Chapter 10:-Loneliness Won't be the Death of Me
A/N:-I'll keep this short and sweet, two new LiS stories are out, go give 'em a read, I'd appreciate it very much. Hope you enjoy this chapter, I've been writing a lot theses past few days so if the quality degrades, it's cus I'm drained so I apologise.
Kate tried to scream but failed; her mouth covered by her attackers disgusting hand. She tried kicking out in an effort to escape but the other one had control of her legs, he was gripping them tightly, not letting her go.
She flung her arms wildly, catching the third in the face, causing him to crash to the floor holding his wound.
"You shouldn't have done that you little cunt!" the voice spat, filled with venom that made Kate fear for her life as tears started to roll down her cheek.
10 hours earlier, the Two Whales Diner, Tuesday, 14:23
Max and Aaron sat in a booth enjoying their late breakfast/early dinner. They talked idly about the upcoming portfolio that they had to do for Jefferson's class, what they planned to do if they failed their finals and how good the food was.
The sun was up and occasionally masked by clouds to stop it from blinding the two as they tried to enjoy their meal. The wind was tame and the birds tweeted as Aaron shovelled some of his Ham and Cheese omelette into his mouth while Max took a swig of her orange juice.
"So lemme get this straight" Aaron started before swallowing his food. "You two kissed and now you don't want anything to do with her"
"No, it's not like that, I mean it is but not the way you'd think" Max responded as she tried to find the right words to say. "It got me thinking, about us, me and her, I'm confused on how I feel for Chloe and I need time to think it through"
"So you think you have feelings for her?" Aaron questioned as he stopped eating and looked at Max.
"That's the thing, I don't know if I do. I need to work this out without her to influence my feelings. She wouldn't do it on purpose but by just being around her, I'll get confused even more and it'll take longer for me to decide"
Aaron nodded as he processed what Max had said, it was making sense to him, he could see her reasons for doing what she thought was right.
"She misses you like crazy Max, I spent all day Sunday with her and all she did was find new ways to insult you"
"I wouldn't exactly call that missing me" Max pointed out as she sat back in her chair.
"She couldn't stop talking about you; she was saying those things as an excuse to think about you"
Max pondered what Aaron had said; she cared immensely for Chloe and knew she cared for her. She needed to get her head right and right now she had to finish her portfolio before the end of the month. It was the 15th of October and she needed to finish it within fifteen days as well as other assignments from her other classes. She just had too much going on and wanted to get it out of the way so she'd have undivided time to think about what she wanted from Chloe.
Max sighed as she placed her forehead in her hands, she wanted nothing more than to crawl up and sleep for a year. She knew it wasn't gonna happen, she was stuck here.
"Any idea what your portfolio is gonna be on?" Aaron inquired, doing his best to change the subject.
"Uh, animals" Max replied in a fairly dull, uninterested tone. "I'm gonna shoot different animals at different times of the day. What about you?"
"The hidden beauty that we all see differently"
"That's pretty vague, even for you" Max stated as she looked up at Aaron.
"We see things differently, it's human nature to like different things" Aaron knew drawing out what he meant was a good way to occupy Max's mind. "What I consider beautiful, others wouldn't bat an eye at. I'm gonna show that beauty isn't just on the outside, it takes a special kind of place that only certain people would look for it. There's beauty in appearance that everyone see's but I'm showing everyone the hidden beauty that's inside all of us"
Max had to admire Aaron's passion for photography; his unique outlook on life allowed him to see things other people would look over. Max loved how he could turn something meaningless into something so amazing.
"Ok, where do you plan to find this 'hidden beauty', you do realise you have to take photo's mind? You can't just talk to Mr Jefferson like you are to me" Max pointed out before taking another swig of juice.
"No shit, genius, I already know what I'm photographing, I just haven't gotten around to it yet, plus I'll need it to rain" Max looked at Aaron, she was confused by what he had said. "I'm gonna take a few shots outside when it's raining so I can get the point across that the beauty is there come storm or shine"
Max wasn't gonna argue with Aaron, there was clearly some method behind his madness and if his work spoke for him, Max knew that she'd be left in awe when she looks at his final piece.
Aaron had spent the last two days with Max, offering her the support she needed while she dealt with 'The Chloe Price Syndrome'. Monday was mainly the two taking shots of Blackwell, offering hints and tips and sharing photography ideas. It had worked; Max was so caught up in what was happening that she had no time to think about Chloe.
Today was a different matter all together; Aaron didn't know what to do. Max was a very reserved individual and didn't really do much apart from take photos. Aaron knew he'd have to think of something else.
The tow made their way out of the diner and walked towards the bus stop. Aaron placed his hands in his jacket pocket while Max looked at her phone as they both waited for the bus.
"I've got some laundry to do when we get back; come up to my dorm later though, I should be done by then" Max asked as she turned to face Aaron.
"Yeah, no sweat; there's some shit I need to do myself anyway so I'll get on with that then come see you" Aaron replied with a smile.
Kate sat at her desk drawing nothing in particular as the sun shone into her room. She was content at being able to relax more frequently as of late and she was enjoying it. For some reason, the name calling and had drastically been reduced and Kate had no idea why. She couldn't complain though, she was slowly becoming more of her old self.
She smiled as she thought about having friends again; Max, Aaron, even Chloe could be counted and it brought peace to Kate. There would still be times where she'd cry herself to sleep though. The fault lying with her family more than her peers at Blackwell. The events of the vortex club party had long stretching consequences.
Her phone vibrated, alerting her to a message from Aaron:
Hey Kate, if you're not busy later, wanna let me take some shots for my portfolio?
Kate couldn't help but smile whenever she received a text from Aaron. He had really made positive changes in her life and she was finally starting to feel happy again.
Sure, I'd love to! Kate replied with a big smile on her face. She was still unable to get over the fact that Aaron Heartfield wanted to take pictures of her. It made Kate feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing that someone found her good enough to take her picture.
I'll meet you by the benches in like five? Aaron texted back, secretly hoping he'd get to see Kate sooner than later.
I'm on my way Kate's text read, causing Aaron to smile from ear to ear.
Aaron made his way out of his dorm room and headed for the benches to meet Kate. He didn't want to seem too eager but he was having more and more trouble repressing how he felt about her.
On the outside, he played it as cool as always, seeming like he wasn't all that bothered about what happened between the two but on the inside, he felt like he was about to explode. His heart faced whenever he saw her and constantly had butterflies in his stomach whenever he thought about her.
It confused him because he'd never felt this way about anyone before, especially not this quickly. Aaron had known Kate properly for like a week and she was all he could think about. As he walked out of the boys' dormitory and across the grass, he pictured himself and Kate walking side by side, hand in hand, smiling all the way. He didn't know it but here he was, falling in love with a girl he'd known for eight days.
Fighting it became harder and harder, he wanted to tell her how he felt, scream it at the world and let everyone know that he loved Kate Marsh. Obviously, he'd keep it to himself; he was a practical person after all and so no benefit of declaring his love of someone to seven billion people who don't care.
As Aaron saw the back of Kate's head as she sat on the bench, he smiled and picked up the pace without realising. He took his camera off from around his neck and flipped his black hair out of his left eye that he had done so many times before.
"Hey" Aaron called out, his mind went blank of what to say.
Kate turned to and saw Aaron come into view, seeing him made her smile. "Hey Aaron, how are you?" her tone gentle and innocent just like always.
"I'm good thanks, you ready to just sit there and look amazing?" Aaron's words elevated Kate to a new level. Although sounding uninterested and plain when spoken, they filled Kate with joy.
"Yes, just tell me what to do"
Aaron assessed what was around him: he looked at the position of the sun behind the trees, where the best lighting was and how clear his background was.
"Just sit on the table and rest your legs on the seat. Perfect, now turn to your right slightly and place your hands in your lap. Good, now look in front of you" Aaron directed as he shot Kate from an angle. The light lit up the wall of the academy and background, keeping Kate and the foreground mostly in the shade, with the odd ray of light shining through the leaves. "Ok, now look down at your hands for me" Aaron called as he snapped another shot of Kate. "These are brilliant, I just wanna take a few more and we should be good for now"
Aaron led Kate to one of the tree's by the front doors to Blackwell and directed her to sit down under it. She couldn't believe it; she was being photographed by THE Aaron Heartfield.
"Aaron, am I doing ok so far?" She asked.
"Brilliant; now just lift your knee's up and hold them with both hands. Great, just look over to your right, just away from me" Aaron added as he moved slightly to the left of Kate and took the photo. She was truly beautiful. "Amazing, you're a natural Kate, you should model for me more often"
Kate blushed at what Aaron said, she really enjoyed posing for him but she wouldn't have considered herself a model.
"Is there anything else you need me to do?" Kate asked, hoping for more opportunities to spend time with Aaron.
"Not right now, I'll need to wait for the weather to change. Do you have any problems about well, sitting in the rain and letting me take some photos then?" Aaron knew asking anyone to sit out in the rain was crazy. No one wanted to willingly get wet and soaked, it was uncomfortable and annoying.
"Um, I guess I could" Kate's answer surprised Aaron. "I mean it's not every day a girl gets asked by Aaron Heartfield to pose for a photo"
"Kate, you really don't need to big me up like that, I'm just an ordinary guy" Kate's words made Aaron feel happy but he hated being seen as anything other than regular.
"Ok, I won't" Kate acknowledged as she stood up and walked next to Aaron. "If there's nothing more you need, I'll catch you later" Kate began as she smiled and started to turn away.
Now you idiot! Aaron's brain screamed at him as Kate began to walk away.
"Actually Kate, I was hoping that maybe you, I don't know, maybe you wanted to go grab some food or something?"
Kate couldn't help but beam with happiness before saying: "Yeah, I'd like that, when do you wanna go?"
"Well I gotta help Max with some shit first so...seven-ish?" Aaron asked as he placed his camera around his neck.
"Well I'll see you at seven then" Kate replied before waving and walking off.
Aaron smiled as he sat down on the bench; he took his phone out and texted Max.
Yo, you free now, I can come up if you want?
Yeah, you know where my room is Max replied. Aaron got up and headed for the girls dorm.
As he walked, all Aaron could do was think about spending time with Kate. Where would he take her, what would they do, how long would they stay out? All those questions rang in his head as he ascended the steps of the girls' dorm. He wouldn't let anyone see it but he was nervous.
Aaron knocked on Max's door and entered when she called for him to from the other side. She was sitting down at her computer watching compilations of photographers. Not something Aaron would watch but to each his own.
"Hey Aaron, you know you don't have to do this mind?" Max stated as she turned around in her chair to face Aaron.
"I know but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you. I'm helping Chloe cope, I'm not gonna leave you out" Aaron thought it would be best to leave out the bit where he slept with Chloe...
"It's fine you can go if you want"
"Look Max, I really don't mind helping you get through this" Aaron interjected Max's denial and picked up her acoustic guitar. "I didn't know you played"
"Yeah, I tend not to play it much. I know a few songs but I doubt you'd have heard of them" Max replied as she watched Aaron sit down on her bed.
"Try me" he said as he handed Max her guitar.
Max just thought of some songs in her head; they were all pretty much indie or quiet rock songs and she knew Aaron was a lot more hardcore than that.
Not long after strumming loosely a few times, Max started to play 'Northern Downpour' by Panic! At the Disco. She strummed the chords nonchalantly and before she knew it, she heard Aaron start to sing softly from his position next to her on her bed.
"If all our life is but a dream, fantastic posing greed, then we should feed our jewellery to the sea, for diamonds do appear to be, just like broken glass to me"
Max's mouth hung in amazement as she heard Aaron sing. She turned and saw him just singing along as he looked at the floor. He turned to face her and let out a smile as he sang. His voice was angelic and soft, something Max would never have guessed Aaron would have sounded like if someone told her he could sing.
"Hey moon, please forget to fall down, hey moon, don't you go down. Sugarcane in the easy morning, weathervanes, my one and lonely" Aaron carried on singing along with Max's playing.
Max couldn't get over how good of a singer he was. His tone was so soft and majestic, like listening to an Angel sing and Max was still in awe. She stopped playing and turned to Aaron who was just smiling shyly on her bed.
"I had no idea you could sing!" Max exclaimed.
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me" Aaron replied with a wink. "If you want, we could spend some hours singing and playing of you want?"
Max just smiled and began to play another song in the hopes that Aaron knew it.
The two played many songs over the course of the afternoon. Some Aaron knew and some he had to look up the lyrics for. Max enjoyed hearing him sing, he was really good and it brightened her mood.
Their activity continued for a few hours, up to around six when Max realised she needed to get some studying done.
"Thank you for this, Aaron, I really needed it"
"Don't sweat it Max, it was my pleasure"
"I had no idea you could sing so well" Aaron smiled at Max's words. "Have you ever thought about joining a band?"
Aaron laughed at what Max said. "Hey, I'm already a famous photographer, I don't need anything else on my plate" Aaron joked, causing Max to laugh. "Besides, I get mad stage fright and would never wanna be in front of people. I'm happy singing in my room"
"You've defiantly gotta come sing with me again though?" Max asked.
"Well, only because it's you" Aaron added as he walked to the door. "You know where I am if you need me, I'll see you around Max"
Marcus paced idly back and forth as he watched the entrance to the girls' dorm. He was waiting for his prey to leave and when he did, Marcus would be on him.
"I wonder what Alpha see's in this one?" A man called out from behind him. He had the same red vested jacket and wolf tattoo as Marcus, only his hair was a warm brown and tied up into a pony tail. He was leaning against the wall, out of sight as Marcus watched for Aaron.
"I don't know, Jake, but we listen to her. If she says he's the next one, then we go and get him" Marcus' gruff tone sounded impatient, he had been watching the dorms since Aaron went in around noon, after photographing some blonde girl. "Read back to me today's report"
"12:23, target leaves Blackwell and boards the 12:30 bus. 12:56, target leaves bus and meets up with brown haired girl, identified to be Max Caulfield at the two Whales diner. The two eat food and converse about unknown topics. Agents remain undetected and wait for further contact. 14:48, target leaves diner with Max Caulfield and board the 15:00 bus back to Blackwell. 15:37, target meets up with unknown blonde and takes photographs until 15:43. Agents still remain unseen as target heads into girls' dorm, activities unknown" Jake read back to Marcus. "That's all we got so far"
Marcus sighed as he watched the door. "I don't like all this waiting, we don't know enough about him, Alpha won't be happy"
Marcus was a man who hated failure; he didn't get to where he was by fucking up and he wouldn't fuck up now. He lit his fourteenth cigarette of the day and took a long drag. The sun was setting and he didn't really want to be out in the dark. His visibility was limited and it made his job harder. He'd rather have nothing to report than report something that could be inaccurate.
"We're done for today" Marcus proclaimed as he turned his attention away from the doors of the girls' dorm. "Alpha gave me plenty of time and I aim to use it. Don't worry; we'll bring him in sooner rather than later"
Kate made her way to the bus stop; she saw Aaron waiting patiently for her. When he saw her, he smiled and offered a wave that Kate promptly returned in her own shy way. Kate was still nervous going places but Aaron seemed to calm her down to level's she never thought she'd see anytime soon.
"I decided to try Domino's again, let's hope there's no pizza party this time" Aaron remarked, getting a small giggle from Kate in the process.
The two boarded the bus when it arrived and sat next to each other. They talked a lot more than they did on their previous bus ride and openly went out of their way to find out more about each other.
Aaron found out Kate's favourite colour was yellow and Kate found out Aaron's was white. She learned that his dad worked for Pharmex, a leading company in pharmaceuticals and that's why he moved from Portland to Arcadia Bay. Aaron neglected to talk about his mother though.
Kate told Aaron about her obvious Christian background and he was incredibly understanding and kind about it. She explained how it wouldn't have been her decision but she was raised this way and it was all she knew.
They both avoided the topic of the Vortex Club party; Aaron as he knew Kate wouldn't want to talk about it and Kate was too ashamed to want to discuss it. The small talk they chose instead was much more pleasant.
Aaron also showed Kate the photo's he'd taken from earlier. She was in awe as to how good Aaron made her look. He insisted it was all her and all he did was take the photo but Kate wouldn't have it. She insisted that the only reason she looked like that was because of how good of a photographer Aaron was.
When the bus finally stopped, the two made their way to Domino's. It wasn't very full so they decided now would be their best chance to order. Aaron ordered a plain cheese and tomato and Kate had ham and mushroom. Aaron offered to pay for both but Kate insisted that she pay for her own.
They sat opposite each other in one of the booths as they waited for their food.
"I figured you to be more of a meat feast kinda guy" Kate stated.
"Nah, I'm a lame ass and prefer good ol' fashioned cheese and tomato" Aaron responded as he took a bottle of water from out of his bag. "You eat Domino's often?"
"Duh, everyone likes pizza, even a religious recluse such as myself"
Aaron just smiled back at Kate, he was enjoying just being this close to her and he as happy he could. He wanted to spend every second of every day with her and he had no idea why. Her pretty face just stared back at him as he examined her features. Her eyes were so cute but it was her smile that was his favourite. Aaron loved seeing Kate smile and wanted her to do it as often as possible.
Kate on the other hand was just happy to be spending time with someone outside of Blackwell. Aaron was such a nice person and really made her feel happy. It was strange how he was friends with everyone. From Max to Hayden and Trevor to Zach and here he was with her, ordering pizza.
When the food finally arrived, they both ate quickly due to how hungry they both were. The odd conversation popped up but they were both more than content with the other persons company.
"I'm glad we finally got to have Domino's" Aaron chimed in as he closed his empty box. "I'm so glad you let me take you out Kate, thank you"
"I should be thanking you, silly. You've done more for me in a week than anyone at this stupid school and I don't know what to say"
"Don't say anything, just let me take you out more" Aaron's words made Kate light up with happiness. She enjoyed feeling happy again.
"Ok, you've got yourself a deal" Kate replied as the two stood up to leave.
They made their way along the street to the bus stop. Due to it being close to half past eight, they had to walk a few minutes to a bus stop up the road where the late bus would stop and take them back to Blackwell. Aaron offered Kate his jacket but once again, she declined. She appreciated the gesture though.
"So, what do you plan to do after college?" Aaron asked as he flipped his hair out of his eye and placed his hands in the pocket of his jacket.
"I haven't really thought about it, I mean I wanted to illustrate children's books but I don't know now. What about you?"
"Well, I-what was that?" Aaron stated as he turned around. He had heard a noise from behind them.
"Aaron, what's wrong?" Kate asked, not thinking much of it but Aaron's next words made her scared.
"We've been followed since we left Domino's"
Aaron quickly placed his left arm over Kate's shoulders and picked up the pace. He hoped to get the bus before anyone came onto him and Kate.
As they turned the corner and started to walk down the street, Aaron noticed a man standing a few metres in front of them. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned around but it was no good. There was someone behind them and he was walking closer and closer by the second. Aaron looked across the road and just as he suspected, there was a third man there as well.
Kate was starting to panic as the three men closed in on them. Aaron pulled her in close and she placed her hands on his shoulders to get as close to him as possible. He made her feel save but right now, all Kate could do was hide into Aaron.
"Lovely night for a walk" the man who was walking towards them said. He was short and dressed in all black, just like his two associates. He had a black skullcap on that covered up his bald head and beady brown eyes.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" Aaron asked. His tone showed that he wasn't afraid of them.
"As a matter of fact, you can" The short one said. He was obviously the 'brains' of this whole thing. "You can place your valuables into my friend's bag over there" he gestured to the tall man that was standing behind them. "Money, watches, earrings, anything that will get me a decent sum of bills"
"Sorry, I don't think I can help you with that" Aaron shot, his grip still holding Kate closely to him.
"I'm gonna ask again, only this time, if you don't give us something of value, we'll kick your fucking head in and take it off your bloody corpse!"
Kate looked up at Aaron who just stared back at him; his gaze seemed unbreakable as he stared the small man down. Kate was scared, she really didn't want to see Aaron get hurt but they were three fully grown men and he was just one seventeen year old boy.
"You lay a finger on either of us and I'll take your god damn head off"
"So that's how it's gonna be huh? Ok, Smiley, shoe this prick what we do to hero's"
Aaron felt a searing pain shoot through his back as the tall man behind him struck him on the head with something. Aaron crashed to the floor as it started to rain. He could feel the blood running down his neck as the raindrops fell all around him. His vision was blurred and his eyes struggled to stay open.
Aaron looked up and saw the tree men around Kate, she was screaming, begging them to let her go. Seeing her like that angered Aaron, he wanted to rip them apart and feed them to a group of hungry dogs. Kate's cries echoed through his ears as he found his strength, Aaron dug deep and forced himself to stand.
He no longer felt pain, just anger and he'd make them pay for touching Kate.
Aaron grabbed the tall man by the shoulders and threw him to the floor. The third man saw this and ran at Aaron, only for him to punch him in the face. The third man landed next to his tall counterpart and as he looked up, he saw Aaron viciously stop on his face. The tall mugger cried out in pain as he placed his hand to his nose. It was gushing with blood as he rolled around on the wet sidewalk in agony.
The third man got up, his vision blurred but he managed to make out Aaron spear the short man to the ground. He approached the two and pulled Aaron off his short friend, it was a bad mistake.
Aaron punched him three times in the side of the head and then once in the chest. He fell back, only to have Aaron boot him in the side of the head as he hit the wet ground.
With the odds even, Aaron slowly approached the small mugger. His skullcap had been lost in the scuffle and he was on his knees as Aaron approached him.
"Look mister, we get it, I'm sorry. Let us go and we won't bother you ever again" his plea was pitiful but at least he had sense to not try and fight Aaron one on one.
"I told you what would happen if you laid a finger on us. I don't care about myself but you went after a woman, a girl. You're scum and I'll make sure you don't hurt anyone again" Aaron snarled as the rain crashed down on him, he was soaking wet but moved like a man possessed.
He kneed the man in the chin, sending him crashing to his back. Aaron straddled him and began to punch his face vigorously. Left hook followed by right hook over and over until his bald head was covered in his own blood and Aaron's. Aaron stood up panting, as he caught his breathe back, he walked over to Kate who was sitting on the wet sidewalk, doing her best to stay away from the carnage that ensued.
She was shocked at what Aaron had done; he managed to beat up three fully grown men on his own. She was horrified but didn't know how to react. He did that to protect her; he went to that length for her. Kate was shaking in fear, tears still ran down her cheeks but she was glad it was over.
"Aaron offered out a blood-soaked hand which Kate accepted and pulled her up. As the rain poured down on them, he looked into her eyes and said:
"I promised I'd never let anyone hurt you again, and I meant it"
A/N:-Ok, that chapter was a bit of a mess but I'm going away in like 12 hours and I wanted to finish this chapter off before I left.
I wanna know your thoughts on it and how the story's going so far. Let me know in a review or PM. If you like the story, Follow/Fave it so you'll know when I update it and see the continuation of this semi cliff-hanger.
If you haven't already, check out my new LiS stories, The Chrysalis Experiment and The Chloe Price Syndrome, send some love their way as they're still in their infancy.
Much love for all the support, see you all soon!
