Reunited

chapter 11

"Aria please. You have a bad bruise. Just let my brother take a look" Ares tried.

He doubted it was a mugging and when they got up he saw her wince in pain so he was afraid she was hurt elsewhere.

"No. Leave me alone. We can do the project seperately and join it together at the end" she didn't want to suffer more pain then she had to. The beating last night was one of the worst.

Ares was hurt by her comment. Granted no girl had ever told him that, he told people to leave him alone. But that was not what effected him like it should have. What effected him was the fact she didn't want to be around him.

"Fine. Be like that. I don't care about you. I should never have helped you out. You're a waste of my time" he snapped and walked off.

Tears ran down Aria's cheek as she watched him storm off. She missed him and he had only just left. She realised now as she left the lecture hall how nervous and unsafe she suddenly felt now that Ares wasn't next to her.

Jake had seen his brother shout at a girl. There was a few whispers as everyone had gone quiet but carried on leaving the room after Ares stormed out.

Jake wondered who the girl was. At first he didn't care, thinking she was just another spoilt stuck up student but he saw her walking oddly, like she was in pain. And he knew he couldn't just ignore her injury. He wanted to become a doctor, he couldn't just ignore her.

So he approached her.
"Hello" he didn't know how to start a conversation with her.

"I've got to get to class" she quickly said with a stutter. She wanted Ares. Sure he looked scary but she felt safe. Now there was this unknown man in front of her.

"Can we talk?" He asked not knowing what to say.

Aria wanted to run away but she was to scared to disobey the man.  She didn't want him to lash out. So she nodded as she blinked away the tears.

"Is there a problem? Do you have any questions?" The guest lecturer came up to both of them.

"No problem here, she just a few questions nothing more, I can handle it" Jake told him. The man nodded and went back to talking to the headteacher.

"Let's just go somewhere else" he said knowing she probably didn't want attention.

Aria was too scared to run so she shakily followed him. He led her to the nurses office and motioned for her to leave.

"I mean you no harm. I just wanted to ask you if you're okay because I saw how you were in pain. Can you look up?" He said.

Aria was afraid. She just wanted Ares but he hated her now and it was her fault. She looked up slightly, she didn't make eye contact. Tears were running down her face though.

Jake gulped. He was speechless. She looked like Ares.
Aria?
He was only 6 at the time, he didn't remember much but he knew she existed, he remembered holding her in his arms with Greyson complaining it was his turn to hold her and then taking her off him. He had made a point that he was the eldest and had enough of having brothers.
That was one of the last times he had held her.

She would be 16 now. If she was alive.

He had given up years ago. But now as he looked at the girl he had slight hope. Maybe she wasn't dead.

Maybe this was Aria.

"Aria" he couldn't help but mumble. He realised quickly how creepy that sounded.

He was just a stranger to her.

She looked even more scared and backed away.

"Sorry, I'm not a creep. Right let me introduce myself. I'm Jake, Ares brother" he covered his mistake.

Aria now felt embarrassed and a new fear. He had seen them argueing.

"He mentioned you when asking if you could come over to study" Jake added.

"How did you know it was me though" she dared ask.

"Suppose I just guessed" he said not wanting to say anything unwanted.

"May I look at those bruises. You're in pain Aria. Please let me help you" he said.

"No" she whispered.

"We can keep it between us, I won't put it on your medical record. I'm not fully qualified anyway but I know the basics. Please let me help you"

"You can't" she said wishing he could but her parents would only hurt her more.

"Okay" he knew he couldn't force her but he was concerned.

"Why can't I help" he added.

"Because it will be worse" she said. Realising her words she quickly left the nurses office.

Jake stood in shock. The girl he wanted so desperately to be hid sister was in pain. He couldn't help. There was something going on.

Meanwhile

Ares was pissed so when he left the room he went and found his favourite punchbag, metaphorical of course. He made up some football excuse to get like out of class then dragged him into a empty classroom.

"What the fuck did you do to her" he demanded.

"What the fuck is your obessession with my sister" Luke snapped.

Ares hated how he called her his sister.

"Some brother you are? Beating your own sister up. Now tell me what you fucking did to her" he said putting pressure on his arm. One twist and it would be broken.

"Stay away from her. She's my sister not yours"

Ares let go when he realised something. Maybe Luke was the reason she wanted him to leave her alone.
He didn't want her around him so he made her push him away.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm not staying away or leaving her alone" he said knowing he had to apologize for his words to her earlier.

He needed her in his life.

No matter what he couldn't leave her.

He never apologised to anyone but his family. He made an exception for Aria though. He couldn't loose her. She wanted him to leave her alone but he wasn't going to leave. He would tear down her barriers.