To Hell With Manners-Aiden
I sucked the blood off my knuckles. Then punched the shit out of anything and everything in my room. Pause. Repeat the process.
“What the fuck am I going to do?”
She refused my calls after I finally fucking found my phone downstairs. She didn’t answer a text. Her friends didn’t answer, and no one was fucking telling me anything.
“Goddamn it!” I ran my hands through my hair and kicked my cooler of beer. Panic clawed its way up my body, through my chest, making it hard to breathe
Someone knocked on the door. Jon walked in with a grim look on his face. I wrapped my hand in an old shirt, stopping some of the bleeding. “Tell me you found out something.”
“Yes. It’s not good, Aiden.”
Nate came in the room next, followed by Zeke. They both wouldn’t make eye contact with me. My stomach dropped. What the hell happened?
“Someone needs to fucking tell me. I’m losing my goddamn mind.” I stood, but Nate pushed me back down.
“Dude. What did you do today?” His mouth was pressed in a tight line as if he were pissed at me, too.
“God.” I thought about it, and it was a blur. “After our meeting, I hung out in my room, did homework, and hid out. Then worked out before heading to the bar, where everything fucking turned to chaos.”
“No one came over?” Nate asked, eyeing me.
“Who would? Jenna was at work.” I looked at all of them, confused and getting more pissed by the second. “Fucking spit it out.”
“It’s all over social media that you cheated on Jenna with some blonde. There are pictures and screenshots of texts.”
“What?” My body tensed. There was no way. I would never. “What? Show me.”
Jon handed me his phone, and I saw red. There I was with some blonde. It didn’t make sense. I had no one over. My stomach dropped again. This time it wasn’t for me. It was for Jenna. Her friends rallying around her, her expression of pure devastation. Why Gage threatened to kick my ass.
Oh my God. “Jenna.”
“Yeah.”
I put my hands over my eyes and pressed so hard I saw little lights. “It’s not true. Please tell me you believe me.”
“Yes,” Jon said without hesitation. “If you guys want my opinion, from the stories I’ve heard, Kam did this.”
“He did this? Cost me the best thing in my life because he’s a fucking alcoholic prick? Are you kidding me?” I stood, rage fueling me. I would admit the evidence was solid. It would take a lot to prove I didn’t do it. Part of me was terrified, because if she didn’t believe me, it was over. No hope. She had to believe me. She had to.
“Calm down. Listen.” Jon sat at my desk while Zeke took the bean bag chair. I thought about the last time Jenna was over and we fooled around on there. The memory caused my stomach to cramp, and I bit down on my lip. I couldn’t imagine her not being in my life. I refused. “I heard Kam went to the bar. Talked to her for a bit, showed her something on his phone.”
“How do you know this?”
“Jenna has a circle of people who care for her. So do you, Aiden.” Jon smiled and held up his phone. “Her friends defended you, if you care to know. Maya and I have been communicating.”
“How is she?”
“They haven’t seen her. She took off with Joel.”
I sighed, knowing she was at least safe. With Kam on the run and the root of this problem, I didn’t want him coming near her. “So he showed her something?”
“Yeah, and then the girl in the picture—don’t even know who she is—went up to the bar. She showed Joel texts between you and her, begging her not to tell anyone you two slept together. That’s when shit got bad.”
“What the fuck? I never! I didn’t. I don’t understand.” I pressed my fingers to my temples and counted to ten. “What do I do?”
“I don’t know, man.”
Zeke pushed himself onto his knees and frowned. “I like Jenna a whole lot, but, dude, she needs to hear you out.”
“She’s pissed as fuck at me. I would be livid if this were reversed.”
“Don’t give up. If you love her, fight for her.”
“I do. I never even told her.”
“Such a dumbass.” Nate hit my back and stood. “I’m going to call Kam’s family and explain a little of what’s going on. This shit is going too far. We don’t stand for this. He cannot remain in this frat.”
“I agree. We can worry about him later. Let’s help Aiden right now,” Zeke said with a frown.
“I’m heading over there and sleep on the porch until she talks to me.”
I took off sprinting toward her apartment. It was pitch-black outside, and I had no idea what time it was. I checked my phone for anything and saw a number of text messages I sure as hell did not send. Someone fucked with my phone.
“Jenna, open the door. Please, baby. Please open the fucking door.” I pounded on their door and hoped with everything inside me she would be there. I needed to see her face.
The door was opened by Maya with a forlorn look on her face. “She’s not here, Aiden.”
“Do you know where I can find her? It’s urgent.” My heart wouldn’t stop racing, and my hands shook.
She looked at me with pity. She sighed and nodded slowly. “Yes, but I think it’s best if you give her some time.”
“I didn’t touch that girl. I swear. Goddamn it. I can’t lose her.” I sat on their doorstep, and Maya joined me with an exaggerated sigh.
“I don’t think you did either, actually.” She gave me a weak smile and explained her answer. “I’ve seen you around her. You’ve changed. She has, too. You’re better together. I don’t think you’d be that stupid to mess it up. Am I right?”
“One hundred percent.”
“I’m confused how all this came about, and the picture is pretty convincing, but why would you make spring break plans if you were going to fuck it up? I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense.”
“She won’t believe me. I saw her, Maya. I saw her face. It was so tortured. She looked numb.”
“Can I give you some advice?”
“Anything.”
She sighed. “I know you love Jenna. Kennedy knows you love Jenna. Jenna doesn’t know you love Jenna. Her brain is at least half the problem. Not her brain, her heart. It’s so guarded and protected by all these walls. Her parents overdosed when she was a kid. Her grandma died, and she witnessed the way her grandpa fell apart.”
“I know all this.”
“Do you understand, then, that she is always waiting for something bad to happen? Whenever she’s happy, she’s terrified it will be taken away from her.”
“So she saw what she saw and assumed the worst because she already thought we’re doomed to fail?”
“I wouldn’t use those words, but what is she to you, Aiden? Your girlfriend? Your significant other? Your partner? Your best friend? What?”
I scoffed. “Everything. I love her.”
“Does she know this?”
“I don’t know how she couldn’t. I just—Fuck.” I dropped my head in my hands.
She placed a hand on my arm. “Have you told her?”
“No. I didn’t want to freak her out. I’ve known how I’ve felt for a while, but I had my own baggage to deal with first. I waited too long.” I groaned.
“It’s not too late.”
“What do I do?”
“Wait for her to come to you,” Maya said softly.
“Thanks, Maya. I, uh, guess I’ll go look for her.”
“You won’t find her.” She stood and patted my arm. “You’re a good man. You’ll figure it out.”
“I won’t let her go,” I vowed.
* * * *
Two days. Forty-eight hours of no contact with Jenna. I felt like a dying man. My eyes were red from lack of sleep. The only thing getting me through the weekend was the hope I would see her in class Monday. Most of my time was spent in bed or working out. Jon and Nate were being great brothers and keeping me busy and away from everyone else.
Monday morning, I got out of bed, showered, and ran to the lecture hall so early that no one had entered the building yet. I grabbed an extra coffee for her, knowing she probably needed it. It was a wasted effort. I was the reason Jenna missed her first college class. She never showed.
We were supposed to leave for our spring break trip that Friday, but the chances were looking slim. I took notes, barely making it through the two-hour lecture. I left the class, seeing someone approach me. I looked up to find the blonde I’d apparently slept with. Fury flooded my veins as I stared her down.
“Aiden, look. Can we talk?”
“Stay the fuck away from me. Don’t come near me.” I held up my hands and backed away, drawing the attention of a crowd near us.
“I really need to talk to you,” she pleaded.
“I have nothing to say to you.” I turned to walk away but heard her run up to me. “Seriously, lady, leave me the hell alone.”
“I made everything up,” she blurted.
“No shit.” I kept walking when she began to cry. I felt nothing.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. I lied for Kam. He paid me. I needed some money for some books. He had your phone, so we staged the texts.”
“You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know.” I stopped and looked at her with the most hatred I could muster. “What did you expect would happen? You’d get your money and everything would be fine? You fucked with my life. Congrats. It worked.”
Her face crumpled, and she babbled more apologies. I ignored her. I’d had it. I wanted to talk to Jenna, and she needed to man up and deal with the truth. I loved her. I needed her. And she loved me, too.
I walked to the bar and slammed open the door. The bouncer said something to me, but I held up my hand. Everyone looked up. Gage glared at me from behind the bar. I matched his stare.
I walked right up and eyed him up. “I didn’t touch that girl. You don’t believe me? I don’t give a shit. All that matters is what Jenna believes. I love her. I need her.” I paused and smacked my hand on the bar. “Fine. You want to beat my ass? Let’s go. It’ll make me feel something other than complete misery.”
He didn’t say anything, just kept his arms crossed and flexed. I didn’t back down.
I saw Joel standing in the back, biting back a small smile. That was a promising sign.
“Is she here?”
Gage didn’t give away anything, so I sat on the stool. “I’ll be here until she is. She works every Monday.”
Maya said give her time. I had. I was done. If she refused to believe me, then I’d fucking transfer schools.
Grief turned to anger. Jenna wasn’t someone to hide in the shadows and let people speak for her. She grabbed life by the balls. She was the best ball-busting, beer-serving friend I could ask for, and she needed to come back. I was done waiting. Pissing her off had to be the only way to get a reaction.
Aiden: I’ve given you time. Time to face me. Want to end it, then do it to my face. I’m at the bar. I’ll be here until we do this.
Aiden: Don’t be a chicken shit. I love you. I fucking love you. If you want to believe rumors, believe them. If you think I would do that to you, I might as well burn down your bar.
I pocketed my phone, which now had three layers of protection, and waved down Gage. He didn’t look happy with me. “Beer, please. Surprise me.”
He grunted, sliding over some fruity shandy.
“Thanks so much.” I held it up and smiled. He wanted to get all protective with Jenna. I got it. But he didn’t know me. I owed him nothing.
I was halfway done with the beer when I heard the door slam open. I turned around and saw Jenna stalk in with fire in her eyes. She held her helmet in one hand and had the other pointed at me. “You.”
It was all I could do to just breathe. I wanted to run up to her, beg her, force her to believe me. But I didn’t. I sat there with a fake sense of calm. The best thing I could come up with was one syllable. “Hey.”
“Don’t you hey me.” She stood in the middle of the room. “You have some nerve, Aiden Chad.”
I got up and walked right to her. I stopped inches away and bent low enough to see her green eyes widen. “I fucking missed you.” I didn’t wait for permission. I wrapped my arms around her, taking in her scent. I pressed my nose into her hair and squeezed her.
She hugged me back. I almost cried. She pressed her face into my chest, and we stood like that for a full minute. I pulled back, and she hit my chest. I flinched.
“You don’t tell someone you love them in a text, Aiden. You asshole!”