Damaged Mate

8

Finally

, 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.”

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.