Chapter 23:

Author's Note: I have so much fun causing people pain! Writers are eviler than any villain created. (Unless the villain is a writer)

Also: This is not me writing it, it is my friend Shravan possessing me and writing the drama.

Rowan noticed that the decorative snowflakes were replaced with bright buds of blooming life. He rubbed his eyes, tired from staying at the hospital for so long, he hoped to get some good rest. He had gotten an alert saying that there was another assignment, but he supposed visiting a dying friend was more important. He signed in and then climbed two flights of stairs into Rowan's room, which might as well have been Aelin's and Rowan's room. Lorcan would need to find his own place soon. He was tired of scheduling his cuddle sessions with Aelin to avoid Lorcan's schedule. Aelin…

He smiled just thinking of her wild eyes and untamed hair. He was definitely a lovesick fool. Oh well, he enjoyed it.

Though he didn't enjoy what came next.

~
The rush of passing made everyone unidentifiable. Books and papers were thrown around, some were rushing to get to their classes before a monster of a teacher spitfire, others were in no rush and made out against lockers like hopeless romantics, no one noticed two pairs of arms drag Aedion and Lysandra into a janitor's closet.

Elide and Lorcan wanted answers, and they both agreed that these two, would be the best way to get it. They had been in the kitchen when they had heard a bunch of gossip crap from students. Normally, Lorcan didn't care for gossip, but Elide had always insisted that it was the closest things to news one could get. So here they were, like a pair of detectives.

Aedion and Lysandra stumbled into the closet, but they quickly realized that there was no threat, though the close intimacy made Aedion and Lorcan uncomfortable.

Lysandra whispered, "What do you want?"

Elide filled her in, "I know you've heard the rumors that Aelin is cheating on Rowan -"

Aedion jerked and knocked a broom over, "Which moron started that trash talk?"

Lysandra picked up the broom and calmed him down.

Elide continued, "I know there is more to the story. What happened?"

Lysandra and Elide quickly exchanged details. While the guys just grumbled over the strong smell of detergent and talked about the latest football game - of which apparently, they were both strong Patriots fans.

"Did you see Brady's new apartment?" Lorcan asked.

Elide smirked, now who was the nosy busybody.

Lysandra shushed the boys and whispered, "I don't understand why she drowned in the first place."

Elide thought for a moment, "Well you did say that their lanes were parallel. And Chaol was going at the same pace as Aelin, even when she was drowning, right?"

Lysandra nodded.

Elide concluded, "Don't you think it is weird that he was that slow. What if he was the reason that Aelin drowned."

Aedion followed, "There was a lot of splashing, it was hard to tell what was going on."

Elide snapped her fingers, "That's my point, you couldn't see what was happening, but what if he used that as a mist to cloud his doings?"

Lorcan interjected, "Umm guys, I hate to interrupt this conversation, but I think a janitor is coming our way."

Their eyes widened and a moment later, the door opened.

But when the janitor looked to see what the commotion was, he only saw mops and cleaners, the scent of perfume and cologne - of the people in it, masked with the smell of detergent.

Aelin knew these stupid rumors were going around. And lunchtime was the center of it all. Anxious, she began searching the cafeteria for Rowan. He wasn't there for the assignment, and he wasn't in bed. Though he did say he was alright, she was more worried that he would here one of these stupid rumors. She needed to talk to him before some stupid misunderstanding would happen.

But despite her efforts, she wasn't the first person to reach him.

Aelin was now frantically searching for Rowan, as teachers were now gossiping about this. She pushed through the crowd, who pointed fingers and hid their mouthings behind their hand. Her breath began to quicken. She felt like her life's mission when she saw a tall, silver head above all the other mundane ones. She shoved the person next to him to the ground and tapped his back. He spun around and Aelin's heart sank when she saw Ianthe next to him. His eyes said everything. Aelin was momentarily stunned, but by the time she could remember how to use her words and explain everything, he was gone.

She hoped it wasn't the same way with their relationship.

Author's note: Mwahahahaha! To be honest, I didn't want to do this, but according to my friends (who are kinda like my editors), some drama was needed. So here it is. I wrote 3 chapters in 2 days. Nanowrimo really helped me type more words.

YAY!

Okay, I'll shut up. Review!

PS: My next update won't take longer than 2 weeks. (Lot's of planning!)

PSS: The next competition might involve some touchy/feeling stuff!

Again, thank you Esha Sudhakar, it has been a joy and pleasure working with you! :3