I Choose You

7. An Apology (Edited)

Edited

I couldn't stop thinking about what Aiden had said to me. The words had been replaying on my mind like a broken record. Every second I found them echoing in my brain, even when I was in the middle of class.

Then you're even more stupid than I thought!

In all my life, the only person who had ever called me stupid was my mother. Every time I didn't do something right—or at least how she wanted it done—she would tell me that I was stupid. And every day, until the moment she left... I had believed her. But no more. I vowed to myself the day she left, I would never let anyone call me stupid, no matter how right I thought they may be.

Yet, no matter how much I had stood up for myself yesterday, I couldn't shake the feeling that Aiden was right. Maybe I was stupid—for loving Evan so blindly. For holding him to such high standards. That still didn't change how much it hurt for Aiden to say something like that to me. I may have acted like it didn't hurt in the moment... but it did. It hurt so bad that every time I think about his words I can feel tears prickling at my eyes, like he'd just screamed the words at me all over again.

The chattering sounds of students filled the hallways as I trudged to my locker, my backpack carelessly slung over one shoulder. I fiddled with my lock. Believe it or not, I actually wasn't wearing my usual shorts and a t—shirt attire today. I'd upgraded.

Today I was wearing shorts and a hoodie. Huge upgrade, I know.

As I finally managed to open my locker, I swapped out my college algebra book for my AP biology one, and just as I was about to slam it shut, Autumn walked up, nearly making me pee all over myself.

"Heeey!" she smiled.

She seemed to be rather cheery today and was sporting a bit of a fancier outfit than usual. Today she was wearing a yellow sundress—something only she could pull off—with this glowing radiance dripping off her in waves, like her own little sunshine. I'd always admired the confidence that hung around Autumn almost like an invisible aura. It gave her this feeling of happiness that was completely and totally infectious. It's one of the many things I love so much about her. She's confident and doesn't care what people think of her.

"Hey," I laughed as she continued to smile. I rummaged through my locker, swapping out books and grabbing highlighters and sticky notes.

Just as I was ready to shut my locker, I glanced to my left out of pure habit, but when I did I was greeted with a most peculiar sight.

Aiden Parker and his two best friends were standing right in the middle of the hall and while his friends were seemingly either flirting with girls in their path, or in Carter's case, talking to his girlfriend, Aiden seemed to have his eyes trained on me. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as he glanced at me, an emotion on his face that I can't quite describe, but it sent chills up my arm. Something about that look was strange, and when he realized that I had seen him watching me he immediately looked away.

"Did you see that?" I asked, turning to look at Autumn.

She nodded, shrugging her shoulders. "That was kinda weird."

I looked back, only this time I wasn't greeted with the sight of Aiden staring at me I was greeted with the sight of Blake smirking at Autumn. My eyebrows furrowed as I turned to her, watching the three amigos walk off.

"I think he's got his eye on you,"

She gave me an incredulous look, snorting "I'd no sooner go out with Blake Hammond than werewolves and vampires would become BFFs. Please, he's a total ass."