Worth It

One

Aria suspected something a few weeks before when her evil, well she wasn't evil, but Aria hated her and vice versa, twin Ayla began acting somewhat nice to her. Keep in mind that Ayla was the favorite, which said a lot in itself. Aria wasn't a decent child, often she had been expelled for provokes fights during grade school, and had dropped out of college two years in due to the fact she couldn't decide what to major in. A disappointment to her mother's eyes, while her father was far too occupied with their struggling family business to give the other daughter the attention she needed. Ayla, on the other hand was not only still in college but was also excelling in business, and it was obvious she would be the heir to the company one day. Aria didn't mind to the fact except for the fact that the only thing her parents saw her as was her sisters black shadow, and nothing she did could make her better, so they would shoo her off instead of let her prove herself.

"Aria, please sit down on the couch your parents will be with you shortly." The maid instructed her, the hired help had all taken pity on her and were her second family. Although the Blacks were rich, they were not well extremely well known and still cast in the shadow of other more major companies and security was on the down low. Aria sat on the couch with a look of annoyance at Carol.

"Look, it surely can't be that bad sugar, just be polite and don't start yelling and stomp out as usual. You've made it twenty years so far with them." Carol patted Aria on the back before leaving her to her demise. She wasn't going to be killed yet, but everytime it sure felt like it. Her parents came down a few minutes later, while her mother looked like she was the cat who'd gotten the cream, her father looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Surprisingly, Ayla was not in sight.

"Aria, we have come to an extremely difficult decision, and I hope you understand we thought of your future and your wellbeing as we came to the conclusion. You know we love you, right dear?" Aria frowned at her mother. There was absolutely no love between them, and everyone knew it.

"No, Mother, I was not aware that you felt anything other than annoyance towards me." Her mother scoffed in fake hurt, and Aria rolled her eyes. Her father sighed and came to sit next to his daughter.

"You're getting married next Wednesday, there's no nice way to let you know." Her father rested his hand heavily on her knee. She knew his reluctance and suspected this was the only way her mother could rid herself of the burden called Aria that darkened her name. Aria's jaw dropped and she saw the look in her father's eyes and knew it was true.

"Why me? Why not Ayla? You couldn't even think asking my own opinion over this, arranged marriage? This isn't the 1800's Mother, it's the twenty-first century last I checked!"

"Ayla needs to focus on her degree, and she has much potential and shouldn't be tied down with a marriage." Her mother said, somewhat smugly.

"Allison, leave and I'll talk to Aria alone." Jacob Black said softly, and with a huff Allison left the room, her heels clicking angrily. Jacob loved his wife but it was clear she didn't feel the same way. "Look honey, the business is struggling and Sebastian Sanders has agreed to help out and get us back on our feet as long as one of you marry his son, Jackson. He's 23 and Sebastian is concerned that he's getting out of hand. You know how important this company is to our family, and how many generations it's been around." He added at Aria's expression. "Your mother is right, Ayla cannot be distracted from her degree by a husband, and she has no desire to be married." Aria scoffed, and quick swiped her eyes with her hands.

"You asked her opinion first and couldn't think of asking if this is what I wanted?" Unable to stop the tears, she jumped off the couch and ran for the door.

"Aria!" Her father yelled after her.

"Leave me alone!" She yelled back and grabbing her keys and phone ran to the garage. She turned the key in the ignition and sped angrily out the drive, her tires squealing on the way out, leaving black tracks behind. Her father dropped his head in his hands and massaged his temples where an almost permanent headache precided.

Aria pulled into her favorite place by the lake, several times she had almost pulled over due to the tears that had blinded her. She had called her best friends Kaitlyn and Nikki, and they told her they'd be there as soon as possible. They didn't ask questions, as they knew she'd tell them in person. She sat at their table, full of graffiti and carvings, their own names were cut into the wood underneath. It wasn't long until their own cars screeched into the parking lot. Aria wiped her nose with her sleeve and sniffed. Kaitlyn White and Nikki Newman day on both sides and gave her her favorite type of hug, the one that was so tight that she felt safe and that they were there for her. Kaitlyn had dyed black hair, and huge brown eyes, her many piercings had people judging her to be a bad person, when she was probably had the kindest heart, while Aria had straight long brown hair that she could almost sit on, and a flinty personality that could be seen by her dark blue eyes. Nikki had the middle personality, she was petite, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and was an actual model for a small company.

"I'm getting married." Aria finally sobbed, more tears pooling down her chapped cheeks.

"No" Nikki gasped.

"Since when?" Kaitlyn shrieked, jumping off the table and stalking down to the lake front, before turning around and joining her friends again.

"As of an hour ago I found out, I told you Ayla was being suspicious." Nikki dug out a napkin from her purse and Aria blew her nose loudly.

"You can't! We're supposed to all fall in love at the same time and get married together!" Kaitlyn grabbed Aria's wet cheeks. "They can't do that, you're twenty not seventeen!" Aria shook her head dejectedly.

"The company isn't doing so hot and Ayla turned them down, and they care more about the dumb company rather than what I want." Nikki wrapped her slim arms around her best friend's shoulders. They had all been friends since first grade, when Aria and Kaitlyn had gotten into a fight over Debbi Treats and Nikki had been the one to stop the fight and ever since then they'd all three been inseparable.

"Well, what does he look like? I hope he's not old and fat." Kaitlyn and Aria looked at Nikki with their jaws hanging down. In the light from their vehicles and the moon, they all did look suspicious. Nikki shrugged. "If she doesn't have a choice, she might as well find out about him." Aria's shoulders drooped and she sniffed.

"Let's go to your house, I'm not going home yet." Aria texted her father where she was going to be and ignored all the other messages and voice mails that had been left before following her friends to Kaitlyns apartment. Although small, their was enough room for all them and it was affordable. She didn't know what to do, so Kaitlyn had gotten her Bachelors degree and went through jobs, trying to still discover her interest.

"So, what is his name? We'll try Facebook first then move on to Instagram and the google."

"Jackson Sanders." Aria dug into her carton of ice cream, bundled up in blankets with a trash can beside her and a box of tissues. Nikki let out a whistle.

"This can't be him, he looks like a straight up player." She held up her phone to Aria and Kaitlyn. He was very fit and was looking away from the camera, as he was just stepping out of the ocean he was covered in water. He had dirty blonde hair that curled over his ears and the girls couldn't tell his eyes color.

If that was the same Jackson Sanders, Aria Black was in deep trouble.