With my favorite Little Mermaid backpack slung over my shoulders, I scamper inside my house back from school. Noiselessly, I kick off my pretty light-up shoes that Daddy had bought for me before he went away to live in the clouds. I scrunch up my face at the sight of the living room. The couch cushions were crooked, the coffee table on its side with the contents that were on it all on the floor, and the pictures on the walls were cracked.
Tears spring into my eyes as I notice that the only pictures that are damaged are the ones with me in them.
After taking a few calming breaths, I wipe my damp face with the backs of my hands and head into the kitchen. When I see Mommy by the oven with her back facing me, I smile. "Mommy, what happened to the living room?' I ask curiously, setting my backpack onto the dining table.
"Nothing you need to worry about." She mutters. I skip over to the sliding glass door leading to the backyard and press my face against the warm glass. "Do you think Daddy's having a fun time up in the clouds? They look like cotton candy. I forgot, does Daddy like cotton candy?" I ramble, gazing up at the sky in awe. Daddy's lucky, he gets to live in the clouds!
Bang! I spin around to see Mommy holding a knife. Is she going to make dinner now? Huh. She was now making her way towards me, her teeth clenched.
"Don't you EVER talk about him again! Its your fault that he's dead! If he didn't have to pick you up from kindergarten that day then he wouldn't have gotten into a car accident. It should have been you." She gets closer, holding the knife out in front of her.
I tremble, taking a few steps away from her, petrified. Why is Mommy saying this? Daddy isn't dead, he went to live in the clouds because he was specially chosen. Grandma told me so! I sniffle, tears tumbling down my cheeks once again. I'm confused and scared.
"Give me my husband back!" She shrieks, lunging at me. I yell in pain as she slams me to the ground and slaps me again and again. This time she hits me with the heel of the knife and I scream "Stop Mommy! It hurts! HELP!" Mommy growls and covers my mouth. She flips the knife over so that the pointy end was facing me and slams it into my stomach.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
I gasp, bolting upright, and place a hand over my heart to muffle the sound. My legs are tangled in the damp sheets of my bed. I've been having those dreams lately. Well, more like memories. All that happened eleven years ago. I've been trying to forget it, but I see now that it is inevitable. I look sideways at my alarm clock, saying that it's now 7:00. Time to get ready for school. Joy.
Sliding out of bed, I stand before my mirror and scrutinize my appearance. I stand at about 5'8 and am leggy. My light hair is tangled and my eyes are a warm coffee color.
Groggily, I wander over to my closet and scan my shirts. Finally, after much debate--with myself of course--I decide on a white cropped t-shirt with a few random black polka dots. Then I throw on a pair of light boyfriend jeans and camel colored ankle boots with a small heel. Heading into the bathroom, I apply a small amount of mascara, brown eyeliner, and a dab of lip gloss.
As I dash out of my room, I sling my rouge book bag over my shoulder and head downstairs. Sitting at the dining table is Victoria, my seventy-nine-year-old grandmother on my father's side. Grandma is about 5'2 with long and wispy grey hair that's constantly tied into a bun with a ribbon. Her eyes are like a dark forest, just like Dad's were. She's wearing a pair of white pants with a navy blue sweater and her slippers.
"Good morning, Ariel. Would you like anything for breakfast? Coffee maybe?" She asks, setting down the book that she was reading. I shake my head and give her a smile that says 'thanks for offering though'. She seems to have understood since she picked up her book once again. Hesitantly, I walk up to her and kiss her temple. I see her smile before I make my way to the front door.
As I step onto the curb in front of my house, a black Escalade pulls up. Grinning to myself, I slide into the passenger seat. I fake a salute at Nathan, as in Nathan Still one of the most popular guys in school and my best friend.
He gives me his famous lopsided grin. "Hey, Ariel, still counting down the days until summer?" He asks, pulling away from the curb. He looks nice today in his grey t-shirt and faded jeans. He's gorgeous. I'm his best friend so I can say that.
I bet he could be a model if he wanted. His ash blonde hair is spiked and as he stares at me with his emerald eyes, I forgot that he was waiting for a response. I give him a thumbs up and a look that says 'duh'. He chuckles and I turn on the radio. Lost in Stereo by All Time Low is playing and I start seat-dancing to it.
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo
She works for the weekend
Mixtape of her favorite bands
Tearin' up the radio
Lost in the stereo's sound
She's trouble in a tank top
Pretty little time bomb, blowin' up
Take ou down, living in the radio
Lost in the stereo's sound
She's dancing laone
I'm ready to go but she's so
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo
She's out of control, so beautiful
In stereo, lost in stereo
And I've been waiting for so long
But she'll never know
I'm losing hope 'cause she's so
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo
Lost in stereo, lost in stereo
Shake down on a Saturday
Sit back, gotta catch my breath
'Cause every time I see her
I know she's gonna take it back somehow
Tattoos and a switchblade attitude
Snakebite heart with a bubblegum smile
Sex in stereo, don't turn the radio dial
~Nathan Still's POV~
It's unbelievable how oblivious this girl is. She doesn't see herself as I see her...Or the rest o the male population for that matter. Though, because of that, I sometimes hope that she never comes to realize her effect of guys. Ariel's always been sort of shy around guys and it makes me happy that she can be so comfortable around me. I guess that's selfish of me but I don't really care.
I feel something bony slam into my ribcage and I yelp, not sounding too masculine unfortunately. Luckily, the only person that saw that is Ariel and she won't be telling anyone. Speaking of Ariel...I shoot a mocking glare at her and clutch my heart.
"Why must you hurt me so, Ariel?" I ask her.
She rolls her eyes and gestures towards the school then at her nonexistant watch. What is she--Oh! I glance at the screen on my phone. 7:55 it says. Shoot, we have five minutes to get across the school and be in our seats.
Ariel smirks as I panic, looking around for my backpack. After finding it, I notice that Ariel's no longer in the passenger seat, but is dashing towards the school. I jump out and slam the door so that she hears me. Just as I predicted, she whips her head around and silently laughs at me. She won't be laughing for long. I quicken my pace and finally catch up to her as she enters Mrs. Worth's homeroom.
All eyes are on Ariel and I. We are slightly bend over, my arms around her waist. Mrs. Worth clears her throat annoyingly and Ariel squirms out of my grasp. She lowers her head and moves her hair so that I can't see her face. She only does that when she blushes. I love that I'm the only one that can make her blush.
"Mr. Still, do you plan on spending all of homeroom gaping at Miss Gammons or may I continue with my class?" Mrs. Worth asks, aggrivated.
I shrug and say, "I think I prefer the first option." Everyone laughs and high fives me on my way to my seat. I glance sideways at Ariel and notice her covering her red face with her hands. She's so cute while blushing that it makes me want to embarrass her all the time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CCCCCCCCCCCOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTTTT
Sorry it's so short but I just wrote this really quick. The next chapter will be in the point of view of Ariel. How do you like it? Do you like Nate so far?