Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

I was sitting in Reuben’s room the day of graduation waiting for Simeon to get home from hunting. Ryan had started to bother me again but I tried not to think about it and just focus on my biggest problem of the day: what was going on between Reuben and me. That was what had me reading Seventeen I was laying on my stomach reading every girl magazine in the world trying to figure out what in the world we were once and for all. Reuben was sitting just across the room from me with a small grin on his face at the desk having just finished writing in his journal. I had found out that that was what he always wrote in a couple months ago.

“What are you reading so intently over there Ms. Cheerleader?” he asked laughing coming over to me and lying beside me.

“I’m trying to figure out what we are.” I whispered when he wrapped his arms around me to hold me close. It was moments like this that the lines were blurred this hold did not feel like a friend hold but I liked it. It felt like the sort of hold that Simeon would have given me at the beginning of our love before he was confident enough to flaunt it as much as he did now and how Reuben had held me when we were dating.

“Having any luck?” he asked laughing after he read the article, “Because I don’t think you can define us as ‘does he stick notes in your locker?’ I mean I guess if you want…” he shrugged and I laughed.

“No I’m not having any luck at all.” I sighed leaning farther into his hold as he tightened it.

“Then can I help you out?” he asked.

“Please.” I begged.

“We are whatever you want us to be. The line is drawn wherever you want it to be drawn.” He promised. That didn’t help though I had no idea where the line should be drawn should I say no to friendship or yes to friendship or yes to a little more than friendship. How did I feel about him? “Until you draw it though I’m going to continue to wobble on it right where I am doing pretty much whatever I want.” he whispered in my ear and kissed my cheek.

“Wow Reuben like always you are so much help.” I sighed and he laughed.

“That’s what you do for a girl you love.” he smiled.

“I really wish you’d stop talking like that.”

“Like what?”

“I wish you’d stop telling me you loved me.”

“It’s true Aimee my princess.” he smiled. He had started calling me that after he decided he wanted me to be his princess of darkness. He was Prince of Dark for his family he assumed.

“No you don’t Reuben.”

“Aimee you have no idea how much I do.”

“If you did then you’d really try to get along with Simeon and not fight instead of lie and tell me you will.”

“Is that what it will take for you to believe me?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll really try to get along with…” he struggled but then said, “… Simeon.”

“Thank you.” I smiled “You didn’t even call him your little brother.”

“He really is my little brother though I was born a good hour before him.”

“Whatever Reuben he’s your twin get over it you’re both the same age and will always be the same age. Once you hit one hundred an hour doesn’t matter.”

“So when he leaves you for an hour is doesn’t matter?”

“Yes it does because I’m only eighteen not two hundred.”

“You should probably listen to everybody when they say we’re too old for you when you put it like that one hundred eighty years is a long time.”

“Are you two going to let it stop you?”

“I’ve always been into younger women but maybe we should bring it to Simeon’s attention and see what he thinks.”

“I don’t think he’ll mind.”

“Okay.”

“Aimee!!” Decima yelled through the door.

“See what she wants.” Reuben suggested opening his arms from around me.

“What Decy?!” I yelled and he laughed putting his arms back around me.

“We need to…” she trailed off at the sight.

“What?” I asked looking at her and then looking at us. I realized exactly how it would seem to her and pulled away from him when I remembered how I’d felt when he’d first wrapped his arms like that around me.

“We need to get ready for graduation.” she whispered.

“You’ll forget what you saw.” Reuben said tiredly and when he let his compulsion break, she was all smiles again.

“Come on!” she pulled on me and I left glaring at Reuben. We walked into mine and Simeon’s room and I closed the door. My phone rang though and I answered it.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Hello Aimee.” Ryan’s voice said.

“Get Reuben.” I mouthed to Decima and she immediately left seeing my freaked out face they were both back before he could say anything else.

“I thought that after graduation we could get together.” he continued.

“I’ve got plans afterward.”

“Then before.” he said angrily.

“I’ll be with my friends.”

“I’ll have my sister get you away from them.” he said angrily and hung up. I collapsed onto the bed and felt the tears start to fall.

“We won’t let you meet him.” Reuben said.

“He’s planning something with Chelsea.” I moaned curling into a ball. He came and wrapped his arms around me and held me tight.

“Do you really think me or Simeon will let anyone let alone a human hurt you?” he asked. I stayed silent too scared as the memories all came back to even talk. I heard Decima explaining to somebody what had happened and then I heard.

“Move Reuben I’ve got her.”

“I’ve already got her.”

“She’s my girlfriend.”

“She obviously doesn’t trust you though!”

“Does it look like she trusts you?!”

“Quit fighting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed. I knew they did not deserve it but my nerves were fried already and they both knew it and yet they were here fighting. I was going to scream and I was going to be ticked, “I’M SICK OF IT!!!!!!!!!! I’M SICK OF THE FIGHTING!!!!!” When they looked like they were going to listen, I switched to a normal voice letting go of my fears from a second ago, “You just promised not an hour ago that you were really going to try and then you go and you just can’t respect the boundaries…”

“I might respect them if you put some up.” Reuben said and I flinched realizing just how right he was. The boundaries had to be set and they had to be set now.

“Simeon is my boyfriend. He’s the one I love Reuben.” I said, “You are my best friend. Those are the boundaries. When he says to let go of me you let go. When he is not here you can step in and comfort me and when he is here you can help but it is his right to, if he wants, comfort me. You cannot keep stepping in our relationship like this. You can’t interrupt our personal conversations and you both have to try and act a little more civil because I don’t know how many more fights I can handle.” I grabbed my dress for the graduation and Decima and walked out of the room.

“Where are we going?” She asked.

“To let those two think about the boundaries I just set and decide whether they are clear enough.”

“I think you did a good thing there Aims.” she promised hugging me as I knocked on Lucy’s door.

“Come on in?” Lucy said questioningly.

“Simeon and Reuben got in another fight. Aimee set up the boundaries for both of them and then she walked out and left them alone.” Decima said but then we heard yelling from mine and Simeon’s room.

“I don’t think that was a good idea.” Lucy said as she picked me up and ran me there.

“QUIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed mid fight only this one was not screaming it was fight-fight they did not listen though and Jordan, Peter, and Theodore showed up. Peter and Theodore both held Reuben back and Jordan took Simeon. I just stood there, glared at them for a few minutes, and then stormed out of the room too ticked to even try to say anything and I knew I would stay like that for a long time longer than ever probably days. “Let’s get ready.” I snapped when I got back to Lucy’s room

“You know you’re going to have to talk to both of them one day.” Lucy told me.

“If the day keeps going the way it is the only way I’m talking to either of them is to tell them when I’ll be out of the house.” I said just as angrily and Decima looked at me worriedly noticing that the anger was too high for me even to feel the sadness at that yet. We finished getting ready silently and then headed out to the car but I saw Reuben and Simeon both ready to drive two cars like normal. “Decima come on you and Jordan can ride with me.” I said and for the first time since I had moved in I reached for my keys on the rack but Simeon’s hands stopped me.

“Just ride with me so we can talk.” he begged.

“Let go of me.” I warned slowly and acidly.

“Simeon you need to let her have her space.” Lucy said and I saw his eyes change to the burning soul as he heard what I had said. He let his hand drop and walked back to the car. Decima and Jordan climbed into mine and I saw Lucy and Peter climb into Simeon’s car; while Josephine, Rachel, and Theodore got into Reuben’s car. It was a silent ride to graduation and then when we got there we went straight to the back but Lucy and Peter stayed close to me and I suddenly remembered my other problems.

“We’ll keep you safe.” Peter promised me and I nodded but noticed that Reuben was looking over at me too. He caught my terrified look and went over to Chelsea who went immediately into flirt mode and before she knew it, they were calling everybody to line up.

“I’m surprised Simeon isn’t back here with you?” Hope said right behind me in line.

“I’m not talking about it.” I shook my head and Hope looked at Decima.

“Fight,” Decima mouthed.

“Are you okay?” Hope asked but nobody missed Principal Evers gleeful expression.

“Fine,” I nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault he refuses to stop fighting with his brother no matter how much I beg him.”

“That’s why you guys are fighting?”

“They keep fighting because Simeon doesn’t like Aims being friends with Reuben.” Decima explained, “Then it causes a fight between Aims and Simeon because Simeon refuses to even give him another chance.”

“Well what happened between the two of them?” Hope asked and I just shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter they should be willing because I asked.” I said as we stood up waiting for our names to be called.

“But if it was bad enough Simeon might have reason to worry.” Hope said and that got me. I was glad they called my name so that I did not have to justify why I had a right to be ticked that he would not give him a shot after that but the sentence just kept running through my mind. I had to admit after being mad with Simeon for even this long; I kind of wished that I could say that Simeon’s hatred for Reuben was so well justified. That I needed to apologize for being mad that they had been fighting after I had laid down my feelings and everything but if he would not tell me how could I know for sure. My mind was so occupied I missed the throwing of hats so I just let it drop and then went to find everybody after hugging my friends. Chelsea found me first.

“Hey you need to come with me.”

“I have to find everybody.”

“Give it up everybody knows you’re fighting with both of your boyfriends at the moment so my brother wants to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to talk to your brother Chelsea.” I shook my head.

“Too bad.” she laughed and pulled me out to the parking lot. She left when Ryan took me.

“Hello Aimee it’s been a long time since we’ve gotten to be alone.” He smiled tearing my dress off me.

“Please don’t do this Ryan.” I begged when he took off his jeans.

“You deserve it you’re just a stupid w***e.” he shrugged and then raped me right there in the parking lot. When I screamed though he cut me and jerked out making me scream again in pain but then he took off running. Lucy found me right after he was gone.