Damaged Mate

12

The insult caused my head to swivel, the heat behind my eyes enough to bore through metal. Something shifted on Clyde’s face as he slunk back, as if genuinely surprised at my reply. “Try me, you illiterate, unimaginative meathead. I’ll be sure you do drills for hours after that little quip.”

The pair of guys looked equally surprised.

“What, did you think your petty little stunt scared me away?” I scoffed, hands settling on my hips as I mustered whatever strength I had left into my threat. “You two can play whatever stupid games you want, but keep me and my dad the hell out of it. I’m not delicate and I don’t scare easily. Got it?”

The boys exchanged looks, seemingly clueless as to what to say next.

“Got it?” I repeated coldly.

Clyde mumbled something under his breath as Aiden nodded.

“I’m sorry, Aria,” Aiden began. “I didn’t mean to start anything.”

“Yeah, just tuck your tail between your legs like always,” Clyde grumbled.

I completely ignored him, turning to Aiden with a pleasant smile. “Apology accepted. You can make it up to me by giving me a ride to my dad’s office.”

“Y-yeah, of course.” With a nod, he shifted off the bed and stood upright, reaching for his jacket slumped on the ground.

That was when I noticed his wrist, wrapped up and tied with splint. A slight squirm of guilt ran through me at the sight; I was mad at him, sure, but I didn’t want him to physically suffer.

“Uh, wait.” I held out my own hand, gesturing to his wrist. “If that’s sprained or something…”

Aiden shook his head curtly. “Nah, it’s fine. Clyde’s face is like punching dough; it’s just a precaution.”

Clyde let out an irritated snarl as Aiden moved toward me, the pair of us starting for the door.

“You handled that quite well,” Nurse Aurora noted. “I am very impressed.”

I gave a weak shrug in reply.

“I will be interested to see what you do next, Aria Harvey.” Nurse Aurora beamed as the door slowly swung shut behind us. “Very interested, indeed.”

---

It was almost endearing how nervous Aiden was on the walk back. He kept glancing over at me, looking away just as quickly when I tried to return his gaze. His nerves were practically tangible, dancing around him like a swarm of flies. Finally, he broke our silence as we got to his truck.

“Seriously, Aria, I didn’t mean to embarrass you like that.”

I tried to scowl, but in the end, a small smile broke through my facade. “You really feel bad about it, huh?”

He nodded furiously as he pulled open the driver’s side door. “I—I promise I’m not that kind of guy. Punching at random and all that. Clyde just sorta…” His fists clenched around the steering wheel, tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

“Brings the worst out, huh?” I asked with a click of my seatbelt.

Aiden’s expression brightened slightly. “Y-yeah. You could say that.”

“What’s he got against my dad, anyway?” I asked. “Does he really hate accountants that much?”

Something flashed across Aiden’s face, but it vanished just as quickly. “Eh… Clyde’s family is just old fashioned. Keeps money under the mattress and all that. They don’t really trust… outsiders.”

Weird, but not unheard of. Still, that didn’t give him permission to be a total ass to me. And after we had something going on the way to school, too—the whole ordeal just felt entirely disappointing, like I missed out on something fun.

The truck’s engine rumbled to life and we pulled out of the school’s parking lot. I leaned back in my seat, letting out a quiet, tired sigh. It felt like the first time I’d sat down in hours, even with school practically being nothing but. I couldn’t help but run through the gymnasium disaster again in my mind, the words Clyde spat at Aiden. Words that, to an outsider like me, seemed completely unfounded. But now didn’t entirely seem like the right time to ask. If anything, Aiden seemed as tired as I was.

We rode quietly to my dad’s office, a quick, five-minute drive that acted as a nice, mental break from it all. As Aiden shifted into park, he put a gentle hand on mine, stopping me from leaving my seat.

“Hey, um… are you gonna stay here with your dad?”

I gave him a curious grin. “Why, you wanna try and butter me up some more?”

That got a chuckle out of him. “Maybe a little. There’s a bit of an autumn festival happening in the park today. Sort of a celebration for kids starting school and the season kicking off.”

“Hmm…” I tapped my finger deliberately against my chin, somewhat reveling in Aiden’s squirming. “Keep the engine running. I’ll let you know after I talk with my dad.”

Oh, God, the look on his face was priceless. With an eager nod, Aiden leaned back in his seat as I pushed my door open.

The building my dad’s office was located in was a quaint, one-story setup, neatly decorated outside with a variety of pumpkins, cornstalks, and other autumn-esque paraphernalia. As I walked up, Dad’s face darted out from behind the window curtains, and I couldn’t help but shake my head.

“Just can’t help yourself, can you?” I muttered as I stepped inside.