Chapter Five: Aaron
I swung my door open and it slammed against the wall, the sound only enhancing the irritation itching at my skin. I usually tried not to think about whatever Philippe was doing, but this didn’t make any sense. Why he would have a stranger stay in our house, and a girl like that no less wasn’t something that I thought even he would do. The fact that Blair let him was even more confusing.
I slammed my door shut and picked up my keys that were hanging on a nail I had hammered into my wall a few years back. I tripped over a broken skateboard and cursed under my breath, barely keeping my balance. My room really was a mess, with the posters of bands I hadn’t listened to in years hanging crookedly on my walls, or falling off of them. There were a few cracks in the red paint from where I had gotten angry and punched it. I couldn’t even recognize some of the food I had brought up.
My phone vibrated from my pocket, so I took it out and sat down on my bed. It was from Scarlett. Seven of them were from Scarlett I saw, and I groaned. We had been seeing each other for a little under a year, but only to get back at our parents. We didn’t even like anything about each other. It had never been anything serious, until recently for her.
I ignored the message and threw the phone down on my bed, wishing I had realized her feelings sooner. I had broken it off immediately, not wanting to start anything, but I hadn’t realized it until a few months in. By then she thought I felt the same for her, and now that I had broken it off didn’t understand that the point of our quiet revenge was the fact that it was quiet and unattached.
I stayed in my room for a while, thinking vaguely about cleaning it and going through some old stuff that now slept on the floor, but ended up walking out of my room instead, taking my keys and shutting the door as quietly as possible. I snuck down the hall, praying Blair wouldn’t hear me. No one knew that I went out every night, and I wanted it to stay that way. Mornings I came home I would tell them I had gotten up early to run. Sometimes I did run, especially now that I wasn’t seeing Scarlett anymore.
I usually went wherever my feet would take me. I did think about going out to clubs and parties, but after seeing what that had done to Philippe I decided to stay far away from that lifestyle. I knew there was more than that involved with him, but I also knew that was one of the factors.
I neared the kitchen on my way down the stairs and out of the house, but I stopped in my tracks when I rounded the corner and saw it. My mouth opened in awe as I saw how clean it had become just in the time since I had left it. The stone tile was now one unanimous shade of grey, and the granite counters were bare. One of the only dirty spots left was one stubborn stain she was working on, hunched on all fours beside the refrigerator.
“Wow.” Someone that wasn’t me said. Blair walked in from the other side of the kitchen, and I backed up a few steps, pushing myself up against the wall so he wouldn’t see me. He walked around her, getting a drink out of the fridge and then left. The girl didn’t pay any attention to him though- she was fixated on the one spot.
Her light hair was braided back over one of her shoulders, but much of it had fallen down in the time she spent cleaning. She pushed it back, frustrated, and I thought for a second about helping her. I just wanted to leave though, and I didn’t feel like enabling Philippe’s crazy that night.
The night’s humidity washed through me as soon as I opened the front door, filling my lungs with the scent of the various plants that had been put around our house. I was doubtful of their abilities, but Philippe must have been convincing enough to mom and dad if they let us stay here on our own. He swore by his source, but I wasn’t sure how much good a few plants could do us.
I half-jogged out of earshot of the house, past the driveway and down onto the small trail I had made a year ago. It was well worn but faint, as I was fairly sure that I was the only one that knew about it. I walked it until I hit the edge of the woods, and the trail became the sidewalk. Sirens blew out from around the corner, and I could hear people yelling from inside their house. I was in the real world.
I walked out of the neighborhood, getting close to the city when I realized the moonlight had become sunlight, and I shook myself back to reality. It was too easy to lose myself once I started moving, getting lost in the rhythm and not having to try and block out the anger I usually felt. I only felt exhausted.
I turned around at the next stoplight, not wanting to alarm Blair by coming home too late in the morning. He found out everything, and I wasn’t sure how he hadn’t found out about what I was doing yet. He’d been more distracted than usual the past few months, and that was something I was grateful for.
“Aaron?”
I stopped in my tracks, in the middle of the cracked sidewalk. That foolish voice was one I knew well, and one I dreaded hearing. It instantly pissed me off.
“Heath.” I said, turning around. Sure enough, standing awkwardly and uncomfortably tall was the clumsy giant. He held a stupid smirk on his face and held his arms crossed in front of him. Someone else was standing next to him, and I didn’t recognize him at all.
“Whose your friend?” I asked, referring to the tall hooded figure that stood even taller than Heath, though didn’t take up near as much space.
“Patrick. New guy.” He said. I nodded once.
“Nice to meet you.” I said. Patrick didn’t move, only stood shock still with no visible inch of him uncovered by his dark jacket and hood.
“Enough solsticing.” Heath said, letting his arms down.
“You mean socializing?” I asked, putting down my own.
“Either of them don’t matter.” He said intelligently. He paused for a beat before saying, “Patrick.”
He lunged and I ducked, but not soon enough.
