The sun was shining and yet no warmth came from it. Arielle didn't feel anything for the entire school day the next day. She was tired and she was far too worried to be thinking about anything else except what happened the previous evening. At least she got to sleep for a few hours on the decision that she had to make. What really altered her decision was a dream that she had. Arielle was in bed with Aiden and they were happy, as if they weren't interrupted at all, but when he got up to put his shirt back on, the shots were fired and he was dead on the floor, causing a loud scream to leave her lips.
That's when Arielle knew that she had to do something about Aiden if she wanted to keep him safe from harm. She sent him a note in history class telling him to meet her on the bench outside the building after school, and so he did. He showed up looking as handsome as ever, but he knew nothing good would follow this conversation.
"How are you holding up?" Aiden asked.
"Okay," she said plainly, "I don't really know how else to say it."
"I'm not expecting you to pour your heart out or anything," he said, taking her hand in his, "I just hope we get a second chance at a great night."
Images of the dream flashed in her mind and it made her take her hand away from Aiden's and her eyes started watering.
"What's wrong?" Aiden asked, trying to wipe a tear away from her cheek.
"What's wrong is that I've been going out of my mind all day long," she whimpered, "I don't know what's going to happen to me or anyone else around me for a while, and that scares the hell out of me."
"You don't have to be afraid," Aiden assured her, "I'm here, we're all here, to protect you."
"Aiden, don't you understand?" she cried, "Being with me is just far too dangerous."
He sat back on the bench and sighed, staring into the empty air in front of him.
"Because you think I'm the bad guy," he huffed.
"No, I don't," Arielle assured him, "I think you're full of nothing but good things... but it's me who's the bad guy this time... I'm the one putting you in harms way."
Aiden sighed heavily, "So you're breaking up with me?" he asked.
Arielle nodded and wiped a puddle of tears off her cheek.
He nodded understandingly, but also angrily at the same time, "This is because of Stiles..."
"What?" Arielle asked confusingly, "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Arielle," he hissed, "Everything you've ever done with me is because you saw the way he looked at you. I know that whenever you touched me or kissed me or even told me you wanted have to sex with me, you looked right at him and saw how badly he wants you."
"That's not true," she lied.
"Yes it is. When you almost killed him that night, it nearly tore you in half."
"That was because I had almost killed somebody, Aiden. That had nothing to do with Stiles."
"I bet you can't look me in the eye and tell me that there is nothing going on between the two of you."
Arielle sniffed a few times, "This isn't about Stiles. This is about me not dating anyone at all to keep the people around me safe from harm's way."
"Bullshit," he said under his breath.
"What can I do to make you believe me?" she begged.
"I don't think anything you say will make me believe you," he argued, "Arielle, I see the way he looks at you. I saw the anger and jealousy in his eyes at the movies and I saw it that night when you nearly killed him. He wants you and I know deep down inside you, you want him too."
"That has nothing to do with romantic feelings," Arielle argued back, "He's just watching over me because I'm his best friend's sister. The only reason he looks at me the way he does is because he feels the same way Scott does. Scott had that same look."
"No he didn't. I'm a guy, I know when a guy looks a girl he wants."
"Please, Aiden, don't think this is about Stiles. I'm protecting you. I'm keeping you safe-."
"Forget it, Arielle," he spat, getting up and leaving her on the bench alone in the cold. She was crying into her hands now and she heard no one else around her to watch her cry.
"How much did you hear?" Arielle asked Scott, who was now standing beside the bench.
"Enough," he sighed.
Arielle looked up at him and for the first time in a very long time, he actually looked at her like he loved her and supported her decisions. Ever since she started dating Aiden, she had only see a glare of ice cold hatred. It was really wonderful to see her brother love her again. She fell into his arms, crying, as he hushed her. Scott felt bad for Arielle. No matter how bad he thought Aiden was for her, she still had genuine feelings for him. He was her first kiss, her first boyfriend, and almost her first love. There was no easy way to get over that. Scott knew this pain far too well.