𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 ||The Sequel||

CHAPTER 22

Tristan

Not having Ari around the school is just plain strange. Hell, it's strange not having the cheerleaders here at all.

Those girls were the life of the party, adding energy and cheeriness to our otherwise drab school. They were all about that "cheer spirit" or whatever they called it. Without them, the place just feels dull and off. 

Fuck, I miss her. I can't stop thinking about how I'd have done things differently if I saw her this morning.

Regret is eating me up, making it impossible to focus on anything Mr. Adams is saying, even though he's blabbering on about Shakespeare.

It's like trying to stay in the zone when your head's somewhere else entirely.

"Mr. Fontrilla?" Mr. Adams suddenly calls my name, and I see everyone twist around in their seats to stare at me.

I furrow my brow and glance up at Mr. Adams, who's looking right at me.

Wait, did he actually call me?

"It's Fontanillia," the girl in front of him corrected.

Mr. Adams looks down at her and crosses his arms, looking a bit sheepish.

"Right, my apologies, and thanks, Miss Harper, for the correction."

The girl who set Mr. Adams straight about my name gives me a side-eye and a knowing smile.

I know that smile all too well. Shit, I've been getting it from various girls all morning.

It's like everyone's aware of the fight Ari and I had at her birthday party and that we're on a break. Now they think they've got a shot with me just because we're not together right now. 

It's fucking messed up, to be honest.

Taking a break doesn't mean Ari and I have forgotten our feelings for each other. I still love her, and I'm going to fix everything when she's back from cheer camp.

I'm not letting her go. Never.

"Mr. Fontanillia," Mr. Adams calls my name once more, this time snapping his fingers in my direction to regain my attention.

"Sorry, sir. What were you saying?"

"We're having a fire drill. There's been an 'ape invasion' in the school."

The class bursts into laughter at Mr. Adams' joke, and I muster a smile, even though it doesn't really get a reaction out of me.

"Stay focused, Mr. Fontanillia," Mr. Adams insists. "I need you all to pay attention because I'm only explaining this once. You'll need these notes for your final exams."

I nod slowly and glance down at the empty book on my desk.

Despite Mr. Adams' advice, I'm still struggling to find anything remotely interesting during this class. My mind is stuck on thoughts of Ari.

OoO

As soon as the bell rang, I dashed out of the classroom. I had no intention of wasting a second in there, especially with Mr. Adams, who I knew would try to stop me and pry into my business.

Normally, I enjoyed Mr. Adams' class and his lessons, and I didn't usually get distracted. But today, my mind was a jumble of confusing thoughts that I knew would haunt me all day.

I made a quick stop at my locker to grab my air pods. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone or deal with people, so it was just going to be me, my music, and my thoughts for the day.