Love In The Gray

Chapter 6: The coaching Deal.

Aiden clenched his fists tightly as Tristan whispered those words. Jefferson, noticing this, quickly moved closer and attempted to grab Aiden’s hands, trying to prevent him from making a scene. But Aiden was not about to let this go.

It felt like Tristan was mocking him, and Aiden hated it. Why would he ever need Tristan as a brother? The only relative he had ever truly needed or wanted had died when he was six. Tristan was really getting on his nerves, and every word out of his mouth was just making things worse. Aiden felt the urge to punch him and ruin his face completely, but since he had a reputation for always causing trouble, he decided to keep his anger in check—maybe just for today.

"Well, you know where to find me when you need me," Tristan said, pausing as Aiden suddenly marched closer, closing the distance between them until they were eye-to-eye. Aiden’s gaze was fiery, his eyes burning red with anger, but Tristan just stared back, unfazed. He didn’t care. This wasn’t the first time he had seen that look—he’d seen it both at home and back in their high school days. It didn’t faze himin the slightest.

"What's wrong? Ready to start now?" Tristan taunted. "Is that how badly you need me? Go on, beg me, and I might consider it..."

Aiden grabbed Tristan by the collar, glaring down at him with a look that dared him to keep talking.

"Aiden... you need to stop," Colby tried to intervene, but Aiden didn’t release his grip.

A passing lecturer noticed the scene and immediately approached. She walked straight into the classroom and up to them.

"Aiden, what’s wrong with you? Why are you always so problematic? Don’t you have any respect for your seniors? Didn’t your mom teach you any manners?" the female lecturer yelled.

That’s when she crossed the line.

Aiden tilted his head to the side as a sharp voice echoed in his mind—the voice he hated more than anything, ringing in his head. The voice of the woman he resented with every fiber of his being.

"Are you okay?" Troy whispered to Aiden, but it seemed as if Aiden had completely lost his mind. He let go of Tristan's shirt, staggering, his hands moving to cover his ears as though trying to block out the voices echoing in his head. Tristan watched, a frown forming on his face as he carefully observed Aiden for the first time.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Colby asked, while the others stood by, silently watching. Tristan had never seen this side of Aiden. He had seen every other part—anger, frustration—but not this. Normally, he never bothered to pay attention to anything happening to Aiden or around him, since they didn’t care about each other.

Was Aiden dealing with some kind of trauma? He couldn’t tell, but he quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn’t his business.

When Aiden finally opened his eyes, they were bloodshot—so red that the lecturer, who had been preparing to continue scolding him, fell silent. Another word from her seemed like it would push Aiden to his breaking point. He gave her a look that dared her to continue, his fists tightly clenched, his jaw tight.

His friends exchanged uneasy glances. None of them had ever seen Aiden like this before.

After giving Tristan one final, furious glare, Aiden stormed out of the classroom. No one dared to stop him or even call his name. Tristan’s brows furrowed deeper as he watched Aiden leave. What was wrong with him?

"What did you say to him to make him act like that? I’ve never seen him like this before," Faustino asked, stepping up beside Tristan. But Tristan didn't answer and instead walked out of the classroom, leaving the others behind.

"Aiden is... scary. Who gets that mad?" Kai asked, squinting in confusion. The rest of the boys just shrugged as they exited the classroom.

Suddenly, their phones buzzed with a notification, and they all checked at once. It was an alert about a basketball competition happening next week.

"So soon?" Kai muttered.

"Yeah, it’s going to be fun. It’s been ages since I played a real game," Colby said with a grin, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

"Why don’t we go practice? Aiden will probably come rushing once he finds out," Kai suggested.

"He’ll get the notification too... but we can hang around and see if he shows up," Jefferson added.

"That’s if he’s not going to sulk all day," Troy added, and the rest laughed.

******

Tristan and Cathrine wandered through the library, Tristan focused on arranging the books in order while Cathrine held the stack, ready to hand them to him when needed.

"Tristan..." Cathrine called softly.

"Hmm?" he responded absentmindedly, not looking at her as he slotted another book into place.

"I have a question," she muttered hesitantly.

"What is it?" he asked after a few seconds. "Having trouble understanding something?" He finally turned to look at her, noticing the way she nervously bit her lip, searching for the right words.

"It’s about earlier..." she began.

"Earlier? What about it?" he asked, clearly unsure of what she meant as he waited for her to continue. But she hesitated, her eyes flickering away.

"You and Aiden.... what's up with you two? Why do you hate each other?" she asked. Tristan gave her a long, unsettling stare that made her shift uncomfortably. Without a word, he took the last book from her and continued shelving it, ignoring her question entirely. Cathrine bit her lip, realizing she might have crossed a line.

*****

Aiden got home and found his dad preparing dinner with his so-called wife. The moment he saw Brittany, his mood darkened. Brittany, noticing him, left the counter and approached with a broad smile. She hadn’t seen him in a while and had been extremely worried since the night he fought with Tristan.

"Is everything alright? Why don’t you come eat something?" she asked gently. Aiden ignored her and turned to leave, but his father grabbed his arm.

He angrily yanked his hand away and stormed off to his room. Once there, he collapsed onto his bed, pulling out his phone, which had been vibrating non-stop in his pocket. He glanced at it, irritated, wondering who was responsible for further ruining his mood. His annoyance faded when he saw the notifications about the upcoming basketball competition. He sighed deeply, deciding to message his friends.

......

Brittany sighed heavily as she slumped into a chair in the kitchen. Why couldn’t he just give her a chance?

"It’s okay, honey. He’ll come around," Andrew reassured her, though Brittany only sighed again.

"When? It’s been a year..."

"We just need to give him more time. Trust me, when he does, you’ll forget about all of this. Once he opens up, he becomes really clingy," Andrew said with a smile, trying to comfort her. Brittany nodded softly, though she wasn’t fully convinced.

*****

The next morning, Tristan decided to clean the dorm since there wasn’t anything important happening at school. It was Friday, and most Fridays were usually laid-back.

He thought about ignoring Aiden’s side of the room but realized there was no point in cleaning only half the space. How he wished he still had the dorm to himself, like before Aiden had been assigned to share it with him.

"Will that kid ever grow up?" Tristan muttered to himself, glancing at the basketballs scattered under Aiden’s bed and some even on top of it. He took a deep breath and reluctantly started tidying Aiden’s side of the room.

*****

A week had flown by, and it was finally game day. Tristan, who had been forced by Faustino and Cathrine to come watch the match, walked onto the field confidently. He spotted Aiden ruffling his hair, frustration written all over his face. Curious, Tristan stood by, observing.

Soon, Aiden’s teammates joined him, all looking equally worried. Tristan quickly assessed the situation, and a slight smirk crept onto his lips. This was his chance, and he intended to take full advantage of it.

Ignoring Cathrine, who had been chattering away, Tristan made his way toward Aiden and the team, hands casually stuffed into his pockets.

"Looks like you're having some trouble with the lineup," Tristan said. Aiden, already on edge, turned to face him.

"And how’s that any of your goddamned business?" Aiden snapped, his irritation growing.

"I’m guessing Theodore isn’t feeling well enough to play, and," Tristan paused, glancing at his wristwatch, "you're supposed to be on the field by 9 a.m. It’s already 8:55. You’ve only got five minutes."

"So?" Jefferson asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I’m offering to play in his place," Tristan said coolly, turning his gaze toward Jefferson, "but only on one condition."

"Aren’t you just trying to pick a fight with Aiden?" Kai asked, stepping forward with a basketball in hand, giving Tristan a skeptical look.

Tristan sighed, not bothering to answer. He wasn’t doing this out of kindness, but he needed to. He didn’t want Aiden to be the cause of his failure. His conversation with Miss Brianna earlier had been less than pleasant, and he couldn’t afford to let things go wrong.

"We’ve never seen you play before," Jefferson said, pulling Kai aside.

"You don’t need to," Tristan replied, his tone dismissive. "All I want is a deal with him," he nodded toward Aiden, "so your team doesn’t embarrass itself in front of the others."

Aiden ruffled his hair again, his frustration deepening. Tristan was really getting under his skin.

"Who do you think you are?" Aiden growled, stepping closer to Tristan, who merely shrugged.

"Me? I’m nobody," Tristan replied nonchalantly. "I just want to strike a deal." Aiden sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"If I score eighteen points on my own, you’ll be my student for the rest of the semester," Tristan said. Aiden let out an annoyed chuckle.

"Are you insane? Why would I spend three months letting you lecture me?" Aiden frowned, clearly irritated by the offer.

"Deal or no deal?" Tristan asked, showing him the time. Only one minute remained until the game started.

"Fine, deal," Aiden muttered with a smirk. Tristan returned the smirk, extending his hand for agreement, but Aiden ignored it. Colby tried to shake Tristan's hand instead, but Tristan withdrew his hand before Colby could reach it.

"Let’s go get ready," Colby said with an awkward laugh, and Tristan headed off to change into his gear.

"What’s Tristan up to?" Cathrine asked, watching as the team, now including Tristan, walked onto the court.