Catch me, I'm falling. (Lexa/you)

Chapter 3

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Aden's POV.

As always, Aden woke up at the first sound of his alarm, shooting up quickly, as though the loud, blaring noise had startled him awake.

Unlike most mornings, he actually felt awake for once, and went through his morning routine much quicker than usual, leaving him with twenty extra minutes to kill before Lexa drove them to school.

The brunette in question was currently scowling at Anya from across the table, pushing around her oatmeal rather than eating it, and Aden shifted restlessly at the unresolved tension surrounding the two girls.

He'd never met a pair of people more stubborn in his entire life, so he knew that neither would apologize any time soon, and that it was up to him to make peace in some way.

The soccer ball resting next to his backpack offered the most logical solution.

"Wanna practice for a little bit? I'm a tad rusty."

This, of course, had been a very, very bad idea, but had worked out in the end.

In her attempt to kick the ball to hit Anya in the face, Lexa had accidentally nailed the back of her little brother's head, allowing the ball to ricochet and knock into Aunt Indra's favorite vase, an ivory one with intricate blue detailing.

The three had fled the crime scene quickly, chased out by a yelling Indra, Lexa shouting promises over her shoulder that she would replace it, much to Gustus' despair.

He hated that vase.

Nothing brought a family together quite like running away from an angry, towel-weidling lawyer.

As per usual, Aden dropped off the majority of his belongings in his locker upon his arrival to school, trying to delay the inevitable journey to math class for as long as possible.

While Trikru favored him because he was Lexa's little brother, the man was still the shittiest teacher he'd ever had the displeasure of encountering, and the mere thought of the class filled Aden with dread.

"Hey! Woods!" Aden turned, closing his locker on instinct, as though preparing himself for a confrontation, but relaxed when he saw the girl from his history class approaching him. Her name was Tris Michaels, a studious girl with a penchant for mischief, who strived to be an athlete above all, hence her intense study of the football practices.

"What's up, Michaels?"

Trailing her was another freshman, a fluffy-haired, brown-eyed boy named Atom Zedd, who Aden only recognized from a game of human bingo in which he'd discovered that the boy had been born in St. Louis, Missouri.

"I was wondering if you could ask your sister if I could shadow a few practices?" Inwardly, Aden couldn't help but roll his eyes.

At least she was blunt about it. Most people would try to befriend and then manipulate him in order to establish some sort of connection with Lexa. "I want to try out for the team next year, and want to get as much experience under my belt as possible."

"I'll see what I can do," Aden assured, opening his locker once more, "see you in history."

"Awesome! You're the best Woods, catch you later." She turned to move, motioning for Atom to follow her, but the boy paused, signaling that he'd be a moment.

"Do you want an inside with the football team too?" Aden drawled sarcastically, to which the other boy laughed and shook his head.

"Sorry about her, she can be a little over-enthusiastic about sports. And nah, not really into football, at least, not that kind," he grinned, nodding to the soccer ball wedged on top of a stack of textbooks, "you play?"