Another World || Aiden Clark x GN!Reader

Episode 13

Y/N's POV

"I think it would be wise for you to start caring."

Logan threatened, pushing Barron's head into the concrete to the point of bleeding. Like it was there, but not quite. Another bitch commented "I don't remember that little squirt being like that." If there's anyone who's a squirt, it's you, brat. A few others entered the park, saying shit like "what's happening? What's taking you so long?" But one yelled out "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"OK- time to step in." Ashlyn said, going ahead. Aiden hopped in onto the fun, while Ben looked like he was about to commit murder. Taylor was running after him, knowing his violent past, and Tyler went after them. Me? Of course I stayed back. I'm the main character, I don't need to do shit. I just watched the fight roll out like it was an action movie. Man, it would be a perfect time for popcorn. But then, something caught me off guard.

I saw Ashlyn's headphones drop to the floor, to which she started covering her ears. But then, I hear an annoyingly loud and familiar screech. A phantom. It was then I realized. Everyone seemed like they were under a spell. Even Taylor, who wouldn't even hurt a fly. I ran over to help Ashlyn, while looking around. Where was the damn sound coming from?! We hadn't shifted, we were far from the time. Ashlyn then yelled loudly. "CAN YOU FUCKING CALM DOWN?!"

Everyone slowly stopped attacking people, while Barron and his bratty crew ran out, cursing us and calling us psychos. I take great offense to that. The street light, which I hadn't noticed until now, stopped flickering.

"Just... what was that..? I'm usually not that violent.." Taylor commented. I simply replied, "I noticed. The fuck just happened.. I heard a phantom's screech and--"

"You didn't even do anything, asshole." Tyler scoffed, and I just stuck my middle finger at him. 

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"What happened to you guys?" Ash's dad called out to us after he pulled up in the driveway. Everyone else was full of scratches and scars, while I was the only one undamaged. He drove us home, but we all collectively gathered in the graveyard. So now, we were sulking in one of the buses.

"You think the phantom realm is influencing us?" Tyler asked to break the unwanted silence. The twins were sitting on one seat, while Ben was sitting on the one next to them. Aiden was sitting on top of the backrest, and I was sitting down next to him. Ashlyn was on top of what looked like a type of cooler, and Logan was in a tire. Literally.

"Not only that, but... I think we're impacting the real world as well." Ash stated, which made sense to me. I zoned out around this part in the conversation, but my mind picked up "don't get too angry for a start." 

A bit later that day, the BBQ was set to start. I arrived with Aiden and Ben, for obvious reasons. Introductions happened. I also made sure not to alert Ben or Aiden's parents that I'm basically living with them now.

"Hey, [Y/N]?" Mike called out to me. I looked at him with a 'hmm?' "Where are your parents?" When he asked that, I visibly scowled, but tried to keep it discreet. "Both of them are working. They won't be coming." I said as a lie, which he said 'alright' to. Ashlyn had a bowl of candy, which I snickered a bit as she smacked Aiden's hand away as he tried to get some.

A few moments later, the house was getting too crowded. So, we moved into the graveyard. Yet for some uncanny reason, I felt a pair of eyes staring at me from afar. Ash stayed behind to wait for Tyler and Taylor.

I sat on a chair, my knees to my chest as I hugged them. But then the twins and their mother came to the graveyard, along with Ashlyn behind them. Suddenly, someone pointed out there was a bunny, to which Aiden asked Lily, Ben's sister whose birthday was soon, if she wanted to pet it. She agreed, and he smirked, before dashing off at a high speed to catch it. It was quite funny, and adorable. Both the bunny and Aiden, of course. Ashlyn jumped in front of the bunny, and that's the story of how Lily got to pet the bunny!

A few hours passed, and it was almost midnight. We 7 were waiting, but then Ash grabbed my arm and led me away. She led me behind one of the buses on the far side, and turned me around. "There is something wrong with you, and you are going to tell me everything. Now." He tone was serious, and I knew I couldn't lie to her. Not when she was mad or something like this.

"There's nothing wrong with me, what are you talking about?" And I lied again.

"Something is wrong with you, [Y/N]! Stop hiding it!" She yelled, but tried to keep it quiet because she didn't want the others to hear. "That night at the hospital. What exactly did you see?"

I sighed. She was catching up to me, and I couldn't lie. "I saw a phantom in the corner of the room. Happy?"

Her expression softened, but she continued. "And you don't have sensitive hearing, do you? You're lying to all of us. How can you hear the phantoms?"

"I just can, alright?!"

"Ugh, fine. Be difficult. What do you keep looking at? You've been lately seeming so on guard. You've been looking around in empty spaces for about a few days now. What are you looking for?"

"I keep thinking I see something. That's it."

"Where are your parents, [Y/N]?"

"I-"

"I'm not taking the work excuse. What's the real reason?"

"Fine! You want to know?! My mother's dead and my dad's a slut!" I blurted out, before quickly covering it. Shit, I slipped up. Again. "W-what?" She stuttered, taking a slight step back. "Explain, now."

"Fine. You want the damn truth?" I scoffed. "My mother died when I was 8, and I developed schizophrenia from it. So when I moved here when I was 12, I started seeing these black humanoid figures. I named them creatures since what the hell was I supposed to know? And I can probably hear the phantoms because of my condition. The reason I'm so on guard is because I keep seeing phantoms in my peripheral vision. It got worse after I died in the shadow dimension. There's the one phantom that I feel like I have a connection to. I don't know how. My father... I cut ties with him for personal reasons a few days ago."

Ashlyn seemed like she was utterly confused, but at the same time, she was putting the information together. But then, something came to her mind. "Where do you live now then? If you cut ties with your father, I assumed you left him."

"About that--- I kinda live with Aiden and Ben now?" I said sheepishly, a bit of blush rising to my face. Ash visibly smirked, noticing my reaction. "Aside from all the depressing things you just told me, you like Aiden, don't you?" She teased. My face became a bit more red after that comment. "Shut up!" I said, trying to defend myself, while she just snickered. "I think you guys would be a cute couple. And I think he likes you. Have you seen how he acts around you compared to everyone else?" I looked at her in confusion.

"When we were at the arcade, where you left, he was looking for you. He looked so down without you. And when you were in the hospital, he was the one who ran to you first. He was about to break into tears. He really cares about you, [Y/N]." She smiled. "He's really happy around you. You probably mean the world to him."

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A/N: Ahh! I took a huge break from typing this, but you won't notice because I wrote this on August 3, and it's being published a month later.

Here's an extra episode for this week, because today's (september 13) is my dog's birthday!

1351 words.