Once Upon A Bus Ride

Chapter 56: I'm Not Just A Pretty Face

Shannon looked around, seeming both surprised and confused. "Um...where am I?"

Aaron slipped his hands in his pockets. "This is where I lied about being when I said I was with Justin."

"You have a music studio?" she asked.

"Well technically Apollo does," Aaron said.

Shannon froze. "Wait a second...you know who he is?"

I chuckled. "Shannon, meet Apollo."

Aaron waved, and she was left standing there speechless.

I expected her to say something along the lines of "Is this a joke?" or "Are you messing with me?", but instead, she did the exact opposite.

The look of confusion vanished from her face. "Well it's about damn time. I thought you were going to keep me guessing forever."

Aaron and I were the ones confused now.

"Wait, what?" I asked. "You knew?"

She shrugged and walked around to look at stuff. "I have for a while, yes."

Aaron looked at me.

"I swear I never said anything," I said.

Shannon chuckled. "Oh relax Aaron, she's been quiet, I'm just smarter than you think. Man, I can't believe Sienna and I were actually right."

"She figured it out too?" Aaron asked in disbelief. "Am I just terrible at the whole secret identity thing?"

"Calm down," Shannon told him. "You're actually pretty good at it. The only reason we know is because we hang around you so much."

"How and when did you know?" I asked her.

"First time I got suspicious was when you and Justin were at my house," she replied, falling into the sofa. "An hour after you left there was another one of Apollo's surprise concerts. Coincidence? Maybe, but then there were also other things, like how you always had something to do on the nights he had shows going on. Sienna thought I was crazy at first, but she started to come around after she went to that concert with you Morgan."

"Huh," I remarked.

"The way you all reacted when that article came out about Morgan and Apollo's supposed romance sort of confirmed things for us," she continued. "We figured you kept it secret for a reason so we never asked."

Aaron shook his head. "Wow. All this time."

Shannon winked. "I'm not just a pretty face you know. Now...about that music video..."

~~~

I walked down the stairs to the store. Aaron had come down here and I followed soon after, leaving Shannon, Sienna and Justin in the studio. We called them both since Aaron's secret wasn't a secret to any of us anymore.

"Hey," I said.

He turned his attention to me. "Hey."

I shifted awkwardly on my feet. "About the other day..."

"It's okay," he said. "I should have been more sensitive. You were probably freaking out."

"I just don't want to lose you," I admitted softly.

He put aside the vinyl he was holding and hugged me. "You won't, whether I go or not. Although it doesn't really matter because I won't."

"What?" I asked. "Bu-"

"I'm happy here, in New York, with you," he said.

I still felt bad, but I couldn't hide the fact that I was relieved. I buried my face in his chest and sighed, hoping he wouldn't regret his decision.

"Okay lovebirds, break it up," Shannon said, walking down the stairs.

I chuckled and stepped away from Aaron. "What now?"

"My mom called," she answered. "Apparently I need to get home. And you, my friend, have to drive me."

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

She shrugged. "We'll know when we get there."

I kissed Aaron on the lips. "Later."

"I'll see you," he said.

I followed Shannon out of the door and into my car. I didn't want to intrude in case there was something important going on, but Shannon insisted that I go inside with her.

"Hey mom I'm ho-" Shannon began, but stopped once she saw the other person in the room with her mom.

He smiled at her. "Mija."

Shannon looked surprised and confused. "Dad?"

A/N

Why is Shannon's dad important now? You'll see ;).

Can't say how many chapters we have  left, but we're definitely drawing nearer to the end of the story.

We're you guys surprised that Shan and Sienna figured out Aaron's secret?

Sorry for the late update btw. I've been swamped with stuff. Hopefully this chapter would do for now. Till next time loves!

Also, I'd appreciate it if you checked out my new book "Against the Clock" on my profile. Thank you! :)

Vote and comment what you think.

- amani