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  “Rebel is my middle name,” I say seriously. We both start laughing. We then put the spray cans back into the bag and walk back to the car.

  Aiden starts to drive to my house. “I hope you know that that wasn’t it for the fun.” He grins. “That was just the beginning.”

  “That wasn’t so bad.” I shrug. I think it will be something a little more dangerous. But Aiden can be a little bit unpredictable, so I don’t know what to expect the next time we have his idea of fun.

  Chapter 15

  Aiden drives into my driveway and parks. He turns his body and looks at me. But he doesn’t say anything.

  I feel awkward with him staring at me. “Is there a reason you’re staring at me like that?” I ask as I grab my bag.

  He shrugs. “There might be a reason.”

  I raise my eyebrow. “You’re talking in riddles, Aiden.” I don’t understand why he has to be so confusing. It’s really frustrating.

  He chuckles. “Well, I hope you had as much fun as I did.”

  “I’ll admit that it was fun,” I assure him.

  “Possibly more fun than staying home and watching Star Wars?” he questions.

  “I don’t think we’re there yet.” I shake my head. I mean, what can top Star Wars??

  “Damn,” he says. “Well, that just means that there will be more fun activities for us to do in the future.” He has a slightly evil glint in his eye.

  I nod. “Sounds appealing.”

  “Oh, it will be.” He grins.

  Silence fall between us. For some reason, I find myself not wanting to leave the car just yet. I let my mind wander for a few seconds before I look back at him. “Aiden?”

  “Yeah?” He glances at me.

  “Are you staying at home?” I ask him curiously. He and his dad have been bickering a lot, so I’m curious to see if he’s currently living under the same roof as his dad.

  Aiden shakes his head. “I’m staying with Alex for a while. I think my dad knows that’s where I’m staying though.” I nod. “Why, do you want me to stay over here at your house?” he asks, smirking suggestively. “I’m sure we’d have a lot of fun—”

  “I am not asking you to stay over!” I exclaim. I feel myself blushing at his innuendo as he laughs.

  He gives me a cheeky smile. “I’m just kidding, Riley. No need to freak out.” He laughs some more. “It’s okay if you’re having dirty thoughts about me—”

  “I’m getting out of the car now,” I say as I grab the door handle.

  Aiden’s hand shoots out and grabs my own hand. “Wait.”

  My heart is pounding as I look down at our hands. “What?”

  Realizing that he had grabbed my hand, he let go and scratches the back of his neck. “So, you wanna meet up again tomorrow after school? We can have more of my kind of fun.” He smiles.

  I don’t know if I have anything planned for tomorrow afternoon. “I’ll think about it,” I answer him. I get out of the car and shut the door behind me.

  I walk up to my front door and pull out my key. Someone’s hand covers mine and pulls the key from my grasp. I turn around and see that I am face to face with Aiden. How did he get out of the car without me hearing him?

  “You’ll think about it?” he asks me.

  I nod slowly. “Yes.” I lean against the door and cross my arms. He has my key in his hand still.

  “What could be more important than spending an afternoon with me?” he inquires.

  I laugh slightly. “A lot of things.”

  “Oh yeah?” He takes a step towards me. “Like what?” His face is only a few inches away from my own. My breath catches in my throat.

  “Th-things.” I stutter. His eyes bore into mine, and all I can do is stare back at him. I notice his eyes are a nice brown color. Almost like chocolate.

  The door opens behind me, causing me to fall back due to me leaning against it. My arms flail around, but there’s nothing I can grasp onto. So I fall right on my butt.

  “Riley!” I hear my mom exclaim. I look up at her, and she holds out a hand to me. I take it, and she yanks me back up to my feet.

  I dust myself off and feel myself blushing. I had just embarrassed myself by falling. Great.

  I look at Aiden, who is smirking at me, then at my mom, who is looking at me. “I thought I heard you out here,” she starts to say. “I was just wondering what was taking so long.”

  “Oh,” I say.

  My mom’s eyes flicker to Aiden then back at me.

  “Right.” I nod. “Um, Mom, this is Aiden. Aiden, this is my mom.” I introduce them.

  Aiden holds out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.” He offers her a smile.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Aiden.” She shakes his hand. “Please, call me Carol.”

  My gaze flashes to Aiden, and he looks at me, continuing to smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Riley.”

  “Okay.” I nod. He walks away and opens the driver’s door on the car.

  I follow my mom inside and shut the door behind us. I sigh and run a hand through my hair. My mom looks at me expectantly while I frown at her. “What?” I ask.

  “He seems like a nice boy.” She muses.

  “I guess,” I say as I make my way towards the kitchen. I feel like having a snack.

  My mom follows me. “So, is that the boy you went to the movies with?”

  I shake my head as I grab a banana. I start to unpeel it. “No. I went to the movies with Lucas.”

  She smiles at me. “I knew you’d make more friends this year, Riley. I just didn’t think they would be boys.”

  “Well, I still don’t fit in with most girls, Mom,” I say to her.

  “That’s okay,” she says, grinning. “As long as you’re having fun and staying out of trouble, I don’t care who you become friends with.”

  Staying out of trouble. I wonder what my mom will do if she ever finds out that I had spray painted on the back wall of the library with Aiden. That’s a secret I will keep from her. “Okay.” I nod. “I’m going up to my room now.”

  I run up the stairs and lock myself in my room. I walk over to my dresser and start to empty my pockets. I frown when I don’t find my house key. I smack my forehead when the realization hits me.

  Aiden still has my house key.

  ***

  I walk through the halls on Monday morning looking for Aiden. I need my key back. I had convinced my mom that I had left it in Aiden’s car rather than telling her that he deliberately took it from my hands.

  I have no idea where his locker is. So now I’m just roaming the halls, hoping I’d find him somewhere. Then the thought of calling or texting him hits me.

  Why didn’t I think of that earlier?

  After pulling my phone out, I call Aiden. I don’t want to wait for him to text back. It will be faster if I call him.

  “You just can’t wait to talk to me, can you?” he answers arrogantly.

  I roll my eyes. “Please. The only reason I called is that you still have my house key and I want it back.”

  “Do I now?” he asks. I can almost see him smirking. He knows what he was doing when he took my key yesterday. “I didn’t even realize.”

  “You’re a liar,” I tell him. “I need it to get into my house this afternoon, Aiden.”

  “You won’t need it right away,” he says. “We’re leaving right after school to have fun, remember?”

  I sigh. I almost forgot about that. “I said I’d think about it. I didn’t say yes to this.” I walk up to my locker and open it.

  “Well, you’re going to have to agree if you want your key back,” he replies. I don’t have to see him to know that he’s wearing an evil smile as he says that.

  I groan. “Fine. But I better get my key back.”

  He chuckles. “Turn around, Led Zeppelin girl.”

  I frown and slowly turn my body. I see Aiden walking through the front entrance and making his way in my direction. Once he’s close enough, I end the call. I po
int at him. “You took my key on purpose.”

  He put his hand over his heart. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re being dramatic.”

  He looks down at his phone and sighs. “Well, I have to go to my locker now.”

  I start walking backward. “Okay.”

  “I’ll see you after school,” he says to me. He then turns around and starts walking away.

  I continue to walk in the direction of my locker. I don’t know if I feel okay or angry still. I mean, I’m angry at Aiden for taking my key, but then I think about the time I’ve been spending with him, I don’t feel angry anymore.

  Someone’s shoulder brushes against mine and I look to my left and see Nicole and her blonde friend walking next to me. I stop and frown at her. She flashes me a fake smile.

  “Oh, look, Stacey. I had no idea I was walking next to a slut.” Nicole smirks at me.

  “Excuse me?” I ask her. Now there’s a new one. I’ve never been called a slut. “What are you talking about?”

  She looks at me and glares. “I never would have thought you were like that.” She steps closer to me. “Trying to steal my boyfriend and sleeping with Aiden Callaway? Wow, nerd girl. You’ve really come out of your shell.”

  Whoa, whoa. Stealing her boyfriend? Sleeping with Aiden? Nicole has officially gone off the deep end. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tell her calmly. Truthfully, I’m fuming right now. How can she accuse me of those things?

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure I do know what I’m talking about.” She snarls. “Why don’t you just do us all a favor and go rot in a hole or something? No one enjoys being around a nerdy slut like you.”

  People start to gather around us and my cheeks burn from embarrassment. Nicole is drawing attention towards us both and she loves it. My heart is pounding in my chest from nervousness and fury. I stare at her then glance around at the crowd around us. Everyone has an amused face on. No one cares that I’m basically being bullied right now by Nicole. My eyes start to water.

  “Go ahead and cry, you little bitch.” Nicole scowls at me. “Nobody cares about you and nobody ever will.”

  Tears start to spill from my eyes. I’ve never been more humiliated in my life.

  Nicole smirks at me and waves her hand. “Go. Run off, you whore.”

  And I do. I run down the hallway, pushing past people, and into the girl’s bathroom. I walk into one of the stalls and cry my eyes out. Nicole embarrassed me in front of everyone in the hallway. And she accused me of being a slut.

  I wipe my tears away and pull out my phone. I’m not going to humiliate myself more by going to class. I call my mom and ask her to pick me up because I’m not feeling good.

  I’m not telling her the truth.

  ***

  My mom questions me if I really am sick. I don’t think I’ve convinced her that I am, but she takes me home anyways.

  After taking a shower, I plop myself on my bed and stare at the ceiling. My eyes are still red and puffy from crying. I’m not leaving my room for the rest of the day. I’m fine right here.

  Once again, Nicole had gotten to me and embarrassed me. And once again I’m starting to think about how speaking to Ryan and Aiden plays a significant role in my situation. I was always left alone, and I like it that way. I had no drama going on. Now that Ryan and Aiden have entered my life, things aren’t the same. I’m not the same person, and I’m doing things I didn’t use to do.

  I guess it’s a good and a bad thing.

  I grab my iPod and plug in my earphones. I turn off my phone and drown out all sounds with my music. I close my eyes and drum my fingers to the beat of a few songs. I find myself getting sleepy. Glancing at the clock, I notice that it’s barely going to be ten in the morning.

  I curl myself into a ball and fall asleep on my bed.

  ***

  Something tickles my nose while I’m sleeping. I frown in my sleep and crinkle my nose. But the tickling continues, and it’s getting very irritating. I finally just bury my face in my pillow.

  I then feel something poking my side repeatedly. I squirm and turn on my other side. But the poking continues still.

  What the hell is going on?

  My eyes open and I immediately shut them. It’s way too bright outside. I slowly open them again and blink a few times. My face is inches away from someone else’s.

  So I scream.

  I scramble around on my bed, trying to sit up and get away from the person in my room. I end up getting too close to the edge of the bed, and I fall back. Whoever is in my room starts to laugh at me. Not just a small chuckle either. It’s a full-on, belly-aching laugh.

  I quickly sit up and look around, trying to locate the laugh. I see him standing in the corner of my room, bent over, still laughing. I frown when I see him.

  “What the hell are you doing in my house?” I demand from him.

  Aiden stands upright and chuckles. “Well, you weren’t at school during lunch, so I came to find you.”

  “How did you get inside?”

  He pulls out my key and smiles. “I still have this, remember?”

  I groan and stand up. “Well, as you can see, I’m fine. So leave my key on my dresser and get out.”

  He jumps and lands on my bed. He puts his hands behind his head and stretches out his legs. “I think I’ll stick around for a while.” He looks down at my outfit. “And by the looks of it, I would say that you don’t plan on going back to school.” I’m in my maroon sweats with my gray Beatles shirt on.

  I cross my arms. “No, I’m not.” I just want a day to myself. Is that too much to ask for?

  We stay quiet until he speaks up again. “I know what happened this morning,” he says as he looks down and plays with his hands.

  When he says morning, I look at my clock and see that it’s twelve thirty. Then I think about what had occurred this morning and sigh. “I’m sure everyone knows what happened.” I snap at him. I’m not in the best mood now, especially since he had disturbed my sleep.

  “Not everyone.” He shrugs. “Anyways, that’s why I came over.”

  “Is it now?” I ask him. “To make sure the bullied nerd girl hasn’t gone suicidal and tried cutting herself? Then to go and tell everyone so they can just continue to think about how weird she is and how she will never be accepted by anyone?” I rant. My heart is racing in my chest. I take a deep breath to try and calm myself down.

  Aiden sits up on my bed. “First of all, I don’t think of you as the ‘bullied nerd girl.’ Never have, and never will,” he says seriously. “Second, I don’t fucking talk to anyone at school, so why would I tell them something that isn’t my business? And third, I really hope you haven’t cut yourself and gone suicidal.”

  I manage to calm myself down. I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “I’m fine.”

  “I didn’t ask if you were fine,” he says. “And don’t lie to me. I know you’re not fine.”

  Dammit. “Why would being called a slut and a whore bother me?” I ask sarcastically. “Why would being accused of trying to steal Ryan from Nicole upset me? Or the fact that she told everyone I slept with you and embarrassed me in front of everyone? Hmm, why wouldn’t I be fine?”

  Aiden sits there silently as I ramble on. I’m fuming, and I clench my hands into fists. I’m not done with this. “I was all right. I was okay with being left alone at school and eating lunch in the library every day.” I pace in my room. “I didn’t care that while everyone talked during class, I was sitting in my seat reading. Then I had to be in this stupid wedding and actually socialize with people. Then I met you, Ryan, and Kelly. I actually thought that it wouldn’t be so bad if I had at least a friend by my side. But I was wrong. Being with you guys only made my life harder. I never had this kind of drama in my life before. I’m a different person now. I’m not as quiet as I used to be and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I want my old life back, but then I don’t.” I’m
breathing heavily.

  Aiden raises his eyebrows. “Well, damn.”

  “That’s all you can say after I just spilled all that out to you?” I demand, still feeling outraged.

  Aiden pats the spot next to him on my bed. “Sit.”

  “I’m fine right here.”

  “Just get over here, Riley. Don’t you trust me?” he asks.

  I narrow my eyes at him. I slowly make my way around the bed and sit down next to him.

  “Good.” He nods. “Now, I’m kind of glad that you exploded like that. I didn’t know you had it in you.” He gives me a small smile. “Whenever you’re around me, I get this quiet, sometimes annoying girl who holds up her guard with sarcastic comments. It’s like you don’t trust anyone. I trusted you with my sob story, and you still didn’t let me inside. But now,” he says, “I just saw this completely different side of you. It was the side that showed your real feelings.”

  I look down at my hands.

  “I know being talked about sucks. Everyone thinks I go and get arrested every weekend, which is not true. But you just have to ignore it. They don’t know the real you, so they make assumptions. It’s what people with no lives do. They talk about other people,” he tells me.

  I sigh and look up at him. “When did you start giving good advice?” I tease him to lighten the mood.

  He chuckles. “I guess you brought out the Dr. Phil in me.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say suddenly.

  “Sorry for what?” he asks.

  “Now everyone thinks you slept with a nerdy girl like me,” I say, looking down again.

  He sighs. “I told you. I ignore things like that that aren’t true.” He scoots closer to me. “Unless you want that rumor, in particular, to be true…”

  I stand up quickly. “I am not going to sleep with you.” He starts to laugh. “It’s not funny Aiden.”

  “It kind of is,” he says. “Though, I’m kind of hurt that you wouldn’t want to do it with me. I mean, every girl wants me.”

  I roll my eyes. “Wow, Aiden. I had no idea you could be so cocky,” I say to him.

  He shrugs. “Not all the time. But I do have my moments.”

  “So, it’s been great talking to you, but you need to leave now,” I say.