Ice queen

Chapter Seven

"What do you mean siblings?" Aaron asks, his voice is laced with such a sharp iciness that it makes Jemma flinch.

Jemma just caught him up on the whole 'room mishap' and he does not seem impressed.

"I am so sorry." She mutters, looking flushed and incredibly embarrassed. "I mean, you put the same home address I- my boss- we- we just assumed that you were siblings. I- I don't..."

I feel an instant pang of sympathy for her. "Don't stress about it, really, I mean we-" I turn to look at Aaron who was already looking at me. A pair of sunglasses sits lazily on his head, he cocks his head to the side and studies my face. I turn away as I feel my cheeks begin to heat up. "We're obviously not siblings. It's an honest mistake and no one's mad, but" I pause "Why did you think we were siblings?"

Jemma sighs impatiently, and Aaron levels her with a disapproving look, which stops her. He still looks mildly annoyed, but he also looks bored. As though we're just 'wasting his time' on purpose.

"Look, I already told you, you both put down the same address so we just figured-"

"Stop." Aaron says from beside me. "Stop, stop, stop." He's shaking his head. Jemma shuts up. "What do you mean we" He raises his hands and makes air quotes. "put the same address?"

Jemma rolls her eyes, then sorts through some files and pulls out two sheets of paper. "Look" she says. "Rose White, 7 dupont Ave and Aaron Turner, 7 dupont Ave."

It's true, Aaron has put down my address as his own. Did he mean to? Probably not. Or maybe this is him just

I blink up at Aaron. "Why did you put my address?"

He waves me away impatiently and turns back to Jemma.

"Look, lady" He starts.

"Jemma" I correct.

Aaron, glares at me and continues. "Look, Jemma," He smiles sarcastically at me and his eyes seem to say, happy now? I nod proudly and he sighs. "I don't know if you need your eyes checked, but that is very clearly a 1. We live across the street from each other, we're not siblings. Either way we have different surnames, so you thinking we were siblings doesn't make sense anyway." He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, as if to punctuate his sentence. He then leans on the counter and angles himself so he is facing both me and Jemma.

"I dunno, you could have been like stepsiblings? Or maybe she" Jemma flicks her gaze to me, looking mildly disgusted "was adopted."

Rude. Why can't he be the adopted one?

"I mean to be honest," Jemma continues. "Just looking at her it's obvious that you're not related." She tilts her head down slightly and looks up ar him. God it is so obvious that she is flirting. "I mean, you're so good looking, and she..." Jemma eyes me up and down with mock sympathy, before turning back to Aaron. "Well I'm sure she has a good personality."

I feel a slight pang of hurt, but brush it off quickly. I don't need her opinion. I glare at her and try to pretend like what she's said has has no affect on me whatsoever.

Jemma giggles at her joke and looks to Aaron for approval. She looks annoyed when she doesn't get any.

Aaron steps backwards slightly. "That's not funny." He warns.

"Oh, come on." Jemma says, twirling her blonde hair around her fingers. "What's she gonna do? Run home and tell her mom like a baby?" At the sight of Aaron's stoic expression she changes her tone. "Seriously? Oh my god, I'm sure she knows we're joking."

That 'joke' feels like a punch in the gut. Of course Jemma doesn't know, she's just trying to impress Aaron. But mentioning my mom seals the deal. I feel a tear slip down my cheek and brush it off furiously. I look up at Aaron through watery eyes and see that his expression has changed. He no longer looks bored, now he looks pissed.

Aaron leans into Jemma to say something and she smiles, thinking that she's won his favour.

"Look Jenny," He whispers. "I can have you fired with a snap of my fingers because, if you weren't aware, my uncle will soon be the person signing your paycheck. I'm not sure if you noticed that the last name 'Turner' would have sounded familiar to you. But if you did, let me clear up why. Daniel Turner just bought this whole business. So I am going to kindly suggest that you apologise to Rose, and refrain from giving her any more trouble. I mean, it would be such a shame if someone put in a bad word about you to your new boss, wouldn't it." Aaron pauses. "Do we understand each other?"

Jemma stands there with her mouth hanging open in shock, she slowly nods as her face begins to go red with embarrassment.

"I'll um- I'll um just sort out a room change." She mutters.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"I um..." Jemma stares at me for a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry...Rose."

I'm not sure she even knows what she's apologising for, as far as she's aware she was just being a basic bitch. She doesn't know that my mom died.

I nod slowly. "Okay."

Aaron looks at me before turning to Jemma again. "Now can you try do something right and get us our keys." He says, his voice is once again laced with an icy undertone that could kill.

"I um- well we need to move people around and find spare rooms, except..." Jemma stops typing and seems to deflate. "We uh...we don't have anywhere to put you except together."

"I didn't ask you to move us around." Says Aaron. "Did I?"

Jemma seems unsure of whether or not she should answer him. "I-"

"No, I didn't, so if you could just give us the keys to our cabin." Aaron holds out his hand and motions for Jemma to hand him the keys.

"But girls and boys aren't supposed to room together..."

He stares at her for a moment, then pulls out his phone and begins typing in a number.

"What are you-" I start.

The name he just dialled reads 'Daniel'. He tilts the phone towards Jemma.

"I suggest you hand us our keys and get back to work."

Jemma hesitates, then reaches down and picks up two keys, obviously not too eager to get fired. She hands one to me and one to Aaron.

"Good call, Jenifer." Aaron says as he puts away his phone.

I turn away from them and walk towards my suitcase. I lean down to pick it up and, after some grunting and wheezing, I slowly manage to lift it off the floor.

"Jesus christ." Mutters Aaron from behind me. "Give it here."

"What I-" I splutter. "I am perfectly capable of carrying this myself. If you think I can't just because I am a girl, then I suggest you take your opinion and shove it up your-" My arms take this speech as the queue to give out and drop my suitcase on my foot. "Flipping pancakes!" I yell.

"I..?" Aaron looks amused as he bends down and picks up my suitcase with ease. "Did you just say 'flipping pancakes'?"

"Well...Yes."

He shakes his head and sighs. "Just take your other bags and bring them to the cabin." He pauses. "That is, if you can manage to carry them of course." I glare at him, and pick up the other bags.

"You got them?" Aaron asks, his tone is infuriatingly patronising. He tilts his head at me, obviously trying to show off the fact that he is carrying two massive suitcases and all of his rucksacks while I'm carrying two rucksacks and a measly tote bag.

"Yea." I mutter angrily. "I've got them."

"Good. Now come on, Rose. Let's go to our cabin before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

Rude.