Some Things You Can't Control

16: Hadn't Been Worth His Time

Chapter 16

Hadn't Been Worth His Time

- EDEN GARCIA -

"Eden, you need to."

Aiden's words reach my ears just as I exit the chemistry classroom for lunch.

"I can't," I grind out, continuing purposefully forward.

My reluctance to respond, unfortunately, doesn't dissuade Aiden, who easily follows me through the maze of students pouring into the hallway.

"So what are you going to do? Pretend it never happened? Because you're doing a pretty shitty job at that."

"Thanks, the criticism is always appreciated," I drawl, rolling my eyes.

"Eden."

"Can we just not talk about this, please?"

"Eden."

This time, I look to him. And the moment I do so, I realise that was his plan. I quickly divert my eyes once more upon seeing Aiden's determined, serious expression.

"She's your sister, and he's one of your closest friends. Just tell them what you saw."

"You say that as though it's fucking easy," I speak in a low voice. "What am I supposed to say, 'oh, by the way I saw you guys kiss at the party the other night and I'm really pissed off about it'?"

"Yes."

Releasing a groan of frustration, I yank open my locker door, effectively creating a physical barrier between Aiden and myself. But he just moves around to my other side, rendering my attempt at ignoring him futile.

"Look, I don't know how else to try and help you," he tells me.

"I don't want your help, Aiden- there isn't anything you can do."

"Maybe if you weren't so stubborn, you'd be able to deal with this situation a bit better."

"Stubborn?" I laugh unamusedly. "Yeah. Okay."

"Yeah, stubborn. You're not willing to take anyone else's advice because you don't want to accept that maybe there's a better way. And you're so stubborn to face the fact that, yeah, your sister kissed your crush. But it happened, Eden, and you're going to have to deal with it. You can't just turn a blind eye to shit like that."

"I am dealing with it," I hiss.

"Are you?"

My brain miserably fails to form a sensical response to Aiden's accusations, as I watch him turn on his heel and head back down the hallway. I let my forehead fall to rest against the top of my locker.

Fuck this. Fuck him. Fuck everything.

My growing reluctance to front the situation only continues throughout lunch, when I abandon my friends (more specifically, Kenzie and Lewis), to sit in the school library.

Something I have never willingly done before.

What am I coming to?

I spend the first five minutes sitting at a table in the corner with my phone out, trying to convince myself that Aiden isn't right- that there is neither truth nor logic behind what he had said.

But it doesn't work. Because, deep down, I know I can't go around ignoring and avoiding Kenzie and Lewis forever. Realistically, I'm going to have to face this situation one way or another.

I just wish he didn't have to be right.

It proves both boring and frustrating sitting there by myself, so I sling my bag over my shoulder, slip my phone into my pocket, and head over to the nearest row of shelves.