With a Pull of a Trigger

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Secrets Untold

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

Aldrin calmly looked at Clarissa pacing back and forth in front of his desk. It all felt like déjà vu, really, what with the number of times he had watched Clarissa pace back and forth in his office.

“That man,” she spat, “and his tricks, and his goddamn shit!”

Aldrin had always known that soundproofing his office had been worth it. It was, however, at times like these when he was reminded of just how important that decision had been.

“If you would stop cursing like a sailor,” said Aldrin calmly, “then you would know that it’s okay.”

Clarissa abruptly stopped her pacing, looking at Samuel incredulously. “Okay? How could it be fucking okay? He’s dead, Aldrin. Gone. You and I both know his money’s to go to Samuel when he’s dead and that will not work well with us!”

“Think of the positive things, Clarissa. We can now harm the Miltons. We can now harm Miss Aspen. He cannot harm The Alliance anymore,” said Aldrin.

“You mean to say he cannot harm your precious Amrie anymore,” she spat.

Aldrin merely glared at her.

Clarissa took two deep breaths before forcing herself to calmly walk towards one of the chairs opposite Aldrin. She sat down, breathing deeply and brushing off invisible lint from her already perfectly-pressed red pencil skirt. “Aldrin, you cannot let yourself be attached. Our plan is falling apart at the seams,” she said with barely restrained anger. “We cannot just harm the Miltons or Aspen for that matter. Money is an issue now.”

“I already have another plan,” said Aldrin. “I cannot tell you what it is, but I already have one. You and I both know that Samuel is angry at Reini. We will use that to our advantage.”

“What, by baiting Samuel?”

“No,” said Aldrin, shaking his head. “He’s not that stupid, nor is he that petty to fall for something like that.”

“Well then, what is your plan?” asked Clarissa.

“You’ll see.”

It wasn’t his intention to, but one day, under a large oak tree, he kissed her for the first time.

It had felt right, felt like how first kisses were supposed to be. It didn’t feel at all like when he first kissed the head cheerleader, Grace, wherein he felt like he was being attacked by the saliva monster, nor did it feel like when he kissed Helena from their neighborhood wherein she just didn’t taste right.

It felt perfect.

It wasn’t his intention to do so, really. Catherine and him were just relaxing under the big oak tree in the campus grounds, Catherine studying for a Biology quiz, and him studying for his Algebra quiz. They were just there, studying, like they did almost every afternoon, but that afternoon wasn’t like any other afternoon because of the fact that he had kissed Catherine Aspen.

Maybe it was the lighting, or maybe it was just Catherine’s smile every time she got a question right, but it certainly was something, and soon enough, Gil found himself kissing Catherine.

During the remainder of freshman year, he and Catherine had become close friends. Catherine soon became friends with his friends, and his friends, in turn, became kinder and stopped being bullies. Perhaps it was during that time when he realized he was falling in love with Catherine, or maybe he only realized it when he kissed her, but honestly? It didn’t matter.