One year ago
ARIEL CAMPBELL stomped away from Larson, her eyes filled with bloody rage, her body shaking with inconsolable anger and her head spinning with the unwired thoughts she fought to unravel. She marched across the courtyard towards an empty table, grumbling underneath her breath how much she despised the guy she once called her boyfriend as she stifled her urge to pummel his head into the ground.
At this very moment, and most likely this point moving on forward; she loathed him. She cursed the ground he walked on and silently hoped that it could open up and swallow him. Furiously snatching her container out of her bag, she proceeded to slam it onto the table, causing a few heads to swivel in her direction in annoyance and amusement. She bit her lip softly and sighed as she pried the cover away from the container and set it down beside her.
She couldn't help but look back at his table, biting back the furious tears that threatened to spill from her eyes as they settled onto the brown-haired boy laughing with his friends as if she hadn't confronted him minutes ago. What did she expect? He acted as if nothing happened all week so, why now? Why would he care, especially in front of his friends? She didn't care either, what she wanted most was for him to own up and acknowledge her. Ariel despised cowards and Larson Styles was nothing but.
Before she could avert her gaze from him, his eyes briefly met hers. Her airway constructed a tightly sealed wall around her throat, restricting air from passing through or leaving her lips. The simple human act which we know as breathing deemed too difficult for Ariel at this moment. Larson was the first to look away, a ghost of a frown on his lips as he delved back into conversation with his friends, leaving Ariel with her head hanging low, her nails digging into her flesh and her eyes burning with unshed tears. Before she could pull herself out of her self wallowing, a hand tapped her shoulder lightly.
She jolted upwards, anticipating the one person who treated her as if she were invisible, but to her dismay, as her head levelled with the person who stood before her, Ariel found herself sinking deeper and deeper into the sinking ship that was her sanity. "Sorry to scare you," a voice laughed half-heartedly as he raised his hands in surrender, flashing her a toothy grin. She frowned, a disapproving look wavering over her face.
"What do you want?" Ariel seethed. Tobias chuckled once again and lowered himself onto the seat opposite her. She couldn't help but let her eyes travel across his face. His eyes gleamed with a light shade of blue: resembling the calm waters of an ocean. His nose was long yet sharp, surrounded by the lightest shade of freckles that dotted his crisp skin. His bronde hair—a combination of blonde and brown—fell over his hooded eyes, casting a deep dark shadow over his taunting gaze. The sight was eerie; Ariel wondered if it was supposed to be.
It just was.
He fumbled with the collar of his letterman jacket, too distracted by Ariel's eyes to realize that his childish habit was playing right before her condescending gaze. She scoffed. Why was the star baseball player talking to her? Tobias Aspen, the guy who all students—both male and female—either immensely loved or hated; there's no in-between. Ariel fell in the latter.
Being the captain of the varsity baseball team contributed to the halo that hovered above the blue-eyed boy. He was–is the golden boy, your friendly boy next door who everyone crushes on and the popular jock. With his athleticism came intelligence as Tobias maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his school years. He was everything: smart, athletic, charming, handsome and popular.
"Everyone loves me. I'm Tobias freaking Aspen, isn't that enough to convince you?"
"Did you and Larson break up? I heard the rumours. I was just wondering if it's true." Translation: I was just wondering if I had a shot. At the mention of Larson, Ariel's nails sunk deeper into her skin. However; this time, she could feel the sharp pain shooting through her slender fingers as her nails began to puncture her flesh. The crescent scars that ran up the length of her arm were a testament to Ariel's anger indisposition.
"There are eight pillars of a balanced life, emotions just so happen to be one of them. Anger is the one emotion you'd think would be my downfall, but in reality, it's the only thing keeping me sane."
Ariel retracted her nails from her arm and glared up at Tobias. She weighed two options in her head; punch him in the face so he'd get the memo and leave her alone or stuff her face in food. Ariel had little fight left in her, Tobias Aspen was the last person she wanted to deal with today. So she decided on the latter, hoping her silence was a clear sign of her disinterest in a conversation with him.
"So you guys really did break up. You probably think ignoring me was the best move but I read people like an open book. The rumours aren't false then. Bummer, you were everyone's favourite couple." Although his comment was sarcastic, there was nothing but the truth behind it. In a small town with little to do, residents will entertain themselves with whatever is thrown in their direction. Larson and Ariel's relationship just so happened to be one of those things.
Why? Simply because they were attractive, smart and had influential parents to back them up. It didn't take much to gain attention in this town so once news spread that the two had broken up, to say that their fans were devastated was an understatement...at least for the people who didn't want Ariel for themselves. Like Tobias Aspen.
Ariel barked a cold chuckle. Suddenly losing her appetite, she decided to return her lunch into her bag as she continued to ignore Tobias' rambling. "I just wanna say, Larson Styles is probably the most idiotic person I've come across in a while." Their gazes interlocked. Her lips twitched, hovering between a grimace and a smile. She couldn't decide which emotion she would like to convey.
"I didn't ask what you thought about him. But do me a favour and tell that to him yourself." Ariel wallowed over the fact that two years of her life were flushed down a drain. Two years of nothing but her dedication and love for Larson Styles. He was her first crush, her first kiss, first boyfriend, first real love. She gave him something she'd never get in return: time. "Screw him, Ariel." Tobias' gaze never wavered as they penetrated through Ariel's eyes.
He made it his duty to never break eye contact as his mouth curled into a boyish smile. His smile—the one thing that would render anyone motionless—except Ariel Campbell. "You're so beautiful, and for him to mess things up this bad just proves that he's an idiot." Ariel's brow arched upwards, "Who doubted my beauty?" She inquired rhetorically.
Tobias' head cocked sideways as he assessed Ariel's every movement. He realized that her attitude wasn't a facade to push him away, this is who she is: A cold, unmoving girl uncaring of anyone but herself and those she deems worthy of her attention. Of course, he knew that, but seeing it up close for more than a short period of time was jarring. Every girl he'd encountered would be a babbling mess the moment he parted his lips. But her, Ariel Campbell—she was impenetrable.
"Well," he cleared his throat, "I just thought I'd point it out." He breathed out, still stunned. His gaze was heavy on her skin. It felt as if the longer he stared, the more her flesh would burn as if his eyes were laser beams. It was deliberate. Who could ignore Tobias' charming stare? He knew the answer to that but for a moment he amused himself with the idea of her falling under his spell, until she asked, "is that your sad attempt at flirting with me? If it is, stop. You're embarrassing yourself."
"Well . . ." he murmured, once again astonished by her blunt responses. She was as hard as a rock, not an ounce of emotion other than annoyance and anger on her face. Tobias needed to act fast or else she'd completely shut down every confident bone in his body. He leaned across the table, one hand propping him up and the other outstretching towards Ariel's face.
His slender finger—adorned in gold rings wrapped itself around a lock of Ariel's red hair. With a smile and the flicker of his mesmerizing eyes, he tucked it behind her ear. Ariel froze and her once calm demeanour began to spike as the blaring alarms within the confines of her head went off. Before she could react, he whispered in a harsh breath, "I'm not flirting with you."
"Then you better have a bloody good reason as to why you're freaking touching me because I'm about two seconds from breaking your fucking fingers." She seethed venomously. Tobias smirked, unfazed by her frustration. "Well," he murmured as he etched his lips to her ears, "I'm trying to make your ex-boyfriend jealous. And I think it's working." He whispered huskily. As he retreated, he brushed his lips against her cheek, causing Ariel to recoil immediately.
However, instead of reacting to Tobias, she averted her gaze to Larson's table, expecting to see him with his back turned to her. But Tobias was right. His body faced his friends, but his head remained stiffly in her direction. Tobias wrapped his fingers around Ariel's chin and snapped her head back towards him. "He's gonna know we're doing this on purpose if you stare. Don't make it too obvious, stupid."
"Why are you doing this?" Ariel questioned, genuinely confused.
Tobias smiled as he slumped down onto the seat opposite her, "just because," I want to see him suffer. With a chuckle, he raised his hand, "he'll be here in 5 –" one finger disappeared in the palm of his hand, "4," his hand slipped away from her chin and fell flat against the surface of the table, "3," As predicted, Larson had sprung up from his seat, anger coursing through his veins as he marched across the courtyard, "2," Ariel and Tobias' eyes locked, he winked then whispered, "1." Let the show begin.
"Tobias!" Larson's once sweet melodic voice had contorted into that of pure bitter rage. Just the mere sound ignited a flame within Ariel's chest and she fought against the impulses that screamed at her to smile. Larson loomed at 6'1 over their table with a hardened face and clenched fist that itched to pummel into Tobias Aspen's face. To onlookers, this sight could be considered possibly life-threatening.
But Ariel knew Larson like the back of her hand. He was nothing but a sweetheart. That's why she loved him. He brought normalcy to her life. He brought comfort, kindness, humility, love. "Ariel," his voice wavered as he swallowed his tears away. She could detect the absence of anger as he whispered her name. But the moment his eyes drifted back to Tobias, it all flooded back as if it had never gone. "We've been broken up for just a week and you're already dating the Ken doll?!" He barked loudly.
She thought she would have been angry, but the fact that he was standing here scolding her meant one thing; he was jealous. And if he's jealous then that can only mean he still wants her. Of course, he does. You can't fall out of love with someone in one week if you truly loved them. And unbeknownst to Ariel, Larson Styles loved her more than anyone in the world. "Ken doll? Top tier compliment," Tobias whistled as he examined his sharp nails in disinterest.
"Shut up asshole, this is between me and Ariel!"
"Ariel and I."
"You fuc–"
"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Ariel snapped as her fist collided with the table, successfully halting the insults from both their mouths. Before the altercation could progress any further, Ariel wished to nip the bud. Although she wished to see how far Larson was willing to go for her, attention was the last thing she wanted and that seemed to be impossible considering the curious eyes that wavered across the courtyard.
"So you've already moved on? Ariel? Fine. Two can play at that game." Ariel froze. She was more insulted at the fact that he thought she could move on from him so quickly rather than him being upset at her moving on at all when he was the one who put their relationship on an indefinite halt. She was angry because she thought his perception of her was changing. She parted her lips, but once again stopped as she peered into his eyes.
The once brown comforting orbs that stared down at her with so much love were littered in nothing but anger. His eyes might as well have been pitch black: resembling that of a dark forest where the remnants of the guy she loved scrambled to find an escape. This person was not her Larson. She hated the sight—if she accepted that this is who he is now, then her perfect image of him would crumble—Ariel Campbell only functions on what she can understand.
And she doesn't understand much.
Right now, Larson Styles was a puzzle.
One she couldn't solve anymore.
But so was Tobias Aspen.
A hand circled her wrist, their grip firm yet gentle. Before she could fire a rebuttal at Larson, Tobias tugged her down onto the seat beside him. His hand travelled from her wrist to her waist and with a taunting smile, he said, "listen, Larson," the name rolled off his tongue sharply. It was doused in anger, annoyance, disgust...hatred. Ariel couldn't comprehend the tone behind his voice. No one could. Why?
Because Tobias Aspen is good at hiding.
"Ariel is no longer your girlfriend. The last time I checked, wasn't it you who broke up with her? You can't tell her when or who she gets to move on with. Furthermore, you don't tell her who she can laugh with, smile, hell...even freaking breathe. I suggest you walk away now before you start to piss me off. And fair warning, I get pissed off easily."
Though Ariel wasn't acquainted with Tobias, she along with 99% of the school's population knew that confrontations has never been his forte. Seeing him on the verge of a possible brawl with Larson on her behalf not only left Ariel stupefied but everyone who had now neglected to hide the fact that they were invested in this confrontation as much as the three.
She wanted to say something. She wanted to interject. She wanted to scream at Tobias to shut up and to leave Larson alone. But she couldn't. She didn't know why. She just couldn't.
She was fascinated.
Larson and Tobias stared daggers into one another's eyes. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours, hours felt like days. Tension had taken home between the three but neither made an effort to break it. However; Tobias' threatening demeanour had begun to overpower any leverage Larson thought he held against him. His gaze was too heavy, the animosity was too thick to the point where it had grown stifling.
Who was this?
This isn't Tobias Aspen.
Oh...but it is.
Larson finally cowered in defeat. The tears he was fighting back had become crystal clear as they glossed over his eyes. Without meeting Ariel's gaze, he simply nodded his head, scoffed in disbelief and sauntered away. Ariel sprung from her seat but with a sharp tug, she came crashing back down beside Tobias, too stunned to react nor realize the triumphant smirk on his lips.
From that day—the one where she allowed herself to fall in the grasp of Tobias Aspen—her life had been filled with nothing but destruction. With chaos. It didn't start with Tobias nor Larson. No, it began with the pair of eyes locked onto their table intently, watching the hand that was wrapped around Ariel's wrist. Unbeknownst to them, those eyes weren't simply admiring.
They were plotting.
They were plotting her downfall. Or more so every and anyone who dared to befriend Ariel Campbell. That day—a day unlike any other had become the pillar of a rocky foundation that was Ariel's life. She was playing a game she hadn't even known she was initiated into and Tobias was the price to be paid.
But who is Tobias Aspen?
That's a secret best left untold.
~~~
Tobias my friends. Yes, I know he's handsome😭❤️
Much love, Fiction_Goddess❤️