"You know what you are? Hm?"
"A desperate little fucktoy."
****
Aaron Bright's life isn't as bright as his name says. He has no college friends, gets bullied for being bisexual and his parents have kicked him out for the same reason.
After an incide...
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"Try this one on!"
Emma bursts out laughing at the sight of me with a raincoat. I grin, putting it back on the hanger.
She wanted me to come shopping, so here I am. I need new clothes, to be honest. Maybe there's some fun hoodies I can buy. Micah's are nice too, but they're his.
We're meeting Alex, Isaac and Theodore later, because they didn't want to follow Emma like a lost puppy waiting for toys. Their words, not mine. I did want to go along with her, and am so glad the others didn't blink twice when I said that. They wished me good luck and went to the pub to play some snooker.
Turns out, I didn't need any good luck. Emma is great to shop with. She's honest—sometimes too honest, but it's fine—and gives me advice. I've bought some great outfits, even if I wasn't allowed to buy that panda onesie. She's mean like that.
"Can we buy a few hoodies? You know I love them," I ask her. She sends me a wink. "I've sent the guys with some secret quest. You'll have three new hoodies by the end of the day, each of them picked out by one of them."
I'm sure my face reflects my mortification. Those three have no taste.
She laughs and taps my cheek. "Or you can steal Micah's? He doesn't mind."
I grumble and walk past her. Her laugh is heard over the crowd, making it easy for me to find her again. She drags me along to the next shop. It's filled with hats.
Now I understand Alex's horrified shudder when Emma was talking about all the shops she wanted to do. I love shopping with her, but hats?
"Look at this one, Aaron! Isn't it pretty?" she gasps, placing it on her head. I give a small shrug. "Everyone looks pretty on you."
She grins and puts it back. "See, this is why I like you. At least you're useful."
I smile along as we walk out of the shop again. Despite the tension between Sebastian and Theodore, I love this friend group. Each of them is unique in their own way, and they accept me being less social than them. I must say that it's gotten better since February, and I dare to speak up rather than to let everything happen to me.
Aiden said that's fantastic, and that they're so proud of me. I'm proud of me, too. And so happy I didn't let Silas and Ezra run my life.
"Hey, you want to come to my case tomorrow?" I blurt out all of a sudden. She turns to look at me with a confused frown. "What case?"
I haven't told anyone yet, because I too am confused. Confused and a little scared, but determined to lock them up.
"Against Silas and Ezra. My murder attempt, you know?" I shrug, look at the ground. "The case starts tomorrow, and I could use some support." More support is always welcome.
She nods, still frowning. Her hand rests on my arm as a silent way of telling me she'll be there for me. "Of course. Do you want the others to join too? If not, I won't tell them about it. But I'll be there."
