Aiden
Billy talks to me as we walk across campus to our next class, but I don’t hear a word he says. The leaves of the ancient oaks lining the stone walkways are vibrantly green, swaying gently in the breeze. Birds call out, creating sweet melodies, while soaring across the blue sky. The sun is bright, and its warmth reminds me of Ember, of her soft, luscious lips. I can’t help thinking about last night, letting my mind linger on intimate details about how she—
“Dude!” Billy shakes my shoulder. “Did you hear a damn word I just said?”
I blink a few times. “No.”
“What’s going on, man?” In the sunlight, it’s hard to decipher Billy’s skin shifting between hues of brown and beige, trying to match his tank top. “I mean, I know finding out that your honor’s program got approved lifted your mood, but seriously, it’s like you got lucky or something.”
A smile tugs on my lips.
“Wait!” Billy grabs my arm, forcing me to stop. “Did you?” he whispers.
I pull my arm away, but my smile reaches my ears.
Billy laughs. “You did! You totally did!”
“Shh.” I eye the other students nearby. “I don’t want everyone to know about my love life.”
Billy grins ear to ear. “My little Aiden finally lost his v-card!”
“Hey, seriously, keep your voice down,” I plea, running my hand over my head. “And not technically. We didn’t go that far.”
“Well…” Billy playfully wiggles his eyebrows. “What did you guys do?” His smile abruptly morphs into a scowl, focusing on something behind me.
I glance over my shoulder. “What is it?”
“Don’t.” Billy yanks my arm back, forcing me to look at him. “We need to go.”
“Why?”
“There you are, Stiles!” Jomo’s deep voice grates on my ears like nails across a chalkboard. “I’m thinking of getting Ember a gift to celebrate our new relationship. But I can’t decide if she'd look better in red lace or black.”
My entire body stiffens. It takes everything I have to not turn and hit him. Thankfully, Jomo didn’t see my outburst the other day, but if he gets a sense that I’m still struggling to control my emotions, serum or not, there’s no way Valentino could save me from my fate.
“Why haven’t you been in class?” he asks. “Too ashamed to show your face?”
“Jomo, get the hell out of here,” Billy snaps. “We don’t want your crap.”
“You should’ve seen Ember’s face when I claimed her, Aiden,” Jomo continues, with a laugh behind his words. “I thought she was going to set the room on fire.”
“Hey, what’s the pow-wow about?” Scott’s annoying voice enters the conversation. “I’d love to join!”
I can’t stop myself from turning around, coming eye to eye with Jomo. His dreadlocks are tied on the top of his head, shimmering like strands of gold in the sun. Scott stands a few inches shorter at Jomo’s side, wearing a pastel pink shirt. His silver hair is pointed like a porcupine, and his eyes match in color, like liquid mercury.
Aggravation soars through me. Of course, Scott feels the need to show up and throw in his two cents. My hand twitches, remembering how I punched him at the beginning of the semester for making crude remarks about Ember.
“I bet he’s upset over that whole mentorship deal,” Scott says while nudging Jomo. “Isn’t that right, Aiden? Angry that another guy got your girl?”
“Being her mentor does not mean you have some kind of claim on her. She’s not property,” I say through gritted teeth, aimed at Jomo. “All you’re supposed to do is help get her ready for her summer classes. Don’t forget that.”
“Aiden,” Billy whispers my name like a warning. “Don’t play their games.”
“Technically, you’re right.” Jomo grins. His yellow eyes glimmer. “But maybe it’s time for her to find out how talented other men are. Don’t you think?”
Like a pot of water ready to boil, my anger simmers. My eyes sting with a tingling sensation, turning into slits. I force myself to take a long breath through my nose, willing myself to step away, but my feet seem firmly planted.
Scott’s smile is crooked, just like his nose. “Uh oh. I think you hurt little Aiden’s feelings, Jomo.”
Billy steps in front of me; his back acts as a wall between me, Jomo, and Scott. His arm muscles flex, growing double in size, reflecting his superhuman strength. “Why don’t you both go back to the hole you crawled out of this morning?”
I risk a glance around. The pathway we’re on is now vacant. Most people have taken off for their classes, leaving only the trees and birds for company. No witnesses. For better or for worse.
Jomo squares his chest, meeting Billy’s stare. “What are you going to do? Turn invisible and run?”
“I’m going to do nothing.” Billy’s stance stays confident. Red appears in the mixture of his brown and beige skin shifting, causing streaks of pink. “Just because you’re Ember’s mentor doesn’t change the fact that she’s Aiden’s girlfriend, and if you think you can break them up or something, you’re a bigger moron than I thought.”
“Oh, is that so?” Jomo gets closer to Billy’s face. “Maybe the real reason you won’t do anything is because you’re just as pathetic as Aiden.”
I ball my hands into fists. Even if Jomo’s insults don’t mean anything, they add fuel to my anger.
“Yeah, it’s easy to see why you two are friends,” Scott adds. “Losers tend to flock together.”
“I guess that’s why you two are hanging out, huh?” Billy snorts. “You guys make quite the handsome couple.”
Scott shrugs, and there’s a thoughtful edge to his frown. “I’d be down if Jomo is.”
“Sorry, man. I’m only into chicks,” Jomo meets my stare. “Especially redheads.”
The smugness in Jomo’s yellow eyes and the way his lips are curled, like he’s imagining something about Ember, makes my stomach turn sour. The rageful pressure in my chest intensifies, like it’s morphing into a monster trying to escape. My veins burn bright blue, and I step forward, ready to release the monster.
Billy puts up a hand to stop me. “Oh, does Sally know that?” he says to Jomo. “You two have gotten cozy lately. It’d be a shame if she found out you’re not into blondes, right, man?”
Jomo narrows his eyes. “You’ll leave her out of this.”
“Then, you’ll leave Ember out of this!” I shout. A red haze appears in my peripheral vision. “I don’t care if you’re her mentor. You realize that if you make her feel uncomfortable, she won’t hesitate to go to the dean, right? They’re pretty close.”
Jomo’s lip twitches in annoyance. Thankfully, he doesn’t pick up on my fib. The dean is the last person Ember would go to nowadays.
“Why did you do this?” The rageful monster still tries to claw its way out. “Did you really pick Ember just to make things worse between us?”
“I won’t lie. I enjoyed the thought of being the one to swipe your girl from you.” Jomo’s mouth pinches up in the corner. “But truthfully, if she wasn’t the daughter of Emerald Blaze and Digger, I wouldn’t have given her a second glance. I think this mentorship will be beneficial for both of us.”
My eyes widen, and the red haze thickens. “You want to use her.”
Scott laughs, deep and unsettling. “Seems like everyone wants the Guardians’ daughter.”
Jomo shrugs, but there’s no shame in the gesture. “Do I think it’ll look good on my resume that I was the Guardians’ daughter’s mentor? Especially if she rises up the ranks?” His smile grows, just like my fury. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
It never occurred to me that someone would want to mentor Ember for personal gain. Of course, I’ve always known who she is, but never once did I think of using her for some kind of climb in status or attention-grabbing endeavor.
Electricity cracks between my fingers, and the tingling in my eyes intensifies. My entire vision is almost red. “You bas—”
Billy pushes me backward and points off in the distance. “Go!” he hisses. “Get out of here.”
I push Billy back, not complying. “You’ll do well not to flaunt that you’re using Ember,” I shout at Jomo. “She won’t be too happy to hear it!”
“As long as you keep your mouth shut, she won’t know any better.” Jomo crosses his arms and smiles with a vindictive glint in his eye. “What we do together is none of your business.”
The red haze engulfs my vision, and the electrical energy surges in me, adding to my power. My muscles tense and—
An enormous force hits my face, jolting it hard to the side. Black dots flash in my vision, and my cheek stings with a burning sensation. I rub my cheek, eyeing Billy with disbelief as he unclenches his fist. The red in my vision fades. “Did… Did you just hit me?”
“Someone had to smack some sense into you.” Billy has no remorse in his tone, and he steps closer to me. “If you do this, you’re done, Aiden,” he says quietly. “I know this isn’t easy to listen to, but, man, you need to stop before you do something you’ll regret.”
“And here I thought he was going to punch you,” Scott remarks, glancing at Jomo. “Seems like the couple isn’t getting along as well as we thought.”
Confusion crosses over Jomo’s face.
The shock of what happened douses my anger, and I step away from Billy, feeling oddly calm.
Billy frowns. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“At least it wasn’t a choke hold,” I mutter.
“This was disappointing.” Scott pouts. “I expected more out of the YAC champ.” He turns to walk away, but after a few steps, he glances at me over his shoulder. His smile is borderline evil, and hostility resides in his stare. Even if we are far from friends, Scott’s actions are odd, even for him.
Billy shakes my shoulder. “Aiden?”
I brush off Billy and shake my head, dismissing Scott. “I’m fine.”
“Why don’t you go find Ember?” Billy whispers. “She’s free now, isn’t she?”
I glance at Jomo, feeling more myself. “I don’t care if you’re Ember’s mentor. She can handle herself, and if you think for a second that she would leave me because you’ve wiggled your way into her life, you have another thing coming.” I walk up to him, feeling Billy’s gaze on me with every step. “I know you wouldn’t dare hurt her, because you’re not an actual idiot, but whatever game you’re playing… You. Won’t. Win.” I say each word like a challenge. “Feel about me however you like, but you’ll leave her out of our rivalry. Got it?”
Jomo squares his jaw. “Why do you think I’d care what you say?”
I lean in, smirking. “Because you’re in the same boat as me. If you do anything out of line, you’re out of the program too. Remember? I’m pretty sure Valentino would frown upon you using my girlfriend against me. Don’t you think?”
Jomo’s frustrations brew in his catlike eyes. I swear I see the outline of his yellow ghost hands floating behind him, poised to attack.
“He has a point,” Billy adds. “It’d be a shame if Valentino heard about how you came over here, unprovoked, to harass Aiden.”
“Forget you guys,” Jomo says, spit flying from his mouth. “It’s not like you’re so innocent yourself, Aiden. You don’t think I noticed you were about to fight me? I’m sure Valentino would be interested to hear that.”
“Then, do it. Tell her,” I dare. “And I’ll tell her how you started all this with your bullying, and then we both can be out of the program.”
Jomo bares his teeth, and I swear he growls, knowing I have him trapped. He can’t incriminate me without jeopardizing himself. He turns and heads toward one of the class buildings. His ghostly hands become more noticeable, making obscene gestures as he walks away.
I breathe like I haven’t breathed in years. Relief washes over me that this situation didn’t turn out any worse. Thanks to Billy.
Billy glares after Jomo. “Dude, seriously. What is his deal?”
“He doesn’t like me. It’s as simple as that.” I cross my arms. “Can’t say I’m a fan of his either.”
“I guess.” Billy runs his hand through his shaggy hair. His eyes grow heavy with regret. “Man, I am sorry about hitting you. I was scared of what you were about to do, and last time, I couldn’t stop you. Only Ember could.”
I rub my cheek; the stinging sensation doesn’t faze me. “I don’t care to be punched, but if you didn’t, I’m not sure what I would’ve done.” A smile tugs on my lips. “I guess I should thank you.”
Billy chuckles, and relief radiates from him. “You’re welcome.”
A strange sense of fatigue hits me, and my body trembles. I rub my eyes, and a desire to lose myself in a warm embrace comes over me. “I think I’m going to skip class and find Ember. She doesn’t have class for a couple hours.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“Thanks again for everything. If you weren’t here, I’d probably be packing my bags right now.”
“Aiden,” Billy says, his tone pained. “You know I’ll always have your back, but it’s only a matter of time before you and Jomo run into each other when you’re alone. You need to get a handle on whatever is going on with you. Jomo’s not worth it.”
I wish I could tell Billy about the serum, but my lips stay sealed, isolating me from my best friend. I know I can trust him, but I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth. I can’t risk putting him in danger or causing him any more concern. Besides, there’s still hope the serum is not in me. There’s no reason to worry him when it could all be for nothing.