Chapter 37
Future Hopes and Past Secrets-2
"Hey."
"You having fun?" his tone is friendly but his eyes a bit loose from the drinks.
"Yeah, it's great," | reply, smiling.
He studiesfor a moment and | frown, trying to read the expression on his face.
"Can | ask you a question?"
| steal a glance to Aiden, who is still in conversation with Parker. "Uh, sure."
Evan leans in slightly, lowering his voice. "Has Aiden ever told you what happened
between him and Zaid?"
The question catchesoff guard and I recoil. "What do you mean?"
He purses his lips together. "I'm just wondering."
Curiosity hastaking the bait. "All | know is that Zaid is not a big fan of Aiden,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
but beyond that | am not sure. Why? Do you know?"
He shakes his head. "No. | do know it's more complicated than that, though. They used to
be best friends."
| blink, shock spreading through me. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah, they were inseparable. They played on the team together. We all did."
| cough, pressing a hand to my chest. I've been harboring guilt for what happened to Zaid, and learning this puts
a weird feeling in my gut. "Really?"
"Yeah, | mean. Have you not seen the pictured in the gym hallway? Zaid was like, really good. Even better than
Aiden."
| steal another glance at Aiden, my nostrils flaring and my heart hammering in my chest. "Really? | had no idea."
Aiden's been secretive about this. On purpose. He knows that it was Zaid that saved me
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Future Hopes and Past Secrets-2
from Will, right? He knows that he got expelled, right?
"Yeah, Zaid was our team captain before Aiden. He got badly injured one game, everyone saw it. Tore his knee
real bad. They told him he'd never play again. That's when everything changed. When Zaid changed. You know
he went to juvie?"
| nod, swallowing even though my mouth is as dry as the desert. | put my plate down. "Do you know why he
went to juvie?"
"That's the thing, no one really knows the whole story. Ssay he killed
someone in an accident, ssay he only injured someone. Something about street racing?"
| grip the end of the table to keep myself upright. Car accident.
Metal, burning metal, fire, gas, asphalt.
| breathe in slow, closing my eyes.
"Alina?" Evan puts his hand on my back to ground me. "You okay?"
| shake my head, hoping Aiden has not noticedfalling apart over here. "I'm good.
What else do you know?"
"That's about it. Aiden and Zaid stopped talking when Zaid got back, and if you bring it up to either one of them,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmthey get really angry about it. It's like this huge school secret that no one really talks about. | was just curios if
you knew, because I'm a bit nosey."
He grimaces like if what he just admitted is the worst thing in the world.
"Please don't tell Aiden | asked."
"lI won't," | shake my head, nerves trembling all throughout.
"Sorry," He whispers, walking away like he's trying to sneak away from a ghost.
| stand there, my mind racing with the new information. | look over to Aiden, who
is laughing with his teammates, completely unaware of the the bombshell that had just been dropped on my lap.
Part ofwonders if | even have anything to be angry about.
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Aiden is allowed to have his past and his secrets, just like me. | don't know what happened between them, but
it's not forto judge.
| return to him and he kisses my forehead. | let myself melt into him, forgetting about the secrets he holds from
the past. | have secrets too, and even now | have no desire to talk
about them.