Aces

TEN

Aiden

"That was quite a bit to take in, huh?" Amaya and I were alone.
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to be told I'm part of a cult today."
"It's not a cult."
"Then what is it?"
"I'd say that we're a group of intelligent individuals who-"
"Yeah, I'm gonna have to stop you right there, Mister. I'm not sure if you can call yourself intelligent."
"That's... rude."
"I learnt from the master."
"I like you." I stopped dead in my tracks. What the hell was I thinking? Oh no. Oh no, no, no.
"I like you too, blondie."
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah, well, you're cute I guess."
"Do you want to go out somewhere tomorrow? I know this is insane because we just met, but-"
"Yes."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow." I said, grinning like an idiot.
"Goodbye, Aiden." As I watched her walk off into the distance, excitement bubbled in my blood.

"AIDEN?! WHAT THE HELL?!" Anger oozed from Avery's words and her face burned bright red.
"Okay, first of all: next time, learn to knock before bursting into my room. What do you want? You don't seem too happy."
"So she's your girlfriend now? Is that how it is? Is she your girlfriend, even though I told you not to get with her? You could've had any other girl in the school, Aiden. Why did you choose her? Is it because you want to keep your title of the school's biggest player and date every girl ever to exist?"
"Calm down, who are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb."
"Why are you so mad? Do you like, want her for yourself or something?"
"N-no... NO! Why would I want her? I'm a girl and she's a girl. That's not the point of the conversation. Look, I'm mad because you're a horrible person who goes and breaks girls' hearts for fun and I am not going to sit here and let you hurt Amaya." Avery's cheeks were flushed with colour and she was tripping over her words; she was clearly upset.
"Relax. I'm not going to hurt her."
"Yeah right. You said that about all the other girls who, for your information, have sat in their rooms for weeks on end, weeping because of you. Oh, and guess who was left to clean up your mess? That's right: me. I have comforted every single one of those girls that you played and used. I'm not going to let you anywhere close to breaking Amaya's heart. I know she's a strong girl, but you aren't going to treat her like you did the rest, because this little game you're playing is over. Do you understand?" Avery's voice cracked and she looked as if she were about to burst into tears.
"Damn, why are you so bossy?"
"I'm not bossy, I just really care about her, unlike you."
"Actually, I do care about her, thank you very much."
"Aiden, face it: you're a heartbreaker."
"Well what if I actually like Amaya? I'm going to do this properly. Tomorrow, I'm taking her out to the cinema, and then I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend. Avery, please. All I'm asking is that you give me a chance. I won't hurt her; I'm genuine about this one." In the painful silence, I waited for Avery to say something. "Fine." I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that.
"Thank you. I understand she's your best friend or whatever, but you have to trust me. Besides, you can't shield her from the world, as much as you may want to. Bad things happen to good people; that's just how life is, and it's not fair, I know. If you give us a chance, you'll see that I mean no harm. She's the prettiest girl I've ever met, she's crazy talented and her personality is just as beautiful as her appearance. I want to do this right." Avery sat on the edge of my bed and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"Are you crying?" I asked. I'd never seen her cry before.
"No..." She turned her head away from me.
"I'm not going to steal her away from you, if that's what you're worried about." I said, taking my sister in my arms. As I held her tight, I felt as if there was something else going on. "Avery, are you sure that's the only issue?"
"Mhm. I'm fine. I'll talk to you later, I'm going on a walk."
"Be safe, little sis!" I jokingly called after her as she left my room.
"We're twins." She shouted back. She may be annoying sometimes, but I do love my sister.