Steps of Courage

Chapter 25

The next week, Bree kept finding different ways to mess with me, but every single time Aiden was there to help me stop her. The fact that he was helping me was only making her more mad. When he stopped her for the fourth time, she snapped. 

"What's your deal, Aiden?" she asked, angrily. "Why are you always defending her?"

"Because what you're doing is messed up." he said, stepping between Bree and I. "Leave her alone."

The motion only made her more mad. She looked like her eyes were going to pop out of her head. 

"You're always in the way." she says, seething. 

"I'm not going to stand here and watch you make Katie's life miserable." he said, firmly. "Find something better to do with your time."

She stormed away and the feeling that she wasn't done still wouldn't go away. 

The tension on the campus only grew with the passing day. Even though Bree didn't go to the school, it was open grounds so she could come up to me at any moment. And she did. I was walking with Aiden - about to go home - when she approached us screaming. 

"You think you can escape from me?" she demanded, aggressively. 

"Enough!" Aiden says, standing between us again. "Leave Katie alone Bree."

He motions for me to follow him and we go around her as she stands in the quad visibly angry. 

"You need to pay for what you did to my family, Katie Cooper." she screams, grabbing my shoulder so I couldn't move. 

She swivels me around and before I could react she's screaming in my face again.

"No!" Aiden yells, jumping between us again. 

Then the unthinkable happened. Bree swung at him. He stayed put, shielding me from the blows. 

"Bree!" I shouted. "That's Aiden! Stop!" 

A crowd forms around us as Bree continues to throw punches at Aiden. I started to cry, he didn't have to do this. I felt so bad, this was all my fault. I put a hand over my mouth to muffle my screams. I watched desperately as Aiden protected himself, he didn't look hurt. But he's taken quite a few blows so I couldn't be sure.

"What's going on here?" A campus security officer asked, pulling Bree away from Aiden. 

"She attacked me." Aiden said, as I ran up and gave him a hug. 

He winced at the contact, and I went to loosen my grip. But he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed so I knew it was okay. Once I let go I could see the officer talking to some witnesses. So I went up and explained the best I could to him what had happened. He took it very seriously - straight to the police.

A restraining order was filed against Bree. So she could no longer go near me, Aiden, or the school ever again. I celebrated with Aiden, as long as it got approved we would be free. 

"Are you okay?" I asked him. 

He had been trying to act tough but I could see it was hurting him. 

"I'll live. Just a couple bruises. It was 100% worth it. No one's going to hurt you if I can help it." he said, hugging me again. 

After we walked home together again, I messaged him. 

Me: How are you holding up?

Aiden: Just a few bruises to add to my rugged charm

Me: Don't act tough for me

Me: I'm genuinely worried about you

Aiden: Worried?

Aiden: I'm invincible

Me: Invincible, huh?

Me: Is that why you took the beating for me?

Aiden: Well, someone's got to be your hero, right?

Aiden: Let's just call it another fairy godfather duty

Me: Thank you, seriously

Me: I don't know what I would've done without you in that situation

Aiden: I've gotchu

Me: You need to be more careful though

Me: If you had been seriously hurt...

Me: I don't know what I would've done

Me: I care about you so much, Aiden

Aiden: It was nothing

Aiden: I'm okay

Aiden: Don't let it fuck with you

Aiden: I can't see you have another panic attack

Aiden: It scares me seeing you like that

Aiden: I just want you to be happy

My heart melted reading that message. He was so sweet, I didn't realize how much he cared. He was such an amazing friend. 

Me: I appreciate you more than words can say...

Aiden: We make a pretty good team, don't we?

Me: The best team

With that I said my goodnights and went to sleep. I could sleep peacefully knowing Aiden was okay and that we wouldn't have to worry about Bree anymore. 

The next day we got a message that the restraining order had been approved and was put up from that day forwards. Aiden and I were so glad.