile.
¨Say goodbye to the halls and the classes, Say hello to a job and the taxes, The weekends with old friends spilling into 9 to 5 routine, Tell me how you feel over and done with, Like your life is a map with no compass to guide, At the bar drinkin’ way too much, We sing along to "Forever Young".-- Amelia you should sing with me.¨ Colin spoke, prolonging the guitar verse.
¨I.. I don't think so.¨ I shook my head.
¨Oh just do it!¨ I heard Russ said from next to me, a few people began to join in with him.
Colin's smile grew wider as I shook my head holding my hands up, ¨Fine, fine, one verse.¨ I ended up singing the rest of the song with him; Colin melted it into Passenger's Traveling Song[i/]. But before he could get me to sing another I stood up to get another drink.
¨Hey,¨ Aiden said walking over to me, I poured the liquid into my cup. ¨We should head to The Cove.¨
¨What time is it?¨
¨About 12:30.¨
¨We should, I'll grab the others.¨
¨I didn't--¨ He sighed.
¨What?¨ I turned back to him
¨Nothing,¨ He shook his head. I made rounds, collecting our group. Slowly and separately we all headed down the star lit trail, each of us managing to wrangle up a member of Roadside Roar. The night winded down there, just our group, with our blankets, marshmallows and beer. Colin, Thor and Russ had left early mentioning something about plans for the morning, but the rest stayed to soaked up the night life.
The fire crackled and the waterfall splashed as we all sat silently, listening to the laughs and screams of the party not far from us. Avery and Vinny sat on the log farthest away from the rest of us. They were arguing silently, a large tension still between them. Spencer was talking excitedly with one of his buddies that had made an appearance at the party, I think I had heard something about them working together.
¨Hey,¨ Aiden said as he sat down next to me.
¨Hey,¨ I smiled at him before watching the marshmallow roast on skewer. ¨You look cold,¨ I added. I offered him some of my blanket, Aiden took it graciously. ¨Did you enjoy your night?¨
¨Some of it,¨ He looked at me. I looped my left arm through his right, leaning over and setting my head on his shoulder. We sat in silence, roasting our marshmallows.
¨I brought you guys something to drink,¨ Ethan said setting down two cups.
♠ ♠ ♠
Hey guys, does it count if I'm really really sorry?It's my senior year or for those in the UK my last year of college.. I think?
Anyway as a Senior I have a lot of responsibility. Between my job, home, sleeping, all 8 class periods worth of homework, my senior project, my research paper, journalism, and yearbook, I've been a bit busy.
And so I apologize. It won't be this long for the next chapter. Plus this was a really long chapter and therefore I hope makes up for my lack of one. (:
Have fun. (: