"A boyfriend!? Ariana Holmes, who, when, and how on earth did you get a boyfriend!?" my uncle's loud words rang through my ear. Obviously, since we were on the phone, I couldn't tell what kind of expression he was making. But I did not mistake the disbelief in his tone.
Honestly, it's not that shocking...okay fine, maybe it is. To tell the truth, I was and still am pretty shocked.
I sighed, rubbing my forehead, for this was one of the most embarrassing things I had to do. My face was burning with embarrassment, for I had no idea how to tell my uncle that I had a boyfriend now. I was so nervous to tell him this through the phone and out of the blue.
"His name is Christian. He's one of the special kids. You met him before, Uncle. We're going on a date today after school." My voice was so low that I thought my uncle couldn't hear me right. I could barely speak when I told Joey and the others about Christian and me, who were dumbfounded to learn I ever had feelings for him. Joey was the only one who cheered.
"Oh, you mean the dark-haired, tattoed guy who saved you from the fire? Yeah, I know him," he said.
I was about to say something when a voice from the other line cut me off. "I knew it!" I heard Jessie shout in joy.
"Are you on the speakerphone?"
Jessie apparently grabbed the phone before my uncle could explain. "I totally knew that boy Christian liked you. Ever since I saw him at the shop, he was staring all the time."
Her words made me smile while I blushed. Has Christian been staring at me? That's sweet to know. I guess I'm not the only one who stares.
"Hey, how come you didn't tell me?" my uncle said to Jessie.
"I wasn't very sure at the time."
"So, anyway, you guys, I just wanted to let you know about this." I sighed, glancing at the clock. I should hang up before I get to school late.
"To tell you the truth, sweetie, I'm pretty surprised you got a boyfriend. I never thought you were interested in that," my uncle admitted.
"I know."
"I mean, I always thought that you were a lesbian."
"Uncle! I'm not a lesbian!" I rolled my eyes while his laughter filled my ears.
Huffing in frustration, I turned around, wanting to get out of the room. But I froze in my spot when I saw Christian at the doorway, leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. His lips tugged in amusement, and my eyes widened when I realized that he probably heard the lesbian part.
Ugh! Why do I always have to embarrass myself like that?
How long was he standing there?
"Lesbian?" He mouthed, eyebrow raised. I ignored his question and got back to the phone, somehow finding it hard to take my eyes off him.
"So, Uncle, listen. I have got to go to school now. Talk to you later?" I said, getting ready to hang up.
"Aria, wait. Actually, you do know that I am happy for you. But you also know that I am very concerned. What if that guy was using you?" he asked, his voice holding that concerned and father-like tone.
"There's nothing to worry about, Uncle." I smiled, even though he couldn't really see me.
My uncle was about to say something when suddenly Christian walked towards me and took the phone from my hand.
"What are you doing?" I hissed at him, but he ignored me by giving me his back. He brought the phone to his ear, making my heart jump. What the hell is he doing? I hope he isn't planning on doing something reckless.
He cleared his throat. "Hello, sir. It's Christian. I know this is sudden, and I understand that you are concerned about your niece. I just wanted to say that I'm in love with Ariana, and I very much plan on dating her. Like you, I want to protect her. I won't let anything or anyone harm her. So, please, I would like to get your blessings."
I had to say that I was pretty stunned hearing those words. I still couldn't get the fact that Christian actually loved me settled in my head. He has told me that many times since we got back from the cemetery, and I can't believe he would say it. I, on the other hand, haven't even said it once.
I saw Christian's lips turn into a huge smile, which meant my uncle approved. I'm also still not yet used to his genuine smiles. He was still pretty quiet around the others, but his expression opened up more with me.
"Thank you, sir. I promise that I will cherish her," he said, and with that, he hung up the phone. I couldn't help but smile at how protective my uncle was of me.
Christian turned to me. "Good morning, love. Ready for school?"
I blushed at the nickname. Yet another thing I wasn't familiar with.
I picked up my backpack from the floor and strapped it around my shoulders. "I'm ready."
"Before we go, there's something that I have been wanting to show you."
He took his bag off his back and unzipped it. I just stood there, watching him as he pulled out a black sketchbook. He crossed to my bed and then sat on it, patting the spot next to him. Confused, I plopped down beside him. He settled the sketchbook on my lap.
"Open it, see what's there," he told me, his eyes twinkling with excitement. I wasn't used to this side of Christian. I didn't even know he had it.
I shrugged and opened the sketchbook. My eyes scanned some beautiful sketches as I flipped through the pages. They were so detailed as if a professional artist made them. There were all kinds of sceneries; The London Eye, The Big Ben, a bird drawing, and a glasshouse that looked familiar.
"Is that the greenhouse?" I asked him, not being able to stop smiling.
"Yes, I thought it was beautiful, especially Rayne's flowers," he replied. Then, I continued flipping through the pages, admiring how beautiful the drawings were. I stopped when my eyes landed on a certain page.
My eyes widened, and I heard Christian chuckle from my left.
Is that...
There was a drawing of me wearing what I wore when I first got here. The person on that page looked exactly like me. It's like I was looking at my reflection in the mirror. With a smile, I flipped the page to the next one. I was surprised when I saw that it had another drawing of me. But this time, I was wearing the school uniform.
"These are amazing," I practically squealed. Next, I saw yet another portrait of me when I was at Ellen's shop. I never knew Christian could draw like that.
"Christian, they are so beautiful. How come you never showed them to me?" I said.
"I never showed them to anyone before, but I'm showing them to you now. I'm glad that you think they're beautiful." He grinned.
"How come you drew me?"
He smiled, suddenly getting closer till our noses were one inch away. Feeling my cheeks getting redder at this sudden closeness, he brought his hand and pushed a stray of my hair away from my eyes. I swallowed.
"Because I like to draw what's beautiful. And you happen to be the most beautiful girl I have ever seen," he said those words with that stupid smooth accent of his, smiling that sexy smile.
I gulped, my face getting hotter as his eyes traveled to my lips. He licked his bottom lip as his hand played with a few locks of my hair. Suddenly, his head dipped and caught my wet lips in his. Closing my eyes to feel the moment, I tugged my hands around his neck to bring him closer.
He kissed me so tenderly, letting go of my hair and wrapping his arms around my waist till our bodies were pressed together. He swept over my lower lip, asking for permission to enter, and I opened my mouth to him.
The kiss turned from tender to passionate as he picked me up in his arms and settled me on his lap. He didn't hesitate for even one second before he slid his tongue and twirled it around mine. It felt like a bag of butterflies exploded in my stomach, sending tingles down every part of my body.
Our tongues were moving together, and I couldn't help but let out a soft moan escape my lips as his arms pulled my waist, pressing my body even closer to his hard chest. This was perfect.
"At least close the door, you two."
We both quickly pulled away when a very irritating voice of someone that I really wanted to hit right now came from the doorway. With both of us breathing heavily, we glared at the smirking Joey who was leaning on the door frame, eating a banana.
Gah! Joey! I'm going to kill you! This was perfect, and you had to ruin it.
"Hate to ruin your little make-out session, but we have a school to go to." He took a bite out of his banana.
"Joey, you have exactly three seconds to leave before I shove that banana somewhere you wouldn't like." Christian threatened, very much annoyed.
"It's my room. You leave." Joey challenged, shrugging.
Christian gave Joey a look that said, 'If you've got balls, I dare you to disobey me.' And Joey's eyes widened as he took off running out of the room and downstairs.
Christian sighed. "As much as I hate to say it, that idiot is right. We should get going now."
Feeling disappointed that this ended, I nodded as I got off.
***
"Christian, about our date today, what time should I be ready?" I asked him, both of us walking our way to class. Luckily, we weren't that late, which meant I didn't have to face Mr. Monkey Head.
"After school, we go back to the house, change, then we leave. I have already taken the day off from the shop. Ellen was glad to give me one, saying that I don't take days off much often," he replied.
"Where are we going, anyway?" I asked. He never really told me where he was taking me. And I was curious to know what was on his mind.
He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, it's kind of like a surprise. But I can tell you that you will like it."
I nodded, already feeling excited. A surprise, huh? I wonder where he is taking me. He said that I was going to like it. I actually don't really care where we go. As long as I'm with him, any place is fine.
"Aww, he's making it a surprise. That's so sweet." Joey shoved himself between us, one arm on each of our shoulders. "My little detective finally grew up from being socially awkward and got a boyfriend. Daddy is so proud."
I just rolled my eyes and kept walking.
"Now, all that's left is to make you forget about that obsession with Sherlock Holmes, and finally, you get to be a normal girl," he said.
"Yeah, that's a no way in hell."
He pretended to pout. "Fine! Be a freak. See if I care."
"Gee, what would I ever do without you?" I sarcastically drawled, intertwining my fingers together to make it look like I was begging him.
He faked being shocked while I just laughed. "Okay, that's it! I have had it with your sassy mouth, young lady."
I stuck out my tongue at him like the mature person I was, and he replied by doing the same.
"I hope you both grow up," Jeremy snorted as he walked past us with Lena, Rayne, and Max trailing right behind him.
"Hey!" Joey and I protested.
Jeremy dug his hands into his pockets, smiling casually. A thought appeared on my mind, and I smirked. And I'm sure that Joey thought the same because we both looked at each other, grinning like devils.
"Oh, Jeremyyy" We both sang, strutting towards him. Joey stood by one side while I took the other. Jeremy eyed us in confusion as we sprawled one arm around each one of his shoulders.
"A little birdy told us that our little Jeremy has a crush on someone," Joey said, grinning evilly at him.
Jeremy's eyes widened, and his face turned red. He coughed. "W-what are you...talking about?"
"We mean that you have a crush on a lovely girl, don't you? Little love bird." I wiggled my eyebrows at him.
His face blew up in embarrassment. "I...I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hey, it's true! Jeremy does have a crush on someone! His face is all red," Max exclaimed, pointing a finger at Jeremy's face.
"No, I don't! Shut up, Max!"
"You totally do." Joey and I sang, laughing.
Jeremy's face turned into a tomato as he lowered his head.
"Aria, Joey, leave him alone." Rayne scolded us, hands on her hips.
"Ugh, Rayne, you're too pure." Joey rolled his eyes.
Christian nodded his head. "I agree with Rayne. Leave him be."
Joey perked up at that. "Yes, Daddy!"
Christian cringed. "No."
"Fine." Joey huffed, letting go of Jeremy's shoulder, and so did I.
I was about to walk with the guys to homeroom, but I spotted Jacob walking through the hallway and stopped in my tracks. Jacob! I haven't been able to talk to him since I got back with Christian from the cemetery. He told me that I'll always have him to run back to if Christian rejected me. But since that didn't happen, it meant I had to tell Jacob myself.
I was about to walk towards Jacob when a hand suddenly grabbed my arm, stopping me right there. I turned my head to look at Christian, staring at me with a blank expression. But something in his eyes said that he knew what I was about to do, and he didn't want me to do it.
"It's okay, Christian. I have to do this." I assured him. He inhaled a sharp breath, but he eventually let go of my arm and nodded.
I flashed him a smile before I went to Jacob. But Christian refused to move away from his spot.
"Jacob," I called out to him. He turned around, and a sad smile formed his lips when he saw me, which immediately made my heart tug. From that smile, I could tell that he already knew.
"Hey," he greeted.
"Hi.."
"Listen, I know why you're here. He accepted your feelings, and you chose him. I understand," he said, but there was a dejected tone in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Jacob," I whispered.
"Don't be. I just hope he treats you right." He smiled, but that smile didn't reach his eyes.
"You know, if it weren't for you, this would have never happened. If you hadn't told me to go, I wouldn't be with him right now," I said, stepping closer to him. "So thank you, Jacob." I smiled, and with that, I stood up on my tip-toes and pressed my lips on his cheek.
I could feel the smile on his face when I did that.
I know that our date ended badly for what he said, like locking Christian in that section X. But he was nice enough to set up a date at the rooftop of that restaurant. He told me that I needed to tell Christian how I felt about him. He was also the one who comforted me when I was crying over Christian when I saw him with Brianna. This was the least I could do.
I pulled away with a smile, and so did he. "Thanks, Holmes."
"No problem, Poirot."
I turned around to go to class, not wanting to be late for that Monkey Head won't leave me alone. I bumped into a hard chest, making me stumble backward, but strong arms caught my waist. I looked up to see that it was Christian. But he was giving a look that made my knees weak. His eyes burned with rage and...jealousy.
"What in bloody hell was that? Why did you kiss him?"
Was he jealous?
"It's okay, Christian. I just did it to thank him," I said.
"You could have just said thank you," he grumbled.
"Listen, without Jacob, I wouldn't have come to the cemetery. He was the one who told me to go," I explained, hoping he would calm down.
It seemed to work because his body relaxed, and he took my hands in his. "Fine, just don't go around giving kisses to other guys."
"Okay." I smiled at the redness on his cheeks. How cute!
"Ms. Holmes," the voice of Mr. Monkey Head came from behind us. He was standing in the hallway, tapping his foot on the ground, his face twisted in disapproval. "As much as I hate to take you away from your boyfriend, Mr. Black requests you in his office."
Mr. Black? I wonder what he wants from me.
"It's okay, love. I'll go ahead of you," Christian said, and I nodded. He gave me a quick kiss on the lips before he left. I saw Mr. Jackson roll his eyes and heard him mumble something about teenagers before I headed to Mr. Black's office.
***
"Mr. Black, You wanted to see me?" I said, peeking my head from his office door while knocking. He was sitting behind his desk, arranging some papers on the table. His head snapped to look at me, and he smiled. His smile unnerved me, and somehow, I felt like something was wrong with this.
"Yes, Ms. Holmes, please have a seat," he said and motioned his hand towards the empty chairs for me to sit. I swallowed, slowly entering and closing the door behind me. I walked towards the empty chairs and settled myself on the one facing his desk.
I didn't know if I imagined it, but I suddenly felt cold at the thought of being alone with that man. Flashes of the things he did rushed to my head, and I gripped the arms of my chair.
I can't let him suspect that I knew about him, knew who he really was.
He smiled, and it sent chills down my spine. He placed his hands on the table and intertwined his fingers. "Ms. Holmes, I never asked you about what you think of this school. How do you like your life here?"
Well, that was a strange question to ask randomly. Was that why he called me here? Shrugging, I decided to answer his question truthfully.
"I love it here. It's way different than New York. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do love my hometown. But here, many things changed in my life," I answered him with a smile. However, he just stared at me with a blank expression.
"I see, and what do you think of the special kids?" He got up from his seat and walked around me in circles. His question made a fond smile creep on my face. What can I tell him about them? They are amazing.
"They are my friends. And they are wonderful people. I'm glad that I have met them," I replied.
Mr. Black nodded. "That's encouraging. And I have also heard that Christian is quite smitten with you. As I recall, you two are in a relationship right now. Right?" I nodded slowly, somehow not liking where this was going.
He simpered, walking towards his desk. He picked out a silver key from his suit pocket and opened one of the drawers.
"Ah, young love. It is truly a delightful thing," he exclaimed, picking up a black file from the drawer then closing it. He strode back to me and leaned on the desk frame, facing my chair. "However, Ms. Holmes, I wonder, do you know your friends that well?"
"What do you mean?"
He only chuckled and opened the black file. "They say that the most important thing in friendship and love is trust. Let me show you who your friends really are..."
My stomach twisted. This wasn't good.
"First, Max Carter. Fifteen years old. That poor child had it rough. His parents thought he was mentally challenged because he discovered his abilities when he was younger. The poor boy was only trying to learn how to control and understand animals, but his parents thought that he had psychological issues, so they sent him to a psychiatric hospital for children. He stayed there for four years, convincing the doctors that he wasn't insane. Sadly, it only made him worse. After he managed to escape, I found him and brought him to the house."
Mr. Black finished reading, then he licked his thumb and flipped through another file page. Why is he telling me this? I already know Max.
"Ah, Jeremy Tan; the shy one. After his mother died in a tragic accident, the nine-year-old orphan was sexually harassed by his step-father and step-brother. He spent years being offered for sexual matters by his remaining step-family, who owned an underground business in Singapore. He was only fourteen when I discovered him. During one of my trips there, I found him in the streets, crying, waiting for his step-father to come to pick him up after he was done with a client."
Jeremy? No...
What he lived through was horrible. What kind of person would do this to a child? No wonder he's always shy and awkward. I never knew; I've never even thought that...
"Rayne Collins, the sweet girl who manages to brighten anyone's day. That child had been through a lot. At age thirteen, she was raped by her step-father and four of his friends. Tsk, tsk, can you imagine how horrible that was? Poor girl. Later, her mother found out about it. And do you know what she did? She loved her husband too much to believe her daughter, so she kicked her out. And that's when I found her."
R-Rayne? This can't be! Why? Why would he tell me this?
"Oh, I think you will like this one. Joey Anderson. The funny, strange one. That child revealed his sexuality when he was thirteen years old. His family disapproved, so they banished him from his home. A boy his age wandering off in the streets had no idea what to do with his life, how to provide food and shelter. Do you know what he did? He started selling his body for money. He spent two years trading sex until I found him."
This one sank deep inside me. My chest tightened, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. Joey? No.
My Joey? My best friend in this entire world had lived through this?
"Ah, this one is my favorite. Christian Jenson. A child who killed his own family. His parents abused him, but he had taken all the hits to spare his younger brother. While the ten-year-old child was busy discovering his powers, he came home to find his brother beaten by his parents. Eventually, he lost control of his temper and killed his parents and his little brother. Now, this story is quite tragic if I may say-"
"ENOUGH!!"
I slammed my fist on the chair's arm, cutting Mr. Black's words before he could finish. I felt my rage get the best of me. My blood was boiling, and my anger was rising through my chest. I slowly stood up, glaring at Mr. Black, who was a little taken back at my sudden outburst.
"That's enough! I don't want to hear anything! How dare you say those things about the kids who have trusted you!? I know that their past is tragic, but that won't change how I feel about them! I still love them. I actually look up to them. Do you know why? Because they're able to smile despite all the shit they went through. I admire that, so don't fucking talk about them like they're worth nothing!"
By the time the words emptied, I was heaving, and my throat was hurting me. But I didn't give a fuck. I walked out of Mr. Black's office, leaving him standing there stunned and speechless.
The moment I exited the door, I was met with five disturbed faces. Rayne's hands covered her mouth, tears trickling down her dark cheeks. Jeremy stared at the floor, unmoving. Max's lips thinned until they resembled a straight line, and Joey's face was obscured because he had his back to me. On the other hand, Christian leaned against the wall, hands buried in his pockets, green eyes empty.
Shit...