Chapter 23

Hunter stood under the streetlights of the park. The cold wind did nothing to cool the rage burning inside him.

Aiden arrived, grinning excitedly, already stepping forward to throw his arms around Hunter. "Hunter! You have no idea how happy I am that you called—"

Hunter took a step back, stopping him. Aiden blinked in confusion. 

"What's wrong?" He looked at Hunter properly, eyes widening in concern. Hunter's face was messy and entire presence felt off.

"Shit, are you sick or something?" Aiden reached out, his warm fingers brushing Hunter's forehead only for Hunter to grab his wrist roughly, shoving his hand away.

"Don't!" Hunter scowled bitterly, making Aiden's chest suddenly feel tight. 

"Hunter…?"

Hunter inhaled sharply, trying to keep his emotions in check. But he couldn't hold back and asked. "Did you see Casen being bullied today?"

Aiden's heart stopped at his words. A strange, creeping dread settled over him at the seriousness in Hunter's tone. 

His fingers twitched nervously. "Why are you asking that?"

Hunter exhaled through his nose, clenching his jaw not to explode. "Just answer me."

Aiden swallowed hard and why was Hunter acting like this? "Yeah…I saw," he admitted hesitantly.

Hunter's stomach churned and his throat felt tight. He didn't want to believe this. He didn't want to believe that his best friend, his Aiden, could do nothing to help Casen. 

"Then what did you do?" Hunter's voice shook slightly, but not with fear. With fury. "Did you help him?"

Aiden frowned, now feeling annoyed. He still didn't understand why Hunter was making such a big deal out of this.

"Why are you even asking me this?" Aiden scoffed. He rolled his eyes. "Did that kid snitch to you or something?"

Something inside Hunter snapped. Before Aiden could react, Hunter grabbed his arms and pulled him closer. The strength behind his grip made Aiden gasp in pain.

"Ow—Hunter! What the hell—"

"Tell me that you helped him!" Hunter's voice was loud which made Aiden flincheed. His nails dug into Aiden's skin. "Please tell me that you weren't like every other goddamn coward who just stood there and watched a poor kid get beaten!"

Aiden felt his whole body going stiff. His lips parted, but no words came out. His heart pounded violently. He could still hear the bullies laughing, Casen falling to the ground, shaking, hyperventilating. He could still feel the moment Casen looked at him, pleading silently for help.

And he had done nothing.

Aiden looked away. "I…I didn't help him."

The moment those words left Aiden's mouth, Hunter's entire body hardened. All his trust, all his belief in Aiden came crashing down.

The Aiden he knew—the one who was always loud, reckless, annoying as hell but also kind, warm, and stupidly protective—Where was he?

Who was this person standing in front of him?

Hunter's vision blurred with anger. "I don't believe you," He whispered desperately. "You—You're lying, right?"

Aiden stared at him, bewildered. "What?"

Hunter shook his head violently. "You—You wouldn't just stand there. You wouldn't just watch something like that happen. That's not you, Aiden. That's not my Aiden!"

Aiden felt something in his chest ache. But before he could even try to process that, Hunter's next words crushed him.

"Did you tell those bastards that Casen was clinging to me and that I wanted to get rid of him?"

Aiden's eyes widened and his shoulders tensed. He looked extremely guilty. 

Hunter didn't need an answer because Aiden's reaction was enough.

Hunter just stared at him, his eyes filled with nothing but betrayal, disappointment, and something even worse—hatred.

"You really said that." Hunter's voice wobbled. He let out a bitter, humorless chuckle. "You really…fucking said that."

Aiden couldn't speak. He didn't understand. Why was Hunter looking at him like that?

"Did Casen really tell you I didn't help him?" Aiden tried to explain in a weak voice. "Hunter, listen I—"

"I SAW IT!" Hunter's shout echoed through the park. Aiden jumped, his whole body tensing in shock and fear. It's the first time he had seen such aggressive behaviour from Hunter. "I saw the fucking video, Aiden! I didn't even believe it at first. I told myself—'No, that's not my Aiden. He would never.' But now…"

Hunter let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head in disappointment. "Now, you're standing here—proving me wrong."

Aiden's chest tightened painfully. "You don't understand. I didn't help him because I didn't wanted but because–" 

"What the fuck is there to understand?!" Hunter snarled, not letting him finish. "That you stood there and watched? That you let those bastards humiliate and beat someone until he fucking—"

Hunter stopped himself because he couldn't complete it. Aiden noticed the slight tremble in Hunter's fingers so he tried to reach out. "Hunter, please listen —"

"Don't fucking say my name! And don't fucking touch me!" Hunter yelled in his face, instead he grabbed Aiden violently, making Aiden flinch again. His eyes filled with pain and disbelief. "I don't even know who you are right now."

Aiden felt something inside him shatter. His chest and heart hurt as his eyes began to water. 

Hunter's grip on Aiden's arms was painful, his nails digging into the skin so hard it would probably leave bruises. But Aiden…Aiden wasn't scared anymore. He was angry. 

"Why the hell are you taking Casen's side?!" Aiden's voice rose, his eyes wide with frustration. He jerked his arms, trying to free himself, but Hunter's grip only increased.

Hunter stared at him like he had just spoken the most disgusting, repulsive thing imaginable. "What did you just say?" 

Aiden's heart pounded in fear but he stood his ground. He felt like something was twisting painfully inside his chest.

"Casen this, Casen that—when did he become so damn important to you, huh?!" Aiden's voice shook with emotion. "What about me, Hunter? What about us? I've been with you for years, but now, you're suddenly fighting with me over some random kid?!"

Hunter's lips parted slightly as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. "Are you even listening to yourself?" 

Aiden froze hearing the pain in his voice. 

Hunter shook his head, letting out a dark, humorless chuckle. "You sound like a selfish, spoiled brat. I always liked that childish side of yours. I always encouraged it. I let you act like an idiot because I thought it was part of your charm. I thought that was just you being you."

Aiden felt his throat tightening, suddenly feeling like his whole body was going numb.

"But I was wrong." Hunter's tone was filled with regret. "You're not just childish, Aiden. You're just selfish. You only ever think about yourself—your feelings, your wants, your emotions. You never once stop to consider anyone else's pain."

The words stabbed right into Aiden's heart making his breathing grow erratic.

Hunter had always told him he liked Aiden's childishness. Hunter had always been the one to smile at his antics, to pat his head when he acted out, to laugh even when he did the dumbest things.

And now, Hunter was throwing it all back in his face? Aiden suddenly felt his vision blurred. 

"And it's all because of Casen, isn't it?" Aiden whispered as he looked at his best friend whom he couldn't recognise anymore. Hunter sucked in a breath when Aiden lifted his teary eyes, staring at Hunter with something between pain and disgust. "You changed the moment Casen came into our lives. Do you like him that much? Enough to turn against me?"

"Oh my God! Just shut up!" Hunter let out a sharp breath, his patience snapping. "Shut up, Aiden. Just shut the hell up and listen to yourself for once."

Aiden flinched so hard he felt his legs going weak if not for Hunter grabbing him so tightly. Hunter never spoke to him like that.

"Why is everything always about you?!" Hunter's voice finally exploded, his emotions spilling out like a dam breaking. "You always keep whining about yourself—about how you feel, about how I changed, how I'm not straight like you, about how I'm not on your side anymore. And not once did you think about the fact that a kid was beaten so badly that he couldn't even stand properly afterward!"

Aiden bit his lip so hard, he tasted blood, he was unable to look Hunter in the eyes.

"You think I like Casen?" Hunter let out angrily as he stepped even closer. "I see him as a little brother. A scared, helpless little brother who needed someone to stand up for him. And where the hell were you?!"

Aiden's lips trembled as he kept his head lowered and cried silently. 

"Where was your brain when all of this was happening? The kid was crying, bleeding, suffering, and you—" Hunter's voice cracked in sheer disbelief. "You made it about yourself."

Aiden's chest ached. Tears slipped down his face before he could stop them.

Hunter saw it and for a split second, something inside him hesitated. But then he remembered—the video, Casen lying unconscious in hospital, and the way Aiden had just stood there and watched it happen.

"You've changed," Aiden whispered through his tears. "You're not my Hunter anymore."

Hunter stared at him coldly.

"And so have you. I didn't know you could stoop so low to spread rumors against someone innocent. What's even his fault, huh? That his liking isn't similar to you 'normal' people? So, what? He should be punished for it?"

Aiden shut his eyes. He didn't want to hear this. But Hunter wasn't done.

"What about me?" Hunter took a step closer, looming over him. "If I were in his place, would you have done the same thing to me?"

Aiden's eyes snapped open in pure shock. He looked up and Hunter's anguish gaze pierced through him. 

Hunter's lips curled in pure disgust. "You've done something unforgivable, Aiden."

Aiden's body tensed violently. Hunter grabbed him by the collar, pulling him so close their faces nearly touched.

"Never show your face to me again," Hunter spat. "You and I are done. We are not friends anymore."

Aiden's heart dropped. His lips parted and his eyes widening in horror. "W-What?" 

Hunter shoved him away, his expression full of nothing but loathing. "I don't want anything to do with someone like you. Someone who spreads false rumors just to satisfy their own ego. It's disgusting. And right now—"

Hunter's eyes darkened.

"—I find you disgusting."

Aiden's whole world crashed. His mind couldn't process those words. The person who had always stood by him, the person who laughed at his dumb jokes, the person who smiled even when Aiden annoyed him to death—

Was looking at him like he was filthy.

Aiden took a shaky breath as he choked on his sobs. "What d-do you mean 'never show my face'? Hunter, don't be stupid. We're best friends—"

"We were." Hunter cleared it coldly. Aiden slapped a hand on his mouth to stop his gasp. "From now on, we will go our separate ways. I won't talk to you. I won't look at you. You mean nothing to me."

A single tear fell from Aiden's eye. Hunter's gaze flickered to it and his heart clenched. But he gritted his teeth to hold himself back. 

With a furious growl, he pushed Aiden away who stumbled and fell onto the ground. Aiden gasped painfully and looked up stunned and broken. 

But Hunter didn't even look back and just walked away.

Leaving Aiden completely, utterly devastated.