Random Bits of My Brain

Lovers and Backstabbers

Alyssa's P.O.V

I walk through the halls with my shoulders hunched and my hood up.

But they don't block out the jeers, taunts, and whispering. 

Pushing against the crowd, I try, in vain, to reach my locker. When I do get there, Aiden is leaned against it, blatantly ignoring the glances--better known as glares--sent by girls who used to drool over him. I stalk up to him quickly and pull him down to my height. 

"What are you doing?!" I hiss, eyes darting form left and right, noticing the glances sent by the majority of the senior population. "I thought we agreed to avoid contact until this blows over."

Giving me a hurt look, Aiden whispers back,"it's been a week! If it hasn't blown over by now, it's never going to. I think we should talk to her."

Shocked by his idea--and apparently, lack of will to live--I take a step back and just shake my head. "No. Just no. You don't know how she'd react. She could--"

"With all due respect," Aiden cuts me off, "I've known her longer than you. And I know she won't blow up on us."

"But--" I start.

"No," Aiden says, putting a finger over my lips. "I'm going to talk to her."

With that, Aiden pushed throught the crowd, leaving a confused me behind. Suddenly coming to my senses, I followed after him, my bag and locker forgotten.

Candace's P.O.V

I can't say that I'm miserable or heartbroken. I guess in a way, I knew that Aiden and I wouldn't last. I mean, I never did, and never will, believe in forever. If he hadn't left me this way, something else would've happened.

I just wish they'd've told me.

I wish my best friend and boyfriend would've told me they were in love. And have been for 6 months. Which is also the entirety of the time I knew Alyssa.

However, I know Aiden. I know that he's impatient. So I wasn't surprised when he tracked me down in the halls today. 

"Candace," Aiden says, his voice ringing out loudly in the suddenly silent hallway. 

Turning lazily on the heel of my converse sneakers, I offered him a slight smile. "May I help you?"

"We need to talk," Aiden replies, his shoulders thrown back. 

Raising an eyebrow, unimpressed, I said, "So talk."

"Alone?"

"Hurry up Aiden, I don't have time for this," I reply sharply, clenching my jaw slightly.

"Okay," Aiden breathes. "I was wondering if you could ever forgive me. Forgive me and Alyssa."

As if in a movie, Alyssa pushes her way through the crowd, her brilliant blue eyes wide and her perfect, heart-shaped mouth open in an "O" shape. Returning my attention to Aiden, I ask, quite plainly, "do you love her?"

At my question, Alyssa's eyebrows furrowed in a look of concern and pain. 

Oblivious to the fact that she was right behind him, Aiden replied with a quiet, "yes."

Breathing out a slight snort, I asked, "does she make you happy?'

Smiling apologetically and whimsically, Aiden replied again with a quiet yes.

Turning to Alyssa, I asked, "are the feelings mutual?"

Shocked at the turn of events, Alyssa scrambled for an answer, tucking her dark brown hair behind her ear. "Uhh, um, I mean- yeah."

Breathing deeply, I gave them both a sad smile and said, "I hope you guys are happy together. Please try not to break eachother." Bowing to the captivated crowd sardonically, I continued to my class.

Upon arriving, I saw that we had earned our free period from getting a class average of 96% on the common assessment. Asking for a pass to the courtyard, I thanked Mr.Shanken and I strode away. 

Pushing open the door to the courtyard, I walked to the center, a stone bench under a willow tree, Feeling the bench slightly, I found that it was slightly damp, Shrugging it off, I sat down, curling my legs up to my chest with my head against the tree trunk, gazing up at teh branches. 

"Hey stranger," Marcus says, plopping down next to me. 

Smiling at the boy I learned to call a friend, I replied with "hey dork."

After exchanging banter for a couple minutes, we drifted into a comfortable silence. It was then that Marcus asked me a question.

"Why did you let them go?"

Without asking whom, I knew. "Because in the world we live in today, it's very hard to find happiness. I found that in Aiden and I thought he found it in me, but I guess I was wrong. If he and Alyssa make eachother happy, who am I to torture them?" At the end, I turned to Marcus to find that he had been staring at my in sorrow. 

His curly brown hair had fallen in the way of those warming hazel eyes. "You are so peculiar," he says, an indescribable tone to his words. 

"Welp," I smile, "you love me for it."

Sighing, Marcus smiled whilst shaking his head. Pulling me against his shoulder, he murmurs, "yes I do."