Chapter 5: The Zen Garden

Aaron checked his watch for the seventh time since he got to the bus stop as there was still no sign of Kate. What if she hates me?! I mean, I deserve it but urgh, does she know what I did, does anyone?! Aaron thought to himself. He was so nervous that he'd start sweating anytime soon. It's five to six, the bus'll be here at six o two and if she isn't here then, I guess she doesn't wanna come I

Just as Aaron was coming to terms with the fact Kate might not want to go out anymore, she decided to come into his view as he leant off the wall he'd been resting on. As Kate walked timidly over to Aaron, she let out a meek little smile; I guess she was happy to see him. Aaron smiled back and offered a small wave as he walked to meet her.

-"Three minutes, cutting it a bit close there, weren't we?!" Aaron joked as he met Kate. Even as he was stressing out over what had happened between him and Victoria, he still kept up his friendly, confident persona.

-"Sorry, I was making sure Alice had enough food and water while I was out and also that her cage was locked. The last thing I'd wanna do is have her get loose" Kate replied as she brought her left arm across her body to hold her right arm as it hung by her side.

-"Don't worry about it, I get it. I hope you're hungry"

-"Are you kidding, I haven't eaten all day just to give myself an excuse to pig out tonight" Kate Stammered, letting out a soft chuckle.

The bus came and both of them got on and found a seat next to each other on the around the middle of the bus. Due to it being a Wednesday evening, the bus was pretty vacant. Not many people had a reason to go out during the middle of the week. Aaron just scrolled through facebook, not wanting to make Kate feel uncomfortable. She wasn't much of a talker and with everyone bullying her, her want for conversation had decreased.

Aaron knew how uncomfortable she was right now, sitting next to him. He was probably the first person Kate had trusted to this extent since the Vortex Club party and he knew this was a big step forward for her. He could tell she wasn't in the mood to talk due to the fact she only looked out the window or down at the floor. Aaron wanted nothing more than to put her arm around her and tell her everything will be ok but knew it wasn't his place.

Kate did feel a certain form of Anxiety as she sat there next to a boy she'd only spoken to three days. She couldn't help but think if anyone wanted to be friends with her, it would be Aaron. He'd been nothing but kind to her since he met her and made her smile more in those three days than she had for the past few weeks. The number of times she smiled may be in single digits but it's more than not smiling at all.

Kate liked the fact that Aaron wanted to spend time with her, she felt as if she was slowly being more and more accepted into the social fold again. Aaron didn't have a click or anything, he was his own person who was liked by many of the students at Blackwell due to the fact he couldn't give anyone a reason not to like him and if he liked Kate, other people would surely start to treat her like a person again.

The two spent the journey into the town centre relatively quiet; they did make small talk once or twice but nothing to hold a conversation over. After about ten minutes on the bus, they got off and began to make their way down the street to Domino's.

The two stood outside Domino's in silence as the observed the building in front of them and the sign saying 'Private Party, closed until 9:30pm. Sorry for any inconvenience' that was posted in a window near the door.

Aaron and Kate looked at each other with black expressions on their faces. Aaron sighed and put his hands in the pockets of his black jacket and Kate held her arm and looked at the floor like she usually does.

-"Well, I guess that means no food for us, thanks for at least trying Aaron" Kate reflected, breaking the silence.

-"What, are you kidding?! Just 'cus Domino's is closed doesn't mean we can't eat" Aaron countered, causing Kate to look at him all confused. "You like Chinese food?" Aaron asked as he gestured Kate away from Domino's as he started walking away.

The two headed off into another part of town after Aaron explained to Kate that he knew a local Chinese that they could go to instead. Kate just agreed and followed Aaron along the sidewalk. The sun was just setting ad the streetlights were yet to turn on as the two walked in silence down the road.

Kate couldn't lie, when Aaron said Chinese, she thought he meant a local takeaway but what she was met with was a full blown oriental-themed restraint. The building was red in colour and seemed to span three floors tall with the top floor looking like some form of rooftop garden. The words 'The Zen Garden' were spelled out above the double doors at the entrance in a stereotypical Asian font despite the words being spelled in English.

The two entered the building and stopped at a podium and waited to be seated. Not long after, an Asian man in a grey shirt and black waistcoat came upto them.

-"Good evening and welcome to the Zen Garden; do you have a reservation for tonight?" He asked politely.

-"No, but I was wondering if I could get a table for two?" Aaron replied. He seemed calm but on the inside he was freaking out. Shit, if this is one of those reservation-only places, I'll just look like a mug.

-"That'll be no problem at all, Sir" The maitre'd followed up with as he produced a walkie talkie from his hip and spoke what Aaron would presume was Chinese into it, without being considered racist, well it was a Chinese restaurant after all. Seconds later a second man appeared only this one was wearing a white shirt under his waist coat. "This is Zhao and he'll be looking after you tonight" The maitre'd concluded as he turned his attention to the podium and began writing something down.

-"Xiānshēng, Fūrén, if you'd like to follow me" Zhao said after a short bow, before turning away and walking off. Aaron and Kate followed Zhao up to the second floor where he seated them in a small booth, in the middle of the floor. After making sure they were happy with their seating, he turned and left.

Aaron instantly picked the menu up and looked at what they had to offer. Kate, on the other hand, was still stunned by how beautiful the place was. From the crimson red walls with the golden details painted on them, to the dark green leather of the seats that she was sitting in. The thing that caught Kate's eyes the most was the solid golden statues in the corners of the floor. They resembled things such as a dragon, a rabbit and an ox. Kate would have to guess that they represented the animals on the Chinese calendar and that the other animals would be on the other floors.

-"Well, I can't speak for you, but this seems like a step up from your average Domino's" Aaron chuckled as he looked up at Kate. Kate stopped looking at the yellow tassels that were dotted around the ceiling to look back at Aaron.

-"I'll certainly agree with you there but this place seems too fancy. I can't imagine how much the food will cost!" Kate acclaimed in her usual shy tone.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, nothing seems to be over fifty dollars" Aaron replied nonchalantly as he looked back at the menu.

Did he just say fifty?! Oh gosh, I hope there's something more cheaper, I didn't think I'd be eating at some five star restaurant tonight. Kate thought in fret as she slowly opened the menu. The 'Buddha's delight' caught her eye; it came with two spring rolls for only $21.95 and a drink of her choice. Kate opted for that straight away and put her menu down to indicate she was ready to order.

As if on cue, Zhao was by the table's side, notepad in hand, ready to take her order.

-"Are you ready to order, Fūrén?" Zhao asked

-"I'd like the Buddha's delight with the spring rolls please"

-"And what drink would you like with that?"

-"Just some ice water please"

-"And for you, Xiānshēng?" Zhao asked as he turned to Aaron who was just putting his menu down.

-"I'd like the Char siu with a bowl of regular dumplings, please"

-"And to drink?"

-"Some Pepsi would be great, thanks"

Once Zhao had their order, he lightly bowed again and walked off.

The atmosphere was calm and relaxing; Kate and Aaron stared at each other with warm smiles, appreciating the other person's company. The orange-ish lights let of a really welcoming and chilled out glow that would make even the angriest person calm.

Kate was glad Aaron asked her to come for food and she was glad she took a chance and accepted. Hopefully, the food would be worth the price and she'd be able to continue having a good time.

God she's pretty Aaron thought as he looked at Kate. Of course, he'd never tell her this, they didn't know each other well enough yet. Things were going good between the two so far and Aaron didn't want to fuck them up.

-"Ugh, Kate, could you do me a favour and look to your right" Aaron asked as he scratched the back of his neck, feeling slightly awkward.

-"Uh, ok, like this?"Kate asked as she moved her head.

-"Yeah, that's great, now bring your left arm up and sort of rest it underneath your chin" Aaron called back as he took his camera out of his bag.

Kate did what Aaron asked and tried her best to keep a straight face. She liked it when he took pictures of her; it made her feel all special inside. A feeling she can't remember ever feeling before.

Aaron did his trademark three-photo shoot; one landscape, one portrait and a final landscape one before looking down at the on his camera.

-"So, how bad do I look? Kate asked as she turned to face Aaron.

-"Bad?" Aaron said with a confused look. "You gotta be kidding me if you thing you look anything short of magnificent. The colours in here are grate and the way the light hits your beautiful face makes it even better" Shit, just called her beautiful again, what happened to keeping it on the down low?! Aaron asked himself as he looked back at the camera to avoid Kate's gaze.

Kate couldn't help but smile, she truly felt wanted by someone. Someone who wanted to spend time with her, someone to be around. She had missed human interaction these last few weeks.

-"You're one of a Kind, Aaron, you know that" Kate proclaimed as she smiled at him.

-"Well, what can I say, good looks, stunning intellect, muscles Hercules would be jealous off...need I go on" He jested, causing Kate to let out another chuckle.

When the conversation ended, their food arrived; the two of them spoke and ate as if they'd known each other a lot longer than three days and really enjoyed each other's company. Aaron was doing his best to tell himself he didn't feel anything for her when he knew that was bullshit and Kate was happy to be speaking to someone who could be genuine with her again. On top of that, the food was absolutely outsanding.

Aaron offered to pay the full bill but Kate insisted that they both pay their equal share and wouldn't take no for an answer. She did appreciate the gesture though.

They made their way out of the building and headed to the bus stop. By now, the sun had set and the night air began to creep up on them. It was fairly fine at first but then started becoming colder as they were outside longer. Aaron could see Kate shivering and offered her his jacket. She refused, saying she'd be fine without it until the bus comes.

The bus would be there in five minutes but Aaron didn't like the sight of Kate shivering, it made him feel useless and just vacant. I can't believe I'm doing this Aaron thought as he extended his left arm around Kate and rested it on her shoulder.

-"Relax, I'm not making a move, I just can't bare the sight of you being cold. Hey, who knows, maybe I'll warm up a bit, too" Aaron joked.

Kate just looked at the floor; she trusted Aaron and could see that he was just trying to be a gentleman and keep her warm.

The bus arrived a few minutes later and the two sat in silence until they were on it on the return trip to Blackwell. They both had to admit, it was defiantly warmer on the bus than outside. It was around about quarter past seven by the time the two got back onto the academy grounds. Aaron walked Kate over to the girls' dorm to say goodnight.

-"Thanks for tonight Aaron; I had a really good time. It was nice to do something with someone for a change and not be stuck here all day"

-"The pleasure was all mine; I'm glad you enjoyed and if you ever wanna do anything else, you know where I am. I enjoy spending time with you Kate so I hope you'll let me take you out again" Aaron replied as he placed his hands in his pocket and flipped his hair to the side, revealing his other blue eye for the first time tonight.

-"Gee Aaron, I don't know if I'm ready to start dating right now, I mean with everything that's gone on and I'd hate to drag you into-." Kate was cut off.

-"I didn't mean like a date or anything, just, y'know, hanging out or whatever. You're a really nice person to be around and yeah, that's just it. And don't worry, I get it Kate, you don't need to explain anything to me" Aaron said behind a weak, yet confident smile.

-"Sure, if I ever feel like going out anywhere again, you'll be the first person I ask"

-"Glad I did something right, goodnight Kate"

-"Goodnight Aaron"

And with that, Kate headed to her room and Aaron headed to his own dorm. It wasn't too late, Aaron figured he could bum youtube or hack into the Pentagon again, wait, that didn't really happen, did it? Anyway, Aaron's plans for a quiet night were dashed when he saw Chloe Price walking towards the girls' dorm. He just didn't know it yet.

Aaron was about to talk to her, when he heard the dorm main door swing open and:

-"Chloe?" Aaron questioned.

-"Max!" Chloe said.

-"Aaron?" Max completed the name circle as she stepped out of the dorm.

-"Ok, I'm confused, what have you two got planned now? It better not involve trains again?" Aaron said, only half serious.

-"If I knew, I'd tell you; Ms Price has neglected to tell me of what she has planned tonight" Max answered as she crossed her arms and looked at Chloe, expecting an answer.

-"Calm down children, all will be revealed soon. Speaking of, Aaron, wanna tag along? You seem like the only person who's not some mindless zombie in this school. Apart from you, my dear Max"

-"Run Aaron, while you still have the ability to think. Whatever Chloe has in mind will probably get you lobotomized" Max joked as she shot a death glare at Chloe, who responded in putting her arms up in surrender.

-"Oh come on, Max Factor, I'd never go that far" Chloe defended.

-"Wow, wow, wow, let's all calm down for a second. Chloe, will this plan of yours be so incredibly immoral, I could end up either getting arrested and/or expelled from Blackwell?"

-"One hundred and twelve per cent, yes" Chloe responded with a big smile on her face.

-"Ok, I'm in"

-"Wow, I like this guy more and more, you better be careful he doesn't replace you as my new BFF, Max" Chloe joked as she turned around and started walking.

-"Can you at least tell me where we're going now?" Max asked after letting out a loud sigh.

-"Back to school, of course" Chloe replied as she took out a set of keys from her pocket and waved them in the air without turning around.

-"You two are nuts" Aaron chirped in as he followed Chloe and a less exited Max.

Max hated the fact that she always followed what Chloe was doing; she knew that this was most probably illegal and yet she was still going along with it. Max tries to lie to herself and tell her that she's just going to make sure Chloe doesn't get in EVEN MORE trouble but deep down, she knows that she just wants to be with her best friend.

Aaron had to admit, he was a bit nervous as to what was going on. If Max was right, Chloe really does some stupid shit and he could get seriously hurt. If Max is over exaggerating, which she most probably was, then he couldn't deny himself the pleasure of being able to go along with it and see what thrills followed. True, he was smarter than this, but he was also smart enough to get himself out of a situation where he'd end up in trouble.

Chloe was just her usual loose cannon self; she was a full bread adrenalin junkie and couldn't resist the thought of doing something she found fun and that would also piss a lot of certain people off if they found out. She didn't expect Aaron to actually tag along, she had just used him as a catalyst to get Max to go along with her. If it has to be someone, I'm glad it's this guy and not some weirdo that lurks around Blackwell Chloe though as she approached the front of the Academy.

-"So, Aaron, this is it. Once you step through these doors, there's no going back. You'd officially be in this as much as us and will probably end up either seriously hurt or have serious fun. Do you accept?" Chloe asked as she turned the lock and opened the doors.

-"The risks outweigh the reward but that's why I can't say no" Aaron replied as he walked past Chloe, into the school, bowing as he entered.

-"You're now the first person to ever accompany me or Max on one of our many treasure hunts" Chloe said as she gave Max a playful wink as she eventually followed Aaron and Chloe inside.

-"I wouldn't call this a treasure hunt, doofus" Max responded. She was still clearly not happy with what was happening.

-"Boring people aside, you know how to swim, Aaron?" Chloe asked as she led the two down to the changing rooms.

-"Well I was my Middle School one thousand meter champion so, yes, I'd say I can" Aaron said in a joking way. "I'm serious though, I really do enjoy swimming"

-"Good, then you'd be glad to see what we have behind door number one"

Max was happy to figure out that they were going swimming in the Blackwell Pool. It put her mind to rest as it seemed like a fairly safe and less destructive alternative to what she had been thinking. She was grateful for the hint Chloe gave her earlier this morning as she was able to go out on a limb and wear her swimsuit instead of regular underwear. She figured what Chloe had in mind involved water and Max would rather be safe than sorry.

When they got to the changing rooms, Chloe stopped and asked Max what one she'd rather go in. Max replied with a simple "Duh, the girls' one" and made her way inside. Chloe followed and called out "Boy or Girl? Go nuts" to Aaron as she disappeared behind the brick wall.

It was at this point Aaron thought of his life like some video game with a very linear choosing system. Boys or Girls? True, he'd seen the inside of the boys whenever he'd use it but at the same time, he didn't wanna see like a pervy creep by going into a room with two girls getting changed. Fuck it, it's College he thought as he walked into the girls changing room and took his bag off.

-"Bold move mister Heartfield"

-"C'mon, you telling me you've never been curious as to what the other changing room looks like" Aaron replied as he faced away from Max and Chloe.

He was trying to show some sign of respect and give them the privacy they deserved. Aaron wasn't that desperate to see two girls getting changed and on top of that, he'd see them in their swim suits when they were in the pool anyway so he didn't see what the big deal was about trying to 'catch a glimpse'.

Aaron was half way through taking his shirt off when he let out an "Ah shit" drawing the attention of Max and Chloe.

-"Something wrong, Aaron?" Max asked innocently as she looked over at him.

-"I just realised, I didn't bring any swim shorts with me"

-"You got underwear on, what's the difference" Chloe said in retaliation as she threw something over to him. "Or you could wear those"

Aaron looked down and saw what Chloe had thrown him. It was some dirty, old, scruffy bottom half to a girls' swimsuit.

-"Uh, I think I'll pass, I don't think the colour goes with my eyes" Aaron joked as he threw them back to Chloe who was laughing heavily. "Just hope I decided not to wear my Y-fronts" He said with a wink and a laugh at Chloe.

-"Max, Aaron is way funnier than you, I'm seriously considering him as my replacement if you die" Chloe called as she made her way out of the changing rooms and to the pool.

-"Aaron, do me a favour and throw her in for me" Max asked as Aaron who chuckled as he walked past her and exited the changing rooms.

Aaron couldn't lie, he did not envision his night going from having dinner with a girl he low key knew he liked to going swimming with two of his friends in the Blackwell swimming pool...at night...in his underwear. Pretty strange day but he wasn't gonna complain, swimming always relaxed him in school and with what happened earlier with Victoria still plaguing his mind, it couldn't hurt to just unwind on the water for a bit.

Aaron walked out with his arms crossed over his chest and holding onto his shoulders, doing as much to cover his body as he could. Despite it being fairly toned, he was a skinny guy and overly self conscious. The fact he couldn't cover up his legs, nearly caused him to sweat but when he saw Chloe, he realised that if someone came to him and said they were self conscious, he'd tell them to embrace who they are and not be ashamed of it...so he figured he'd take his own advice and act like there's nothing wrong. It truth, nothing was, but try telling Aaron that.

-"Sure you wanna leave that necklace on, black, you might lose it" Chloe said as she gestured to Aarons Pentagram necklace with her head.

-"I could say the same thing to you, blue" Aaron quipped as he let out a soft grin.

-"Touché, one eye guy" Chloe said through a small smile of her own and as if on cue, Aaron flipped his hair like he always does, going from one eye, to two.

-"So, seeing Max like that has gotta make you realise how much you like her, right?"

-"Well, that came out of nowhere and besides, I've already told you, Max is my friend, nothing more" Chloe protested.

-"Oh really, well I'm no idiot, Chloe, I know you like her even if you don't know it yourself"

Chloe was started to get a bit annoyed at how much Aaron made her question her relationship with Max. She had never thought of the probability of being more than friends until Aaron brought it up. It sucked to look at Max in those two ways. Chloe decided to try and shut him up, find a way for him to think she doesn't have feelings for Max.

-"Ok mister 'I know everything' I have a crush on my best friend, would I do this" Chloe placed her left hand on Aaron's shoulder and leant in and kissed him.

After processing what had happened, Chloe was already retreating from what she had done. Aaron just nodded slowly to himself and walked back until he was at the edge of the pool and when he got there, he stuck out his arms and fell in.

Aaron knew what Chloe was tryna do, shake him off. He had no second thought in his mind about how Chloe viewed him and he was persistent to show her. Aaron knew that Chloe only say him as a friend and nothing more and his thoughts on how Chloe felt about Max were only further supported.

Chloe just hoped it would be enough to shut Aaron up for a bit about her and Max. She couldn't lie, there were worse guys she could've kissed but that didn't mean she liked him. True she thought he was pretty sound but nothing more than a friend.

Chloe jumped in the pool soon after, cannon-balling next to Aaron, causing a big splash. Aaron proceeded to flick water at Chloe as a means of revenge. Max heard all the commotion as she was finished undressing. She made her was to the edge of the pool and looked down at Aaron and Chloe splashing each other like a bunch of children.

-"So, race ya to the end of the pool and back" Aaron called as he already started swimming. Chloe tried to protest but came to no avail.

Chloe swam as fast as she could after Aaron as Max eventually emerged from the changing rooms. Max lowered her legs into the deeper end of the pool as she sat on the edge and watched her two friends in a race up and down the pool.

Max couldn't help but be a bag of nerves; she knew what they were doing was incredibly wrong and if anyone decided to come and check out the pool for whatever reason, she'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble. Come on Max, just calm down. No one's gonna catch you. All the lights are off and you're not making enough noise to be heard. Max thought to herself as she scanned the room.

-"Are you eventually gonna come in or just leave that bony ass of yours on the sidelines?" Chloe asked as she swam over to Max, breaking her thought process.

-"Gee, Chloe, I don't know. It's not exactly the warmest I've been and I can't see how getting in a pool would help" Max argued as she looked over at her best friend.

-"Once you're in, you can't even feel the cold. It's actually quite relaxing" Chloe replied as she batted her best puppy dog eyes at Max and started tugging on her leg.

-"Well, I'd rather stay up here for now, it's a lot more dryer and I wouldn't wanna ruin the fun" Max replied as she gently tried to kick free from Chloe's grasp.

-"Well, I think Aaron has other idea's" Chloe said as she gestured behind Max with her head.

As Max turned her head, she was met with a pair of arms wrapping themselves around her and the next thing she felt was the awakening water of the pool.

When Max eventually surfaced, she was met by the hysterical laughter of Chloe who found the whole ordeal extremely hilarious. Aaron was panting to get his breath back as he looked at Max and offered a small, playful wink at her.

-"What can I say, I couldn't resist" Aaron said, breaking the silence as he swam closer to the two girls.

All three of them enjoyed the brief time they had in the Blackwell Academy swimming pool. Time seemed to pass slowly as they were able to chill out and forget about things like School and social problems for a while. It was quit the experience, one they would not soon forget. When the time came to leave, they all showered, got changed and made their way back to their dorms as if it never happened. All three of them knew they would be doing this again.

A/N:-OK, first off I know I said this chapter would be ready by last Friday and it was. My laptop charger decided now would be a good time to finally die of whatever terminal disease it had. No power means no upload. Sorry If that annoyed any of you, but yeah.

If the end of the chapter seems rushed, that's cus when I finally got a new charger, I went over some stuff to make things flow better (I Probably failed badly) but realised it's now Wednesday so I wanted to get it out as soon as possible. Lemme know if you'd rather wait for a chapter and have it at a good standard or you'd rather I rush to get it out by some sort of deadline?

With feedback to the '-' at the start of every line of dialogue, I put it in place so you guys had a way of knowing when a new character was speaking. If it does annoy a majority of you for whatever reason, lemme know and it'll go.

As always, Follow, Favourite and Review; the reviews I had on the last chapter really caused me to pump this out as soon as I could so if that keeps up, expect the next chapter sooner than later (Unless you all would rather I take my time)