Lie to Me: A Mermaid Tail

Chapter 21: Do anything else, and you'll be out cold.

Oh, life was good. Oh man, life was so good. Except for that one small blip. You know what I mean, that little detail that can ruin everything? Make your day go from great to hate in a matter of seconds?

That blip's name is Aidan.

And it's heading my way. 

I was kneeling at my locker, trying to cram all of my books into my backpack before he could get here. It wasn't proving an easy task, the way my classes went today meant no locker time, AKA a very full bag of books. As I stood, lugging my bag over my shoulder, I heard the sound of fist-hitting-metal. 

"You..." was all I heard. It was a low grumble among a sea of conversation, but it was enough.

"Me," I said, spinning on the heel of my red high-tops, turning to face him. I let my one-ton bookbag drop to the floor, and some sophomore leapt over it so he wouldn't trip. I didn't notice, I swear, I was too busy glaring at Aidan. "And you."

"You kissed."

"Apparently your low IQ brain is having issues forming coherent sentences. Tell me later when your mouth is in sync with your mind." I turned to leave, but he pounded his fist on the locker again. Something told me not to move. My gut told me to stay, to get the popcorn ready for an Oscar nominee worthy fight.

"You're dating."

"That's right," I said, still facing the hallway away from him. I could hear fabric ruffling as he moved closer. I looked down and saw my bag being kicked against the wall as he strode over to me. I could feel his hot and menacing breath on my neck. He was right behind me. I stood my ground. 

"You like him."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with that when you were lip-locking with Elena, did you?" I spun to face him, only to look up at a snarl. The left side of his lip was curled up, showing two rows of teeth locked in a growl. His fists were shaking, and his eyes twitched every so often. His nostrils were flared, and they only became normal sized when he breathed in. I could feel him emitting heat; not the warm and welcome Nate heat, either. Angry heat. Scary heat. Heat that makes you want to run for the hills and never look back.

But boy, I wasn't running. Yes, I knew what he could do to me. Yes, I knew what he probably was going to do to me. No, I'm never going to move.

"Just you wait, Ashlyn. Just you wait for me to show you what I can do." His snarl turned into a sick masochistic smile. My eyes flashed with fear as I tried to maintain my tough look. I know he saw the fright, though. It wasn't going unnoticed.

"I know this isn't the last of you," I hissed. "But I can do things you've never dreamed of," I spat. Sure, I was lying. I was just a wimpy girl, no muscle, not very tall, either. But I have ways of revenge. And he will get his.

"So I guess this is war, huh?" he asked. I nodded, crossing my arms over my baggy Disney World hoodie. "Will you take a walk with me?" 

My mind was screaming "No!" in every language possible. My stomach felt sick, but my mouth didn't agree. "Sure," I said, my voice shaking a little. I mentally slapped myself as a chorus of 'you idiot''s erupted in my head. This probably wasn't a good idea, but if I back out now he can consider the war already won. And I am not one to give into a challenge. 

"Good," he said, holding my hands behind my back. If he squeezed any harder, my wrists would snap. "March." I walked with him, squeezing my eyebrows tight together and clamping my eyes shut. I let him guide me down the hall and into the old abandoned E wing.

Let me tell you about E-Wing. It was the original first wing in the high school from 1944. It smelled of dust and death. The halls and classrooms were freezing because it was winter, and this part of the building didn't have heating because no one used it. There were boarded up windows and classroom doors with broken glass and missing handles. I'm surprised the school hasn't knocked it down yet. One wrong move and you fall through the floor and onto the lower level, all parts of you broken and screaming.