She held his cold hands between her trembling ones.
"You can't forget girls, Aaron. I want you to find a nice one and settle down. Promise me you'll take care of her." She said, a tear streaked down her face and her lips quivered.
He knew how much this meant to her. Aaron was known for being a player, not just at school but within his house as well. He knew his mom had heard the door opening in the late hours as well as his and a female's laughter entwined as they sneaked to his bedroom. He would feel the bitterness hit him when he woke and had to sneak her out to see his mom making breakfast in the kitchen. She didn't say anything, she was too scared to. He knew who he reminded her of and he hated himself for it. But, he couldn't find himself to change.
Maybe the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. The physical resemblance he could see when he looked in the mirror and he knew she saw it too. So, when he did those things, it must have hit too close to home for her.
He shook his head roughly, squeezing her hands.
"I'm not finding a girl. I don't wa-"
"Don't do this!" She cried.
"Do what, mom?" He asked.
"Be anything like him." And it was those words that made him snap inside.
"I have a girlfriend, mom." He uttered out suddenly and his mom's eyebrows knitted together. He confused himself with his words as well, but didn't have the heart to backtrack.
"A girlfriend? You don't usually call them girlfriends? You're not just saying this to appease me, are you?" She asked.
The hope lingering in her tone urged him to continue.
"Why would I, mom? You'd like her; she's your classic nose in a book type." He lied, savoring the smile that lit up her face. It was the first time she had smiled because of him in a long time and so he didnt regret his lie at all.
He looked to his friends who glanced at the scene curiously. He didn't want to tell them the truth, that the only way he could make his mom happy was to tell pathetic lies because he was such a bad son. So, he nodded to confirm it to them and they exchanged glances with each other.
Then the talks came about meeting her and he promised he would find a girl, not for himself because he was through with love. Girls for games were now his only play. He'd make an exception this time and would accept getting a girlfriend. After all, she would have to play the biggest game of all.
"Oh..." was all I could say and I chastised myself for giving such a pathetic answer. He must have really cared for his mother to go out with me. He turned towards me, the look on his face making my breath hitch. His eyes were intense and full of emotion. I could see the emotions swirling in his dark blue pupils- everything he wasn't telling me was on show, right in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to speak but, instead, he closed it. He then turned back to the wall. His jaw clenched as he spoke.
But I stayed where I was and listened as he spoke.
"Do you know how much my lie kills me?" He looked at me, almost as if he was begging me to speak, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. I was speechless and no matter how hard I tried to speak I couldn't.
He spoke again, his voice filled with determination.
"I'm doing this for her. I'm not going to sit around and mope about what is to come. I'm going to do a little changes so that, when the time does come, she'll have nothing but good memories."
My throat suddenly felt dry as everything was connecting together in my head. That was why it was fake, because it was for his mum. Still I gathered all the courage I could muster and asked him the other thing that was pressing on my mind, careful not to ask any question that could potentially set him off.
"But why me?"
His face, that displayed sadness not seconds ago, morphed into that of confusion.
"Why not? You're all the qualities my mum could ask for- intelligent, easygoing, friendly." I nodded.
He nodded back, as if he knew I was starting to get it. "And really pretty" He stated bluntly.
I blushed from his compliment, but gained my composure.
"We're keeping this lie up for your friends too, aren't we?
He stood up and chuckled dryly before replying.
"It's a big lie, but I need this."
I nodded, but questioned again, seeking to douse my curiosity.
"Wouldn't your friends understand that you just want to make your mum happy? Surely, Danny or Justin would. I mean, are you guys not close or something?"
I bit hardly on my lip in the small silence that followed. I just hoped that Aaron wasn't offended by such personal questions.
Aaron didn't seem to mind, nodding his head and saying: "Yeah we're close, but they're not exactly on good terms with mothers, so they wouldn't see my need the same way I would." he said with an unamused chuckle.
I raised my eyebrow quizzically. "Meaning?"
"Justin's mom died when he was born and Danny hates his mom. I don't think they'd understand," he said briefly.
I spoke before I could think.
"You know, if it makes you feel any better, your reason for doing this is much less shallow than mine. You're doing it for your mother. I'm doing it for myself. To say that I did something in my last year of school. Something reckless that I might regret, but pursued anyways."
He didn't say anything to this and, so, I continued.
"Oh, and I know it might not mean much, but I'm sorry about your mum, Aaron. I understand how she must feel." I explained, but my words were restricted and teetering on the edge of a wall I had put up long back.
Never let others too close to your inner self. Information gives power.
"Thanks, Alexis." He said quietly, but he said nothing else.
"You're welcome," I whispered just as gently; a small smile playing on my lips. Aaron smiled in appreciation and walked towards the door, turning the handle. He turned to me just before walking out.
"I'm glad it was you I picked then." And with that he was gone. I smiled to myself. Albeit not having any proper conversation with Aaron, I'd learnt a lot about him. He wasn't just a player. He was human.
He was Aaron Walker.
5- You Don't Know Me
I had woken up in the morning with a smile on my face, happily chirping good morning to everyone.
I didn't know why I was happy. Neither did anyone else. I just was. I felt better then I've felt in a long time. I couldn't stop smiling.
It may have been the fact that I had threw an unplanned and unaccustomed wrench into the gears, but the car was running as great as ever. Or maybe the fact that I spoke to someone in what seemed like a century, so I didn't feel as much a social pariah. Most likely, was the fact that I wasn't the only one who faced hardships and I was- although saddened- glad to find out that even the 'popular' had problems too.
That smile was wiped off soon after.
I had decided to get some fresh air and eat breakfast in a cafe.
Wrong decision.
When I walked in, the smell of freshly baked bread hit my nose, making me salivate. I was starving. I skipped over to a seat and scanned the menu. Choosing what I wanted, I told the waiter my order.
I tapped my fingers on the table to occupy myself whilst looking around the small, cute cafe. My eyes stopped immediately on the one thing that ruined my seemingly pleasant mood.
Opposite from me, Aaron was seated, but that wasn't what made me upset.
A redhead sat on his lap, facing towards the table as they scanned the menu. Her hand went back to play with his hair and his hands were settled around her waist.
A sudden shadow distracted me from the scene. A waiter plopped my food down on the table before me with a smile and I forced a tight smile in response to make him leave. The waiter walked off eventually, leaving me staring at Aaron and the familiar redhead in his arms. I recognised her as a girl from our school.
I was confused at his actions, but mostly angry. His story yesterday had moved me and I had gotten all emotional, feeling sympathy for his plight. But, his plight was most definitely not somet
hing I should have been worried about. He didn't seem to be distraught nor did he seem to be thinking about the huge agreement we had made just yesterday. He had wanted me to help him. But, how could I when he didn't seem to want to help himself?
With a newfound push of courage, I stalked up to the table he was sitting on.
I stood there for a good two minutes, but when either one didn't seem to take notice, I coughed a very audible 'ahem'.
Aaron grunted, turning towards the person who had interrupted him during his early morning pleasantries. The redhead moved to sit beside him at the interruption and glared at me, waiting for me to say something.
I bit my lip. The cafe was fairly small and the tables nearby had now tuned into the conversation. Coughing awkwardly, I tried to ignore them and glared at Aaron, trying to remind him of our plan, but he just sat there, staring pointedly; waiting for an explanation. This seemed to go on for some time and my blood boiled at how much more I was giving into his favour than he was. He was looking at me as though we hadn't spent all afternoon together yesterday.
"Wow, okay, you really are as stupid as I thought you were." I let out before clapping a hand over my mouth when I realised I had said it out loud. I dared to look his way to see him stand up, a dark expression on his face.
He moved closer to me and I instinctively took a step back. He tensed at this too, I noticed, but I couldn't stop my innate reflexes. I was doing it on instinct. I moved away until I was backed up to a table and had no place to go. His hands leaned on the table on each side of me, caging me in.
"Why are you here, making a scene, Alexis?" He said quietly and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
I tried to remind him.
"Remember the plan" I said in a whisper to make sure no one else heard.
His eyebrows furrowed. Confusion apparent in his features.
"What plan?" He said
I rolled my eyes and spoke slowly like I was talking to a five year old, just like he did with me.
"You. Me. Fake. Boyfriend. Girlfriend" I said, trying to see if it rang a bell. Was he drunk that night?
All the confusion dissipated from his face, replaced with idle amusement.
"So you broke me apart from Amber just to remind me of our plan? Calm down, I've got this" He said, with a wink, an easygoing tone to his voice.
He looked at me curiously, like he was assessing me. I didn't look away. I had always been very attentive to detail and meticulous above all. It may have been irksome to others, but everything had to be in order.
"Yes! Don't you get it, you said you had a girlfriend. This doesn't bode well with the plan! You're putting holes in your own plan for your own selfish gains!" I whisper-yelled. I didn't want anyone hearing us, but I wanted him to hear the disappointment in my voice. Disappointment at what I thought he was and what he turned out to be.
His eyes narrowed.
"We could start 'going out' at any time of the day. It doesn't have to be planned. Stop being so uptight" He said back, his voice firm.
I was now feeling heated. How dare he call me uptight?! He can't just ask me to do him a favour, play with other girls and call me fucking uptight!
I shot him a look.
"I am trying to do you a favour! And you repay me by calling me uptight?! I was just trying to look out for you! But no! You just can't stop being a manwhore, can you?" I hissed.
If he was angry before then he was fucking livid now. His electrifying eyes turned darker, the navy blue surrounding his iris becoming bigger in the process. I gulped. I was shitting myself.
I probably shouldn't have said what I did, but I didn't feel like backing down right now. Especially with that challenging look he sent my way.
He spoke darkly, his voice scaring me into oblivion.
"Amren, go home" he growled, referring to the redhead from before.
I watched as she gaped, putting both hands on her hips before saying
"My name's Avery" She said incredulously, a nasal quality to her voice.
This didn't seem to faze him in the least bit. He growled again.
"Just shut up and go home"
She seemed to be shitting herself, in the same manner I was, as she ran out of there.
I shifted my eyes up to meet Aaron's. His eyes were still unbelievably dark and his jaw was clenched. He was still angry.
"What did you call me?" He questioned darkly, daring me to speak.
And I, being the stupid person I am, spoke.
"I called you a manwhore. You just sleep with girls and then leave them. You make me sick and-"
I was cut off when a fist collided with the wall near my head. Aaron kept on staring at me, not even registering the pain that it might have caused to his hand. I looked over at his hand. He had bruised knuckles and the skin was tattered. He must have hit it really hard.
I looked back at his face. He chuckled and it sent shivers up my spine, but not in a good way. It sounded kind of cold and... Not Aaron.
"Don't get the idea that you know me because you don't." He said looking me in the eye before leaving.
Everyone in the cafe was staring at me, but I didn't care right now.
All I cared about right now was why he was so cold. And, how scared I was of him.
Aaron Walker was certainly a person of complex character.
6- I'm Your Girlfriend
I went home after that in the shittiest mood possible. My parents must have thought I was bipolar.
I lay on my bed, thinking. About Aaron. I just couldn’t stop thinking about him. Questions arose in my head. Why did he hate being called a manwhore so much? Why did he act the way he did? This is a side to him I’ve never seen. Then again, I didn’t know him that much. He made that pretty clear. His words rang in my head.
′Don’t get the idea that you know me because you don’t.′
I shook my head trying to clear my thoughts. I went to the closet and pulled out some comfortable clothes. Removing the skinny jeans and red blouse, I changed into black joggers and a jumper. I looked at the mirror and opened my long straight hair, letting it cascade down my shoulders. I looked in the mirror at my reflection. For a second, I felt a rush of distaste run through my mouth as I took the sight, but it immediately was forgotten when I thought about his words again.
’Don’t get the idea you know me because you don’t.′
That hurt me. I don’t know why it did. I knew we were strangers, but something about the way he emphasised that fact made me want to crawl up in a corner. His statement sounded almost accusatory, filled with unrequited anger and hatred.
Yet, all the anger didn’t seem to be directed towards me.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. My mum came in, smiling widely. I forced a smile back. My mum saw through it instantly and frowned. She could always tell what I was feeling.
She sat down on the bed.
“Honey, are you sure you still don’t want to-”
“No” I said, cutting her off sharply. I knew what she was about to say. And my answer would always be no.
My mum sniffed, on the verge of crying.
“Alexis”
I sighed and went up to hug her. I didn’t like seeing her cry. It made me upset. It reminded me of what happened to Aaron’s mom. How did he deal and cope with such a situation?
I sighed deeply, knowing I had to go back. I had to go back and sort it out with him. I didn’t owe him anything and a part of me knew that. But, for as long as I’ve known, I had always been the type to want to help and, so, doing nothing now made me feel guilty.
When he had come yesterday, he had told me that his mom had asked to meet and that was today. It was planned that I be there to meet her and Aaron was supposed to pick me up. But, it was already nearing 5pm and not a word from him. He was still angry with me, I was sure about it. I suppressed an eye roll, knowing that I hadn’t been entirely wrong and he was also to blame. But, the bigger person in me was clawing through my stubbo
rnness, convincing me to go to him.
I stood up abruptly and hurried out the door uttering a quick ‘Got to go. Bye’, leaving my mom in a pool of constantly shed tears. I would be back to amend things like I always did, but we both knew that me being here for this conversation was unhealthy for us both.
I walked to the direction of his house. I obviously knew the way. He had held a party at his house and I remember driving past once looking at the crowded house with glazed eyes. I had envied that life and wanted it more than anything, especially when my life was crumbling down around me at the time.
I ran until I reached the house. I gaped in amazement. His house was huge. The money his parents earn a day could easily more than what my parents earn per year.
I chuckled dryly before proceeding to the front door and ringing the doorbell.
And that’s when the feeling of nervousness set in full force. The way he reacted in the cafe was far more aggressive than I would have initially anticipated Aaron to be. He seemed laid back. It was like he became another person. I shuddered at the memory before hearing the clicking of the door handle being pulled down.
The door opened, revealing Aaron, standing there topless with jeans. He stood leaning against the doorframe, a blank expression on his face, biting an apple.
“What is it?” He said, no hinting of emotion in his voice. That hurt me. It was as if me coming back didn’t bring any relief. That I was just another one of his sluts:- ordinary and forgotten.
I scrunched my eyes close and repeated in my head.
All for his mom
All for his mom
All for hi-
“Alexis” I looked up to see him still in the same position before, but now his arms were folded- He was waiting for me to talk.
I swallowed nervously and was about to speak until a female voice interrupted me.
“Who’s at the door, darling?” Then the female speaker came in view. She had brown hair and pink lips. Her eyes were blue, just like Aaron’s, but not as electrifying. Dark shadows hung beneath her eyes. She looked stressed and tired, but that wasn’t what made me feel sadness for her. She was in a wheelchair. Weak legs may have been a symptom of leukaemia.
Faker Boy (Alexis Secret Book 1) Page 3