The 7 Bad Habits of Slightly Troubled Monsters

by Devin Harnois

She crossed her arms and leaned against the desk. “I told him to see the counselor so he can get some help. He’s traumatized, but he’s trying to hide it. The counselor will keep things confidential unless he thinks there’s an immediate danger.”

  Guilt made him queasy. Aiden was suffering because of him, and even though he needed help, he was still lying for Dylan’s sake. “Do you think he’ll get better?”

  Ms. Yang put a hand on his shoulder. “It might take time, but I think so.”

  She took over the class again, and he went back to his target. For a long time, he just looked down at his hands. Dylan had always loved his power, even though it made everyone afraid of him, made him an outcast. All he’d dreamed of was getting out of Shadow Valley and setting his power loose. The darkness of it had scared him, given him nightmares, but he’d still loved his power anyway.

  Now, for the first time, he also hated it.

  * * *

  Aiden was already sitting at their table when he walked in.

  “Hey, you okay?” Dylan asked, studying his friend. He didn’t look pale anymore.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t need to go to the nurse, but Ms. Yang made me.” Aiden poked at his food.

  Hanna arrived, smiling at both of them. Aiden attempted to return the smile, but it looked weak. She frowned. “Is something wrong?”

  Dylan was going to let Aiden explain it, if he wanted to explain it at all.

  “I, um…” He looked at Dylan like he wanted help.

  Dylan shrugged.

  Aiden’s voice dropped and he leaned close to Hanna to mutter, “I had a panic attack in gym.”

  Her eyes widened. “Was it because of what happened on Friday?”

  Conner. That asshole. He better not try anything today.

  “No, I’ve just been having problems with magic lately. I was in a match and couldn’t handle it.”

  She rubbed his arm. “Why?”

  Dylan almost glared at him in warning. But no, it was up to Aiden if he wanted to tell her, to tell the whole school, the whole town. If it got Dylan in trouble, thrown in prison or killed, then so be it. Dylan had let that dark fae out, and he’d hurt Aiden. If it weren’t for him, Aiden wouldn’t have this problem.

  “I had a training accident a while ago, and it got to me. Every time someone throws magic at me, or is about to, I think about how I got hurt.” He leaned into her touch.

  It was me. My fault. I did this to him. Aiden said he forgave him, but it seemed he couldn’t forget.

  “I know what that’s like,” Hanna said. “Every time I see Conner, I think he’s going to hit me. Or if I say something that I know he wouldn’t like, I cringe. I expect him to yell at me for it.”

  Aiden took her hand and squeezed it. “You deserve so much better than that.”

  A growl carried through the lunchroom. Oh shit, not again. Like speaking his name had summoned him, Conner walked by. A row of tables stood between them, but that didn’t mean they were safe. One jump and Conner would practically be on top of them.

  The werewolf glared at them as he went past, his pack trailing behind him. A hush went through the room. They’d just been sent home Friday. Would he be dumb enough to try to start a fight today? If he did, Dylan would drag him outside, away from Aiden.

  The teachers and hall monitors watched them, tensed to run in. The pack made it to their table and sat. Conner locked his gaze on Dylan, lingering in a clear challenge. Then he turned abruptly away, as if dismissing him. Dylan watched him for a few more seconds as conversations started up around them again. Satisfied that it was over for the moment, Dylan looked back at Aiden.

  Both he and Hanna let out a breath.

  “Don’t worry. That was just posturing,” Dylan said. “He has to act like he’s not afraid of me. We’re gonna have to settle this sooner or later.”

  Aiden tensed, his face going pale.

  “But I’ll make sure it’s not around you, okay? I won’t get in a fight where it’ll freak you out.”

  “You shouldn’t get in a fight at all,” Aiden said as his color came back. “I don’t know what getting expelled from this school means, and I don’t want to find out.”

  Right. Dylan was supposed to be good and graduate so he could help Aiden find his other family. Crap. He wanted to keep Aiden safe, and yes, even Hanna, but how was he supposed to do that without getting in a fight?

  CHAPTER TEN

  Aiden stared at the note Ms. Yang had given him. It would be smart to get it over with, slip into the counselor’s office between classes and set up a meeting. But he just couldn’t face it yet. Aiden stuffed the note in his pocket where it sat for the rest of the day.

  After school, Maggie was waiting by his locker. “So how did it go?”

  “What?” He was so lost in thought about the panic attack and what he should do that he didn’t know what she was talking about. Then it clicked. “Oh. Um, I didn’t ask her.”

  “Why not?” The slight frown on her face was almost a pout.

  “Did you notice what happened at lunch today?” He hadn’t meant to sound bitchy.

  “You mean Conner giving you the Glare of Doom? There’s really no reason for you to be afraid of him. You and Dylan together are like twenty times more powerful than him.”

  Aiden sighed. “It’s not that. I mean, not exactly. I was worried Dylan would get in a fight. It distracted me.” Then he added, “Plus I had a panic attack in gym so I had a lot on my mind.”

  “A panic attack? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine now. I freaked out during a match, that’s all. You know I’m not comfortable with magic.”

  “But you got so good at it. You were enjoying it last semester, I could tell.” She leaned closer, clutching her books to her chest. “Did something happen over winter break?”

  Aiden bit his lip.

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’m worried, that’s all. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

  “Thanks, Maggie. You’re a really good friend.” If it weren’t for the fact that it involved Dylan, he’d tell her everything. He desperately wanted someone to talk to.

  “You’re welcome.” She smiled. “I think you should ask Hanna out as soon as possible. It’ll give you one less thing to worry about, and maybe it’ll give you something good to focus on.”

  Dylan showed up and Maggie backed away.

  “I should catch my bus.” She flashed Aiden another smile, but it had a nervous edge.

  No matter how much he told her about how nice Dylan was, she was still afraid of him. Aiden guessed it wasn’t easy to change your mind about someone you’d been afraid of for years.

  “See you tomorrow,” he called after her.

  “Hey,” Dylan said.

  “Hey.”

  “You doing okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  Dylan shifted his feet. “You sure?”

  Aiden nodded. “I’ll be fine.” At least he hoped so. “I’ll talk to the counselor. And don’t worry, I won’t tell him what really happened.”

  Dylan cleared his throat. “You can, you know. You don’t have to lie for me.”

  His heart ached. “We talked about this already. You’re sorry for what you did, and I’m not going to let you get in trouble for it.”

  “Don’t want you to suffer for it.” Dylan looked at the floor.

  Aiden lifted a hand, hesitated, then patted his friend on the shoulder. “I’ll be fine. I’d feel much worse if you were locked up or something.”

  Dylan nodded and took a few steps back. “It’s up to you. I mean it.” After a pause, he added, “See you tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” Aiden watched him go.

  * * *

  The next day he walked into gym with his heart racing. Ms. Yang had said she wouldn’t put him in matches, so he told himself to calm down. It would either be practice, which he thought he could handle, or he’d sit out the matches.

  Ms. Yang was waiting for him an
d called him over. “Did you see the counselor yet?”

  Aiden shook his head.

  “I want you to go see him now. Sorry I didn’t catch you before you changed.”

  “Right now? What about class?”

  “You can skip class today. If anyone catches you in the hall, just show them the slip I gave you.”

  Leaving class the day after his panic attack was embarrassing. The other kids would put two and two together, and maybe they’d think he was chickening out. But that was better than fainting in class again and maybe better than drawing attention to himself by sitting on the bench the whole time.

  “Okay.” He glanced over to where Dylan stood waiting in the middle of the floor. His friend looked less enthusiastic than usual.

  The locker room was completely empty, echoing even more than usual as Aiden changed back into his regular clothes. At least he didn’t have to avoid looking at Dylan. Aiden made his way toward the office, sure he was going to get caught any second. He had permission, but he still felt guilty walking the empty halls when he should be in class. One hall monitor stopped him, and Aiden showed the slip Ms. Yang had given him the day before.

  “Let me walk you to the office,” the man said.

  Did he not trust Aiden to get there himself? There were several doors within the office area. He remembered the principal’s office from last semester. The hall monitor took him to the other side and pointed. “Through there.”

  Aiden nodded and went through the door he indicated.

  A pale man sat at the desk. “Hello. What may I do for you?”

  “Um.” Aiden pulled the slip from his pocket and handed it over.

  The man read it. “Ah, I see. I’m Mr. Emery.” He offered a hand and Aiden shook it. “Please close the door and have a seat.”

  Aiden did as he was told, heart racing again as he felt self-conscious. His hands twisted in his lap.

  “Why don’t you tell me in your own words why you’re here.”

  He told the same story he’d given to Ms. Yang. No matter what Dylan said, Aiden wasn’t going to tell anyone what really happened.

  “And ever since then, you’ve been afraid of magic?”

  “Not all magic. I’m okay in Minor Magical Control.” It hadn’t been a total relapse. “Just the… really violent stuff. Especially fire.”

  He nodded. “I see. I think I can help you. I’d like to see you once a week, starting this Friday. As Ms. Yang is the one who referred you, I’ll schedule you during her class. That should minimize the disruption to your day.”

  Except for gym class, of course. But again, Fridays were usually match days, and he’d be sitting those out anyway. “Okay. You won’t… tell anyone else, will you?”

  “About what we speak of here?”

  Aiden nodded. Bad enough that he knew, and Ms. Yang.

  “No, Aiden. Anything we discuss here is confidential unless I believe you are in danger or are a danger to others.”

  Good thing Dylan didn’t see a counselor.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Aiden hurried on his way to Hanna’s locker. Turning into the hallway, he almost lost his nerve. He’d texted her before his last class and said to meet him here. Well, even if he couldn’t go through with it, he had to meet her. Telling her to and then not showing up would just be rude.

  It felt like a mini version of a panic attack as he reached her locker. Maggie’s calm words went through his head. That things would be fine, that no matter what they would still be friends.

  Hanna looked a little nervous when she showed up. “So what’s up?”

  This was his chance to say it was nothing, make up an excuse. But what if she said yes? It would be nice to have something good happen after the past few crappy weeks. “Can we talk outside?” This wasn’t something he wanted to ask in a crowded hallway. “Grab your stuff.”

  “Okay.” She gave him a curious look as she opened her locker. She pulled on her coat and grabbed her books, stuffing them into her bag.

  Breathe, breathe, breathe. He led her out to the back of the building where he was sure they could find a private space to talk. Moving away from the doors, he went along a salt-covered cement walkway and stopped near a corner of the building.

  Hanna watched him, waiting for him to speak.

  He went over the words in his head, shuffling them, trying to make them perfect. “Hanna, I, um… We’re friends and that’s great and I don’t want you to think you have to do anything…” Ugh, that was terrible. He sounded like an idiot.

  “Yes?” she prompted, looking as nervous as he felt.

  He took a deep breath and forced the question out in a rush. “Do you want to go out with me?”

  The nervousness disappeared and a huge smile lit her face. “Yes!” She hugged him. “Yes, I’d love to.”

  “Oh.” He hugged her back, wondering why he’d been so worried. First he felt relief, then as he realized what this meant, he smiled.

  She pulled back, looking into his eyes. “I was worried you wouldn’t ask.”

  “You could’ve asked me, you know.”

  “No.” She laughed like it was ridiculous. “So do you have something in mind? For our date, I mean. Or did you just want me to be your girlfriend?”

  Right. Going out, dating. Those things meant going on actual dates. “I didn’t have a date planned. I was too worried about asking you to think of anything else. But I will. I’ll come up with something fun. Maybe this weekend?” He’d need to ask Maggie for advice.

  “That sounds great.” She clasped her hands together and made a squee noise. “I’m so happy!”

  She kissed his cheek, and it sent an electric tingle through him. How much better would it be to kiss her lips?

  They hurried to the front of the building so they wouldn’t miss their buses. Aiden considered taking her hand while they walked, but he was afraid someone from the pack would see them. When Conner found out, there would be trouble.

  * * *

  Dylan leaned against the lockers. “So, you wanna hang out tonight?” At least now he knew not to ask Aiden to come to the pit. He missed their training time. Missed having someone to share it with.

  “Actually, I’m going on date.”

  “A date? With Hanna?”

  Aiden glanced around like he was afraid of being overheard. “Yeah.”

  “So like, you’re an actual thing now?” The uncomfortable sting in his chest… that couldn’t be jealousy, could it?

  Aiden nodded. “I asked her out a few days ago. I was going to tell you earlier, but it just sort of never came up.”

  “So that’s why you two have been extra touchy-feely.” He’d wondered when Conner would come over and cause trouble, but maybe being sent home had made him more cautious. Knowing how afraid of magic Aiden was, for once Dylan was glad there hadn’t been a reason to fight this week.

  Aiden’s face scrunched up for a second. “Were we that obvious?”

  “Almost put me off my lunch.” Dylan frowned. “You’re not gonna start kissing during lunch, are you?”

  “Oh my God, Conner would kill us.”

  “I told you I wouldn’t let him touch you.”

  Aiden paled.

  “I’ll take the fight outside. Far away from you.”

  “I’d rather you didn’t fight at all.” The color came back into Aiden’s cheeks.

  Dylan gave him a hard look. “Don’t let Conner control your life. If you want to kiss Hanna during lunch, then do it. Even if it makes me want to gag.”

  That surprised a laugh out of Aiden. “I should catch my bus. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay.” Dylan went out to the parking lot where his mom was waiting. On the way home, he briefly considered talking to her about Aiden and Hanna and how he might be jealous. No, too embarrassing.

  After dinner, he walked through the snowy streets to the pit. The night was cold, but even without using fire magic, Dylan could generate plenty of heat to keep warm. As soon as
he got there, he sent out a stream of fire, growling in frustration. He’d gotten used to spending time with Aiden out here. Aside from the talk they’d had after the thing, Aiden hadn’t been out here in weeks. Not since the fight.

  Flames swirled along the bottom of the pit, melting the inch of snow that had fallen the day before. A hazy fog formed, drifting between the tall piles of gravel. What was the point of making friends with Aiden if he just ended up alone again? First being afraid of magic, and now he was spending his time with Hanna.

  What would have happened if Aiden hadn’t interrupted him during the ritual? Would Morgan have taken Dylan with him? Would Dylan be out there right now, free to do whatever he wanted? Or had it all been a trick, Morgan using him and then dumping him as villains often did?

  Dylan threw his arms wide, fire rising up in waves almost as tall as the piles. With a yell, he sent them crashing into each other. None of that mattered. What mattered was that he’d hurt Aiden and maybe ruined him for life. Aiden had been doing so good, finally letting loose with his magic and having some fun.

  That was all ruined, and no matter how much Dylan apologized he couldn’t fix it. The one good thing in his life. The only friend he’d ever had. Like fire, he burned everything he touched.

  He sent his magic out, fire lashing and roaring until all the snow was gone. Until the gravel was scorched black and smoking. Until the sky brightened with the coming dawn.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Aiden thought telling his parents he had a girlfriend and asking if he could have a ride to the movie theater had been awkward, but the ride itself was much worse. Hanna had her parents drop her off at Aiden’s house, and then both Aiden’s parents drove them to the theater.

  His parents kept trying to start conversations while carefully avoiding questions about what Hanna was. Aiden knew they wanted to know, but either they didn’t want to be rude by asking outright, or they were afraid to really know, or both. With Hanna in the car, it was like slow torture.