Secret Relationship: An Aphmau AU

15. Center of Attention

I felt like utter crap when I woke up this morning. My head was in a mess and I couldn't think straight at all. Everything in my mind was foggy.

I wish I could stay with Aaron in the hospital but they wouldn't let me. They had to send me to school or it would be counted as truancy. At least Aaron is fine, the doctor just needed him to stay to check on his condition before releasing him.

I quickly threw on a tank top with a black hoodie over it and some white ripped jeans and headed for school, completely oblivious to the fact that the entire school probably knows about my abusive relationship with my father.

As soon as I stepped into the school gates. People pointed and whispered. Some would taunt, mock and laugh at me for it. Some actually went up to me and asked if I was okay. I freaked out at all the attention I was receiving. It's not necessarily a bad thing but I'm not used to people actually caring.

I pushed most of them away. Even the good ones. Not because I'm an asshole or anything but they obviously don't sincerely care. Let's be honest, if they did, they would talk to me at school and help me when Jenny bullies me. They're only doing this to seem nice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Katelyn leaning against my locker, tapping away at her phone. I rushed up to her and gave her a light push. She looked up from her screen and smiled at me.

"Hey Aph. How are you doing?"

"I don't want all this attention!" I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

Just then, the intercom turned on and a teacher cleared his or her throat.

"Excuse me, may I have your attention please. As you all have heard, Aphmau Bravura, has been a victim of abuse and her father has been sent to jail. One of our teachers, Mr Aaron Lycan, got involved when he saw the abuse happening and helped Aphmau out. He's now in the hospital for a head injury but he is assured to be fine. I wish all of you can comfort Aphmau and Mr Lycan when he comes back. Thank you."

The intercom made that static noise before completely shutting off.

Students turned towards me and patted me on the back, telling me 'the worst was over' and I 'need not worry anymore'.

Bullshit. The worse has yet to come. Motivational quotes only annoy me, not inspire me.

I stuck with Katelyn throughout the day except for some classes. After school, she drove me home and offered to stay but I wanted some alone time so I politely declined.

I wasn't planning on staying home alone anyway.

Taking off my hoodie, I exchanged my tank top for a plain black crop top and called an Uber. I wanted to go see Aaron.

When I reached the hospital, I went striaght to his room. Aaron was lying on the bed in the same blue hospital gown. He was flipping through channels on the TV with boredom. His head was wrapped in white bandage, covering half of his perfect black hair.

Aaron grinned when he saw me enter the room. We hugged each other for a minute and I pecked him on the lips, which caused a soft pink blush to appear on his cheeks. I loved it when he blushed, it makes him more cuter.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, sitting down on the side of his bed and handing him a brown paper bag. Aaron shifted himself until he was sitting and peered into the bag. He smiled as he picked up his phone from the bag.

"There's more."

He reached into the plastic bag and pulled out a box. Inside, there were a bunch of strawberries and and a smaller container of chocolate syrup.

"Ooh. Yummy!" He immediately dug into his food like he hasn't eaten in ages. I giggled and watched as he stuffed his mouth with chocolate-covered strawberries.

"The doctor told me I can be discharged today!" Aaron said excitedly.

My lips curled into a smile upon hearing the news. I threw my arms around him.

"I can't wait!" I squealed, pulling away from him. Aaron flashed a smile but it quickly turned into a mischievous smirk.

Before I knew it, I felt chocolate sauce slide down my cheek, staining my shirt with a dark brown stain. Luckily for me, it was a black shirt, which made the stain barely visible.

I growled playfully, dipping my finger into the container of chocolate sauce and smearing it on Aaron's face. The room erupted with both of our laughter.

Aaron cupped my face in his soft hands, looking into my eyes lovingly. He leaned in for a kiss but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Sorry to interrupt. I need to check on the patient before releasing him. Is it okay if you step aside for a few minutes?" A beautiful young nurse in a turqoise jumpsuit asked politely. Her brown hair was tied into a nest bun and she held a clipboard in her arms and a stethoscope around her neck.

I took a big step back and allowed the nurse to do her job. She checked Aaron's heartbeat using the stethoscope, scribbled something down onto a paper on the clipboard, checked his blood pressure, scribbled more stuff on the clipboard. When she was done, she turned towards me and smiled brightly.

"He can be discharged." She said, bowing slightly before leaving the room.

I turned to Aaron.

"Let's bring you home."