Aries: The One Who Stole My Heart Read online

  Suddenly I was pulled back by my backpack and grabbed from behind. My face was then jammed into the wall.

  "Make any kind of noise, and you'll be hung upside down on the monkey bar." A deep voice warned me.

  I was too scared to yell, so I just stayed quiet. But I managed to hit one of the boys with my heels. He cursed and punched me on the side of my stomach, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I couldn't breathe and kept quiet, just grunting and groaning.

  "Check the bag," the second attacker said while he searched my pockets and found my money—my monthly allowance, that was.

  "Hey!" The third voice of a male came, not from too far away. "Leave her alone," the same voice yelled.

  "Run!" One of the attackers exclaimed, and they both ran away.

  My vision blurred from tears. The third person flew past me; he probably ran behind the muggers I guessed. I could barely stand, and a nauseous feeling came over me. The bathroom was just a few feet away from where I was standing. I covered my mouth and hurried inside, and noticed the two urinals on the wall. I was in the boy's bathroom, but at this point, I didn't give a damn, got into one of the empty stalls, and threw it up. Tears welled in my eyes, and I started to cry. I heard someone walk in. Scared, I shut the door and pushed it by my hand so that nobody could get in. I tried to get up to latch the door, but I felt pain twisted in my gut, and I fell back. A wave of nausea flooded in, and I vomited again. The door slowly drifted open behind me.

  "Jesus..." I heard Leo's voice. Puking and embarrassing myself in his presence, more tears began to fall. Great, just great.

  "Here... let me help you." He said and sat beside me. All I could see was his shoes, one of the coolest Nike shoes I've ever seen.

  "Here, wipe your face." He rolled off a few lengths of the tissue. I grabbed those from his hand. He also offered a water bottle to me. I took it and washed my face, gargled my mouth, and spat out in the toilet.

  "Thank you," I said faintly and handed him his plastic water bottle and then wiped my mouth with my hoodie sleeves.

  "Did they hurt you?" He asked with a gentle hush.

  I nodded, "and stole my money," I added.

  "Son of bitches," he reacted angrily. "Do you know who they were? Can you recognize them?"

  "No," I shook my head.

  "I ran after them, but I couldn't catch them. Bastard split themselves and got away for me. We should file a complaint—"

  "No, please don't," I cut him off before he could finish the sentence, and snapped my head up.

  Leo was staring at me. I don't think he even blinked.

  "I don't like anyone staring at me... or touching me... or near me." I pulled my hoodie over my head and dipped my head down.

  "I'm sorry, it's just that I... I've never seen..." He trailed off.

  "Please don't complain or tell anybody. I don't want to get into any trouble." I pleaded, placing my hand on his hand. I squeezed it lightly. Leo was surprised by my gesture, and he looked down at my hand wrapped over his. I retracted back as quickly as I could. I could not understand why I dared to touch him when I had just finished telling him that I didn't like to be contacted.

  "Tell me how complaining will get you in trouble?" He inquired, looking at me with slightly arched eyebrows.

  I didn't want to get involved in anything that would attract attention to me. I tried to keep myself a low profile and away from any drama in school, for my own sake. I did not want this matter to carry forward and blow out of proportion since it involves the school's football star - Leo Carter. I began to freak out a little, and I felt like I was trapped.

  "It wasn't my fault anyway, so please just forget what happened here and forget we ever met." I spatted with a bitter tone, although I didn't mean to be harsh.

  Leo was calm, but I found him staring again. Honestly, unlike others, his staring did not bother me at all, nor did it make me uncomfortable. Other people's stares were more like leering-lusting.

  "Staring is rude," I scowled and dropped my head. "How would you like if someone stared at your attractive face."

  "You think I'm attractive?"

  I bit my tongue in my mouth. Holy crap, did I just give him a compliment?

  I glanced up and saw Leo's lips were curved up with an amused smile. He realized he was staring again.

  "Sorry... um," he cleared his throat. "Okay, I won't tell this incident to anybody, only if you go on a date with me."

  "What? Why?" I asked, confused.

  "Because I think we should, don't you think so?"

  "No. We shouldn't." I said firmly, "and stay away from me."

  "Well, I can't," he shrugged, "I'll stumble into you since we have chemistry," he said. "And math," he added quickly.

  "I've to go." I went to stand, but fell back immediately and clutched my stomach with a groan. The sting in my gut made me realize that I needed help getting up.

  "What happened?" He asked with concern in his voice. "Shit! Did they...punch you?"

  "Yes," I choked out. The half-empty plastic bottle in his hand was getting crushed, violently, any harder, and the container would burst out. He was angry. I glanced up at him, watching him run a hand through his hair.

  I tried to stand up again, taking the support of the wall. Leo wanted to help. I could feel it, so he raised his hand to hold me.

  "No, I can do it," I quickly denied his offer. I slid up my back and pulled myself in an upright standing position. I was feeling a severe headrush.

  As I was trying to walk out, Leo stood up, picked up my backpack, and stepped out of the stall.

  "Are you feeling okay? You don't look so good." He mentioned.

  I just stared at him blankly. He looked confused and blurry.

  "Leo." My voice was barely a whisper.

  "Woh!" Leo exclaimed. Those were the last words I heard before everything went black in front of my eyes.

  ~xXx~

  A Glimpse On Leo's P.O.V.

  In the chemistry lab, Leo was just about to walk inside the room, when his eyes immediately spotted that girl in a hoodie from yesterday. Internally he was giddy with excitement, like a happy dog wagging his tail. Leo leaned at the door and appraised her beauty, her innocence from afar with interest. She minded her own business - reading at her textbook, tapping the end of a pencil on her cheek. Leo also observed something curious about her, not once has she looked up at anyone or surveyed her surroundings. She just kept herself preoccupied the whole time. He wanted a good reason, an excuse to talk to her, to get close to her. But how?

  Finally, he walked towards her and stood next to her table. She peeked at him from underneath the hood and blinked twice as she was surprised.

  "Hi," Leo greeted her.

  'God she's so beautiful from up close, I could gaze at her all day.'

  She too stared back at him. Leo wondered if only he could read her mind. He leaned a little closer and inhaled the air surrounding her.

  'Mine.' He almost growled.

  Her eyes were blue just like him, he noticed, but seemed more intense now, maybe because he was standing too close to her.

  She blinked again as if she came out of a trance. Leo realized he needed to talk, so he asked her for a pair of gloves. When she asked him what size, Leo was dumbfounded. Her accent swayed him, and before he could give her an answer, she'd already found a pair and handed him.

  Leo thought that she might have handed him the wrong size, so he told her that he needs a large size, and she giggled.

  Her sound had a strange effect on him. It was the sweetest melody he'd heard. He thought that her face blossomed with cuteness when she did that.

  She was beautiful, hands down absolutely gorgeous, and she wasn't like other girls in the school, who always tried to flaunt their beauty or much like others who mask their faces with makeup. She was simply beautiful.

  Her scent was driving him crazy, sped his heart to race, from being so close to her. He felt what mates feel when they find their real mate, sending them into a frenzy of excitement, and Leo felt it strongly. He was coming in his prime state, spikes extending.

  He wanted to grab her and sink his canines and break that vein in her neck, seeped his essence in her blood, and declared her as his.

  "I'm.." Leo wanted to introduce himself to be her close confidant, but Mrs. Roger interrupted the class.

  "Do you mind?" Leo snarled at Mrs. Roger.

  The whole class went shocked in the wake.

  "Go to your table. Now." Mrs. Roger yelled.

  Leo clenched his fist and glared at the teacher and went back to find an empty table.

  ~*~

  During the class, Leo watched her looking or maybe searching for something or someone. She was fidgeting a lot. After a couple of minutes, Leo again saw her looking over her left shoulder, and when her eyes met with Leo's, she seemed tensed up, nervous when their gazes met, Leo had a tsunami in his mind - 'Shit, I scared her too.'

  No. wait, did she just try to hide her smile so I won't see it. Oh... but I did notice that, girl. Pretending to look for me and then hiding the smile - god, that was so adorable of her to do that.

  'I love chemistry.' He thought, his tail swinging happily again.

  ~*~

  There was something very intrigued about her. Leo couldn't help but had his eyes fixed on her—well, at her backside, and his eyes stayed glued on her glutes.

  'Nice!' He groaned as he felt something inside him as he checked her out.

  'Damn Leo, get your dirty mind somewhere else, you’re in the class, and you definitely don’t want your PDA in your pants, now do you?' The voice within said.

  ‘Fine.’ Leo shifted his gaze to look out the window.

  He couldn't wait for the class to be over, he planned to catch her and maybe walk with he
r so he could talk more. But as soon as the bell rang, she was out the door. While rushing out, she managed to drop something of hers. Leo saw that as an opportunity and picked it up. It was her cellphone. He grinned, knowing he got a perfect motive to talk to her again, but Mrs. Roger made him stay back.

  'Fuck really now.' He growled again.

  Leo knew in his heart; she'll return—come back looking for her phone. His eyes fell on the wall; on the clocks, the minute hand moved from one to two. The five minutes wait time felt like an hour. He sighed and listened to what Mrs. Roger was blabbering. Leo was very sure she would turn up. Mobile Phones have become an essential part of our daily lives. He'd too come back looking for his phone if he realizes it was missing.

  Another three minutes passed.

  He heard a muffled deep voice, and that unforgiven scent. She was here and close, but he concentrated carefully and listened to her whimper in pain.

  Without a second thought, Leo took off, running in that direction.

  And when he turned to the corner, a murderous feeling came over him. Leo saw her, pinned to a wall by a male and another male searching a bag. Leo's eyes went red, and he ran towards the scene. He shouted to leave her alone. He was upset that they touched her. They touched what Leo considered his. He ran behind those two jerks—to thrash them until they begged for mercy. Leo almost got close to one of the guys, but Leo also realized at the same moment that more than anything right now—she was all alone and probably scared, and she needed him. So Leo made an instant decision and turned back to where he'd last seen her.

  He saw her run to the bathroom, leaving her backpack behind. He also noticed that she went to the men's bathroom. He picked her bag from the floor and made his way to the bathroom.

  He entered and heard her throwing up. He was glad he made a wise decision—he was there for her.

  ~xXx~

  CHAPTER 3

  When I opened my eyes, I looked around. I found myself lying on the back seat of a car and heard somebody talking outside of the vehicle. The car engine was running, the windows were shut and the A/C was on.

  "I don't know... what should I do? She fainted in my arms, she's scared and hurt." Leo was standing next to the car and talking on the phone.

  "What? No, I'm not going to leave her alone in this condition. I'll get some help." Leo was busy talking on the phone. I thought to myself this will be a perfect opportunity to escape. I winced in pain and lifted myself with the struggle. My stomach hurts, I grunted painfully, trying to keep my voice as low as I could. I found my backpack sitting on the passenger seat. I picked it up with great effort. Opening the car door carefully, I managed to get my feet on the ground. I left the door open as I began to walk away.

  In that condition, the backpack felt very heavy.

  'Maybe I should start using my locker,' I thought to myself.

  I heard Leo wrapping up the phone call, and I panicked. Despite the sharp sting that gave me cramps in my stomach, I prepared myself to flee and sneaked out in sheer terror. The pains got worse. I fell on the ground; I yelped, curling myself, and holding my stomach.

  "Shit... Don't move. I'm calling an ambulance, okay." Leo came running and kneeled beside me.

  "No. No, ambulance, please." I said between my clenched teeth. "No hospital and no doctors, please."

  "Are you freaking kidding me? You're in absolute pain. You need to go see a doctor."

  "No. I'll be just fine... just take me home. Please." I requested.

  I know all Leo wanted was to help me, and I wasn't making it easy for him, and instead made him feel worse.

  He ran his hand through his dark silky hair. "I don't know why I am even listening to your crap." He was frustrated. "I've to lift you and carry you to the car. So I will have to touch you, okay."

  "Yes." I nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry for being so difficult," I said sadly.

  "No, you're just STUBBORN." He grunted mildly. He was angry but still gentle with his actions. He picked me up off the ground and carried like a bride in his arms.

  'My hero,' I thought .

  I was watching him all the time while he was taking me to the car.

  Leo was a handsome and imposing-looking man. A strong, well-defined jaw, protruding cheekbones, small eyes, and a large nose. He was sweet and kind, but I found his angry expression more attractive—it made him seem more masculine and dominant. He saw me, and I looked away. Then softly, I peeked at him through my lashes and found him smiling.

  He made sure that I was set and secure in his car. He was very close to me, and his arms brushed against my body. I didn't mind it. He was a good guy with good intentions.

  But he was also dangerously close to me. His cologne filled my nose, and he smelled intoxicating.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Mmm... You smell so good." I gasped at my own words that I just blurted out subconsciously. I felt my face blazing red from the heat of embarrassment.

  He looked at me. His own face had coated with a delightful blush.

  "I-I mean, I mean you... scent... I mean you, n-not you, your cologne." I rambled badly that even embarrassment would be ashamed of me.

  As for Leo, oh, he was laughing and he looked so adorable. Watching him laugh, I laughed and the stomach pain came back. Leo saw my struggle, his face morphed into a serious mode and crouched down at my eye level.

  "Look, you're in pain. I need you to get you checked for any internal injury. How about I take you to my aunt, she is a pediatrician.

  "Pediatrician?"

  "Worth a shot."

  "Did you say shot?" I said with fear in my eyes. Leo started to guffaw, and I glared at him. "Oh please, go ahead and laugh, while I'm in misery and pain." I rolled my eyes at him.

  "I'm sorry," he said. "I laughed because I find you funny." he still continued to chuckle. "What I meant to say is it's worth trying because you said no doctors."

  "Pediatricians are doctors too, you know."

  He shook his head and slid his hand in his back pocket. "By the way, Skye is worried and wanted to know why you're not home yet." He showed me my phone.

  "Wait, you'd my phone this whole time?" I asked, taking my phone from his hand.

  "Yeah, it fell. I picked it up. I tried to catch you, but you rushed out of the lab so quickly." He scratched the back of his head, "I would’ve run behind you but Mrs. Roger made me stay in the lab. I planned to stay in anyway, waiting for you, thinking you might come back looking for it." He explained.

  "You could have just given my phone to Mrs. Roger.”

  “And miss the opportunity, No way.” He said.

  I looked into his eyes curiously.

  "Alright then, shall we go?" He got on his feet.

  "Leo, Skye is anxious. I should go home."

  "And what about the pain in your stomach?"

  "I don't think anything has broken; it's just a welt. I'm fine, really." I assured him, but he didn't look convinced. "I won't lie to you, Leo. I am tired and just want to go home."

  "Fine." He sighed deeply and closed the car door. He then went around and picked up my backpack from the ground and placed it in the back seat of the car. While sliding into the driver's seat, he asked me for my home address. I gave him the directions verbally.

  I saw messages from Skye, and they were displayed on the screen lock. I guess while I passed out, Leo must have read the notifications.

  I texted Skye: 'I'll be home soon. I'm with a friend.'

  'Friend?' She quickly replied.

  I texted her back: 'Yeah.'

  It was very quiet in the car, and I broke it to ask. "Why did you put me in the car?"

  "Since you were avoiding going to the principal, you also wanted to avoid the nurse's station. So..." He tore his eyes away from the road to look at me for a brief second. He smiled and went to look at the road again.

  Smart move, I thought. "Thank you, Leo," I stated instead.

  "You never told me your name?" He asked.

  "It's Aries."

  "Aries!" He said with a surprised tone. His phone was buzzing, but he ignored it and continued to ask me. "Like the sign in zodiac?"

  "Yes."

  "So, are you named after your birth sign?"

  "Yes."

  His phone vibrated again, and he chose to ignore it still.

  "You can answer your phone. It seems like someone is trying to get your attention." I indicated, assuming his girlfriend might be calling him.