24
I nodded, lifting my hand free as Clyde bolted off into the forest. He easily tore across the river, spraying water everywhere before vanishing back into the brush. I couldn’t help but linger where he once stood, softly sighing before turning away.
\---
“He really made you walk all the way back yourself?” Aiden scoffed from the driver’s side, turning off the main road leading out of Ayersville. “Glad to see he’s taking the dangers of the forest seriously.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” I insisted. “Besides, I don’t need someone to escort me down a pre-made trail.”
“I-I’m sure Mr. Harvey’s shown Aria the, um, s-safe places to walk,” Laura piped up from the back.
He absolutely had not, but I didn’t want Aiden to win this fight. It had started at the park and was still going on; I felt so bad for everyone in the back seat. Though, if Noah and Trevor were feeling awkward for being in the middle of our conversation, they weren’t showing it. Noah seemed entirely fixated on his playlist, a pair of earbuds shoved in his ears as he nodded his head to an unheard beat. Trevor, meanwhile, just stared out the window, watching the highway pass us by.
“I still don’t like the idea of you and Clyde alone in the woods,” Aiden pressed. “He’s not to be trusted.”
I gave him a sideways glance, shifting in the passenger’s seat while crossing my arms. “Are you sure you two don’t hang out together? Because you keep repeating the same thing.” I sighed, giving Aiden a slight frown. “If you still want to hang out, you’d better get okay with me and Clyde.”
Aiden let out another huff, attention returning to the road. “I don’t have to like it,” he pointed out, expression softening. “But I don’t want to lose you, either.”
Poor Laura looked so relieved in the rear-view mirror. She leaned back in her seat, pulling out her phone from her bag as she gave it a once-over. Very briefly, the pair of us exchanged looks; if she was that kind of girl, she might’ve teased me for all the male attention. But she only gave me a slight grimace and a shrug, to which I replied with a slightly-off smile.
“So, we’re headed to the place off Forbes, right?” Trevor suddenly asked.
Aiden nodded, checking the left outermost lane before merging. “You know, I never asked if you’ve been to a ‘Spooky Halloween,’ Aria.”
“Oh, they pop up everywhere back home.” I grinned, glad to have a change of subject. “You don’t know how excited I was to hear Ayersville has one so close by.”
“D-do you have any thoughts about, um, c-costumes?” Laura asked shyly. “Me and N-Noah were trying to c-come up with, um, m-matching costume ideas.”
Noah popped one earbud out with a nod. “It’s a tie between a deer and hunter or a psychic and their crystal ball. I’m not too sure how we’d pull off the latter,” he added, “but it’d win the school costume contest for sure.”
I nodded, a few pieces starting to fall in place. “Ooh, so that’s why we’re looking so early.”
“Noah and Laura usually place pretty high up,” Aiden commented lightly. “But that streak of theirs is coming to an end.”
The car soon filled with laughter as we pulled off the highway, turning beneath a sign labeled, “Glensburg.” This was a far more familiar sight to me as rows of towering buildings passed us by, alight with glowing windows and buzzing business signs. There was something homely about being in a concrete jungle once more; still, I was finding myself missing the trees.
Once Aiden found a parking spot, we all piled out and started for the nearest crosswalk. Noah and Laura were quick to fall in line together, laughing and giggling under their breaths while Trevor trailed behind. As I closed the passenger’s side door, I caught Aiden patiently waiting on the sidewalk for me.
“Hey, about what I said—” he began.
“It’s alright,” I reassured him. “You just want to make sure I’m safe. But I promise you, Clyde is all bark and no bite. Well, around me, anyway,” I added sheepishly. “I guess I can’t say the same for you.”
Aiden extended his hand forward, which I graciously accepted. I hadn’t expected the gesture, but it felt so good walking down the street, hand in hand. A comfortable silence fell between us as cars puttered down the streets, the two of us sticking close together to allow other pedestrians to pass. It felt so different from my time with Clyde, yet, equally as pleasant.
“Hey, Aiden?”
He immediately turned my way, stopping just before the crosswalk as the light turned red. God, I really had his full attention.
“Have you—” I paused, not quite knowing how to phrase my question. “Have you been avoiding me because I’ve been hanging out with Clyde recently?”
Aiden’s posture stiffened. “Was I that obvious?”
I chuckled lightly, giving his hand a squeeze. “Let’s just say the color green doesn’t suit you very well.”
He sighed, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t mean to come off that way. It’s not my say who you’re friends with, I just…” His hand fell to his side, fists clenching slightly. “You just had to be friendly with him, huh?”
I smiled weakly, knowing full well how much it must’ve hurt to watch. “I know his family thinks yours is the literal incarnate of evil, but I think if you two just sat down and talked it out, you’d find you have a lot in common. Such as basketball,” I pointed out. “And a terrible habit of getting jealous.”
Aiden grinned sheepishly, a tinge of red racing up his ears and reflecting off the streetlights. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It could be that easy,” I assured him. “I’m not saying the two of you have to be best friends, but maybe it’d be nice if I didn’t feel on-edge whenever you two were around each other?”
The lights flickered green, signaling us to cross. Aiden hesitated, turning my way once more before nodding slightly. “I’d be okay trying for your sake. But I can’t promise Clyde’ll play nice.”
“Well, you’re not in charge of that.” I grinned, letting his hand slip out of mine as I skipped across the crosswalk. “Now, move it, would you? I wanna get a good costume before Noah and Laura take ‘em all for themselves. We could totally come up with a team theme that beats theirs.”