The Tainted Rose

Chapter fifteen

No matter how hard you try to hide it, the truth always comes out.

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After my last stunt I had to lay low. Two weeks had passed and Damien's mother was still in coma. I know I wanted to hurt him and his father, but I didn't want to hurt his mother. She's the only one who seemed descent out of all of them. I really felt bad that she got hurt, but that doesn't mean that Damien or his father aren't gonna get what's coming. I've been patient, but it's time to start making them pay. They've dedicated their lives to make Ashley miserable and that needs to stop. Also even though Damien's mother is in a coma, he hasn't change a bit. He keeps bullying everyone, especially Ashley. I need to come up with a plan to take them all out.

I arrived at school and the first thing I saw when I enter is Damien all over Ashley. They're arguing and Damien seemed more pissed off than Ashley; I start walking towards them to separate them when Damien shoves Ashley aggressively. "You should've taken the offer Ashley, now you might not know what might happen," Damien yelled while closing the space between them.

Ashley's face tensed as she prepared to yell back at him. "Is that a threat Damien? I hope not because if it was let me tell you that it was a ridiculous threat. Plus we all know that you act like a tough guy, but you're just a little pussy. You should go man up before making threats, because making threats while being a coward doesn't get you anywhere." The entire school started screaming and taunting Damien after Ashley finally stood up to him. Damien got furious and tried to grab Ashley, but I pulled her behind me.

"You better not lay a hand on her or else..." I replied.

Suddenly all the noise was cut by a deadly silence. Nobody dared say a word as they observed closely what was happening. Out of nowhere, Damien changed his expression and smirked.

"Or what? You'll kill me like you killed your stepfather?"

My eyes opened wide after he said that.

Damien looked around him and continued saying, "Go on, tell them. Tell them about your stepfather, explain everything that happened. Better yet, tell her." He pointed at Ashley. Everyone started murmuring with each other and as I looked at Ashley I could feel it with her stare that she wanted to know if it was true.

"You're not going to tell them? Fine, I'll tell them. Our boy Aiden over here killed his stepfather two years ago. He stabbed him multiple times on the chest; it wasn't enough with just one. No! He continually kept stabbing his already dead stepfather. He's a murderer and we're letting him walk among us like nothing happened."

After Damien finally shut up, everyone was looking at me and murmuring. Ashley came out from behind me and started defending  me. "Oh come on! You're really going to believe something that Damien is telling you? And you know what? Even if it is true, he's free isn't he? That means that the police didn't find him guilty of anything." After saying that, she grabbed me and we got out of there. We went to an empty classroom where she locked the door after we entered. I could sense that she was mad at me for not telling her about my stepfather.

"You're mad at me right?" I asked as she turned around.

She took a deep breath and I could see disappointment in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about your stepfather? Why did I have to hear it from Damien just like everyone else?"

I sighed and let my head fall while saying, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Ashley, but I was scared of saying anything. I didn't want to lose you and I thought that if I told you, you would lose your interest in me."

"So you're telling me you thought that I was gonna leave you after that?  You though that I was going to be like everyone else, not capable  of looking beyond your past? Aiden, it pains me to know that you think that I'm like everyone else and that I was gonna leave you just like that." She crossed her arms and frowned, "If that's what you thought, then you don't know me and if you don't know me we cannot be together Aiden."

"Ashley I do know you! And it's not that I saw you that way or that I didn't trust you, it's that I was scared of losing you because if that came out to the light like it did today, then being with me was going to be hard," I tried justifying my actions, but to no avail. She was still mad and still she was looking at me very seriously.

"All the more reason for you to have told me. If you would've told me, I could've ben prepared for what happened today. Aiden, be straight with me. Do you love me or do you just want to have fun physically with someone?"

I looked at her for at least ten seconds without saying a word. Her face saddened all of the sudden, "Ok, I get it. You don't have to answer."

"No Ashley is not what you think. I really do love you, it's just that I don't know how to put in words what you make me feel. Because it's something that I can feel but I cannot find words, you make me feel happy, like I really mean something and belong somewhere. With you I feel safe to be me, you're the only one that makes me like Greendale. If it weren't for you, I probably would have left. Trust me, I do love you." I walked over to her and clutched her tightly. I kissed her head and then I let go of her.

"You should've told me, I wouldn't have left you. You're the only one that cares about me. I mean you're kind of ugly, but nothing a bag on your head won't fix." She grinned waiting for me to respond.

"Oh yeah? And what kind of bag would it be?"

"Weeeell... I would put a bag with a photo of Benedict Cumberbatch on your head." I could see her grin getting bigger.

"Who's Benedict Cumberbatch?" I squinted my eyes and scratch my head.

"He's the actor from Doctor Strange and it will be a huge upgrade for you to wear his face." She finally laughed and I shot back at her.

"Oh yeah? so you like sugar daddies then?" I couldn't contain myself as I saw her laugh vanish within seconds.

"What? Eww no! I like him because he's handsome not because he has money. I mean have you seen him? He's so perfect, the opposite of you."

"Oh yeah? And what exactly does he have that I don't?"

"Let me think. Mmmmm, everything!" she said it in an obvious kind of voice.

"Is that so? Well you know what? It doesn't matter because you love me anyway," I grinned at her as she smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. But seriously from now on let's be honest with each other," her face changed entirely as she said it.

"Ok and I'm sorry for not telling you. Also, why were you and Damien fighting?"