Damaged Mate

11

“Oh, the librarian’s niece! Yes, I’m familiar,” Dad said excitedly. “She always seemed like such a sweet girl. I’m glad you two hit it off.”

Yeah, he was far more at ease now. Talking about the good that happened today made me feel better, too—enough that I fully sat up and felt a bit of energy fill my chest. This was exactly what I needed right now. Whatever bad things happened today faded to the background as I went over my school schedule with Dad. It was honestly the perfect thing to do while waiting for Aiden.

Chapter Six

F

inally

, both Trevor and Vanessa left the infirmary. Vanessa breezed right past me, not even giving me the time of day. Not that I was really interested in having a conversation with her; as far as I was concerned, the less we spoke, the better. Trevor, meanwhile, lingered behind a bit, obviously waiting to see if I was okay.

“Uh, Laura went back to the choir,” I said. “To let them know what happened.”

Trevor chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. “Yeah, I’m sure they know already. It’s not exactly a rare sight to see those two go at it.”

Well, that sucked. “Sorry I dragged you into this.”

“Oh, no, you’re okay,” Trevor reassured me. “Clyde’s like a brother to me. A really, really, really thick-headed brother who tends to act before thinking.” He paused, tilting his head slightly as he stared at me. “I’m… usually the only guy who can get through to him.”

I couldn’t help but slink back into my seat; he had such an intense gaze all of a sudden, like a wolf sizing up his prey. What was up with people’s eyes in this town?

“S-Something on my face?” I asked jokingly.

That broke Trevor out of whatever trance he was in. “H-hah, sorry. I was trying to figure out if I recognize you from somewhere.”

“Probably not.” I grinned. “I came to town a few weeks ago.”

“Guess you just have one of those faces, then.” Trevor smiled back. “Well, in case you ever need me again, the full name’s Trevor Cask.”

“And if you ever see me barreling toward you,” I added teasingly, “just know to call me Aria. Aria Harvey.”

There was that look again, a flash of intensity that left as soon as it came. “Ooh, okay! You’re the accountant’s kid. Thought that face looked familiar somehow.”

I blinked, taken aback somewhat by the comparison. I always thought I took more from Mom’s side, but maybe there was something I was missing. “Y-yeah. Well, thanks again for your help.”

With a nod my way, Trevor started down the hallway and back to choir practice. He only made it a few steps before he stopped dead, turning on his heels to stare at me one more time. “That’s wild,” he said, mostly to himself. “Didn’t know Mr. Harvey had a daughter.”

I didn’t really know how to respond. I wasn’t sure I was supposed to. So, I just gave him a weak smile and a wave, waiting for him to completely disappear before exhaling heavily. Good God, that guy gave me the weirdest vibes. Seemed nice enough, but he wasn’t someone I’d want to actively seek out. I couldn’t put my finger on it, just something about him felt… wrong.

Still, that could just be the nerves of today talking. I still had to go in and give those two a piece of my mind. I pushed myself back upright, shakily reaching for knob on the infirmary door and giving it a nervous twist.

A new smell greeted me as I entered, something evocative, earthy, and heavy enough to push away whatever anxiety I was feeling from before. Both Aiden and Clyde were sitting on the edges of their beds, a few bandages on each of their faces. Nurse Aurora finished sticking one more across the bridge of Clyde’s nose before noticing my arrival. She only smiled, glancing between the boys before stepping aside so I could slide past.

“Aw, and here I am without anything to throw.” Clyde snickered. “If you wait around, I’m sure I can come up with something.”

A throaty growl slipped out of Aiden’s mouth. “Leave her alone, Clyde.”

“What, like one of them was bad enough?” Clyde snapped. “You can’t seriously be okay with this, Thief.”

I was suddenly regretting coming in at all. The last thing I wanted to do was stand between some personal conversation. “Um…”

“I seriously doubt they share professions,” Aiden retorted. “And even if they did, he swore it off ages ago.”

“You don’t know that,” Clyde hissed, sitting up straighter in order to tower over all of us. “Her coming could mean he’s making a move. God, I can’t believe you still trust him.”

“We don’t exactly have a choice,” Aiden said.

“I’d make sure he didn’t try anything if my family was in charge,” Clyde barked back. “Your dad doesn’t deserve to run things around here.”

This was getting out of hand. “Hey, can we not have cryptic conversations while I’m here?” I begged.

Clyde shifted his attention toward me, his broken-up face somehow worse to look at than his untouched one. “No one invited you here, Safety Patrol. You crawl home back to Daddy dearest while the adults talk business.”

“Bad-mouth my dad like that and it becomes my business,” I fired back.

Clyde’s neck cracked as he rolled his head. “You lookin’ for a real fight, then?”

“Is that the only way you know how to communicate?” I asked. “I’d be happy to speak real slow and simple for you, Clyde. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere, after all.”

“Aria,” Aiden began.

“Oh, don’t you start, Mr. I’m-gonna-start-a-fistfight.” My head snapped Aiden’s way, and I was startled at how, well, startled he looked. “What, you thought I’d thank you for defending my honor or something?”

“I—w-well,” Aiden stammered out, “I was just protecting you.”

“What, from this i***t with barely enough social skills to start a legitimate conversation?” I asked.

That wiped the smile immediately off Clyde’s face. “Watch it, bitch.”