A Twist of Fate
1060 Words
My vision was blurry. My head had ached all morning and I could still feel the burning from my back where the belt had left its mark. I stared at the watch in my hand and an unplanned memory flashed in my head. Aria.
The watch was fixed now. I had saved her the cost of repairs by taking it back but she had saved me the cost of losing this watch forever. I held my head in my hands not because of the physical pain but to stop the memories of her from flooding in. I couldn't believe I was doing this. I couldn't believe I was thinking about her like this. I dismissed the thought instantly.
Just then the car pulled over. We had arrived at school. I didn't want to go. I was avoiding a lot of people now and Aria was at the top of that list. But it was better to be in school than in the lion's den I called a home. I groaned.
"Are you okay son?" Mr. John asked.
He was my driver but he was the only man I actually thought of as a dad. His eyes reflected through the rearview mirror and he looked worried. I didn't want to stress him out.
"I'm fine sir. Thank you" I lied.
"Something bothering you?"
"I'm fine sir really. There's nothing" I said and opened the car door.
"Kyle" he called out his voice sharp for a man of his age. "Take this."
He handed me a packet of multivitamins through the window. "For your back... and the headache" he said and gave me a small knowing smile.
"Thanks" I muttered taking the packet and hurrying inside the gates.
I met Elvis and my other friends near the entrance and I quickly joined the group to look normal.
"Bro I heard you went to Aria's house at night" Ben said. They all shared a suspicious look that made my skin crawl.
"To collect what she took. Yes" I answered coldly.
"Really? What else did you collect?" Pietro asked.
The others burst out laughing. They were teasing me and I knew exactly what they were thinking but I pretended not to.
"What do you mean by that?" I said keeping my voice casual.
"Bro admit it. There's no way you’re telling me nothing happened between you two at midnight" Pietro pressed further.
"Guys let's stop. We all know Kyle and Aria are enemies" Elvis said trying to bail me out.
"Unless he wants to play Prince Charming" Calvin joked and they all laughed again.
Just as the words left his mouth I turned the corner and bumped straight into someone. The impact sent us both sprawling to the floor. I landed hard but as I looked down my heart stopped.
It was Aria.
I laid there for a second too long. Everything felt like it was on pause. I could hear my own heart thudding through my chest so loud I was sure she could hear it too. My eyes were glued to hers and I found myself memorizing that familiar scent that made my blood boil but now it was making my head spin.
My body felt paralyzed, heavy and unresponsive to the commands from my brain. I knew I needed to get up. I needed to separate myself from her, to create that cold, impenetrable distance that kept everyone out. My hands were trapped between us, making the whole situation too intimate, too real. I felt like a drowning man, and the very hands that should have pushed me to the surface were holding me down.
Then, the static noise of the hallway cracked open. I heard Pietro and the others giggling behind me. The sound was sharp, a jagged knife in my chest. The cruel laughter snapped me back to the reality I had created. This was school. These were my friends. Aria was my enemy.
"Watch where you're going" I snapped switching back into the role of her number one enemy.
"Me? You're the one who bumped into me!" she shot back. She hissed at me and walked away without looking back.
Pietro and the others met me teasing me more about what had happened
"Bro, is this a romance novel?" he asked me
Damn bro, you got comfortable there didn't you?" he continued but this time the joke didn't seem funny at all.
"Whatever" I said
I was angry, I didn't know why or what I was angry at but I felt angry. I headed to class.
There was still little time to take a quick smoke so I lit a cigarette and took a puff. I felt a bit relaxed. My mind replayed the scene earlier and what happened the night before. Things were seeming too cringy and I hated the whole scenerio. Just then the bell rang and I put off the smoke and went to class.
Mrs Catalina walked in arranging her glasses. I sat down and Aria glanced at me once and ignored me.
"Dear class, the school is hosting a gala and the principal is entrusting to us the gala planning. We are going to pair up with each other by picking the names of your partner. " She said and brought out a box.
I was scared I had a bad feeling about this and I really didn't want to participate but I had no choice. I hoped to be paired with any of my friends or Elena. Soon it was my turn to pick and I was shocked to see Aria's name.
"Aria your partner is Kyle" Mrs Catalina said
"Ma'am I can't be partners with this girl" I protested
Mrs Catalina smirked. It was like she had it all planned maybe to wicked me.
"Kyle you will do it. And everyone is going to submit their plans for the gala in three weeks time and trust me... it holds a big part of your grades" she said
I knew it would happen, I was expecting it but I didn't want to believe it. The universe was against me. No matter how hard I tried, fate always found a way to pull Aria and I together. But why?..
- Writer
