AUBREY

two

[Cain's POV]

"Cain, your knuckles are bleeding," Aubrey whispers, her eyebrows knitting in concern.

Scoffing, I look away, quickly glimpsing at the open wound on my hand. I don't care what kinda game princess Thorne thinks she's playing, I'm not interested.

The colour white flashes in my eye sight, and as I turn my head, I see her waving a bandage frantically. Again, pathetic.
We're in the middle of math, our teacher speaking in a monotonous drawl, consequently boring everyone as he speaks.

"Take it."
"I don't want your charity."

She frustratedly sighs, puffing her cheeks out, and wearing a frown, matching with a pout. "I'm not pitying you, I'm helping you. Get over your pride."
With a final huff, she drops the bandage on my desk and goes back to copying notes down, leaving me to contemplate her actions.

Our school's golden girl, Aubrey Celeste Thorne, helping me? She probably has an ulterior motivation; a selfless act coming from her is as rare as pigs flying. But fuck, the wound stings, and I don't exactly have another choice.

Picking up the bandage lightly, I glare at her, "Fine. I'm only using it because it hurts, not because I appreciate it."

"You'll appreciate it when it helps stop the pain," she retorts gleefully, her icy, blue eyes gleaming.

I swivel in my chair, facing her. "Do you ever shut up?"

"Not if I'm speaking to you. Deal with it."

I heard about how privileged she acted, but this? This is a whole new level of brat attitude - and it's about time someone messed with her right back.

"Aubrey, can I ask something?" I question smugly, hiding the amusement.

She perks up excitedly - but only slightly, to the point of it not being that noticeable - and smiles ruefully. "I'm all ears."

"Is there a reason you're so interested in me? You've never cared. Ever. I know your type, spoiled and looking for a plaything. Is that what this is?"

Aubrey's eyebrows raise slightly in a questioning manner, her face morphing into a frown again. Dammit, that frown.

"Aubrey, do you want to hook up with me? Is that what this is?"

Taken aback, her eyes widen fully, any traces of a cute frown replaced by annoyance. "Excuse me? Is that what you think I am? Some quick-"

"What else is the reason? You're clearly bored of seeing the same guys, right? So you thought you'd mess with the 'bad boy', and you thought my feelings shouldn't be considered; after all, as long as you aren't ever bored, that's all that counts," I snipe, the words fumbling out of my mouth before I can stop them.

She scoffs, annoyed, but her real emotions slips through the crack of her mask: her icy eyes become slight wet and glisten, her face falling. All of the real emotions of Aubrey Thorne quickly disappear as she once again, puts her facade up.
"Cain Villareal, you're a jerk."

I slump back in my chair, sighing out inaudibly. Yeah, I know, I think to myself. That's all I know.

For the remainder of the lesson, I zone out, burying my head in my arms and counting down the time until I can leave this hell and return to my home, the gang. Every now and then I hear our teacher ask for answers, and every now and then Aubrey answers, confidently, passionately.
Huh, I'll give to her, she's smart.

But occasionally, rarely, I lift my head up quickly to get a glimpse of the ice princess, and every time I do, I regret the words that came for her, more and more. Maybe it's because she thinks no one sees, or maybe it's because she doesn't care, but she starts to zone out too, a wistful gaze dancing on her perfect, porcelain face. Every now and then, sadness flickers across her face, but I can't tell if it's really there at all.