The week moved along quickly, much like a game of cat and mouse. Aden was avoiding me and I was avoiding Caroline, an endless cycle of detours - evasions on my part.
I shook my head, annoyed at how messy everything had gotten, because I had allowed myself to be sucked in to the colossal choas that was Aden Lyons.
I had left Aden a voicemail relaying what Josh had encouraged me to say and at the time I felt relieved and was sure of myself that he would call, but here I was still waiting.
Over the last few days I had tried not to dwell about having my confession recorded in a voicemail, because that made my feelings for Aden all the more real and left me feeling vulnerable.
What was I expecting? For him to drop everything he was doing to rush to me because I admitted that I had fallen for him? That Aden-the-Oh-So-Arrogant had won our little game?
I sighed, knowing my attempts at avoiding fixation was inevitable because now all I could do was think about it, because it had almost been a complete week since our argument and he still hadn't returned my calls or messages, much like I hadn't done with Caroline.
Karma?
As I walked though the halls I spotted Caroline texting at her locker and I knew I had to swallow my pride and and talk to my best friend.
"Caroline?" I said softly.
She stared up at me and shoved the rest of her books into her backpack and dropped her attention back to her phone.
I watched her ignore me as her fingers worked to dial a number.
My phone buzzed in my hands, the screen lighting up to betray me.
"So your phone does work?" She snapped, sarcasm thick in her tone.
I sighed. "I was just busy with Jamie the last few days, I didnt have much time to talk," I lied.
"Well now Rachel, I'm the one who doesn't have time to talk," she muttered, zipping her bag up.
I was starting to think that I hadn't been the one who was doing all the avoiding, maybe she had been trying to avoid seeing me too.
"Well you left messages saying you wanted to talk, so here I am," I said softly, offering her a small smile. She didn't take the bait.
I frowned. "Are we seriously still fighting over this?" I asked her, laughing to myself trying to loosen the tension, but the sound came out nervous. "Fighting over Aden Lyons of all people?"
She slammed her locker shut and turned towards me making me jump.

"It's not much of a competition if I've won," she said sweetly, her smirk betraying her intentions as it stretched from ear to ear.
I swallowed and opened my mouth to talk but nothing came out.
I looked down at my hands unable to look at her.
Of course I wasn't a match compared to her, she was stunning and outgoing and the only baggage she carried around was her channel purse, a far better brand than my trauma.
"What do you want me to say? That I lied to you? That I don't have feelings for Aden?" I muttered. "Well, I lied!" I said angered by her. "I really like him Caroline. I think I have for a long time, I just never had the chance to really tell him before he became some Adonis to everyone at this school." I whispered. "I know that's not what you want to hear and I'm so sorry. I should have told you the minute I knew. But, I just can't help it. I need us to stop fighting because I love you and I miss my best friend!" I pressed.
She opened her mouth but I spoke quickly, "Just because I like him, I wouldn't go out with him or anything because-"
"I slept with him," she said suddenly stopping my ramblings. My eyes snapped up to her face. I searched her eyes to see if she was lying but found nothing in them but triumph.
"He came to our lunch spot looking for you. But you weren't there. He wanted us to ditch, so we started our date early," she said unaware of my fallen face, or maybe she just didn't care, either way my stomach lurched in to my throat as the hurt settled in."But lucky for me, he didn't even want to go on our date, he just wanted to have sex. So, we did."
She paused only for a second to scan my face. She seemed to want to hurt me more, so she added, "He fucked my brains out."
Now she seemed satisfied with what she saw. "See?" She said sweetly. "No competition."
I stood watching her as she slipped her phone into her bag.
"And you were right, it's a bragging right I have now. A trophy. One that you can't have because even in that slutty dress the other night...he still didn't want to touch you," she said. "And incase you wanted to know....he was beyond amazing."
I bit the insides of my cheeks to hold myself back from saying anything that would cause a scene.
"It's not a good feeling when someone takes away something you like, is it Rach?"
I felt my chest squeeze, tightening as she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked away, leaving me to the thoughts of her and Aden together in his bed.
I was in disbelief as the bell rang and all I could think about was finding Tristan and ditching again, but I shook my head. My grades and attendance wouldn't suffer because Aden had thought with his dick and Caroline had proven a point at the cost of our friendship.
I marched to my last class...History. I wanted to laugh, because surely the world was playing some cruel joke on me that I wasn't a part of.
I sat down and stared out the window a million thoughts running through my head.
The legs of the chair beside me screeched against the floor as someone moved to sit in it. I didnt have to look to know that it was Aden, I could almost feel the heat off of him.
"Can we talk?" He asked gruffily.
I stiffened remembering the voicemail I had left him. The blood rushed to my cheeks. I couldn't sit through this conversation.
Would he tell me about what he and Caroline had done? Because I couldn't hear that again.
"Rachel?" He pressed.
I turned to him and his face fell.
"Why are you crying?" He demanded, anger thick in his voice. "What's wrong?"
It was a surprise to both of us and I reached to touch the tears.
Feeling betrayed by him and by my emotions I gathered my books, grabbed my bag and hurried to move to a different seat.
Aden opened his mouth to speak but Ms. Carmichael began her lesson.
I tried desperately to write my notes and not think about the boy who briefly held my heart in his hands only to destroy it moments after.
When the bell rang my bag was already packed and I rushed out of the room, falling in rhythm with the crowd, wanting to get home.
By the time I got to the car park Aden had caught up and I cursed under my breath realising Josh wasn't in the car park yet.
"Rachel!" Aden shouted turning me around. "What the fuck is happening?" A slight annoyance in his tone.
I shook my head, in complete disbelief.
"Tell me it's not true," I demanded.
Aden's eyebrows furrowed. "Tell you what-" I watched as the realisation hit him. "I told her to let me tell you!"
The weight of his words confirmed it all.
"What does it matter who told me? You slept with her!" I yelled.
I was glad that it had been a Friday and nearly everyone had gone home. The few people that remained tried hard to keep their eavesdropping and stares to themselves.
"Rachel I didn't-"
"You what Aden? You didn't fucking what?" I demanded, tired and hurt. "You didn't mean to fuck around with my best friend? It didn't mean anything? What excuse could you possibly give me?" I laughed without humour, because now it made sense why he had been avoiding me.
"Who are you to talk Rach? You and Tristan-"
"Nothing happened! He's not into me like that!" I called out, I wouldn't be the one to tell him Tristan was gay, it wasn't my sexuality to disclose.
Aden's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "And you know what, I'm not into him either. I'm into you. But, you wouldn't know any of that because your head is so far up your own goodamn ass or your dick is up somebody else's, that no one else matters!" I took a breath realising that I was crying again. "Not even me," I whispered.
Aden took a step closer but I moved back, disgusted with having him touch me, knowing who he had been with.
"You wanted to know why we grew apart even before my accident?" I looked down at my feet. "Because you became like this God over night! And good for you Aden! But it all got to more than just your head. Suddenly, you just cared more about yourself, still care more about yourself than anyone around you."
I looked up at him wiping angrily at the tears that were falling harder now. " You did such a good job at leading me to believe I got the old you back, the one that used to be there when I needed a friend, when I needed anything. the boy who let me sleep by him in his bed when my parents would leave me and Josh alone. The same Aden who lost my crayon and blamed it on the dog. The same Aden that I kissed the other day and just wanted to keep kissing for as long as I could." The memories almost made me smile but the realisation of what I had lost in Aden was devastating making me want to gasp for air. I hadn't realised how much had been forgotten, how much I missed him and how much history we had.
My eyes found his. "But you proved me wrong. God, you're always proving me wrong."
Aden stepped forward slightly as his anger riled up.
"You can't be mad! Rach, we're not a couple, we're not anything!" He said, anger fueling his intentions.
My eyes snapped to him and all I could do was nod to agree with him.
"You're right," I said. "This time it wasn't you who was proven wrong, it was me. I thought you would have more respect than to fuck my best friend, but its you!" I laughed without humour. "You have no morals."
I heard Josh's car pull up with a beep of the horn, and I stared at Aden.
"I should have let you be you, and get with Caroline from the start, at least then...I wouldn't have let you make me feel like this." I threw my hands up completely defeated.
He opened his mouth, but I was done with this conversation.
"You know what my last favour is Aden?" I asked bluntly.
His eyes never left mine.
"For you to just...leave me the fuck alone." I turned around and almost ran to get in to the car both relieved and disappointed as I watched him disappear back into the school.
"Rach what the-"
"Please just drive us home."
Josh stared at me for a second longer before reversing the car.