The next morning, I wake up, groggy and guilty. Maybe I am testing Austin. Then again, it’s not as if I don’t have a reason. Derek, my first love, was a cheater, my dad’s a deadbeat.
Men-0, Aria- 1.
I decide to call Austin to apologize. Fumbling around for my phone, I pick it up to find a missed call from Austin from last night.
I quickly dial his number, tapping my foot impatiently. Chewing on my nail, I laugh to myself, realizing that I’ve picked up Austin’s habit of never standing still.
“Hello? Aria? Why the hell are you waking me up so early?” he asks.
“Um, it’s kind of eight o’clock, so it’s not that early. Because we need to talk,” I reply.
“Shit,” he mutters under his breath. I see him lying in bed, running a hand through his head, then pacing around in his boxers.
Shit is right.
I don’t say anything, but he says, “Listen, Aria, I thought we were over. I did something really shitty.”
I almost laugh. We fight once, and then we’re just over? What world is he living in?
A pretty optimistic one, you cold, cynical bitch.
“Please tell me you didn’t sleep with my friend again,” I reply.
He laughs. “No. But Anna was over last night…”
“Wait, how? What? Who?” I interrupt.
“Someone’s been listening in journalism class,” he replies snarkily. “She came home with my roommate.”
“Well, I’ll have to call her to ask her what’s up. She was supposed go on a date with Derek.”
“She certainly gets around, doesn’t she?”
I blurt out, “Yes, she does. She’s been a pretty shitty friend lately.”
“Well, then I hope you won’t get pissed at me for this.”
“Just spit it out.” Austin’s normally pretty blunt, so him getting all cryptic on me is kinda pissing me off.
“I told Anna that you said she’s a slut.”
For a moment, I’m a little struck. I never said it outright.
But you sure as hell implied it.
But then, for some strange reason, I begin to laugh. She’s been a pretty bad friend lately. Dating my ex, sleeping with my current boyfriend. I mean, I could cut her some slack for the whole thing with Austin. But dating Derek really violates the female equivalent of the bro code.
God, I’m starting to think like a douche.
“Are you pissed?” he asks.
“You shithead,” I say, laughing. “I’m a little pissed, but in a way, it’s a little amusing.”
“Why?” Austin sounds totally befuddled.
“Because she totally deserves it. Lately, she’s been pretty bad. She’s pissed at me because she’s used to me being a loser wallflower, and her being the cool, social one. She’s sort of like the alpha in a wolf pack. When someone begins to act like him, he has to defend her territory. She’s basically doing the same thing by doing some pretty shitty things, proving that she’s the best. Also, she traumatized me as a child. She used to call me fat in middle school.”
He laughs really hard. “So are we good?”
“Hold it. You’re not out of the woods yet.”
He groans in response.
“That was pretty low what you did. Like, high school queen bee level low. So I’m not going to pretend that I’m not pissed. All I can say is next time you shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“Whatever.”
“Yeah, whatever. See you around?”
“Sure. Want to come over Wednesday night?”
“Why are you asking me about Wednesday on Saturday?”
“Why not?”
“Okay. See you.”
I hang up with Austin, and dial Anna’s number. Time to make a long awaited call.
After a few rings, she picks up. “Aria!” She definitely sounds pissed.
“Hey, Anna. Fuck you.”
“Funny. I was just about to say the same to you,” she replies.
“How did you end up with Austin’s roommate?” I ask, too curious not to ask.
“Derek stood me up.”
“Oh.” I have to contain myself not to laugh evilly.
Then she hangs up on me. This kind of feels like a break-up. Only, this time, I feel like the dumper, not the dumpee. About time this happened.
A/N: Extra points if you notice the weird double-meaning in this chapter's title. ;)
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Catered
Teen FictionAustin's a cater waiter working for New York City's top catering service. Aria's the cynical stepdaughter of one of the city's richest men, the daughter of a father she never knew. When her mother married Ned Rochester, they traded in a small house...
