Chapter Six: Sparked Interest

Aiden didn’t even know what made him do this, going to her house and deciding to offer her a ride to school. He felt like a desperate teenager trying to impress his crush. He wondered if that was it; that he was crushing on Lorraine. *“I just have to know her.”* He had been alone for way too long, and she was interesting in her own way. He didn’t know what he wanted from her exactly, but he wanted to take his time and figure it out. *“Bates would have my head.”*

He wasn’t surprised at how nice her mother was, nor was he shocked at how similar they looked. They both both held similar features, the same green eyes, maybe Lorraine’s lips were plumper than her mother’s. He hated himself for noticing every single detail about her; he almost felt compelled. It was just like the confused look Lorraine was throwing his way, which he did nothing but shrug his shoulders at her.

“It is nice of you indeed” she mumbled, taking a seat next to her mom. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes.

“So, you told me your last name was Aetos?” Suzan said, trying to start a conversation. The awkward silence was beginning to get on her nerves. Moreover, she liked to consider herself as one of the cool moms. She wouldn’t also deny the small part in her, which eagerly welcomed the idea of him being a potential boyfriend for her daughter. 'He seems like a nice guy'. She thought to herself. “It’s a strange name”

Lorraine swallowed the bite of omelet, “it’s Greek”, she turned to Aiden, “It means eagle, right?”

He only nodded again, “My family moved to the US back in the 1900”

Suzan only nodded with a smile, “And what do your parents do?”

Aiden casted his eyes down, “Both my parents passed away”. His tone was tainted with sadness, which made both women sympathize with him. Lorraine wondered how come she had never asked about his parents. She wondered how they never approached a conversation about them. “I live with a distant family relative”

“I’m really sorry” Suzan said sympathetically.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago”

The unexpected breakfast ended smoothly, then both Lorraine and Aiden left together. He opened the passenger door for her. *'Like a perfect gentleman.'* She commented in her head with a small smile and got inside.

The drive was silent at first, and Lorraine had too many questions. “Thank you for passing by and all, but I can’t help find it strange.” Aiden sent her a questioning look, “It’s just…” she let out a frustrated sigh, “You’re all hot-and-cold kind of guy. It’s dizzying, really. The first day I met you, you seemed way too eager to not even talk to me, you were all rude let me tell you that”. She let out a scoff. “Then you showed up at my house with Judy and it was all nice. You said you will go to the party only if I go”

“I didn’t say that” he denied with a chuckle.

“Oh, you did!” She exclaimed. “You’d join Judy, me, and her friends, though everyone told me you never did before. So…” She let out another sigh, “You can say, I’m confused.”

The car came to a stop, looking around, Lorraine realized they were already at the school parking lot. He turned his body so he was facing her, “I’m not sure what’s going on either” He said with a serious tone, and she could sense his honesty. “I know I shouldn’t, but at the same time something about you intrigues me, it gravitates me towards you”

She wasn’t sure how she felt exactly, but her heart rate spiked a little, she nibbled on her lower lip, wondering what he meant. She wondered if he liked her, and if he did, how would she feel about it. She wasn’t sure she could indulge in a relationship at this very moment. She decided that the best way to avoid any awkward situation was sarcasm. It was her defense mechanism against, well, everything. “I hope that wasn’t a confession, because it was pretty crappy”

Aiden gave a rare smile, and his eyes held a playful look, “You can educate me on how to make my confessions less crappy then”. *“It was totally a confession.”* She decided in her head. She wondered if she liked him. Lorraine wasn’t a relationship-seeking kind of girl; it didn’t seem like a concern of hers. Moreover, she wasn’t sure if she felt that way about Aiden. She had read many romance novels and watched many movies; there was always a spark or chemistry. She didn't feel any of those towards Aiden.

She had her first kiss when she was fifteen, pretty late in comparison with other girls in her class. His name was Harry, and she really liked him. But at that time she didn’t enjoy their kiss and all the ones that followed in their three-month relationship felt wrong. *“If you can call it a relationship.”* She thought to herself. She let out a sigh, deciding the truth is the best option in situations like this. “Honestly, I don’t know what to say.” She looked away from his gaze, “I think you’re a great guy, a little strange and maybe hard around the edges, but great nonetheless. So, maybe we can remain friends and let’s see how it goes?”

He wasn’t entirely happy about her answer. However, he knew she had a point. He decided that it was a good thing, turning him down was good for the both of them. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing anymore. “It sounds good to me.” He gave her a small smile.

“Well, let’s head to class. We don’t want to be late for Mr. Bright’s class”. Aiden got out of the car, and before she could open the door, he was by her side, opening the door for her.

She shook her head, chuckled then said, “Such a gentleman”

“Don’t tell anyone.” He whispered as if he was telling her a secret.

Lorraine was surprised at the playful side of him. It was one she had never seen before. They walked together to the school building and she felt his hand, in a feather-like touch, on the small of her back. She decided that it could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

All eyes were on them, throughout the whole day, everybody was looking at them. They were the hot new topic of the school’s rumor mill. "The new girl managed to snatch him", she would hear the girls whisper. When they had entered history together Bates gave a look to Aiden, one that could be interpreted into nothing but disapproving. Aiden ignored it; he knew he was rebelling, but he didn’t care.

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Judy, Mary, Mike, and Jake were gathered at one of the cafeteria tables. They sat together discussing the most important topic of the day. “I can’t believe that he ended up with her!” Mary exclaimed disbelievingly.

“I mean, I can totally get where he’s coming from”. Jake said with a shrug. He was interested in Lorraine the moment he laid eyes on her; she was not drop dead gorgeous, but there was something about her that was attracting him. However, he was not unaware of Aiden’s interests, none of them was. It was clear as the day that he joined them to be around her. Everyone noticed the way he would look at her when she wasn’t really looking.

Judy let out a long sigh, “I kind of expected this to happen, just not so soon”.

No sooner had she finished her words, than Aiden and Lorraine joined them. “Our very new couple.” Mike said with a teasing grin. Lorraine only shook her head dismissively, trying to bite back her embarrassed smile. The others were talking, while Jake was holding his phone and scrolling through something. He suddenly stiffened and let out a loud, “Jesus!” Grabbing the attention of the others. Mike was the first to ask him what was wrong, so Jake turned the phone to Mike while saying, “Dude there is a family of campers who have been missing for the past couple of days”

“Seriously? Were there any children?” Judy asked horrified.

Mike grabbed the phone to take a closer look at the article, “I’m not sure” he said distractedly.

“They must have gone into the valley” Mary shook her head.

“I didn’t know the valley was a restricted area for campers?” Lorraine asked with knitted eyebrows, remembering the article she had read a few days ago.

Jake nodded his head firmly, “They say there are some wild animals in there”. The others nodded their confirmation, “No one is really allowed to go in there”

*'Wild animals.'* Lorraine thought. Something told her there was more to this than wild animals. It just didn't feel right.