Chapter Five

Isabella POV 

“Red cup or blue cup?” Marv was asking, leaning into me so I could hear him above the music. I knew what he was trying to do. And it wasn’t working. 

I tried to like Westside Eden. The town was great. But I couldn’t help but remember that the minute this all ended, I would be back home with a father I hated. I would rather go home with a smile on my face and not fear that just an appearance was going to ruin it.

Still, I answered Marv. “What’s the difference?”

“Red, you’re single. The guys here are all going to try to hit on you.”

“That’s if they find me attractive.”

His face got red as he looked away sharply, muttering under his breath. "You are attractive."

“And the blue cup?” I asked, clearing my throat and trying not to make this awkward. 

“You’re in a relationship. You’re taken. No one would bother you.”

If I picked the blue cup, Marv would think one of two things. Either I had a boyfriend back at home waiting for me, or that there was a chance I wanted to be with him. 

He would be wrong on both grounds, and I didn't want to give him false hope. It wasn't like I didn't find Marv attractive. He was a handsome young man. But I had only just got to Westside Eden, and I wasn't even sure I was staying. 

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with his drop-dead-handsome brother who you totally want to get down with?" My friend, Sheila, asked as I texted her a few minutes later, my phone in one hand and a red cup in the other. 

"No!!!!!" I texted her back. "Aiden is a jerk, and I never want to see him again. You'd think he and Marv were born to different parents."

Sheila: Maybe they were.

Me: No. I've seen how Fiona relates to them both. They have to be her sons, even though I think she's awfully too young to be anyone's mother. I need to ask her for her skincare routine.

Sheila sent me a laughing emoji.

Sheila: You shouldn’t be texting me at your first high school party in Westside Eden. Put your phone down and have fun. Tell me all about it when you get back tomorrow.”

Me: Alright.

Sheila: And that’s if tall hot Aiden doesn’t convince you to stay back. 

Me: The guy doesn’t even talk to me. He says I talk too much. How then will he convince me?”

Sheila: Who said anything about talking, baby girl?”

Now, it was my turn to blush as my eyes hung wide open in surprise. I turned the screen of my phone upside down and looked around, just to check if anyone had seen that. 

And that was when I saw him.

Just like before at the field, he was staring at me. His eyes were narrowed through his glasses, and he was toying with the blue cup in his hands.

Blue cup. He was in a relationship. 

“Hey,” Marv slid in next to me. He’d tried to be present with me at the party, but being quarterback of the team had its pros and cons. Since this party was basically for them, I couldn’t keep him away from his teammates.

They were gathered out back by the pool, playing drinking games. It was fun to watch them for a while before I returned in here to text Sheila. 

“Having fun?” He asked, nudging my shoulders gently. 

I smiled. “Westside Eden is cool, but…”

“Not enough to make you stay back,” he completed, releasing a deep breath. “Damn. I really thought I was doing something right.”

“It has nothing to do with you, Marv.”

“I know,” he replied, his eyes ghosting through me. “It’s just that…”

He stopped suddenly, doing a double take at his brother who was still watching me. Well, us, if I really didn’t want to read meaning into it, which I probably shouldn’t.

“Is that my brother?” Marv sounded surprised.

“I guess…why?”

“He has never come to these things, Bels. Not once. He hates the parties my team throws. Calls them childish and unnecessary. So what the hell is he doing here? And is that a blue cup in his hands?”

“There’s nothing wrong with him having a girlfriend,” I said, trying to sound casual even if my voice had taken a high pitch. 

“That’s the problem, Bels. He doesn’t.”

“What if he’s hiding her?”

"He's not." Marv sounded so certain, and I hated the fact that I released a breath I had no idea I was holding. Across the room, Aiden's lips lifted in a smirk, almost like he could hear us.

But that was impossible. 

“Erm…” He got on his feet. “Just avoid him, okay. He’s a jerk.”

“You sent a jerk to come get me to the game.”

“I’m sorry, Bels.” He flashed an apologetic grin in my direction. “I wouldn’t have done that if I had other options. I was even surprised he agreed to do it.”

Marv's teammates came for him again, and he went with them after asking me for the millionth time to come play with him. I tried to whip out my phone again when he left, but the doors pushed open in that instant, catching my attention.

The guys who entered brought the night with them, literally. I could taste the wind on my lips, even after they closed the door behind them. They were all in black leather jackets, and even if I hadn't spent time in the town, I could tell that they were strangers. 

“Hey guys!” Marv suddenly came back into the room. “Good game. We beat you, but good game nevertheless. You were formidable opponents.”

Oh.

Aiden was no longer looking at me. He had his eyes on those guys instead. Marv invited them to join him outside, and the group moved in that direction.

But one of them idled behind. 

And he looked at me.

He had a nose ring on, and tattoos on every inch of his body. At least, from what I could see. He moved in my direction suddenly,  with a sneer in his eyes. 

And Aiden got up too.