4. Be ready at 7

" Yes..he is," I breathed out looking at the picture of the pale guy. 

 

Aaron nodded briefly. "Hmm..let's go to the library," he said and started walking. I followed him behind, breathing heavily. 

 

"Do you wanna know how he got me this detention?" Aaron asked after some time. 

 

"Yeah..sure," I said eagerly. If we both had a common enemy then I really wanted to hear the story. 

 

"Two weeks ago, I was walking through the hallway after football practice. Then when I reached the Janitor's closet, someone caught my hand and pulled me inside.” 

 

“It was him?” I asked. 

 

“No. It was actually a girl and then she suddenly started..er..kissing me.” 

 

“Oh...! Then?” I was amused. “Let me guess, you started kissing her and things got heated up and you guys got caught red-handed?” Aaron looked at me as if surprised at my response. “What?” I asked him. 

 

He shook his head looking away. “Yeah..something like that. I don't know what caught my head at that moment. I kissed her back. However, It didn't even last for 3 seconds. Cause, the door opened and it was Asher. 

 

And then that bastard went and reported it to the principal exaggeratedly. He almost said we had sex. That’s how we got detention. Not only that, he insulted her in the middle of the hallway when she went to ask him about it. She changed school," 

 

Aaron said whilst glancing at the opposite corridor. I could imagine how efficiently that bastard might have lied to the principal. 

 

“Why don’t you say anything?” he asked as I kept silent. 

 

“What should I say? He is so fucking cheap. I understood it already from my today's experience," I said. 

 

Aaron looked up relieved. "Yeah! A jerk! But our Principal and teachers are all on his side. He is a teacher's pet. He has brought a lot of trophies to school going to various quiz competitions and basketball matches and music competitions. So he is like a precious gem to our principal. Mr. Morris believes everything he says. He doesn't know how much of a bastard he is." 

 

"He is into music too??" I asked. 

 

"Yeah..he is a good piano player," Aaron said frustratedly. 

 

"Ahh..why do some people get a lot of talents? Especially jerks like him?" I asked more to myself. 

 

"But everyone actually likes him. He is like this only to certain few people. I'm on the top of that list," Aaron said. 

 

"Why like that?" I asked confused. 

 

"Once you get into his bad books, it's difficult to get out. He'll keep on troubling you. And that's what happened to me. Now you too." 

 

"Oh..so he is gonna continue troubling me?" I asked in awe thinking what all he can do to me. He got me one-week detention just with what I thought is a love letter. So he obviously can do a lot more. 

 

"Don't worry. He isn't gonna trouble you since you are Ty's cousin," Aaron said. 

 

By then we had arrived at the library and we both walked in. We wrote our names and put our signatures on the detention record book the librarian handed us before going to a corner and quickly occupying two chairs. There were a few other students having detention along with us. 

 

"You know, this isn't the first time he got me into detention. He troubles me ever so often. I don't know what to do with him anymore....", Aaron trailed off, his frustration visible on his face. 

 

"Aaron, let's plot against him together. Currently, he is the person whom I hate the most. I want to take my revenge on him. Tell me, what else he did to you? I really wanna know." 

 

"Last month he found me near the park at night with a few of my friends. Two of them were smoking at that time. He suddenly barged into us and forcefully dragged me into his car. He took me to my home and told my parents that he found me smoking and drinking a lot of times here and there, my friend circle is bad, so they should control me and what not. Now my curfew is 8." 

 

"Wait! Is he crazy? And how he knows your parents?" I asked frowning. 

 

He sighed. "My Mom almost hit him with her scooter last year. He sprained his ankle and so she took him to the hospital and from then they are great friends. Now he can do anything to me and my parents won't say a thing." 

 

"But still, why did you let him take you to your home?" I asked confused. He said he was with his friends. How could Asher alone manhandle him in such a situation? 

 

"He blackmailed me." 

 

"With what?" 

 

"Something...", Aaron said hesitantly. 

 

"Okay...", I nodded. I was feeling really suspicious now. There's definitely more to the story. And maybe Aaron isn't saying the whole truth. I can't completely trust him just because we have a common enemy. Asher and Aaron, both can be equally bad. 

 

"And he told something really bad about me to my ex-girlfriend that she broke up with me," Aaron spoke again. I could no longer tell whether he is telling the truth or not. I only frowned in response. 

 

"Yeah..but it's okay. I was already planning to break up with her. I didn't actually like her. I dated her because she confessed to me at the party after we won a football match. Everyone was then cheering me to accept her confession. At that moment I was forced to accept her." 

 

"Okay..." I nodded. What a foolish excuse! And Oh, he is on the football team. So that's one reason many girls are behind him. 

 

"We just dated for two weeks. I don't really know what Asher told her. It's okay, I'm only grateful for that. But you know, he tells shit about me to every other girl and practically everyone who tries to get close to me. He doesn't like me having girlfriends or even friends. He says I deserve to be left alone." 

 

"Why? Why does he do all this? Is he mad? I can't believe Ty would keep a person like him as his friend." I said. 

 

Aaron bit the side of his lip. "Ty and I were best friends at a time. But I really messed up and he started hating me. Asher could have helped me. I had pleaded with him. But he made Ty hate me even more. And I know he is making Ty hate me more and more every day. I already suffered a lot for my mistake and I'm still suffering. Don't know when he'll understand." 

 

Wait! what the hell is he talking about? I couldn't help but frown hard at him. 

 

"What did you actually do?" 

 

"I'm afraid you will hate me after I say it," he said, looking down. 

 

Okay, Isn't he being a bit too dramatic right now? Why did he tell me all this if he doesn't really want to tell me the actual thing? But it's sure he badly messed up with Ty. Cause Ty doesn’t usually talk rudely to anyone. But today he did. 

 

Aaron suddenly looked up. "I'll tell you. If I don't tell you, you'll know from Ty. So it's better I myself tell you." 

 

I was going to tell him I'd better hear it from Ty when I heard footsteps approaching us. It was none else than the librarian. She was now standing in front of us, glaring at us. 

 

"You guys are not supposed to sit and talk during detention. If so detention is very entertaining, right? This is supposed to be a punishment. So you need to sit quietly and write the works you got," She snarled looking at us. 

 

"Yeah...we were actually discussing our topics and thinking what to write," I said. 

 

"That's not allowed. You need to work alone. C'mon..you get up," She said to me. 

 

"Sorry. We promise we'll sit quietly and work," Aaron then said. 

 

"Yeah..so, why do you guys need to sit together?" She asked him and turned to me. "C'mon you get up or I'm reporting to the principal that you were talking instead of doing the detention work." 

 

'Oh hell' I cursed in my mind and stood up. She made me walk to a far away desk and sit down. I took my notebook and started scribbling down distractedly about 'the importance of honesty.' 

 

The whole time I was thinking about what Aaron might have done to Ty. I really wanna know it. Will Ty tell me what happened? I looked at Aaron and saw him scribbling down on his notebook with his head resting on the desk, his face had a genuine sad look and his lips were pressed together in a tight line. 

 

After about half an hour, I finished three pages of my first essay. Next was the 'French Revolution' and I knew nothing about that. So I got up and walked to the shelves to find something about it. I went to the history section and started searching for a book. Soon Aaron approached me. "What are you here for?" I asked him. 

 

"Agrarian Revolution," He replied. "Anne, can you please do one thing for me?" he asked me. 

 

"What ?" I asked. 

 

"Please don't ask Ty about me today. I want to tell you what happened between us before he tells you about it. Because he misunderstood me a lot and I want you to know the real truth. And I'm afraid you wouldn't listen to me once you hear it from Ty. I actually want you to help me. You are the only person who can help me.", He said looking into my eyes. 

 

I see. So he actually wants me to help him and that is why he is trying to be friendly to me. 

 

"Do you think I would believe you over my brother?" I muttered staring back at him. 

 

His jaw dropped and he looked at me desperately. "Please..." 

 

"Hello! Are you guys again talking over there?" the librarian shouted at us from her desk. I quickly moved away from Aaron and started searching for my book. Soon I got it and walked back to my desk. Aaron was still searching and I could feel him occassionally glancing at me. I just ignored it. 

 

I quickly copied down three pages about French Revolution and then looked at my watch. There were five minutes for Five. Okay, I'm not going to start writing about one more topic today. 

 

I closed my book and laid down, waiting for the five minutes to pass. Then a bell rang indicating the detention ended and I stood up along with the other few people who were inside the library. 

 

I and Aaron met at the exit and then we walked down the hallway together. "How many essays have you completed?" he asked me. 

 

"Two," I said and he nodded. There was now an awkward air surrounding us. We didn't talk after that. And when we reached the main hallway leading to the main entrance, someone called Aaron’s name from behind. 

 

I saw Aaron instantly clenching his fist. I turned around along with him to see none else than our Villain standing in front of us. He seemed surprised to see me along with Aaron. He was eyeing me thoroughly. 

 

"What the hell do you want?" Aaron asked angrily. 

 

"I heard you are failing in maths. Mr. Jacob asked me to tutor you. So I'm coming to your home to tutor you. Be ready at 7. We'll do a two-hour section today." 

 

"What!?", Aaron uttered wide-eyed. Yeah, what the hell is this happening? I too was surprised. 

 

"I wonder what the fuck is wrong with you!" Aaron sneered. "Who told you, you can come to my home? No way in hell!" 

 

"I already talked to your Mom and told her I'm coming. She is more than happy about this. You know, she even asked me what I want for dinner," the Carter guy said with a smirk. 

 

"You are not coming Asher!" Aaron nearly shouted. 

 

"Of course, I'm coming," Asher spat back. "I'm getting extra credits by tutoring you. So I'm not changing my decision." 

 

"No! Go tutor someone else!" Aaron yelled. 

 

"There isn't a worse student than you in Maths," the jerk said calmly. 

 

Aaron gritted his teeth and barged toward him. "What the hell do you want? Why are you interfering so much in my life?" He asked angrily, grabbing Asher's collar. The scene was getting tenser. 

 

I didn't know whether I should go and pull them away. Moreover, I was surprised to see Aaron's whole new violent self. He was angrily shaking the jerk but the jerk was there standing calm. 

 

"Aren't you satisfied troubling me yet? What did I do to you to deserve this?" Aaron sneered at him. 

 

"You didn't do anything to me. But to Ty. And yes, I'm not yet satisfied troubling you. You deserve a lot more for what you did to Ty," Asher said yanking Aaron's hands away from his collar and pushing him away. I saw Aaron freezing at the mention of Ty's name. 

 

"Be ready with your books at 7," Asher said glaring at him. Then he looked at me for a moment before turning and walking away. 

 

Aaron stood there froze even after Asher walked away. He had his gaze down on the floor and his fisted hands were shivering. I walked to him and he looked up. His blue eyes seemed to be getting watery. 

 

Before I could say anything, he started briskly walking away from me. Once he took a few steps, he started running and soon he disappeared from my sight.