Chapter 4 – Kiara, I Choose You

"And I don't have a second more

I'm gonna waste on you

And you can hate me if you need to

I'm not anybody's girl

And I will not conform"

Physical Education. My most hated subject. The only sports I was really good at were the ones related with water and unfortunately we didn't practice them at school. So I wasn't too thrilled about P.E. class, especially because Aiden and Matthew were also in it. At least I had Dylan to cheer me up.

Our P.E. teacher, Mr. Jeff, was a forty-year-old jerk, those who had been captain of the American football team at school and then coach for years and years. Now he seemed to have calmed down, but he was still really damn annoying.

"Attention, folks!" he said when the class gathered around in the school gym "today we're going to play basketball. To make teams I want Matthew Clarke" I rolled my eyes, Matthew was Mr Jeff's favourite "and Aiden Stuart."

I sighed. Now I really wasn't excited about this class.

"Can I choose first, sir?" Matthew asked.

"Sure!" Mr Jeff nodded. I was always one of the last students to be chosen, so I was really surprised when Matthew called me first. What? I was not tall, nor did I know how to play basketball. Why didn't he had chosen one of his buddies? Before anyone could say anything, Aiden intervened "Sorry, Clarke, but I was going to choose her."

Matthew turned to him and crossed his arms.

"But I was the first to choose, remember?"

"Only because you're the teacher's pet" Aiden retorted, a frown on his face.

I looked at Dylan. He mouthed the words "they really are into you." While the discussion between the two most popular guys at school unfolded, people were looking at Aiden, then at Matthew, and then at me, as if it was a tennis match played by three.

"Enough!" Boomed Mr Jeff's voice "if you want to argue about this girl, do it outside. Now behave like the men you are and keep choosing. She is on Matthew's team because he was the first to choose."

"Of course." Aiden ironically said.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I think it's better if I don't play—" I tried to say.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PLAY, MA'AM, ON MATTHEW'S TEAM NOW!" Shouted Mr. Jeff.

Reluctantly I walked towards Matthew who gave me a green vest and his irritating smile. After the teams were made, Mr Jeff whistled and the game began. Fortunately, Dylan was on my team.

During the game I barely touched the ball, and when I did it it was to quickly pass to someone else. Matthew and Aiden were taking the game so seriously that I thought they were going to start fighting. At one point, at one of the rare times the ball was with me, a girl of Aiden's team tripped me, making me twist my ankle and fall to the ground.

The girl took the ball and I tried to get up, but the pain did not let me.

"Stop the game! Don't you guys see that Kiara is in pain?" Dylan asked, coming up to me. Matthew and Aiden, who were fighting for the ball, made their ways towards us and for my dismay a small crowd surrounded us.

"What the hell is going on now?" asked Mr Jeff, plainly annoyed that is lovely basketball game had been interrupted.

"Are you okay?" Dylan asked me with concern, but before I could answer Mr Jeff came up to me and yelled "GET UP GIRL, YOU'RE WASTING MY TIME!"

Upset, I replied in the same tone "I would get up if I hadn't twisted my ankle, don't you think?"

Aiden and Dylan both smirked at me, surprised by my answer.

"Enough! Aiden, take the girl to the infirmary!"

"Why Aiden?" mumbled Matthew. I narrowed my eyes. Clearly, something wasn't right. And I had to find out what. Quickly. 

"You had her on your team, now it's Aiden's turn to spend some time with her!" replied Mr Jeff.

"Excuse me, sir, but Kiara is my best friend, so maybe I could take her..." offered Dylan and I prayed that Mr. Jeff would accept the offer. But of course that didn't happen.

"I ALREADY SAID THAT SHE'S GOING WITH AIDEN!" Mr. Jeff continued, pratically ignoring Dylan.

"And I can't choose?" I asked "I don't really trust him..."

Aiden grinned and the teacher looked at me furiously.

"YOU ARE IN NO CONDITION OF CHOOSING, MISS! YOU'RE GOING WITH AIDEN OR YOU'RE NOT GOING AT ALL!"

"That's funny, because I can't walk! Besides, I'm a person with rights, I should be able to choose. No one here owns me, you know?" I fought back. Mr Jeff was really pissing me off for a long time now and I wanted to show him that he couldn't do whatever he wanted to. He didn't have the right to treat us wrong just because he had failed his life.

"Fine, do you a want a choice?" Mr. Jeff asked, staring me right in the eyes. "THE CHOICE IS: AIDEN OR NO ONE!" Mr. Jeff thundered, angrier and angrier by the second. I had never seen anyone so red. 

"But you just said that I was in no condition of choosing! And didn't you hear me? Nor you nor Aiden nor Matthew or whoever, owns a damn inch of me!" I remembered him.

"ENOUGH! DETENTION!"

The gym went silent. Never in my life did I have a detention. But  honestly, I didn't really care. I was too upset with Mr. Jeff and too intrigued with what Matthew and Aiden were up to for worrying about a stupid punishment sent by a stupid teacher. 

"Can we go now?" Aiden broke the silence, kneeling beside me. I tried to get up, but with no success. Unexpectedly, Aiden picked me up bridal style.

"What are you doing? Put me down!" I demanded, trying to get free from his arms, but that only made him tighten his hold on me. 

"But you can't walk, remember?" he said with a cheeky grin.

I sighed, looked at Dylan who gave me a thumbs up, and Aiden and I left the gym.

"You better hang on to me, you may fall, you know." He informed and I couldn't help but sense that he meant something else with that sentence.

"No." I argued. He pretedend to trip, making me cling on to his chest. Aiden smirked.

"Stupid." was all I said.

"I'm the stupid one? Who argued with the most unstable and delusional teacher at this school?"

"He was asking for it. That bastard!"

"You were really bad ass in there. I liked that."

"Shut up." I said, trying not to blush. What? Blush? No way! I never blushed! Especially not with guys like Aiden!

I mentally thanked God for everyone being in classes, so no one was watching us. I would hate the rumours to start spreading about us. 

"For real." He kept going. "I really liked the bossy independent you, when you said all of those things about no one owning you. A little bit out of place, but it was nice to hear those words for a change."

"Mr, Jeff was asking for it. And I am independent. I don't need anyone to make me feel good about myself."

He smiled. "That's nice."

The conversation was starting to get slightly weird so I changed the subject. "So what happened to the bad boy facade?" I asked. 

He frowned, visibly annoyed by my question. "Can't a guy help a girl?"

For some reason I didn't reply and finally we got to the infirmary.

"What happened?" Asked the lady in charge of the infirmary.

"She twisted her ankle in P.E." Aiden said before I could speak.

"Poor girl..." then the lady smiled "but thank God there is still gentlemen like Aiden to bring you, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. Aiden, a gentleman? Yeah, right. Let me laugh.

"He only came because Mr Jeff forced him to." I answered. Aiden gently bent me down on the stretcher. To my surprise, he didn't leave, standing by the door.

"You can go now, you know?" I said to him.

"I'll stay." He argued. The lady looked at me.

"And you still say he's no gentleman."

I frowned, which made Aiden's grin grew wilder. 

"I'm not anybody's girl

That's how it's gonna be

Can't tell me what to do or say or who to be

And the only one I'll ever answer to is me

And if you think that you gotta control me

Just to be a man

Then baby you will never understand."

The music of this chapter is I'm Not Anybody's Girl from Kaci Battaglia. Picture on the side shows the characters of this story *-* Who do you like best? And who do you like to see Kiara with? Matthew? Aiden? Dylan?