Author's note: The following chapter is in Aiden's POV. The important events of the whole story is written in his POV. This could be a little disoriented if you are reading just this chapter for judging purposes but I'm sure you'll find Aiden's character sketch, his intentions and the flow of the story crystal clear.

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BAD ANGLES BEG TO BLEED

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When Irsia broke the news about Kyle, her placid look said she had seen this coming and it only tore me more. I waited earnestly for someone to dawn this on her, but her unruffled reaction told me why she had been beside herself for the past week. I thought it was about her mom not letting her drive her car, but it wasn't? I could never comprehend what she ever saw in a guy who was a swell head like him. I couldn't watch her soaked in her somber thoughts.

I was about to get my bag and leave the premises after swimming practice. I saw her leaving the library in a hurry. Fiona tailed behind her, saying something I couldn't decipher from a distance.

"Margo," I called out. She did not respond. Her pace had hastened. "Margo..."

What was Fiona doing after school hours? I ran to catch up. Margo had a way of sprinting in her walk. "Hey..." I was just a few inches from her and I realized she was in a stupor. She leaned back and sloped, lost her balance. I caught her.

"Hey, Aiden." Fiona batted her eyes at me, making me squirm. My eyes fell on the screen of her phone and her unabashed expression told me Bridget was far better than her. She had shown Margo a cozy picture of Kyle and Sofie.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked Fiona and strolled out the library premises carrying Margo.

I was pretty sure she hadn't eaten all day. She had disappeared during lunch. There was no sign of Edric. I called Irsia to come over. She was promptly there at the nurse's office in twenty minutes. I watched her looking at her feet all through the sweet drink and the ear-full the nurse gave her. I left her with Irsia and Elec and drove home, clenching my fingers and jaw to diminish my urge to drive to Kyle's home.

As soon as I reached home, my phone vibrated. It was Verena, the girl who admitted she was a PSB not too long ago.

"Did you see the school page?"

"Not interested."

"You and Margo are hot news now."

I scrolled down the wretched page and found a picture of me carrying her to the nurse's office. "Damn it..." I cursed at the comments that kept going and going. Everyone knew Margo. She was friends with the popular girls -Electra, and Irsia, who happened to be the sister of the infamous Edric. The picture did grab spotlight for me in a really bad way. As much as I wanted to relish in the thought that there was a picture of Margo in my arms, this was bad for her and to see that the comment train was building, I had to take down the picture.

It was Fiona who posted the picture. I was sure of that, but the comments made me sick. People had no jobs. Especially the ones who kept writing comments feeling sorry for Kyle were going to end up homeless in the future. He had tricked everyone into believing that Margo was the one who cheated and he had a hard time getting over her.

I waited at Eastcrest, Fiona's neighborhood. I knew she wouldn't take down the picture. She wanted the illusionary stain on Margo. I'd never understand why girls would have to play dirty this way. I had already called and made Irsia in charge to make sure Margo steers clear of the school page. I knew she'd do a stellar job. It had been an hour and the hapless photo was still online. Dammit. I wasn't fast enough.

"Edric, I know I owe you one already, but could you do me one more favor?"

"You don't owe me. Fiona and I had –"

"– don't finish that sentence."

"Tell me about this favor, Wilder."

"Get on school page."

After a brusque ruffling noise of his phone... "I like the angle."

"Doesn't look good on Margo."

"I know Raddix would pay heed to me."

"I'm not leaving Eastcrest until she takes the picture down. She won't pick my calls knowing what I'd ask her."

"You're parked outside her house?"

"Roughly."

I kept scrolling through the cheap comments and I found Kyle playing victim in the comments. No, no, no, I did not clench my jaw to the point of inflicting pain on myself just to drive to his home. I was too immersed in the thoughts of imagining Kyle's face bleeding that I ignored Edric's call. Before I could talk myself out of this, I was at Kyle's porch.

He opened the door as if he had expected me to show up. "Were you really hooking up with Sofie?"

"None of your business."

"At least have the decency to tell her," I snapped.

"Decency? Don't think I don't know why you are always around her."

"That has nothing to do with this." I inched toward him with my fist craving for his face.

"Tell me, Aiden, did you hook up with her?"

"You know she is too good for you."

"And she's just good enough for you? She is a boring, old soul who knows no fun. I'd say I was bored with her all along. I just wanted to see what all the rave was about her. She is too dense to even know that. My curiosity is quenched. You have my blessings, Aiden. You can have her."

My hand went out of my control in an impulsive punch across his face. Then another swift one. He grabbed my shirt, his fist aimed for my face. It was nice to feel a physical pain seeping into me after a really long day of feeling nothing but a wrenching at my arteries. He raised his hand again. I shrugged his hand out of my shirt. He grabbed it again. That son of a–

Edric put his Wrangler to its inertia and hopped out. "I knew I'd find you here." He marched toward me.
"Miller," Edric to his rescue. "Save the virility for your new girl toy and get your hands off Wilder." Edric forced his hand off my shirt. "FYI Wilder never made a move on her. For future reference, Miller -one, be a man and tell it to the girl if you are not interested anymore. Two, don't even think about getting even. Three, treat Sofie better or leave her alone. You know me, Miller. I'd set fire to your ass if you double-cross me." Edric's menacing tone should have forced some sense into him. Kyle backed off.

"Do you think he'd stop with this?" I asked with a foreboding thought, looking at my fingers shaking with left-over wrath.

"He already has his tail between his legs."

"Why is the picture still on?"

"We are going straight to her house."

"No, Edric, you are going straight to her house. Why do you think I didn't go knock on her door? Her eye batting and her flirty voice as low as Kyle is galling and I'm tired."

He laughed, giving me a shove on the shoulder. "Because you know, she's got it bad for you."

I gave him a bland stare. "Not in the mood for bantering, Edric. I'll wait outside her house. You check in and check out or just make sure she takes down the goddamn picture before you start anything with her."

He laughed a sarcastic laugh. "Say no more."

While I waited outside, it only took two minutes for Edric to get her to take down the picture. I sent him a thank you message and rolled out of Eastcrest. I waved bye for Margo when I saw her leaving Irsia's home. I didn't even get to talk to her. Irsia sent a message saying thank you. I replied, sportively, I don't know what you are talking about. I really wished Margo knew I'd be there for her. An imperceptible amount of her knowledge on this could have helped me feel like I was not sitting over thorns.

I didn't care if it was dark. I liked swimming at the Crossburn lake. After dark especially. I shrugged out my t-shirt and jeans. Phone vibrated again with Verena on the other side.

"Hey, Verns."

"You are talented."

"Thanks," I laughed, thinking about the last time I talked to her on the shore of the lake, when a ghost friend of hers tried something really funny.

"That was Fiona, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Edric took care of her... er... it, I mean." It was confounding to see Edric with ferocity to walk through fire for Electra but also fool around with a lot of other girls.

"Edric...? I imagined her taking down the picture with your charm enchanted on her."

"No, that was all Edric."

"I know she's got it bad for you."

"I recall Edric telling me the same thing." I said, growing fonder of the water and less of the call.

"She's not the only one with a crush on you. I know one or two."

"I had no idea, Verns. I've got to swim the stress off."

"Meet you at school."

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