I wish we hadn't ended.

Chapter 22: Improving.

ARIA BEVERLEIGH

The next morning, Zaid and I went to school together as always. Hand in hand, we entered school, drawing lots of eyes upon us. Everyone thought we had split, but I believe those glances were enough to convey our reconciled understanding.

Of course, I had told the girls—they deserved to know, after all, they're not just my friends for nothing.

Zaid escorted me to my classroom, our initial classes were different, but the next two were shared—both of us having math class in the same room.

"Take care of yourself, don't mind if someone says something negative, and we'll see each other in the next class." He said, giving me a peck on the lip.

People in the classroom were watching us at that moment, whispering—I could hear them.

"See you, Zaid!" I said, giving him a final hug before entering the classroom.

"We're happy for you, Aria— you both look perfect together, I hope you stay together forever!" said a few girls, and unexpectedly, I felt happy. I thought people would gossip, but they were genuinely happy for us—what more could I ask for? Finally, the obstacles were clearing.

"Thank you so much, girls— we're happy, and I hope our connection lasts a lifetime." I said, sitting down with a big smile on my face.

"Have you seen the way he looks at you? He's madly in love with you, don't worry, nothing can break you two apart, not even a strand of death!" Zarah exclaimed.

I just chuckled, looking down at my hands.

"It's the truth," Zarah said, shrugging her shoulders.

Then Aneira and Vanessa entered the classroom, and I immediately stood up and hugged them.

"ARIAAAA!" they both shouted, and the three of us hugged tightly.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, MY GIRL?" Vanessa said, jokingly but with a serious tone.

"Let's say I spent time with Zaid..." I said, laughing.

"GIRL, THOSE PHOTOS YOU SENT— OH MY GOD. YOU 2 ARE SO CUTE!" Aneira exclaimed.

I had sent them a few pictures yesterday—I was overflowing with excitement, what could I do?
Just as we were about to dive into our chat, the school bell rudely interrupted, and our teacher strolled in.
On this final school day, our biology professor decided to spice things up with a Kahoot showdown—in teams, of course. Vanessa, Aneira, Loreli, and I banded together, forming our dream team.

Unfortunately, Tessa was stuck in Zaid's class, missing out on our action.

"GUYS, IT'S BLUE!" Jason, the class clown and the class goof, yelled.

"NO,IT's NOT— LYING!" Vanessa shouted. "HE'S LYING, GUYS— DON'T TRUST THIS JERK."

"Nah— the answer is red, look—" Aneira said and pressed red against our consensus.

"YOU'RE STUPID, IT WAS YELLOW!" Loreli exclaimed, raising her voice.

"ANEIRA, WHAT DID YOU DOOO..." I groaned.

"WHAT IF IT'S RIGHT?" Aneira said confidently.

As we waited anxiously in the final seconds, questioning whether the answer was correct, we all looked at each other and burst into laughter when we saw that the answer was indeed right—thanks to Aneira, the one we thought had given the wrong answer.

"OMG, THIS BITCH WAS RIGHT!!!" Vanessa screamed.

"Told ya— I swear—if we got the first question wrong, I would've totally scolded you..." Aneira said, laughing.