Stalker

Chapter 28- Honor

Maria

"Wake up."

I heard Aiden's voice next to my ear before I felt the press of his lips, my body slowly beggining to wake up.

And that's when I felt how sore I was 'down there' and I really really really did not want to get up.

"Sweetheart it's a school day." Aiden said, his warm hands running down my back. "You need to get up."

"Can we go late?" I mumbled, my face still burried in a pillow. "Biology doesn't even matter we can skip it."

Aiden laughed, the bed moving slightly. "If I let you sleep you'll be upset with me later."

"True."

I sat up then, still feeling the soreness. I probably looked like a mess, but Aiden was laying there looking perfect. His curls fell across his forehead perfectly and his dark skin contrasted against the white of my sheets, making him seem like he was glowing.

So unfair.

Memories of the night before were flooding into my head, how it felt, the way he took care of me afterwards, and the way I was able to make him feel just as good.

Aiden sat up then, kissing me hard on the mouth as he smiled against my lips. "You're so pretty."

"Thank you." I whispered, pulling my lips back so I could run my fingers through his hair. "How did you sleep?"

"Good." He said, wrapping his arms around my waist and laying back down, bringing me down with him. "I want to wake up like this everyday."

I smiled as I laid against his bare chest, his perfect abs and pecks practically tattooed into my brain. "Me too."

And then I remembered the food I had made for us, how we completely forgot about it. "All that good I made went to waste."

Aiden shook his head, my fingers absentmindedly tracing shapes on his pecs. "I took care of it last night."

"You're a lifesaver."

"How are you.. feeling?" Aiden asked, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as he looked into my eyes. "About last night."

"I'm sore." I said honestly, a sly grin fighting its way onto Aiden's lips. "Other than that i'm fine."

"I meant emotionally sweetheart."

"You think I regret it?" I asked, frowning slightly. Aiden's expression was blank now, trying to read me. "I don't."

"You don't?" He asked as I pulled his face closer, our foreheads touching.

"I don't. Do you?" The question was not a smart one to ask, not when I was afraid of the answer.

"Maria last night was one of the best nights of my life, I'd be crazy to regret it."

He kissed me then, hard and slow while his hands pulled me against him by the waist. He moved my body easily, pulling me as close as he could possibly get me.

"Aiden." I whispered as I pulled back, knowing I would rather lay there and kiss him all day than go to school. "Jackson's ceremony is today, we should get ready."

Aiden groaned in annoyance, glaring at me. "But I thought you wanted to go late."

"That was sleepy Maria talking, we need to get dressed."

"But you look so- Hey!"

I wacked Aiden with a pillow, giggling as I got out of the bed. I made my way to my closet, Aiden already on his way to Marco's room.

We were on the way to school half an hour later, people paying tribute to Jackson by writing the number 8 on their hands. His jersey number.

"Do you think we should participate?" Aiden asked me on the way to Biology, our fingers interlocked as always.

"Maybe." I said, looking up at him. He was scanning the hallway, his jaw tight. "It's okay Aiden, I know we're both feeling the same thing right now."

"It's different." Aiden didn't look at me as he spoke, the two of us finally entering the Biology room. "I should've done something."

I didn't know what else to say after that, the classroom feeling very cold as I sat down in my usual seat. Aiden was beside me but I couldn't feel his warmth, I knew today was going to be just as hard for him as it was for me.

The day seemed to go by excruciatingly slow, right up until lunch. I was dreading the ceremony after, wondering what ended up happening to Jackson's mother.

Lunch went by in seconds, Lauren, Owen, Aiden and I making our way to the gym where the ceremony was to be held.

As I walked in, pictures of Jackson were everywhere, a tall dark haired woman standing off to the side with a microphone as students rushed in. She was standing next to the principal who was rubbing her back, leaning in a little too close for comfort.

Gross.

Aiden and I sat in the back with Lauren and Owen, the realization coming to us that the dark haired woman is most likely Jackson's mother. Aiden and I had no idea how much she knew. If she knew everything, sitting in the back would hopefully keep her from seeing us.

Once everyone settled down on the bleachers, the woman walked to the middle of the gym with her microphone, the principal right next to her with a podium that was rolled into place for him.

And then she began to speak, Aiden squeezing my hand as the two of us listened closely, Aiden likely already having an escape route planned incase this goes badly.

"I was offered a podium." She said, looking at the principal's podium for a breif moment. "But I don't need one, I didn't write a speech on paper. Instead I'm going to speak from my mind and my heart."

Her voice shook a little on the last sentence, the voice of a greiving mother. My eyes began to water slightly, as if my heart could feel her pain.

"October 24th, 1:00 pm. The last time I spoke to my son. My name is Susanna Richards, and Jackson Richards was my only son. When I woke up the morning of October 25th, both my son and my husband were gone." The gym was silent except for Susanna, the sadness heavy. "My son will never get married, he will never get a job, I will never have grandchildren. Some horrible people took my sons life, and my husbands life. They ruined my family. October 25th, 8:00 am I get a call from a man that worked for my husband. My son went with his father to work that night, he wanted to learn about the buisness. A group of men brought guns to my husband's establishment, killing over 20 people. My husband and son being two of them."

I felt sick to my stomach, Aiden wrapping an arm around me.

"These people have not been caught or arrested, there's is no footage of this event. Only the bullet wounds in my dead son's body." Her voice shook harder and harder the more she spoke, tears blurring my vision. "He wanted to be a football player, he loved this school. That is why i'm here. I'm here to tell you all his story, to discourage gun violence, and to honor him. Principal Bennett please take over."

Susanna's microphone was turned off as Principal Bennett began to speak, multiple people around me crying at this point.

"Thank you Mrs. Richards. I want to honor Jackson today by having us all take a moment to remember him. He brought our football team to victory countless times, he volunteered, and he was a straight A student. Jackson Richards died a great young man, and I want everyone here to remember him for years to come."

Everyone bowed their heads along with Principal Bennett, seeing everyone's sadness making me want cry even more.

"And the person out there who is responsible for the death of my son-" Susanna suddenly spoke, her words hitting me hard. "Go to hell."