Aiden walked into the locker room, wondering if there would be matches today. They were happening almost every other day now as they got closer to the showcase. Aiden’s parents had wanted to come to watch him have a match against Dylan, but of course that wasn’t going to happen now. Aiden wasn’t even going to go to the showcase, let alone be in it.
Dylan hurried up to him before he even reached their row. “I have to talk to you.”
The look on his face made Aiden guess it wasn’t something good. “What’s wrong?”
Dylan ducked into their row and paced for a moment before sitting on the bench. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up even more than it already was. “Hanna kissed me.”
“What?” All Aiden could do was stare. He’d been thinking Dylan had been in a fight, gotten into trouble. This was so random.
“One of the werewolves was bothering her again and I chased him off. And then she kissed me.” Dylan looked at him, guilt written all over his face. “I guess I kinda kissed her back— but only for a second. I swear I’m not trying to steal your girlfriend.”
Aiden leaned against the row of lockers. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he muttered, wondering at the sense of relief that washed over him. If Hanna liked someone else, then Aiden wouldn’t have to feel guilty about liking Tiago. How screwed up was that? At least he knew Hanna liked him back, or at least she had. What were the chances that Tiago liked him? Or that he liked boys at all?
Pretty much zero, Aiden thought.
Something must have shown on his face because Dylan said, “It won’t happen again, I promise. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Aiden took a deep breath and joined him on the bench. He wished he could talk to Dylan about his feelings. He wished he could talk to anyone about them. “Me and Hanna broke up. We’re friends again, but we’re not dating.” In part because Aiden didn’t want the drama of Hanna’s parents and Conner being mad at him, and in part because Tiago had shown up.
“So you’re not mad at me?”
“She kissed you first, right?”
Dylan nodded.
“Huh. I didn’t even know she liked you.” And he wouldn’t have expected her to do something so impulsive.
“Me either.”
Silence stretched between them.
Aiden asked, “Do you like her?”
Dylan shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t really think about her until she kissed me. I mean, she’s your girlfriend. And she’s so submissive it drives me nuts.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he repeated. He did still like Hanna, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be more than friends with her. Everything was so confusing. He wished there was an easy answer. “I’m not mad at either of you. If you like her, that’s okay.”
Dylan frowned, looking at the floor. “I don’t think she’s my type.”
Would Tiago say that to him? Or would he freak out and never want to talk to him again if Aiden admitted his attraction? “You should tell her that then. We’ll talk to her at lunch. I’ll let her know I’m not upset, and you can tell her whatever you need to.”
“I guess.” Dylan was still frowning.
“Really, I mean it. I’m not mad.”
“I already screwed up your life. I don’t want to screw this up for you too.”
The scar on his chest itched and he fought an urge to rub at it. “Please stop feeling guilty. It just makes me feel worse.”
“And you saying that makes me feel worse.” Dylan laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “I wish I could fix it.”
“Me too.”
* * *
“Can I sit here?” Hanna set her tray down at the mostly empty table.
“Um… sure,” Maggie said. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Hanna lied automatically. She sat and looked at her plate. She didn’t even remember what she’d picked for lunch. Oh, roast chicken. Her stomach growled but the rest of her wasn’t hungry.
“Then why aren’t you sitting with Aiden? I thought you two made up.” Maggie frowned. “Did you have another fight?”
“We didn’t fight.” God, she felt so horrible. How could she do that? Slut. Whore. Cheater. She stabbed at the chicken with her fork.
“Then what? Is Conner threatening you again?”
Why couldn’t Maggie leave her alone?
“He never stopped.” Hanna looked up. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy. I just want to help.”
“Help with what?” Jasmin asked as she joined them. “Oh hi, Hanna.”
“Nothing.” Hanna went back to stabbing the chicken.
The lunchroom was filling up faster than usual. Oh, crap. Was it raining? That meant… Looking over, she saw Aiden, Dylan, and Tiago at their usual table. Hanna ducked, hoping they wouldn’t see her. Maybe sitting here was a bad idea. Would they come looking for her? Had Dylan said anything?
She seriously considered crawling under the table and staying there for the rest of lunch. Maybe she could take her food and sit outside. The rain couldn’t be that bad.
“I’m here if you want to talk,” Maggie said. “Seriously.”
“Thanks,” Hanna muttered. Aiden had been nothing but sweet. He’d never hurt her, never been mean to her. He protected her from Conner when everyone else had ignored what was going on. And this is how I thank him? By making out with his best friend?
What if Dylan hated her now too? Who would help her when Conner or one of the others came after her? I’m all alone again.