Let Go

14: Seeing Red

Aiden's pov:

I had to go to the party on my own. Scarlet didn’t want us to be seen arriving together. She thought it would stir some rumors and she wanted to avoid it. After all, I was Scarlet’s boy toy and nothing more. She was going with Matt, anyway. I didn’t like Matt, so I was more than fine going there alone.

Scarlet’s cousins lived on the outskirts of Hilltown, which wasn’t too far from where I lived. However, I was scared of the street they lived on. It wasn’t a proper street, more like a wide alleyway with multiple mini alleyways.

The Devil’s Alley, to be exact.

It had a reputation for being one of the worst places to be on a lonely night, which happened to be just what I was in. A lonely guy on a lonely night in a very not-so-lonely alleyway.

I parked my car outside and walked into the alley. Memories flooded back to me. This is where my twin Raiden got his life fucked over.

It wasn't but a typical alley, with barren walls and dirty grounds. However, it smelled of burnt ink and hot paper. There was a backdoor for a place called Wonder Works.

I should've asked Scarlet to share the location of the house so I wouldn't be as lost. I walked a little bit further into a set of three different paths. The silence was too loud in my ears and my vision was poor due to the darkness cast over that whole place.

Suddenly I jumped as someone put his hand on my shoulder. I freaked out and flailed as the figure watched me go crazy. My breath hitched and broke.

"Looking for the party, I guess?" he asked but I was too busy taking a breath. In the dim lights of the alley, I couldn't make out his features. "This way," he said grimly, urging me to follow him.

But I was smart. I stood in place, my feet stuck to the ground. I wasn't just going to follow some random person into the depths of darkness without skipping a beat. Especially not in the same place where my brother got his innocence taken from him.

"You can trust me," he said, not making things any better.

"That's what a murderer would say," I replied. I could tell he was done with me without even seeing him.

"You know what, fine. But I won't save you when the dogs come out," and as if on cue, loud barks emitted, replacing the eerie silence with pure fear.

I hesitantly ran his way as he lead us through an iron gate into one of the buildings. I could hear the thump of the music before we reached the door.

After one last turn, we reach a door with neon lights leaking through its edges. The man next to me opened the door and led us into the house. The lights were off except for led lights that shone bright blue and magenta.

I almost immediately found Scarlet. She was wearing one of her vibrant red dresses that you could spot from a distance. Matt was right on her shoulder.

I approached them tentatively, careful not to show that Scarlet and I are more than just acquaintances. I suppressed the urge to just go ahead and tell Matt that I'm screwing his girlfriend.

I didn't know I'd feel guilty about it years later when I raise our child on my own, but at that time, in that atmosphere, I was thrilled and excited, running solely on teenage hormones.

"Oh hey, Haile," Matt greeted me enthusiastically. Suddenly I realized the guy that let me in was out of sight.

"Hey, Matt," I wasn't too thrilled about talking to Matt. We were teammates, yes, but we didn't see eye to eye most of the time. We didn't hate each other, though. He was going to break every bone in my body if he knew what I was doing.

So I did the wise thing and left them alone. I went on a little adventure exploring the house. I decided to check the kitchen first searching for a drink. I tried looking for the guy who lead me here, but I knew I'd never find him because I didn't even see his face properly.

As I slipped into the kitchen, I felt someone's eyes on me. I looked behind me but there was no one standing out from the crowd. Everyone was going on with their life. There weren't too many people. Seemed to me like a close friends kind of thing.

I find the kitchen counter full of drinks and cups. Before I get a chance to pick anything, a tall figure looms over me, urging me to move aside. I complied, the tall boy standing too close to my liking. He looked like he knew what he was doing as he mixed different stuff into a glass cup.

Then he turned around and gave me the cup, and that was when I saw his face and froze.

It was none other than Harken Red.

"Hey, Aiden."

My brain went haywire with my thoughts going into frenzy while I ran away.

Harken Red.

Harken who I had a crush on back in Hilltown High.

Harken with his perfect, unblemished skin.

Harken who was possibly Scarlet's cousin.

She warned me specifically not to get close to her cousins. But how was I supposed to stay away from Harken when he was all I thought about for months upon months after leaving town.

Because that town hurt my brother, and I knew for a fact it was going to hurt me too.

I knew as I stumbled drunkenly out of the kitchen that Harken Red was going to fuck up the rest of my life.

I didn't need drinks anymore, I just needed to stay away from everyone.

I could tell he was following me, yet I didn't know what I was running from, exactly. Was I escaping him? Or trying to escape myself?

All I knew in the end was that what Harken and I had going was to end in flames.

And then in my daze I ran into someone and fell to the floor.

A/N: your opinions are deeply appreciated.

More soon x.