Spring Knight: Young Adult Romance Novella (A Seasons of Change Standalone) (12 page)

“Well, he’s wrong.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t like being wrong. I can’t wait until this term’s over and we get to vote for a new president.”

Aiden’s arms were suddenly around her waist, his chest pressed against her back as his chin rested on her shoulder. “Let’s go irritate the ass then.”

 

* * * *

 

Walking into the P.A.C., Kayleigh couldn’t help but think the transformation was unbelievable. She always loved the first glimpse of the final set, especially when it was in full swing with lighting and music as people rehearsed. Her tower was to her right, the detail on the painted bricks with ivy crawling up it striking. There were also rostra piled on top of each other, creating various levels, and gauze separated them. This way, with clever lighting they could hide parts of the set without having to move anything. As well as that, more ivy trailed everywhere, combined with purple and orange flowers. It had been hung from the ceiling like a curtain, on the railings of the seating, and blended so that it fit with the material background that had been printed to look like the countryside. Joined with the warm lighting, it all looked rather professional and threw her into the fairy tale.

“Wow, you lot don’t hold back, do you?” Aiden’s mouth hung open as he took in the sight.

“I forgot you’ve never been to a show before. It’s magical, isn’t it?”

He was stunned, his eyes flicking from one aspect to another. “I’ll say. I thought it’d be some slap-dash production ... not this.”

“Nice to know you had so much faith in us,” a sneering voice came from behind them. “I see you’re not bored of her yet.” They both turned to see Adam glaring at Aiden’s arm that tightened on Kayleigh’s waist.

“Thin ice, Adam. I won’t give you another warning.” Aiden’s voice was tense with restrained anger. It sent a shiver down her spine, feeling deadly.

“Why? Are you going to go all white knight on me and save Kayleigh? Didn’t think that was your style.”

Sensing Adam was about to be on the receiving end of Aiden’s fist, she pulled him away. It wasn’t for Adam’s sake, rather she didn’t want Aiden to get in trouble. “Ignore him, he’s trying to wind you up.”

“It’s working.” His teeth were grinding together.

“Leave it,” she hissed, before turning to Adam. “Full run through, right?”

Adam nodded and stalked off, leaving them to head to the dressing rooms to change into their costumes. They were all, thankfully, modern due to the contemporary and dark take on the play. Kayleigh’s satin dress was floor length, and made from emerald green material. It had a slight V at the front, a low back, and hugged her figure. The accessories were kept to a minimum due to the fact they could get in the way, and she quickly braided her hair into an over the shoulder plait. It would be done professionally on the night, but it’d be fine for rehearsal.

She was exiting the changing room when she noticed Adam striding towards her. His face was full of anger and he looked dangerous. Wanting to avoid him, Kayleigh moved to slip back into the dressing room, but Adam was too quick. Grabbing her wrist, he spun her back towards him, pushing her into the wall and trapping her with his arms and body.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She was proud her voice came out strong and steady. Her mouth was dry and her heart pounding from anger.

“I warned you not to take things further with Hanson. I told you to step out of the race, but you didn’t listen.” He had her arms pinned at her side, his grip painfully tight.

“You can’t threaten me, Adam. I’m entitled to do what I want. It’s not my fault people don’t like you.” She probably shouldn’t have added the last line. Before she saw it coming, he slapped her across the cheek, the crack deafening in the small alcove. She tried to move her hand to hold her face, but Adam had her wrist back in his.

“You stupid bitch. You’re not entitled to anything. You’re just a—” Adam was suddenly wrenched from her by the back of his neck. In the next second the roles were reversed, Aiden pinning him against the opposite wall by his throat.

“Sure you want to finish that sentence?”

Adam remained silent, smartly. Despite wanting Aiden to hit him, she couldn’t allow it. “Aiden, don’t hurt him, it’s not worth the trouble it’ll cause for you.”

“He’s not going getting away with that, Kay. He hit you.” Anger flowed from Aiden. Not once did he take his eyes off Adam.

“Yes he did, but I have a better idea. One that won’t drag you into the mess.”

“I don’t care about being involved, he laid a hand on you! I should get the whole rugby squad here to teach him how to treat a woman.”

“Like you know how to treat a woman,” Adam snorted incredulously, but quickly shut up when Aiden applied more pressure to his throat.

“Aiden, please, for me. He’s not going to get away with it, all right? Just bring him with me.” She watched Aiden’s jaw tense, not happy with the situation. Regardless, he released his hold and spun Adam so that his wrists were locked together in one hand. “Try anything and even she won’t stop me.”

Adam’s face was pale as Aiden led him out of the dark alcove and through the room. Kayleigh tried to ignore all of the stares and whispers but it was hard. A few people started to shout at Adam, but none of them rose to the comments. She planned to get her own back the right way.

Pausing outside of the director’s office, Kayleigh took a deep breath.

“Kayleigh, I’m sorry, I just lost my temper for a second. It’ll never happen again,” Adam said, somehow having become even paler.

“Shut it.” Aiden shook him, reminding him of his presence.

Kayleigh turned to face them both, her gaze meeting Aiden’s. “Would you mind if I do this on my own?” She could see the refusal on his lips, but something in her eyes stopped him. She’d hardened her stare, trying to appear less shaken up than she felt.

He nodded once. “I’ll go, but Adam, if you move from this spot or I find out you have even
looked
at Kayleigh in the wrong way, it won’t be just me you’ll face next time. Got it?”

Adam didn’t reply.

“Have. You. Got it?” Aiden repeated, his voice had raised, but he still sounded in control, punctuating every word clearly.

Adam nodded reluctantly and Aiden released his wrists. Moving over to Kayleigh, he cupped her face, tilting and turning it from side to side. The anger was back in his eyes when he saw what must have been the mark Adam had left. “I don’t like this, Kay,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” She tried to smile, but he didn’t return it. His thumb rubbed over her cheek lightly.

“I’ll get you some ice while I wait.” He dropped his hands and left them with a final glare at Adam. Instantly, Kayleigh turned and opened the door to the office, not giving herself the chance to lose her nerve.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

 

Aiden was going crazy, his frustration not worked off by the frantic pacing as he waited for Kayleigh to emerge from the room. He knew her way was right, but God he wanted to punch the bastard. Seeing the red handprint on her delicate, porcelain skin made his blood boil … even thinking about it made him want to hit something.

He regretted having not gotten there sooner, but was also grateful he’d stepped in when he had, not wanting to even consider how far Adam would have taken things if he hadn’t. Having noticed Kayleigh hadn’t reappeared after changing, he’d gone looking for her and the shadow in the alcove near the exit to the dressing room caught his attention. When he heard the crack, he charged like a raging bull. Adam had come into focus as he got closer, and when he saw Kayleigh trapped anger consumed him. It had taken every ounce of control to pull him off rather than pummel him. The only reason he didn’t was Kayleigh.

His pacing stopped instantly when he heard the door shut. His head snapped up and suddenly Kayleigh was in his arms. She buried her face in his shirt, squeezing him tightly before loosening her hold slightly.

“Are you okay?” His hand reached under her chin, pulling her head up to look at him. It hadn’t taken him long to realise that despite her acting ability, there was always a slight clue in her eyes that let on to how she was feeling.

“I’ll be fine, it’s being handled. I just need a few minutes. I don’t think what’s happened has hit me yet.”

Aiden flinched at her choice of words but didn’t comment on them. “What happened then?”

“I’ll tell you in a bit. First I need to let everyone in there know what’s going on seeing as I’m president now.” She nodded her head in the direction of the room, but she didn’t seem pleased by the thought. Rather than say anything, though, he pulled her against his side for comfort and opened the door. He was just waiting for her to fall apart on him at any second.

 

 

 

 

Striding into the room, all attention was suddenly focused on her, and like normal, she wished they’d stop. Their gazes were full of concern and intrigue, and she hated that the thoughts were easy to read on their faces, especially pity. She recoiled into Aiden slightly and he gave her a squeeze of encouragement. He wasn’t leaving her side, she could feel it, and that thought dispelled the anxiety.

“Gather round everyone, I have some news.” Kayleigh didn’t need to shout, the room was already silent. In a flurry of motion, people converged on her and surrounded them.

“You should all know that Adam is no longer president and he will not be attending any more drama related events or classes. As you’re probably all aware, he’s been trying to beat me in the election that’s coming up, but he’s also been trying to intimidate me into dropping out. Moments ago, he actually hit me while threatening me. I didn’t want to stoop to his level, so I’ve spent the last half an hour with Director Clayton. He is still dealing with Adam, but he also nominated me to take over the presidency.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but Kayleigh refused to divulge all that had been said. The cast only needed to know the basics.

“So, with that said, everyone take a break and we’ll regroup to start this dress rehearsal in half an hour.” Kayleigh let the sea of bodies flow around them and drift out the room. When the last person had gone, she collapsed against Aiden whose arm had never moved.

“I didn’t want to win like this. I wanted to beat him fairly, not get handed it.” That was the thing annoying her most: that Adam had robbed her of the chance to beat him. She had felt reassured by Director Clayton that she was safe and Adam wouldn’t get to her, so because the sting of her cheek had faded, it only left her with anger.

“It doesn’t matter how you got it, Kayleigh. You won fairly. You didn’t rise to his games, and you would have won either way. The fact that he took it to extremes only means he ruined his chances.”

“I know … but it’s still a sour victory.”

Aiden brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, lightly cupping her jaw as he reached the base of her face. His eyes held hers a second longer than normal, clear with intent. “A win’s a win, and you’ve won more than just an election.”

“Why, what else did I win?” Her eyes remained focused on his lips, hers parting slightly as she got him to voice what she knew he was thinking.

“Me.” His mouth closed over hers and Kayleigh laughed against him. She felt the corners of his lips turning up as they brushed gently against her, and she kissed him back.

CHAPTER TWENTY

 

It was performance day and nerves were running high backstage. There was a flurry of activity as everyone tried to get themselves ready, searched for costumes, and moaned about being sick. It didn’t matter how many times they starred in a show, the nerves were always there.

In fact, Kayleigh liked the feeling; it was an adrenaline rush that mirrored the effects of a rollercoaster. As soon as the lights went up, she was no longer Kayleigh Barrow. For that hour she was whoever she had wanted to play, no troubles existed, and she was lost in a fairy tale. She didn’t even notice the audience, just performed her heart out and enjoyed the thrill.

“Is it always like this?” Aiden asked, coming to sit next to her in front of the mirror.

“What? Busy? Yeah, it doesn’t matter how much we prepare, backstage always turns into chaos. Why?”

“No, I meant is it normal I feel like I want to throw up? I saw the audience, and all of my team’s out there, and my parents!” He was panicking, and it took all of Kayleigh’s power not to laugh. She didn’t mean it horribly, but it was nice to see him flustered; it was a side to him she’d never seen before and she doubted he showed it to many.

“You’ll be fine, Aiden. I swear you won’t even notice them. There’s a reason the lights are so bright, you know.”

“Really?”

This time Ellie did laugh. “No, but it does help. You won’t notice them, promise.”

“But I feel like I’m going to be sick. I’ve never felt this ... not even when winning a match relies on me kicking a ball straight.”

Rising, she moved to stand behind him, peering over his shoulder while her hands trailed down over his chest. She looked at them both in the mirror.

“Five minutes until curtain!” Faye shouted, but Kayleigh ignored her, used to the pressure.

“Ignore it,” she whispered into his ear. In that second, all of the noise disappeared, all of her thoughts were pushed from her mind; it was just her and Aiden. His hands moved up to hold hers.

“What should I do then? Imagine people naked?”

Kayleigh smiled and kissed his neck. “No, that almost never works. It normally makes the actor laugh.”

Aiden’s face fell and she spun him around, moving to stand between his legs. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she looked him straight in the eye. “There isn’t anything you can do. It gets easier with practice, but for now you have to trust that you’ve rehearsed enough and have faith that you have memorised your lines.”

“Right ... Remind me to kill Justin when this is over. I’m now figuring out auditioning was the easy part.”

Kayleigh laughed. “You’ll be fine. And I’ll be right there next to you, I won’t let you embarrass yourself.”

He stood up, forcing her to take a step back and her arms to stretch out since they’d stayed locked around his neck. “So I’ll protect you from paranormal creatures and you’ll protect me from the audience. Sound fair?”