Boarding School (AGxReader)

18.

Ariana

The drive back to the house was very conflicting for Ariana. She had that painful knot in her throat that matched the lurching gut motions inside her. She wanted to cry, but it was as if there were no tears left inside her body. She had cried so many times during the day, she felt dehydrated, beaten down, weak.

Ariana wanted to leave that hurtful chapter in the past but the law would not let her, her family would not let her. Even, to an extent, she, herself, was not allowing her to leave it all behind. She wanted to, but there were too many demons inside her head to make that task an easy one. She could not forgive, how could she forget?

Pushing feelings and thoughts away is not the same as healing. It is simply postponing the pain, ignoring the voices in your head. Ariana wanted to confront her past, but she was too afraid and vulnerable to do so. She would rather lock herself in a house where people do not know her, and where she does not have to deal with the people that accuse of doing something she did not do. Away, from all kind of responsibilities and confrontations.

Nonetheless, she did not want to get to the house. She was not in the mood to deal with her friends' questions, or with the stares and whispers she was going to perceive the moment she walks in. But most of all, she did not want to see Y/N because she knew she had to give her an explanation she was not ready to give. But then again, she had to confront, and not ignore, like she had been doing all these years.

Ariana had not realized the driver had gone through the gate into the driveway, until it was time for her to hop off the car so she could walk inside the house. "Thanks, Darrion." Ariana said to the driver, who simply sent her a reassuring nod and unlocked the door. The doorman let Ariana in, then let Mrs. Brown know Ariana had arrived just so the woman could tell her to go to her room and get changed, since Ariana's formal attire would be an unsurprising object of attention and gossip. It was true. Gossip in this house was an uncontrollable and inevitable virus, sickening and intoxicating.

She walked upstairs, disregarded the stares and whispers, not really considering them a priority since she knew the moment she was going to encounter Y/N was getting closer and she could be more terrified.

What she saw when she walked inside the room was definitely not her favorite sight. Y/N and Courtney were sitting together on the girl's bed, talking, a little too close for Ariana's liking.

The girls noticed her presence and approached to her without thinking it twice, both with concerned looks and expectant for Ariana to say something, but the cocktail of emotions inside her brought out not the best reaction. She simply turned around and stared making her way out of the room, letting the two confused girls even more confused to her absence of words and actions. "Ariana, wait!" Courtney ran from behind and grabbed the girl's arm, turning her around, before she could walk out of the room. "What the hell dude?"

"What?" Ariana snapped, looking at Courtney intently, defiantly, and angrily.

"Aren't you gonna tell how it went?" Courtney let go of Ariana's arm once she had for certain the girl would not go anywhere.

"Why? I don't want to interrupt your conversation." Ariana bitterly spat. Courtney knew perfectly what she meant.

"Dude," Courtney sighed, looking a little annoyed. "Are you really going to do all of this? You don't have to tell me but she deserves a fucking explanation to why you ditched her all day." Courtney referred to Y/N, who could not look more lost.

"Ditch?!" Ariana gasped, offended. "Is attending to a trial ditching?" Ariana could, from the corner of her eye, see Y/N's face change at the mention of a trial.