Damaged Mate

5

Laura was an absolute Godsend. Even if we only shared homeroom together, she was nice enough to walk me around and point out all the rooms on the rest of my schedule. It was nice to have a slight idea when and where I had to go next, meaning I could take time to visit my locker and not carry everything with me.

I couldn’t help but keep a lookout for Aiden, though, hoping we could bump into each other and have lunch. I hadn’t seen the guy all day, even with the small spaces we had to work with.

Maybe he just has special classes, I thought to myself. Besides, if he was the mayor’s kid, I already knew where to find him, if need be.

Once lunchtime came along, I was feeling pretty confident about navigating Ayersville High, though it probably helped that the entirety of the senior year was regulated to one floor.

“H-hey, Aria!” Laura waved me down from one of the corner lunch tables, another new guy sitting right beside her. I took my sloppy joe tray in hand and made my way across, careful not to bump into anyone before finally taking a seat on the opposite side. “This is Noah. He, um, is also f-friends with Aiden.”

“I’m friends with you, too,” Noah insisted.

Again, a tinge of blush crossed Laura’s face. “N-Noah, this is Aria. She’s Mr. H-Harvey’s daughter. She didn’t live in his basement,” she added hastily. “She lived off in the city.”

I gave her a strange look, shaking it off with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Noah.”

“Same,” Noah said. “Hey, lemme ask you something, Aria. You got any interest in basketball?”

Basketball? It was a bit of a left-field question, but maybe it’d been the conversation before I came over. “I mean, I guess. Why?”

“Oh, d-don’t bother Aria with this,” Laura insisted. “It’s my fault I didn’t pick someone yet. “

“They’re all just doing it to stare at guys, anyway,” Noah replied, his full attention now on me. “Would you say you have adequate knowledge of the game? Maybe enough to help me coach?”

I blinked, surprised at the offer. “You… just met me.”

Noah simply shrugged. “You’re already doing better than my other applicants.”

That got a laugh out of me. “Well, truth be told, I used to run a division at my old school. But—”

“Save the ‘but,’” Noah begged. “Just say yes? I don’t know if I can handle another interview where the main interest is getting the point guard’s phone number.”

Man, but he looked desperate. “I have no idea if my schedule would even allow it,” I began.

“Oh, it’s all after school!” Laura reassured me. “And, um, s-students here have to pick at least one extra-curricular for a semester. C-clubs count for filling that spot.”

“And it would be an every-other-day situation,” Noah added. “I’d only really need you when we get close to actual games. Plus,” he grinned, putting an arm around Laura’s shoulder, “you’d be getting Laura here out of trouble with me.”

Laura’s face paled. “I-I’m in trouble with you?”

I shook my head, unable to hold back a smile. “Yeah, alright. You’ve caught my interest.”

“Great!” Noah beamed, still hugging Laura as he slid his phone across the table with his free hand. “Just put your number down in my contacts and I’ll shoot you a text later today. We meet up at the gymnasium right after school lets out, but don’t be afraid to call if you get lost.”

“Oh, because this campus is so expansive,” I teased.

Noah’s smile only widened. “Yeah, I think we’ll get along great. Glad Laura got to you before anyone else did.”

“Like Clyde and his girlfriend?” I quipped.

The two of them exchanged looks, Laura nervously pushing at her glasses. “Y-Yeah. They’re not really, um, together like that.”

I hated how much relief that gave me.

“Well, not recently, anyway.” Noah chuckled. “You’re probably talking about Vanessa, right? Crazy-blue eyes, permanent scowl on her face?”

I nodded slowly. “They seem to have a hate pact against me.”

“Yeah, just keep clear of her and Clyde,” Noah suggested. “Both of them love picking fights with folks.”

“Which, um, m-might be a bit difficult to do, if you join basketball,” Laura mumbled under her breath.

Noah just shot her this look, to which I hastily waved a hand. “Oh, I’m not worried about some walking ball of testosterone. That was practically every guy in my old school’s M.O.; I know how to bite back when I need to.”

Laura didn’t look convinced, but Noah just laughed. “God, I’d love to see that one day.”

“Oh, trust me,” I said while finally unpacking my lunch, “it might be sooner than you think.”

I wasn’t intending on picking a fight with Clyde, but from what I’d seen earlier, it might be unavoidable. Still, I couldn’t help but still feel dizzy at his shifting mood. What did I do to piss him off so badly? We had seemed fine enough on the road, but the minute I wiped out…

Soon enough, the final bell signaled the end of the school day. Laura was quick to find me at my locker, insisting we walk together to the gym before she went to choir club. Singing wasn’t something I expected my sweet, stammering new friend to be interested in, so our stroll mostly consisted of that backstory.

“M-my aunt suggested I do it,” Laura explained. “It’s s-something I, um, did all the time as a kid. She says it’d b-be a waste to k-keep it hidden.”

“I don’t know if I could sing in front of others,” I said.

“I d-didn’t, either.” Laura grinned sheepishly. “But the m-music director thinks otherwise.” Her expression shifted into wide-eyed excitement. “You should c-come see us perform s-sometime! We, um, d-do all sorts of events around town. Oh, if you want to, I-I mean.”

I made sure to reply with equal enthusiasm. “Totally! Text me when your next show is and I’ll make sure to reserve a seat. Or buy a ticket?”

That got a giggle out of Laura as we stopped before a large, rather plain-looking building. “Well, this is your stop. M-mine’s back at the main building, so… if you ever need a f-friend, or just, um, w-wanna hang out after?”

“I’ll text you for sure,” I reassured her. “Thanks for going the extra mile and showing me the way.”

God, but the smile on Laura’s face made it seem like this was the first kindness she’d ever been shown. With a nod and a wave, she set off around the building, walking back toward the main school building. I couldn’t help but grin myself, waving until she finally turned around before pushing on the double doors. The inside was just as I expected: shiny lacquered wood, padded walls, and the sharp squeak of shoes chorusing alongside the smack of a basketball traveling the court. Noah was standing off near the bleachers, phone in hand as he almost worriedly glanced between it and the players.

“Noah!” I gave him a huge wave as I called out, catching his attention between looks. His expression started turning to relief, only to flip to panic as a ball flew past him and hurtled toward my face. Instinct kicked in as I threw my hand out, keeping my wrist loose so the force didn’t snap it in half. Staggering back, I managed to swing my arm behind me, letting the momentum expire before clutching the basketball against my side. Eventually, it came to a stop, leaving my palm absolutely stinging.

But I still had some adrenaline racing through me. And I knew exactly who to spend it on.

It didn’t take a genius to pin the culprit down. A quick glance around the gymnasium and I spotted Clyde standing off to the side, snickering in his hands as he puffed his chest out to his buddies. We locked eyes for a moment, him wiggling his fingers my way as he let out a sarcastic apology. “Sorry there, Safety Patrol. Must’ve slipped.”

My gaze hardened as the words flew out of my mouth. “You really shouldn’t be playing basketball if you’re this clumsy, Pollock.”

Every ball went silent, every eye fixed on me after my little quip. This was obviously something that didn’t happen often, but that was all the better. Nothing like putting an i***t in his place to show you belonged somewhere. I let him come to me, watching as he stalked across the court with the fiercest scowl he could muster. I, meanwhile, kept my ground firm, slightly leaning on one hip with my arms crossed over my chest. Fine by me if the baby wanted to throw a fit; consider it payback for the emotional whiplash from earlier.

‘Course, that bravado started fading alongside the adrenaline the closer he got.

“Clyde.” Noah’s voice faded in the background as Clyde’s heavy stomps filled the room.

I didn’t really realize how tall he was until now. He had been sitting down the first time we met, and now that we were on the same level, I could tell he easily had me by a foot. Maybe two. God, and those eyes; I was used to guys trying to look intimidating, but he honestly looked ready to lunge at my throat. They almost glinted beneath the fluorescent lights, like the eyes I had seen outside my window all those nights ago.

The thought alone caused a shiver down my spine.

Before Clyde was within arm’s reach of me, someone else’s arm shoved against his side, sending him staggering. Aiden seemingly appeared out of nowhere, his form looming before me as a sort of protective, living shield. My mouth could barely form a surprised ‘o’; he’d been here this whole time?

“Piss off, Clyde,” Aiden’s growl was animalistic, a deep, throaty noise that sent more spasms across my skin. “Not her fault you can’t handle the truth.”

Clyde straightened himself upright, a wild grin spreading slowly across his face. As if triggered by the sight, Aiden lunged forward, fist flying through the air before crackling against Clyde’s face. I let out a startled cry, everyone converging at once to both stop the fight and pull me out of it. Noah got to me first, hand grabbing my wrist and yanking me back while other guys tried getting between Aiden and Clyde. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the violence, blood and spit splattering against the ground with each strike they took against each other. It took four guys to hold Clyde back, and that was only a temporary fix.

“I’m so sorry, Aria,” Noah apologized as he pulled me toward the door, “but I need you to go get help.”

“Like the police?” I stammered out.

Noah shoved the double doors open, semi-tossing me outside as another c***k rang out. “Did Laura walk over with you?”

I nodded numbly.

“Go find her and ask for Trevor,” Noah explained. “I’m gonna go help the guys. Just hurry, okay?”

I don’t even bother with a response, taking off in a sprint back toward the main building. The cold air scored my lungs, but I couldn’t stop. I wasn’t going to stop, spurred on by the images of blood on the ground.

God, this first day had just gone completely sideways.