Aiden Cross

I was pretty sure today was going to be as uneventful as every other school day. I groaned, stretched on the bed, and finally sat up. Out of habit, I picked up my phone from the side stool and skimmed through a couple of texts—none of them catching my eye until Chloe’s name popped up.

Ugh. What did the chick want now? I rolled my eyes and got out of bed.

“Mrs. Bell!!” I yelled from my room. No response.

I kept yelling. Not like I had to worry about waking anyone up—no one else was home. My parents? Busy with work. Rarely home. More fun for me. I wasn’t some rich kid with parent issues—we don’t do that over here. I was used to them not being around and, to be fair, I kinda understood. They had shit to do. And I wasn’t gonna whine about it. When they were home, it was usually cool. So yeah, nothing to complain about.

Plus, I got to do whatever the hell I wanted without anyone questioning me. Best part.

“Mrs. Bell!!” I yelled again, marching downstairs. Found her in the kitchen—headphones on. Ah, that explained it.

I walked in front of her and leaned on the kitchen counter, finally in her line of sight.

“Oh my God, Mr. Aiden, what are you doing down here?” she asked, surprised. “And without a shirt on,” she added, half-covering her eyes.

“First off, stop calling me Mr. Aiden. And second, you know I always sleep shirtless.”

“Oh, that’s true,” she replied, going back to her cooking.

“I’ve been calling you for ten minutes. I need you to set the water temperature for my bath.”

“Oh, Aiden, I totally forgot!” she smiled. “I’ll do it in a second. Just gotta turn this off first.”

She turned off the stove and headed upstairs. Mrs. Bell might have been the only constant person in this house, but I silently appreciated her effort.

“All done, Aiden,” she called out, stepping out of my room.

“Thanks,” I said and walked in. Straight to the bathroom. I was out in minutes, steam trailing behind me. Threw on my usual plain tee and pants, styled my hair—nothing too extra. I looked good naturally. Didn’t need anyone to tell me that.

I finally opened Chloe’s message:

“Hey Aiden. I have something good to show you. Can you meet me in the class before it begins?”

Ugh. About time I broke up with her. She was getting way too clingy. I hated girls like that.

But hey—I wasn’t about to miss out on whatever “good” she had to show. Probably something sexy. That’s her thing, anyway.

I typed “Okay” and hit send. Grabbed my bike keys and made my way downstairs.

“I’m off, Mrs. Bell!” I called out.

“Don’t forget your parents are coming back tonight!” she yelled after me.

I hopped on my bike and sped off. The helmet helped keep my hair in place—because restyling it would be a damn chore. Got to school. Empty, like I expected. No one ever came this early—except me.

I walked to the English class and saw her standing outside. She lit up when she saw me.

“Hey, Chloe,” I said, giving her a quick hug. She deserved that much warmth. I had to act nice before dumping her. Last thing I needed was another crazy ex. Trust me—I’d had a couple. Not worth the drama.

“Hey, Aiden,” she replied, blushing.

“So, what do you have to show me?” I asked, cutting straight to the point.

“Don’t you notice anything different?” she said, smiling wildly.

Like I’d ever notice. She could’ve gotten plastic surgery for all I cared, and I wouldn’t know the difference.

“Hmm… you changed your hair?” I guessed.

“No, dummy,” she said, playfully smacking me.

Oh, someone save me.

Then she puckered her lips. “I got a new shade of lip gloss. I’ve never used this one before.”

Like that was supposed to mean something to me.

“Ohh, that’s right,” I said with fake enthusiasm.

“You like it?” she asked, staring at me.

“I do,” I replied, placing a hand on her cheek. “It makes you look more beautiful.”

Internally gagging.

I used to be into her. Don’t know what made me lose interest so fast. But whatever—I could move on. Most girls in this school would do anything to be with Aiden, the hot, rich, popular nightmare of the school. And I made sure I lived up to that title.

I grabbed her face and gave her a kiss—just a quick one. But of course, she had to deepen it. So desperate.

But pull out of a kiss? Never.

I grabbed her waist and took control, and yeah, she seemed into it. We continued until, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone watching us.

I pulled back immediately, smirking. Probably one of the many girls interested in me. But when I turned, I realized I’d never seen her before.

Didn’t stop me though.

If she wanted to watch, I could’ve given her a real show. But what fun is that if she isn’t in the show?

“Care to join?” I asked sarcastically.

I expected her to just walk away, like every other girl who got caught staring. But she didn’t. She talked back. Her tone? Sharp. Firm.

Interesting.

As Chloe and I walked away, I couldn’t help but turn back for one last glance.

It’s been a while since someone genuinely interested me.