Love Novel 30

The next day at school passes dreadfully slow.
We’re all tired, our eyes red from staying out so late last night at the bonfire.
People are a little less whispery around us, some even saying hi to me when they see us Aiden and I walking together. I
don’t think I’ve seen the worst of the backlash for dating him though, because Sadie hasn’t been in school all week.
I’m afraid of what will happen when I see her.
I spend lunch with Aiden, sitting on is lap and Nikki sitting on the opposite side of the table, laughing with Parker.
By the time shool is over, I am ready to go home and knock out on my bed.
Aiden meets me by the door of my last class, instantly wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss. I
breathe into him as he deepens it, swirling his tongue in my mouth.
“Mmm, I miss you,” he hums.
I chuckle, pulling away but keeping our faces close.“You’ve seen me every day, Aiden.”
He thrusts his hips into mine, hissing. “You know what I mean.”
My stomach flutters.
“Want to come over tonight when I’m done with practice?”
I nod, pressing a kiss against his lips.
“Spend the night?”
I hum, “Are you going to make it worthwhile for me?”
He cups me between the legs, dragging his teeth across my earlobe. “You tell me.”
I press my legs together. “Okay, okay. I’ll stay over.”
He laughs against my lips. “I’ll text you when we’re done, baby.”
He kisses me again, dipping me low enough for me to panic and grab onto his arms. “Aiden!”
With a chuckle, he lifts me up, and kisses me one last time before walking toward the gym. I huff as I watch him walk
away, wishing we could go straight to his house right now.
I walk out of campus and start my way home. I hear the engine of a car in the parking lot and I look up, my heart
slamming in my chest.
Zaid is there, in his car, his gaze locked on me. He watches me and when I still, he gives me a stiff nod.
I swallow, my mouth dry. He doesn’t say anything, no words pass between us, but I know what he’s asking me. I don’t
really think about it, because I’ve been thinking about him since yesterday.
I have questions for him and I need answers.
I sit on the passenger side, and he drives away, not speaking a word. The ride is quiet, the entire time and I anxiously pick
at the scar on my wrist.
Thirty minutes later I’m sitting across from Zaid, the diner quieter than last time, through still full of different
conversations and clinking dishes.
“You come here a lot?”
He shrugs, not even looking at the menu as he orders us drinks and some fries. “It’s nostalgic.”
His eyes are pensive, serious and it triggers a curiosity in me. “Why?”
He turns to face me, studying me for a second before he whispers. “It was my mom’s favorite place.”
I exhale, my chest caving in as it aches. He asked me about my brother last time we were here, he asked me because he wanted me to ask him about his mom. “Can you tell me about her?”
His reaction is immediate. A flash of anger crosses his eyes and his jaw tightens while his nostrils flare. He looks away,
staring out the window before turning back to me.
I swallow, trying to find the right words to tell him it’s okay if he can’t talk about her yet, or right now.
But he beats me to it, shaking his head with a bitter laugh. “My mom? I feel like I don’t know how to talk about her.”
“I just… you don’t have to. It’s just that I can tell she meant a lot to you.”
He laughs louder. “Meant a lot? That’s an understatement.”
I wrap my arms around myself, and just like last time, we are interrupted by the waitress as she puts a basket of fries in
front of us and our two drinks.
Zaid takes a breath. “She was everything.”
The pain in his voice is palpable, and I feel a pang of guilt for bringing it up.
His hands clench into fists on the table. “She was funny. She had this way of making everything better, no matter how
bad things got. Always smiling, always laughing.”
He pauses his eyes distant as if he was seeing her in his mind. “When she died, everything fell apart. My dad, my- we
couldn’t hold it together without her.”
His voice drops to a whisper, so soft I almost don’t hear it.
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“It was all my fault.”
The words hang in the air, so heavy that they make it hard for me to breathe. “What do you mean?”
He shakes his head, the pain in his eyes too much for me. “Forget it.”
“Zaid-”
He cuts me off. “How’s school? You know, now that I’m not there.”
I grimace, hugging myself tighter. “About that. I’m sorry I got you expelled.”
He shrugs. “It wasn’t your fault. Besides, I’m sure everyone was expecting it to happen one way or another.”
“You could have told the principal that you did it to save me.”
He frowns, his eyes narrowing as they take me in. “I’m 19, love.”
“Okay?” I shrug, reaching for a french fry.
“Will’s parents were threatening to press charges if the school didn’t get rid of me. I didn’t want you to be in the middle
of that. Testifying and shit.”
“You were…protecting me?” I chew slowly, trying to distract myself from the way my heart flutters in my chest.
He looks away to the window, his jaw clenching. “Yeah. Listen, I’m sorry I left you here that day. And for…for the way I was at Parker’s party. I was drunk.”
I bury my fingers into my arms, trying to stop the heat that inevitably bleeds into my cheeks. “I guess, we can call it even,
then.”
He nods, taking a sip of his drink.
Something else is gnawing at the back of my head and I breathe in. “Can I ask you something?”
He lifts an eyebrow. “I can’t promise I’ll answer it.”
I roll my eyes, suddenly that meaningful moment between us gone. I take a sip of my soda, looking down at my lap as I
ask.“Why are you and Aiden not friends anymore?”
He recoils, frowning. “Friends?”
“Yeah.”
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He looks skeptical and leans back in the booth. “What has Aiden told you?”
I pop my lips, exhaling. “Nothing, someone else asked me and-”
“Who?”
I blink. “Evan.”
He snorts. “Evan was always a loudmouth, can’t keep anything to himself. Especially when he’s drinking.”
Yeah, Evan had been drinking when he asked me all those questions. “So, what happened?”
He shake his head, “Nah, love. That’s a question for your boyfriend. Not me.”
He says the word with such disgust that I find myself flinching. Still, I pry. “Why?”
“Trust me. You need to hear it from him.” He takes a handful of fries, popping them into his mouth.
I twist my lips together, feeling my heartbeat in my ears. I came here to get answers from him and I am not going to back
out now. “Evan also told me that you went to juvie.”
Of course Nikki did too, but I am not going to bring her into this.
He stills. “Oh?”
“He doesn’t know much about that either, but he did mention that it had something to do with street racing, like a car
accident.”
He twirls his tongue around his mouth, pressing it against his cheeks. “That’s not something I want to talk about, Alina.”
“Is that how you got your scar?”
He slams his hand on the table and I flinch. “No. It’s not. And we’re not talking about this.”
I know I’m pushing, but I can’t stop. “But-”
“Fuck, Alina. Leave it alone.”
I blink at him, my nerves rattling through me.
He scoff, shaking his head. “Let’s go, I’ll take you home.”
He drops money on the table and walk away without waiting for me. I follow behind him, somehow feeling worse than I
did that say he abandoned me here.