Chapter 6: You've got to be kidding me!

"WHITETHORN!" yelled a voice that jarred Aelin from her slumber.

She squinted her eyes and towards the door to find her big-headed cousin. What was wrong? She looked across the bed and found the reason why.

There lied Rowan in deep sleep. Drooling, slightly smiling, and arms draped around her.

Her eyes widened, "Rowan, wake up. Come on. Code red, code red!"

Unfortunately, Rowan responded in a terrible way, he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck and muttered, "What's wrong fireheart? Last night was awesome."

Aedion's eyes widened, "YOU WERE WITH HIM ALL NIGHT!"

"Aedion, you need to chill," Aelin was now standing next to him, challenging him, "I'm fine, I can take care of myself. Now leave and that's an order."

Aedion probably would've fought back have Aelin shut the door in his face.

Aelin sighed to find a smirking Rowan sprawled across the bed. She almost felt relieved, but she knew Aedion too well. She knew that this was just the beginning.

Aelin was in passing when something caught her eye. Everyone seemed to be holding an article. There were silent whispers and unspoken conversations in the air. People were staring at her, that was normal, but the way they looked at her was different. Some looked at her with pity others with disgust. She wasn't quite sure what was going on.

Then she noticed two bulky students standing across from one another as if in a karate match. She immediately knew who that was and she didn't like it at all. She rushed to the scene but it was too late.

Aedion punched Rowan and yelled, "You need to stop writing about my cousin."

"It was just one article," Rowan defended.

What article? Was Rowan a journalist? And how was she involved?

"I bet you used your little script," Aedion teased.

What script?

"I didn't use anything and I'm not going to deny that I find your sister an intriguing case," Rowan kicked Aedion and Aelin was sure that his bladder went off.

Aelin didn't like the way he called her an 'intriguing case' as if she was a test subject.

"You knew that Sam was a touchy topic to her." Punch.

"I seem to care for her more than you did, considering that you didn't talk to her about Sam." Kick.

"What about Sam?" Aedion was caught by surprise but didn't let his guard down. More blood.

"Oh, you didn't know. The idiot died in a plane crash. It's why she ran out of the classroom that day. She was weeping and pulling her hair out," Grunt.

Aelin's eyes widened and she put the pieces together. This article that everyone was talking about, the disgust looks, the unspoken words, it was about her written by Rowan.

Now, this could have gone in two ways. One, her being flattered. The other, her being humiliated and having some of her most private secrets exposed.

She grabbed the article, which was everywhere and was heartbroken.

It was that stupid essay that he had to write on her. Only revised and more exclusive.

It claimed that she had been the reason why innocent Sam died. It was the reason his family was depressed. It claimed that she was a monster who didn't know how to love someone properly.

She was on the breaking point. How could Rowan say that? Over the years Aelin learned to close herself from emotions. She was alone. She was betrayed.

But a spark went through her that triggered deadly fire through her veins as she leaped between the fight, knocked Aedion out, and started to fight with Rowan.

"Fireheart?" Rowan asked as he stopped fighting.

Aelin slapped Rowan. Hard and certain. There were gasps, open jaws, and wide eyes, but Aelin couldn't care less. The hallway suddenly became silent, ironic considering it was passing.

Rowan looked at her with shock, hurt, and betrayal as he asked, "What was that for?"

Aelin could feel that fire inside her as she whispered, "Rowan, I think you should watch what you say. If you insult me or any of those I love, dead or alive, I am going to make your life a living hell. You don't call Sam an idiot for him trying to declare his love for me. He loved me. He had a heart. Something that you clearly don't have, you emotionless traitor. When someone pours their heart out, an actual person, with an actual heart and with an actual life would have even the slightest hesitation to even spill a little bit. But here you are, two days later, writing a freaking article on things that shouldn't be told.

And you don't get to say these things about me, you hypocrite. You left Lyria too. You're the reason why she is dead. The reason why her family is depressed. YOU are the monster who doesn't know to love. And I'm sure that if Lyria was alive today, she'd be disappointed in you.

You told me that we'd be together 'to whatever end' well, I guess this is our ending. It's not like we really had anything at all, to begin with. You mean nothing to me."

Aelin rushed to her room, forgetting about the classes she had next and sobbed in her pillow. Thoughts swirled around in her head. Rowan writing that stupid article. Him calling her a monster. The humiliation that she would suffer. Rowan made her crazy, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Men Aelin thought as she rolled her eyes. Tomorrow would come and she'd have Aedion and Rowan to deal with. And everyone that read the article. And that plan that Manon and Dorian were plotting.

She hated being awake, her life seemed to fall apart then, so she fell into a dark, endless abyss.

Author's note: Hey ya'll! My school is OVER! YAAAASSSS! Hopefully, I'll be able to post more. I decided to split chapter 6 just because there was a lot going on in this chapter. This is a high school AU so there has to be some drama. And as always, review!

PS: Lysandra will play a big role in the next chapter.