Gated Heart

Chapter 15

Mia hadn't been able to contact Aren for the rest of the weekend, and by Monday morning she was in a panic. She wondered if something bad had happened to him. She was grateful for the start of the school week, hoping to see him waiting for her outside her apartment in the morning as always. And if not, she hoped to at least see him in class.

Taking in a deep breath, she opened the apartment building door, praying to see him standing there. She stepped outside.

He wasn't there.

Mia let out her breath and felt an emptiness open inside her.

She walked to school alone.

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By the time she arrived at the school building, she was convinced something bad had happened to Aren. The only explanation for his complete disappearance was that he was in some kind of trouble, Mia thought. Aren, who always followed her and protected her, who always took every chance to be near her, who loved Mia and Mia alone, wouldn't stop contacting her unless he was really unable to. Especially not after she had already given him her heart.

When she walked into the classroom, she didn't have any hope of seeing him there. She didn't even bother to wish for it.

But as she opened the door and stepped inside, her heart skipped a beat. She froze.

There he was. After countless missed calls and endless worrying, Aren showed up right there at his desk.

Seeing that he looked perfectly fine and unbothered, Mia let out a huge sigh of relief. She walked as quickly as she could over to his desk, nearly knocking over a chair on her way.

"Aren!" Mia exclaimed. She jumped in front of his desk and into view. "Where have you been?! I was so worried about you, I thought something bad happened!"

Aren said nothing. He didn't even acknowledge her. He was staring carelessly down at his phone, uninterested, as if he didn't hear her.

Annoyance bubbled up inside Mia. She tapped loudly on his desk to get his attention. "Uh- Aren! I'm talking to you. Remember me? Your girlfriend!"

Aren's grip tightened on his phone uncomfortably, but he tried not to show any signs of being affected.

Mia ran out of patience. She grabbed Aren's phone out of his hand and held it at arms length away from him so that he would have to look up.

Finally, he looked at her. But when he met her eyes, there was no sign of fondness. That usual glint of attachment and captivation he usually had when he looked at her was gone. Or, at least, hidden. The only expression on his face now was impatience.

The sudden cold, unattached stare caught Mia off guard and she completely forgot what she was going to say as she stood blinking at him. She regained her train of thought and tried to stay on topic as she found her words again.

"You- you didn't answer any of my calls or texts. And now you won't even acknowledge my presence. What happened?? Jeez, Aren, do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Mia paused.

Aren said nothing but kept looking at her coolly.

Mia took a deep breath. "Fine. I'm glad you're okay, but you have to at least tell me what happened-"

The teacher walked in just before Mia could finish.

"Good morning, Class." Ms. Tiller said as she walked to the front of the room. "Everyone, please take your seats."

Mia sighed and walked back to her seat. The class started but Mia still felt uneasy. She glanced over at Aren. He was looking straight ahead, still looking uninterested. Something was off.