Control

xxviii | aidan

i miss you|

My thumb hovers over the send button, hesitating in whether or not I should send. I know I shouldn't. I know that my feelings for her are just something that's going to end up being against me if anyone else finds out. Especially her mom. That woman can be really convincing sometimes. 

My other fingers glide across the back of my phone. The fact that she managed to send me a message was something I found weird. My phone gets charged -- or well, I send an electric shock through it every morning, but the phone itself has no purpose. There were no more phone networks. 

"Earth to Aidan, are you there?"

I look up and my thumb hits the screen -- but not send. The cursor moves across the screen, the message disappearing as if it wasn't even there at all. I hit the power button, sliding the device into my back pocket. "Yup, I'm still here."

"You sure, because if you were really Aidan then I'd think you'd be smart enough to not reply to a text from someone from the Institute." Spencer leaned against the wall with me, watching as Tyson worked to train a recruit. 

"You know, earlier--"

"I accept your apology."

I looked up. "I was actually gonna say that I was only getting started and probably could've continued to beat the crap out of you and would've resumed if you acted like you were innocent but yeah, whatever, we can go where you went."

He gave me a playful shove, smiling as he did so. "Don't let your emotions get the best of you, kid."

"Maybe tell that to yourself."

He hesitates, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I think I'm better at giving advice than taking it. And speaking of which, are you and Tyson on good terms? Because you guys don't really hang out much, you know. He's kind of closed off now, don't you think."

I didn't say anything in response, not really sure what to say. I actually didn't notice how he was acting. Surely he was fine, right? 

"The least you can do is check up on him... he's still your friend." I still have no idea what to say. I continue looking ahead, where Tyson and Bethany were still training. The girl had no skill whatsoever, and we were supposed to turn her into a soldier. Every now and then, she looked back at me, hoping that I would step in and try training her.

Hah, nope. We'd get nothing done in that pairing. She'd just try to kiss me or something. The girl has been crushing on me for years now.

"I know both of you love Lauren a little more than I wish you would." The older, overprotective brother in him leaks out. "Tyson has loved her for so long, I don't really remember a time when he didn't look at her like a lost puppy. This whole thing is probably affecting him more than it's affecting you. I'm pretty sure he's blaming a bunch of this on himself."

"I'm sure he's--"

On the next swing at Bethany, Tyson isn't too gentle like he was before. He threw punch after punch to a girl who could barely fight back. His eyes were filled with rage and he acted like a mad man. Jake got to the two first, pulling Beth away from him. Tyson stopped and crouched down, hands on his knees. His cheeks were burning red, breathing heavily.

"What the hell, Tyson? Are you out here trying to kill me?" Bethany screamed. He pulled out of Jake's grasp and ran over to me, her arms wrapping around my chest, pulling me close. "Your best friend tried to kill me, stop him! Maybe he's the enemy all along."

I groaned, trying to peel her fingernails off, out of my skin. This was getting annoying. We might all be dead by the time this was over, and she was still searching for her happily ever after with me. I caught a glimpse of Logan, the guy we recruited with Beth, and someone who was on the football team too. His arms are crossed and I could pick out the annoyance in his facial expressions.