“Ariella, what happened to you?” Gemma asked.
“I don’t feel like talking about it,” I said. If I told her, she would tell someone else, and I couldn’t have anyone knowing. Then Steve would really kill me.
“You can tell me, you know,” Gemma said.
“No, I really can’t. Now’s not the time, maybe some other time, okay?” I asked, trying to get her to change the subject.
She sighed, and then we went on a long day of shopping. Gemma forced me to get a dress. At least it was cute. I got a bunch of long-sleeved shirts to hide my scars, and bought new jeans and shoes. Actually, Gemma bought them for me, and I tried to object, but she just wouldn’t have it.
When we arrived back at my new “home”, Gemma put all of my new clothes in drawers and hung some up as well.
“Thanks. I really needed that,” I said.
“No problem!” She retorted. “Oh, and come downstairs to eat!” She added.
Huh, I’ve noticed that I haven’t eaten all day and it’s about forty-five past six. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. I sat down slowly into a chair beside Harry’s blonde friend. I believe his name was Niall.
I clenched my teeth together as my ribs ached. Niall looked at me a few times and gave me a cheeky smile, which I didn’t return. I wasn’t being rude, but I was just in a lot of pain.
I heard giggling and then saw Louis and Liam running downstairs, with Harry chasing after them. Zayn walked into the kitchen, gracing everyone with his presence, and sat in the seat across mine. Louis took the seat to the right of Zayn, and Liam sat on the left of Zayn. Gemma took the seat at the edge of the table, and Edward took the one at the opposite edge. I watched Harry as he walked over slowly. The only seat left was beside me.
He sat down and nodded at me, and then we all ate pizza. Louis sighed, and then got up and got some carrots from the refrigerator and began to eat them.
I looked at Niall and he had pizza sauce all over his face. He made eye contact with me, and his face was red. I couldn’t really tell if he was blushing or if it was just the pizza sauce. Probably the sauce…
I smiled a little to myself, and then, right before I was going to get up and leave, Louis yelled at me.
“Wait, Ariella! We have to ask you something!”
I said nothing, but just waited there with my arms crossed.
“Well, since we all started off on the wrong foot, the boys and I thought it would be fun to invite you to come over to one of our flats.” Louis said.
“No, thank you.” I said.
“Please! I barely know anything about you, and I know we’re going to be best friends! PLEASE, ARI! IT WILL BE FUN!” He shrieked.
“Don’t call me Ari.” I said.
“Ariella, I’ll come along too, so you won’t feel weird,” Gemma said.
I looked at Louis’s face, and saw that his bottom lip was jutted out and he looked at me with huge blue-green eyes. Next I looked at Zayn, and his expression resembled Louis’s. Liam was just smiling, and Harry looked confused. Lastly, I looked at Niall and he still had pizza sauce all over his face…
“Fine,” I caved. They all cheered, except Harry and Niall. Harry didn’t because he still looked confused, and Niall was still eating.
A few hours later, I was walking by Harry’s old room when I heard voices attempting to whisper.
“I can’t believe you idiots invited her over!” I heard Harry’s voice yell.
“Harry, you’ve been pretty awful to her. We don’t even know what she’s like! Come on, give it a chance!” Louis said. I think I would like this Louis fellow.
“Yeah, mate. Let’s get to know her. Who knows, we might all become best mates!” Liam said.
“But –” Harry began, but someone cut him off.
“Harry, quit being rude to your new sister. We’re all hanging out with her tomorrow. Plus, she’s hot.” Zayn said.
I snorted, and then I heard Niall asked, “Did you hear something?”
“Let’s go check it out!” Liam said.
Ugh, stupid Liam. I ran back to my room and shut the door, and then flung myself onto my bed. I groaned because my ribs hurt so badly right now. I heard a knock at my door, and I wasn’t getting up, so I called, “Who is it?”
“It’s your lover, Louis!” Louis yelled.
“Go away.” I yelled back.
“Nope, we’re coming in!” He yelled.
Louis twisted the door handle and opened the door just a tad before I screamed “I’M NAKED!!!”
Louis shrieked like a little girl and slammed the door shut. Well, that was one way to get people away from you.
I heard loud laughing, so I rolled my eyes and opened my door back up.
“I thought you were naked…” Louis said.
“I lied,” I said.
He stuck his tongue out at me. I looked at Niall, who was still laughing. He still had a little pizza sauce on his chin, and I desperately wanted to get it off.
So, shocking everyone, I walked towards Niall and grabbed his chin. He stopped laughing, and then looked into my eyes. That was when I first noticed how beautiful his eyes were.
Everyone was silent as I got off the pizza sauce with my thumb. I let go of his chin and then looked at my pizza sauce clad thumb.
“Gross,” I muttered, wiping it on Niall’s shirt.
“Uh, sorry about that, it was bothering me.” I said to Niall. I just looked down as he muttered, “it’s alright…” in his cute Irish accent.
“Well, I’m going to hit the hay. I’ll see you boys tomorrow morning,” I said quietly.
I walked back into my room, feeling embarrassed. I can’t believe I did that. Niall probably thinks I’m a creep now. UGH!
Wait, when did I care so much about what Niall thought of me?! I think I’m going insane.
Niall’s POV
I was sure I was blushing, because I could feel the heat blazing in my cheeks.
“Oooh, Nialler’s got himself an admirer!” Louis said.
“Hey, that rhymed!” Liam added.
“Shut up,” Harry growled.
“Why? Are you mad because your new sister wiped food off of little Niall’s chin?” Zayn nagged.
“She’s not my sister!” Harry yelled.
“Harry…” I said.
“What, Niall? You’re the one that she wiped food off of. That was weird. She’s weird,” Harry said, crossing his arms over his chest.
I rolled my eyes and thought about Ariella. Her eyes were a brilliant green and her dark brown hair was beautiful. I thought about how it cascaded down her back perfectly.
“You’ll hurt her feelings. I don’t think she’s a freak!” I said, defending the beautiful girl that wiped off my face earlier.
“I think Niall fancies her,” Louis said, waggling his eyebrows at me.
“Shut up, Lou. We’ve only known her two days, mate.” I said.
“Wait, earlier, did she say she was going to hit the hay? Americans use weird expressions. NIALLER, WE HAVE TO GO SAVE THAT POOR HAY FROM BEING HIT!” Louis screeched.
All the boys laughed and then we all left. Harry and Louis went to their flat, Liam to his, Zayn to his, and I to mine. I walked in and shut my door behind me, locking it. I only thought about Ariella. I went straight to bed and just laid there for a while.
Ariella’s POV
If Harry’s friends didn’t think I was weird before, then they definitely would after that whole “wiping-pizza-off-Niall’s-face” thing. I groaned and sat on my bed, and just examined my room. This was all so foreign to me. I was frustrated because I didn’t understand what it was like to have someone that cared. That’s why I wouldn’t open up to Gemma, I suppose. I wish I had the heart to tell her, but I just don’t. She would probably be really freaked out, seeing as she freaked out about my black eye and the cuts on my face.
I wonder what people would think of me if they knew what happened. I bet they’d be scared of me. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t know what was going on when there was a quick knocking at my door.
“Ari, can I come in?” I heard Gemma’s voice through the door.
“Yes!” I said.
Gemma walked in and then sat down beside me on my bed.
“So, I was thinking that we could have another girl’s day Friday!” She said.
“Friday… Okay, what is it today?” I asked. Wow, I actually didn’t know what day of the week it was.
“It’s Wednesday, Ariella. Where have you been?” She laughed.
Somewhere far from here; a wonderful place where everything is serene and tranquil; in other words, that place I described was my imagination.
“Just caught up in my thoughts, that’s all” I said, giving her a half smile.
“Also, you need to dress cute for our little girl’s night Friday. Wear something we bought whilst shopping. I don’t mean to spoil the surprise, but I’m going o set you up with someone!” Gemma said.
“Oh, no, Gemma, that’s absurd. I thought it was supposed to be a girl’s night!” I whined.
“Oh, hush, you’ll absolutely love it!” She said.
‘As if,’ I thought to myself. The boys would surely be flocking over Gemma. She was a beauty, that’s for sure. I’ve always thought that my brown hair and green eyes was just so plain. Although, Gemma pulled the dark brown hair off so well.
“Alright,” I sighed.
Gemma smiled and then left me alone in my room. I wonder what she would have planned…
I thought back into my past and tried to remember the last time I had a boyfriend. A blush arose in my cheeks as I realized I haven’t had a boyfriend since I was around thirteen or fourteen, and that was nothing serious. I’d only been kissed once, and it was just a little peck on the lips by Darren Frontier in the eighth grade.
Maybe getting a boyfriend would be a good thing for me. Because of Steve, I was never really a social person. I couldn’t risk anyone ever coming to my house, and I was never allowed over at anyone’s. That man really ruined me.
I tried to avoid thinking about that, but it was hard when my ribs constantly hurt. I gritted my teeth together. Why me?
I got some clothes out of my drawers, and just walked into the bathroom and cut the shower on. I peeled off my clothes and got in, and started singing the lyrics to a very good song that I hadn’t heard in a while.
Take off your make-up and put down the camera
Choke on the drama that makes me want to
Tear up the pictures, the pages you’ve saved
Creating a life of trends and make believe…
I smiled as I stepped out of the shower feeling fresh. I dried myself off and put on my bra and underwear. I put on some tight, black skinny jeans and a shirt that I bought while shopping with Gemma. It was a long-sleeved white sweater with a wolf on the front. I examined the blue eyes of the wolf, and then I thought of Niall.
I shook my head, and then brushed my hair. I decided to let it air dry and I just walked back into my room. As I lay down on my bed, I wonder why I even got dressed in the first place. It was seven o’clock, and it was evident that I was going no where. I groaned and then took my skinny jeans off, leaving them in the floor. I guess I would just wear them tomorrow or something.
I found some gym shorts in one of my drawers and put them on.
A few seconds later, I heard Edward yelling from downstairs.
“Gemma and Ariella, come downstairs! We’re all going to watch a movie together.”
I walked downstairs and sat on the couch, to the left of Gemma, who was in the middle.
“What are we watching?” I asked.
“We’re watching a movie called Burlesque. It’s supposed to be about dancers! I thought you girls might like it. Do you dance, Ariella?” Edward asked.
“I’ve had a few lessons. I’m not the best,” I said. I used to love dancing, until my mother married Steve. The lessons stopped because the money that was being paid towards my lessons went to his alcohol account.
“Oh, that’s nice. Oh my! What is she wearing?! Gemma, you’d better not get any ideas. Oh, and Ariella, you’d better not dress like those girls either,” Edward made comments like this throughout the entire movie.
Gemma just mouthed to me, ‘Sorry it’s so awkward.’
I just smiled, and once the movie was over, I went upstairs and got underneath the blankets on my bed. I closed my eyes.
The Next Morning
Today was Thursday. That meant that tomorrow, Gemma and I were hanging out. I decided to go and explore London today. I slipped on my skinny jeans and put on one of my favorite A Day To Remember shirts. I put on a pair of red vans, and then I brushed through my tangled hair. I put on a little makeup, and noticed that my cuts were healing and were barely noticeable. I smiled, and then noticed my bruise was fading to a light purple. I quickly put on some concealer over that.
I brushed my teeth, and then left to go tell Gemma that I was leaving.
I knocked on her door and said, “Hey, Gem, I’m leaving to go sightseeing. I’ll see you later!”
I got no response, so I just left. I didn’t take Edward’s keys and drive off with his car, because I figured he would be mad. I just walked and breathed in the cool, London air. I noticed that things were a lot different from America. I compared England to my old state, Florida. The temperature was a lot hotter in Florida than in England, that was for sure. England had a serene feel to it, and on the bright side, everyone’s accents were so cool.
I heard obnoxious laughing from across the street, and I looked over to see two girls and a guy running around. I smiled at their innocence, and just kept walking.
“Hey, you, what’s your name?” A girl called out.
I turned around, and asked, “Me?”
“Of course, who else would I be talking to?” She said, laughing.
“My name is Ariella,” I said.
“Cool name! I’m Seri, and these two are my best mates, Kale and Selma-Ann,” Seri said, gesturing to the other two people beside her.
“Oh, you can just call me Sel; all my mates do!” She said, shyly.
“Why? I think Selma-Ann is a beautiful name, for a beautiful girl,” Kale said, looking at Selma-Ann. She just giggled and blushed.
“Oh, yuck, spare me the public display of affection!” Seri said as Kale kissed Selma-Ann lightly on the lips. I smiled.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” I asked Seri.
“Yeah, I do! He’s the best. His name is John,” Seri giggled.
“So, do you have a boyfriend, Ariella?” Sel asked.
“Nope,” I replied.
“You’re way too pretty!” She gushed. I just laughed.
“Well, it was nice meeting you three, but I should be heading back before my dad freaks out!” I said.
“Wait, Ariella, you have to get my number. By the way, I love your American accent!” Seri said.
“Thanks, and here’s my phone. All of you add your numbers,” I said.
They passed my phone back and forth, and then we all said our goodbyes. I noticed I had a new text message that said,
“Hey, it’s Seri, even though you probably know that since my number is in your phone… Lol :P We need 2 hang out! Txt me back soon girlie x” – Seri The Amazing
I laughed at what she put her name under. I never knew making friends could be so fun. I’d been missing out on a lot, apparently. When I walked back into my house, Edward was standing firm in the living room.
“Where have you been, young lady?” He asked.
“I’ve been looking around London, even though I didn’t get that far. I met three new people, though, and they were nice,” I said.
“Just don’t leave without telling someone first!” Edward scolded me.
So, this was what it was like having a parent that enforced rules…
“Don’t think that you can just boss me around now. You haven’t even been around for my whole life, so you don’t get to tell me what to do! And by the way, I yelled and told Gemma I was leaving before I left,” I seethed.
I knew I probably shouldn’t have been rude, but it was like no one understood my feelings!
Ugh, I couldn’t wait for that girl’s night with Gemma tomorrow. As I walked up to my room, I slammed my door for dramatic effect. I would talk to Edward in the morning. I locked myself in my room without eating anything all day, just because I’m that stubborn.
I moaned as my stomach growled. I decided to take a nap to pass time, and so I did.