Claimed by the Devils

Chapter 28

Aria POV

None of us talked about what Lucian said.

Rowan stayed with me that night and the guys seemed to be in agreement of ignoring the elephant in the room. It was a pretty big elephant though.

Sex.

Kissing.

Fucking.

They were all going to expect that from me, and my first and only kiss came from Heather.

Speaking of my best friend, since the guys’ revelation about her feelings about me, I’d been … noticing little things. The last thing I wanted to do was agree they might be right. Why would I want to agree to that, but how could I not?

She touched me all the time. The hugs. The attention. This went beyond normal friendship. The more I became aware of it, the more distant I felt I needed to become. I loved Heather, but I just didn’t see her that way.

I was worried the kiss might have given her the wrong impression and that was my fault. I f****d up there.

When Heather went to a different class, I was embarrassed by how relieved I was.

“You okay?” Lucian asked, taking a seat beside me in biology.

“No. I mean, yes. No. Ugh, don’t ask me.”

This was the first time we’d spoken since last night. I pushed some hair off my face. I’d been so tired this morning I hadn’t bothered to put it up. I was happy with my messy hair. I would take the time tonight to wash it.

Flicking some hair off my shoulder, I released a sigh and stared straight ahead.

Elliot, Sebastian, and Rowan had sat up front, and it was like they’d done it on purpose. Did they want me to make friends with Lucian? The man was an asshole.

“Mr. Connors’s class, huh, wild,” Lucian said.

I turned to Lucian, frowning.

“I guess.”

He pressed his lips together and looked across the classroom. It was when I noticed Chloe in the corner of the room, and she seemed to be sporting a black eye.

“Did you beat up Chloe?” I asked.

“No,” Lucian said, frowning.

“Who did that to her?” I whispered so no one else would hear me.

Lucian coughed.

“I don’t know.”

I glared at him, and with the teacher still not here, I leaned forward and tapped Elliot on the arm, asking him the same question.

Sebastian and Rowan each leaned back, resting an arm on the table.

“Did you guys do this?” I asked.

“No.”

They all said the same word at the same time.

“Really?”

“Babe, I don’t hit girls,” Rowan said.

“Unless they ask really nicely.”

“This isn’t funny.”

I could have easily punched Chloe. I didn’t believe violence was the answer. Nothing good came from bullying a bully. You were just repeating the same old vicious cycle and as far as I was concerned, that didn’t resolve any problems, just caused more.

Sebastian grabbed my hand, locking our fingers together.

“Babe, we didn’t do that, but we did alert someone to her … meddling. She’d been warned. We do not take responsibility for what happened to her. This is all on her.”

I pulled my hand away, unable to say more as the teacher chose that moment to enter the classroom. There was so much I wanted to say.

The rest of the class seemed to go on forever. I wrote the notes, answered any questions that were directed at me, and more importantly, the moment the bell rang, I grabbed my bag and books, rushing out. I was shoving them in as I caught sight of Chloe ducking into the bathroom.

I rushed to catch up with her, ignoring the calls of the guys. She needed to know this wasn’t my fault.

Entering the bathroom, I found her at the sinks, applying more makeup. If I saw the bruise with makeup on, I was worried what she looked like with it all removed.

“Chloe,” I said.

“Have you come here to gloat?”

“What happened?”

She laughed.

“Please, don’t play the victim here. I mean, I would still kick your fat ass if I could.”

“Will you stop with all the insults? I get it. You’re hotter than me and can have any guy you want. The boys should be falling all over themselves to be with you, and instead, they’re with me. Believe me, it makes no sense, but cut the crap. I didn’t ask for this, any of this.”

Chloe stared at me through the mirror.

“You know, I actually believe you.”

“I’ve got no reason to lie.”

“And that’s your first mistake.”

She finished applying more foundation.

“Wow, this makes this f*****g harder.”

“What?”

“To hate you,” she said.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s easy. You’re a f*****g joke. After everything I’ve done, you really are completely clueless. I don’t know if I should feel sorry for you or not.”

“Why not give me a hint of what the hell is going on?” I asked.

Chloe put her makeup away.

“The guys will be outside waiting for you. Where you go, they go.”

“I didn’t ask for this.”

“But you’re part of it. This is the game and you’re going to have to learn to play.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

For a split second, she looked genuinely sad.

“I know. I don’t think it’s fair. You’ve never been part of this, and you clearly don’t know what is coming. My only advice to you, and I mean this. I won’t share another piece of info with you, and we won’t be friends.”

“Fine.”

“Know when to fight. Understand when to back off, and hope to God no one is there to see you fall.”

Chloe took a step toward me.

“Don’t lose yourself. It’s when you fall so deeply all is lost.”

“You’re talking in riddles.”

“That’s how this life is. Learn to read between the lines.”

Then she freaked me the f**k out by putting her hands on my shoulders and hugging me.

“This is what my mom did to me before she killed herself five years ago.”

With that, she stepped back, and the vulnerability was gone. The b***h was firmly back in place.

Chloe left the bathroom, and I stepped over to the sinks, staring at my own reflection. My hair looked a mess. My uniform was neatly pressed, but I was out of place. My eyes were heavy with purplish marks beneath from lack of sleep. No makeup.