Spring Knight: Young Adult Romance Novella (A Seasons of Change Standalone) (2 page)

Watching her on the edge of that platform, he’d noticed the fear in her eyes. Everyone else had watched her eagerly, yet Aiden had studied her because he wasn’t used to the madness of the drama department. Hell, he was only at the audition because Justin, his cousin and a pain in his ass, had bet him two hundred pounds he couldn’t get cast in the performance. He’d only been back for a week after taking a break from his round-the-world trip and already he’d caused trouble. A part of Aiden hated him for it, but the other wanted the money. It had sounded like an easy win ... at least until he saw what everyone was expected to do. He was seriously starting to question whether the money was worth it.

His eyes fell upon Kayleigh by the vending machine, his other reason for agreeing. He wasn’t usually one to cling to his comfort zone, but seeing her in the room had made him sigh with relief.
At least he knew one person who could guide him
, was his main thought, and that’s what had led him to volunteer to go with her; it also helped that she was hot. If he had any chance of gaining her help, he needed to win her over. Considering they had known each other for nearly three years, but had barely said a word to each other meant he had a lot of work to do.

 

 

 

 

Kayleigh felt him before he spoke. She knew it sounded dramatic, but he literally changed the atmosphere with his presence, and it was something she couldn’t help but sense. It was easy to tell when someone was staring at her, anyway … she was used to avoiding it.

“Is he always such a jerk?” Aiden leaned against the vending machine and nodded in the direction of the doors they had just come through. His arms were folded across his chest—pushing out his muscles—while he watched her.

She refused to look at him, afraid of the effect it would have on her voice if she did. Instead, she focused on pressing the numbers to get herself an orange juice and two chocolate bars. Only when she bent down to retrieve the items did she speak. “He likes to be in charge and have control of everything. He doesn’t welcome new people, they threaten him.”

“That’s the reason he acts like that. I asked if he’s always like it.”

Kayleigh stood, her bottle in one hand and chocolate in the other. “Pretty much.” She glanced up briefly and smiled, but dipped her head again as she pretended to read the ingredients on the labels while walking away.

Aiden was following her over to the free table she had set her sights on; she could hear his footsteps behind her as he jogged to catch up. Annoyed slightly that she hadn’t managed to lose him in the crowd, she sat down reluctantly and opened her bag of chocolate with a sigh.
What am I going to do? I haven’t been able to speak to him in three years, but now I’m alone with him. And why is he being so nice? He usually ignores me.

Pulling out her phone she sent a quick text to Ellie.

Help!! All alone with Aiden. What do I do?

She was still out in France, finishing her first season as a ski instructor, so Kayleigh was surprised when she replied instantly.

Act normal, he’s just a guy. Don’t be nervous and stay on mutual topics.

She groaned at the response, which was no help at all, and was about to click off her phone when another message came through.

Oh, and I’m expecting details later. Gotta run, student arrived xox

Kayleigh rolled her eyes and put her phone away before Aiden caught sight of the messages. He was sitting down opposite her with a devilish expression, and Kayleigh’s heart sped up, a blush forming on her cheeks at the look. He hadn’t even said anything, all he had to do was be around her and she got tongue tied.

“You know, you don’t have to run from me. If you want me to leave you only need to ask. Although, I don’t really want to.”

Kayleigh shrugged, spinning her phone in her hand distractedly. She kept her eyes on the twirling motion as she took in a deep breath. Telling herself it wasn’t a big deal, she finally spoke. “Are you ... um, are you really auditioning?

Aiden laughed, an easy and musical sound. “I know, it’s not really my thing, but you’d be surprised by what I do for a quick bit of money.”

“I’m sorry?” Kayleigh’s mind automatically jumped to the dirtiest images possible. Her cheeks blushed, considering what he hadn’t meant to imply.

Get your mind out of the gutter, Kay,
she reprimanded herself mentally as she swallowed.

“You’ll probably think I’m an idiot, but my cousin, Justin, you know? Ellie’s boyfriend?” Kayleigh nodded. “Well, Justin bet me two hundred pounds I couldn’t make it into the show. And being the guy I am, I couldn’t turn that down.”

Her mouth dropped, not sure what to say. With it still hanging open, she stared at him as he smirked at her. “Um ...”

Reaching across the table, Aiden put his fingers lightly under her jaw. His skin was searing hot when he pushed up, closing her mouth. Another wave of embarrassment washed over her and she hoped he couldn’t feel her racing pulse.

Almost as quickly as he’d moved, though, his fingers were gone as if it had never happened. “So that’s where you come in.”

It was the last thing Kayleigh had been expecting him to say, and it almost had her choking on the Minstrel she had placed in her mouth as she breathed in. Thankfully, she managed to avoid the coughing fit and settled for watery eyes instead. “There’s no need to cry, Kayleigh. You don’t even know what I’m asking yet, and you don’t know what
benefits
you’ll get either.” The way he said benefits had Kayleigh’s mind sailing right back to the gutter, but in all seriousness, there was no other way to take his suggestive tone. She knew what Aiden was like, and how he acted around women, but it still made her uncomfortable. Kayleigh wasn’t used to him paying attention to her.

“I wasn’t crying ... You surprised me and I choked on my sweet.” Her voice became quieter, almost a whisper as she tried to explain.

“Good, because I like to think people enjoy my company.”

Kayleigh didn’t dignify his statement with a response. If Ellie had been there, she would have distracted him and made a sarcastic comment that was meant to bruise his ego. However, Kayleigh wasn’t like that. She was the girl who remained silent, too embarrassed and worried about what others would think to approach anyone she liked.

“Aren’t you curious what I could want from you?” Aiden asked, interrupting her ruminations.

“Maybe a little,” she replied, not wanting to sound too eager in case it all turned out to be a huge wind up.

“As you probably know, I’m way out of my depth with performing. You don’t understand how much of a relief it was when I saw you in that room. It freaked me out what you were doing, but I was thankful I knew one person who wouldn’t laugh at me.”

Who said I wouldn’t laugh
? She kept the remark to herself.

“Anyway, what I want is for you to help me get in the show. Ellie told me you’d help me, and that you may be able to pull some strings?”

At the mention of her best friend her head snapped up. “Shit,” she cursed before realising it slipped out.
Damn you to hell Ellie Jeffords. Even miles away you’re a meddling, good-for-nothing, lying, traitorous—

“Okay ... not the response I was expecting,” Aiden interrupted her silent rant.

“Sorry, Ellie told me none of that.”

He shrugged. “Well, she may not have said the exact words, but I’m sure she would if I’d asked her.” He grinned. “So, can you help me?”

“You mean ... you mean you want me to put you in the show without auditioning because I’m vice president?” she said, taking back her thoughts of her best friend.

“I didn’t know that was possible, but that would be great.” His face beamed with happiness.

“It isn’t possible, I was trying to understand what you wanted. I can’t take a risk like that, Aiden, not if I want to beat Adam and become president next year. You’ve got no history to back up a decision like that.”

“All right, all right. Calm down, it was worth a shot. What
can
you do then?”

Kayleigh frowned; she didn’t need calming down, she wasn’t wound up. “You have to audition like everyone else,” she stated, using her most authoritative voice. Talking about drama and acting the part of vice president she could do. It was a safe topic and allowed her to be in control.

“Okay, what do I have to do?”

“You know they’re today, right? Most people have been preparing for weeks.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes downcast for once. He actually seemed uncomfortable. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

“Fine. You have to prove you can dance, sing, and act. You should have a monologue memorised and the rest is given to you at the audition.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

Kayleigh arched an eyebrow. “Do you have a monologue?”

“Do I look like the type of person who carries monologues with me?”

His words were like a stab to the heart, the sharp pain of embarrassment twisting deeper as she realised she was the opposite of what he’d said. Regardless of her embarrassment, she reached down into her bag to pull out a sheet of paper. “Here, you have around,” she glanced at the clock, “an hour to memorise that and be able to act it out. We’re doing a dark version of Rapunzel this year.”

His eyes scanned over the words quickly before he looked up. “Okay, that’s doable.”

Kayleigh highly doubted he would be word perfect in the hour, considering some of the drama students took days to memorise lines. However, she didn’t say anything.

“Well, I should get back. Adam will use it against me if I’m out too long.”

Aiden nodded. “I’ll follow in a minute. Just one question first: why the hell are you throwing yourself off the top of a tower?”

“Rehearsing for the show. I’m the female lead, and it’s part of the performance.” Kayleigh shrugged like it was no big deal, but Aiden still looked perplexed. “And it’s fun.” She didn’t know where those words or the twinkle in her eye came from and it shocked Aiden.

“But you fainted.”

“Not from the jump. That was from the attention.”

His face tilted to the side, appearing even more confused, but thankfully he let it drop when Kayleigh started to shuffle on the spot.

“I’d better go. Good luck with that.”

She had already turned and began walking off as he called behind her, “Thanks, Kayleigh. You’re amazing.”

“You’re going to need more than luck,” she muttered to herself as she headed back towards the Performing Arts Centre.

CHAPTER FOUR

 

“All better?” Adam came up behind her, his body too close for comfort as he pressed against her back while she deposited her bag on the floor. He was so close she could feel his breath on her ear.

“Fine ... I was fine to begin with.” She hated how he caused her to trip over her words.

“Good, where’s Aiden?”

Kayleigh shrugged, brushing him off and heading over to the main group from her class. As usual, though, Adam didn’t approve. “Kayleigh! Jump again, this time without fainting or you’re out of the show.”

Rolling her eyes at the group, she turned to climb the platform. Adam hated that he couldn’t throw her out that second, although she doubted he would stop trying. One way or another, he wanted to try and intimidate her out of the election. Kayleigh may have been more reserved than her classmates, but she wasn’t scared easily.

When she got to the top this time, she felt steadier. Knowing what to expect, she approached the edge to see the guys waiting to catch her. “Nobody hug or comfort me after, okay? That’s what made me faint last time. You’ve all done it now so should know how it feels.”

Heads nodded below her and she was just about to turn around when the door slammed and Aiden walked in like he owned the room. He looked up and smiled at Kayleigh, shaking his head for an unknown reason as she turned around and balanced on her toes.

“Ready!” she called, and the guys beneath her began the countdown. When they hit zero there was no hesitation. Kayleigh was out to prove something, so fell back instantly.

Time kept its normal speed this time, and within seconds she was nestled in the guys’ arms and they were tipping her to place her on the floor. Just like she’d asked, no one said anything and she sent Adam an I-told-you-so glare as she remained standing, not a shake in sight.

He ignored her.

“All right, everyone, gather round! Make sure you can hear me because I’m only going to say it once, if you misinterpret or don’t hear something, you’re cut,” Adam shouted, and everyone formed a semi-circle around him, Aiden tagging on the end with a few other newbies who’d been waiting for auditions to start. He looked out of place and uncomfortable, which was unusual for him. Not once had Kayleigh seen him look like he didn’t fit in. Yet it felt nice, like he was on her turf and she had the upper hand.

“We’re going to start with dancing because if you can’t dance you’re no good for anything in the show. I want you all in pairs—”

People started turning to each other and pointing, ignoring Adam as they tried to snag the best dancers.

“No! I will be doing the pairing, and then I’ll show you the steps. You have fifteen minutes to practise before everyone will perform. You mess up, you’re cut.”

The room let out a simultaneous groan, including Kayleigh since she knew what was coming by his staring at her. Adam liked throwing his weight around, and it was one of the reasons people were starting to see her as a better alternative. Not only was she beating him in grades, but she wasn’t a complete and utter jackass to people. She had gained the class’ respect through kindness.

When Kayleigh turned her attention back to Adam, he was already listing names and people were pairing off to find a space on the performance floor.

“And finally, Kayleigh and Aiden.”

Kayleigh rolled her eyes at him; he was so predictable. Did he really think pairing her up with the new guy meant he could prove her incompetent? He’d have a riot on his hands if that was the case. All female roles had been cast and Kayleigh had, of course, gotten the female lead. He couldn’t abuse his power without it backfiring.