Ravaged Hearts

Chapter 9

Raelynn

The moments with Aiden in the concert have been demolishing my mind for the past hour now. Control yourself, Raelynn. I take the keys from mom's drawer who returned today early in the morning, bid my goodbye and head to the car. I thought Stella would miss School today but her dad woke up last night and seemed fine enough, so she's still coming. I turn towards her house to pick her up and after waiting for five minutes, I see her come down and get in the car.

"Heyy", I try to act as cheerful as possible as I hug her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, let's go" Stella says as she buckles the seatbelt. She's anything but fine. I can see the literal dark circles under her eyes and the haziness in her eyes. I try to have small talk in the car and she tells me on how Jacob comforted her last night.

I am flabbergasted.

Jacob and comforting don't really go together.

We reach school and make it to class. I see Aiden in his usual seat but he doesn't bat me an eye laughing with his friends.

As expected.

I take out my notes and start studying to keep ahead. After a while, our history teacher, Mr. Adam enters and the class settles into a pin drop silence. Right, you don't want to mess with that bald, spectacles worn man. Nope. The last time someone didn't do his assignment had a fucking SUSPENSION. Apparently, he went to the headmaster and mixed all the troubles and issues of that boy in one damn story and exaggerated it so much he had suspension for three days. I know, this man is beyond evil.

"Class, today you're going to write on Oscar Wilde. You'll write on whatever you can find and know on him. A reminder that it'll heavily affect your overall grades, at least a quarter of it. It has to be atleast 10,000 words. That's why, it's going to be a group work of three. You kids should be grateful I'm making it easier for you. I want the work back within tomorrow".

Grateful, my ass. He expects us to finish this in a day?! He should check into a mental asylum for god's sake. I hear groans and frustrated moans all over the class room.

"Silence. Now, I'm going to divide you into groups."

Someone please give me the knife to stab him.

He assesses us with hawk eyes for a good five minutes before clearing his throat like he's made his decision. "Raelynn, Aiden and Elsie", he remarks with a sharp tone. I almost jump at my name and then my brain is filled with fume.

Of course he knows how much we all loathe each other, even though I'm not sure 'loathe' is the correct word for Aiden anymore. And of course he would put us the in the same group. I can just shoot the pen in my hand towards his eyes.

After he ends his satanic ritual of dividing, and grouping Stella with Jessica and another guy named Xander who's Aiden's team mate, everyone sits with their groups. I swear I saw Jacob glare at Xander the moment Mr. Adam took his name with Stella. And now, I'm the one who is feeling Elsie glaring at me, but I decide not to bat an eye at her side. I seriously would've appreciated it if Aiden atleast gave a 'hey' and not start rapping about the work. But whatever, we need to finish the work by tomorrow.

"So, who's going to write which part?" he finally says after- what feels like decades of him blabbering out on how much he knows about Oscar Wilde, like boy- we all know about Oscar Wilde.

He thinks he's the only alive person with a brain on Earth.

At least I do, I read his books as part-time jobs practically. Before I even have a chance to open my mouth, Elsie goes, "Oh I can write anything you tell me to write." I fight the urge to not roll my eyes at her comment and answer on which part I'll be writing. Aiden's super good at pretending like nothing happened between us.