Chapter Twenty-Seven
"Just when I thought it couldn't get better you impress again, Ariel," Zayn acknowledged as he finished reading what I'd added. I hadn't been sure if my additions to the book would be well received but it seemed they were.
"It's not that great. It barely adds anything."
"You're wrong. You like writing, don't you?"
"Yes?"
"Okay, then. You should know even if the story revolves around the main characters that don't make them the only characters. There are also the other main characters and the supporting cast. These supporting characters are every bit as important to the overall story."
"True," I allowed.
"So, it makes perfect sense Emily would tell her best friends about the baby first. Don't most girls do that?"
"I always told mine." That was a different time.
"Emily trusts her friends with everything," Zayn acknowledged.
"That's right. It's one of my favorite parts of the books so far. Her friendship with Rachel and Laura."
"So, it's only natural she told them first."
"Emily, what's wrong?" Rachel demanded. The three girls sat in her bedroom at her request, waiting to see what she had to tell them. She'd chosen the safety of her house to reveal this news.
"This isn't easy to say."
"Take your time," Laura offered.
"Or just say it," Rachel interjected.
"Okay, I'm pregnant." She looked at the shocked expressions on her friend's faces as they sat in stunned silence.
"Pregnant?!" Rachel yelled.
"Yes, I took the test this morning. Two to be sure and it confirmed I was expecting."
"Does Tom know?" Laura questioned.
"No, he doesn't."
"Does Jace know?" Rachel asked.
"Neither of them knows and for good reason. I don't know who the father is."
"Wait, you don't?"
"No, I don't."
"Oh, no," Laura looked at her in sympathy.
"I don't know what to do or how to tell either of them."
"This isn't easy to talk about, but you know you have options."
"Yes, Rachel, and I've considered my options. There's only one I even want to consider but it's not going to be easy nevertheless."
"What is it?" Laura looked up at her.
"I'm keeping it."
"That's great. If that's what you want, you should." Laura encouraged her.
"I agree but you know this means you'll have to tell them." Rachel pointed out.
"Of course, I plan too. I just don't know how to. It won't be simple."
"You'll just have to tell them and be honest about everything. When you figure out who the father is then that solves half the problem. If one of them is about to be a father then they deserve to know," Rachel remarked, patting her hand.
"You're right and until then both are. If they want to," Laura added.
I skimmed over the words again deciding at the very least it was off to a good start. I was loving where we were going with this and almost forgot we were writing this story and it wasn't happening. If I were in Emily's position, I wondered what I would do? Keep the baby? Abortion? Adoption?
"You're deep in thought," Zayn observed.
"Yeah, just thinking."
"About what?"
"The book."
"What about it?"
"Emily," I smiled.
"What about her?"
"I wonder what I would choose if I was in her position."
"So, what do you think you'd choose?"
"I'd keep the baby for sure."
"Really?"
"Yes. I would."
"What would your mom and Kenneth say?"
"I don't even want to think about that. Well, from Kenneth at least. I know it would make him incredibly angry. Mom would be supportive."
"Which guy do you think you'd choose?"
"You're asking this again?"
"Yeah, but not your opinion this time. Don't think of yourself as you. Think of yourself as Emily. Put yourself in her shoes. Who should she choose?"
"The answer's still the same. She loves them both so it's not an easy choice for her. I can tell Tom and Jace both love her. I'd probably be just as confused as she is right now about her feelings."
"I don't agree. I don't know why it's such a hard choice for you."
"So, you know who she should be with?"
He shrugged. "I know who she ends up with."
"But is the person she ends up with the person she should be with?"
"Yes."
"How can you be so sure?"
"We haven't finished the book yet. We'll see."
"You and everyone I know are so tight-lipped about everything."
"At least you'll know," he pointed out.
"Or I might just end up with more questions than answers."
"Maybe," he allowed.
"Do you hear that?" I questioned, hearing the faint sound of soft piano music playing
"Yeah, sounds like a piano," he voiced my thoughts.
"My mom got out her piano," I said excitedly.
"Let's go down and hear her," Zayn suggested, standing up. We walked down the stairs to confirm it was indeed Mom playing the piano. It was a soft melody that gave me such a calm and happy feeling.
"Mom?"
"Oh, hey guys," she turned to us.
"That song you're playing is beautiful."
"Thank you. It's what your grandmother used to play for me when she was little. I haven't played in a while, so I thought I'd try it out."
"You used to play for me to remember?"
"Yes, baby. I do."
"Do you mind if Zayn and I sit here and listen?"
"Of course not! Go ahead." Eager to hear her play and relive more childhood memories I sat down on the bench next to her. She then turned to Zayn, patting the bench. "Come sit down." He hesitated before sitting down on the other side of her. For a while, we just sat together as she played.
"This sounds great," Zayn complimented.
"Thank you, honey. I always hoped I could play this as well as my mom did."
"You sound wonderful so if she sounded any better than you then she must have been amazing," I offered.
"She was amazing. You would have loved her. She would have loved you too." Her face softened as she stopped playing. "Anyway, how's the project going?"
"It's going great and it should be done soon," Zayn remarked.
"Sounds just like something Alec would have you do," she commented.
"He's a great teacher," I offered.
"He's wanted to be a teacher for as long as I've known him. Always English."
"What did you want to be?" I asked her.
"A mother."
"That's it?" Zayn spoke up.
"Yes, and to have a family. Working in the kitchen at a nursing home was never the plan but it does give me some freedom." She paused as though remembering Zayn was here.
"Freedom from being at home or something else?" He continued.
"I want both of you to always remember something. Take it from me. Follow your dreams no matter what they are. Don't just find one thing and settle for it. Keep going until you are as happy with yourself and your life as you can be. No matter what's happened already. Always push forward to be happy."
"What if we're never happy?" Zayn questioned.
"Then you've got to make yourself happy. If you have people around you who care about you then you have all you need to be happy. By that point, if you're still not happy I think it's something within yourself keeping you from being happy."
"Kenneth," I spoke aloud causing them both to turn to me.
"What?" Zayn asked.
"Kenneth. It's something with him because he has everything he could ever need, and he isn't happy. He's angry." Mom opened her mouth to speak until the phone rang and she went to answer it. While she talked to whoever it was on the phone the two of us sat in silence.
"What your mom said before. I'm not happy." I was stunned by his sudden confession.
"You're not?"
"I should be but I'm not. I'm angry like Kenneth."
I shook my head. "No, you are nothing like Kenneth."
"Ariel, I know what he does."
"It doesn't matter. Now, shush! Mom may hear you." I warned.
"I've always known."
"Just drop it."
"I'm not the only one," he said looking away.
"It's none of their business nor is it yours."
"It may not be, but we make it our business because we care."
"This isn't your business. You don't know anything!"
"Why are you protecting him?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows.
I stood up in anger. "No one is protecting anyone, Zayn, and no one knows anything!"
"Woah, what's going on in here?" Mom came into the room, wide-eyed.
"Zayn needs to leave," I spat.
"What? Why?" She looked between us.
"Because he's making assumptions and talking about things he shouldn't be. Mom, you have to make him leave," I pleaded desperately.
"Hold on. Let's just calm down, sweetie. Tell me what's going on?"
"Luci, I know what Kenneth does to you, and Ariel's upset that I know." He frowned at her.
Mom's face softened with sadness. "What goes on isn't ideal but we're trying to overcome it. Ariel is safe here. I make sure of that. Please make sure your father knows that—"
"Mom, what are you doing?!" I demanded in a panic.
It had always been drilled into my head that no one could know what happened in this house. I knew it would upset Mom, but worse things had been drilled into my mind much earlier. Kenneth always said it. From the time I was ridiculously small.
"Ariel, listen to me you can't tell anyone what you saw today," Daddy said as he sat beside me in the living room. Mommy was in the bathroom washing her face after he hit her. It was bad and it scared me a lot. I couldn't wait for Daddy to return to normal where he was happy and good to her.
"You hurt Mommy," I wiped my wet eyes.
"I know that Ariel, but it's over now and you can't tell anyone, okay?" he asked using a rare gentle voice.
"Why not?"
"It's our family secret. Don't you like secrets?"
"Only good ones."
"This is a good secret. One that's just for the family. You, me, and Mom."
"Why just us?"
"Because if you told anyone our secret bad things would happen. Do you know what bad things? " I shook my head.
"If you told them they'd take your mom away and she'd never come back. You don't want that do you?"
"No," I said in a panic.
"Then you can't tell anyone. Because they will come and take her away. Then it will be just the two of us." I didn't want my mommy to go away and I didn't want to be stuck with Daddy while he was mad.
"Okay, I won't tell"
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Good girl." He ruffled my hair.
"Honey, it's okay," Mom said calmly.
"You don't need to tell anyone anything," I expressed angrily. I knew as a teenager no one would come to take my mom away but that didn't change the feeling of fear that surged through me at a fast pace.
"He's not. Just calm down." I looked between the two of them in frustration.
She should have denied his accusations, not confirm them. He wasn't some hero who could come save us from danger. He was a kid, who like me, could do nothing to help us. Why tell him or Eric anything? All the times she'd been to the office about me Eric had known something was going on.
It was embarrassing to think someone else knew I couldn't leave my abusive father because my mom wouldn't leave. Furthermore, this brought up fresh questions. If uneasy, father and son both knew what was going on did that mean they'd want to confirm it? Meaning, that Zayn was befriending me just to find out if what he thought was true.
"What is going on here? Why are you okay with him knowing?"
"I'm not okay with anyone knowing anything," she sighed.
"Then why—"
"I wasn't sure until recently, Ariel," Zayn interrupted. "No one has proof of what goes on in this house except you, her, and Kenneth. They have suspicions."
"Which aren't true," I interjected desperately.
"Those no use in lying about what's true."
"Mom!"
"Sweetheart, listen. You know I hate what happens but I'm not going to lie when someone knows already. It wouldn't change anything anyway. I still love him."
"Why can you admit this but not do anything about it?" I said tears burning my eyes.
"Ariel, let's do this later."
"I want to do this now, Mom. We might as well do this in front of him if we're doing everything else." I spat, pointed at Zayn as he sat at the piano.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come," Zayn mumbled.
"No, you shouldn't have," I bit out angrily. Mom walked over enveloping me in a hug.
"Calm down, Honey. It's okay."
"Why don't you tell me anything?" I questioned with a frustrated sob.
"Darling, when someone knows there's no point in lying. There's nothing that can be done about that. Zayn was always perceptive just like his dad. Eric had his theories for a while, and he's asked me. I've always denied them but—"
"He slapped me, Mom. You know that. Why lie and say he hasn't—"
"You're safe, Ariel. Okay? You're safe," she asserted tears in her eyes now.
"Neither of us is safe."
I was so morbidly embarrassed over this happening in front of Zayn but now I was questioning everything. He was not some stranger as I'd originally thought. He knew way more about me and my family than he should. That kind of information was dangerous. Even more dangerous when I considered who he was dating.
I pulled away from Mom. "I'm fine now," I wiped my eyes.
I looked between them, unsure of what to think. I'd always had a close relationship with my mom and I'd always told her everything and thought she told me everything. Now I didn't even know if I could trust her. All these things I didn't know because she supposedly didn't want to tell me, yet Zayn so readily knew everything. She so readily told him all these things and not her daughter. I couldn't trust her and if I couldn't trust her then I couldn't trust anyone.
"Ariel—"
"Zayn needs to go." I turned to him with a glare. "You need to go," I repeated.
"Maybe I do," he acknowledged.
"Yes, you do. I want you to get your things and leave this house. Leave this house and never talk to me again. I don't care if we fail the project. I don't care if we fail the whole class. Just get out!"
"Okay," he nodded with a frown as he went to get his things.
My fist clenched as I tried to make sense of his expressions. This wasn't the calm, popular, jerk Zayn I was used to seeing. Only I didn't know him. I couldn't make sense of anything around me right now.
"Ariel, you shouldn't—"
"You didn't tell me!"
"What—"
"You didn't tell me, and you told him!" I burst into tears.
"Sweetie—"
"Stop it! Just stop! You told him and not me. He's not your son. I'm your daughter. Tell me!"
"Ariel, stop!" She said tearfully as she wrapped her arms around me.
"Why can't you tell me?" I cried.
"Because I just can't yet. Zayn doesn't know because of me. I never told him a thing. Just confirmed what he already thought."
"How does he know?"
"I told you I know his family. Sometimes you just know things," she said softly.
"He needs to leave. I want him gone," I asserted still shaking.
I turned, hearing him coming down the stairs, carrying his things with a sorrowful expression. I was sorry I'd ever invited him over. I let go of Mom and walked to the front door opening it and turning to him.
"I meant what I said,"
"Ariel—"
"It's okay, Luci." He walked over hugging her before turning to me. "I know, princess," he acknowledged as he walked out the door and I shut it behind him, my breathing becoming uneven. I turned to Mom.
"I'm staying at Liam's tonight."
"Ariel, let's talk about this."
"What can we talk about, Mom? You'll only talk with someone else about it!" I ran to my room, locking the door, and began packing my things at a fast pace.
Ariel: Liam, please come get me.
Liam: I'm coming. What happened? Is Luci okay?
Ariel: She's fine. I'll explain everything later.
Liam: Okay, I'm leaving now.
Unknown: You should know better than inviting unnecessary house guests. Trouble always follows.
Ariel: Just leave me alone!
Unknown: Only for now and only because you want me to. In the end, I'll be the only one you can trust.
There was no way I could trust this psycho when I didn't know them. I could trust nobody it seemed. Except for Liam. I could trust him and Kaylin. I could trust my friends. Hope wasn't lost just yet, but it seemed to be fading. Once my stuff was packed, I finally opened the door and walked downstairs. Mom was sitting on the sofa with her head in the hands and she looked up when she saw me.
"Is Liam coming to get you?"
"Yeah," I sniffed.
"Do you have all your stuff packed?"
"Yeah, like I always do. Leaving my house and going to my godmother's to be safe." I retorted.
"That's what I want you to do because I know you're safe there."
"I should be safe here, Mom!"
"I know," she acknowledged.
Yeah, she knew yet wouldn't do anything about it. I turned away from her to wait for Liam to arrive. When he did, I turned to her despite the fact I was still angry with her and hugged her.
"I love you, Ariel."
"I love you, Mom," I spoke the truth though anger boiled through me. I walked outside putting my things in the back and hopped into the passenger seat.
"Gummy bear?"
"Can we talk about this later, please? I just want to get to your house."
"Yeah, that's fine," he said turning to pull away.
I saw Mom looking out the window as I left. After sitting in silence, we arrived at his house. Liam grabbed my things for me, and we headed inside. Kaylin came from the kitchen and I could tell she was concerned when she saw my appearance.
"Ariel, honey, are you okay?" She questioned.
"No, not really," I smiled sadly, reaching out to hug her. Her comforting embrace was my second favorite behind Moms.
"Well, you just head upstairs to your room and get some rest, okay? Want me to bring you some hot chocolate or something?"
"That would be nice," I smiled guiltily.
"Alright, coming right up." Liam and I walked up to my room and he sat my stuff down. As I lay down and got under my covers Liam scooted beside me and did the same.
"Maggie's not here?"
"She was earlier. Her dad got mad at her and wanted her to come home."
"Why?"
"Her mom was mad she didn't clean her room."
"Oh, wow."
"So, what's up with you. What happened?"
"It's such a long story."
"It's Saturday. You know I always have time to listen to you."
"Zayn came over today."
"Oh, he came?"
"Yeah."
"So, what happened? Was this about him?"
"Sort of."
"What did he do?"
Taking a deep breath, I told him everything that happened. The fight, and everything in between. It was beyond clear; Zayn Styles and I couldn't go a day without arguing. I hated it but maybe that was proof enough of how different we were and how we couldn't be friends.
"I'm sorry, Gummy bear."
"I feel like I can't trust her."
"Of course, you can trust her. She's your mom."
"I'm not even sure what that means anymore. What I do know is we can't be friends. I kicked him out of the house."
"You told him all that?"
"Yes, and I mean it. I was so excited for him to come over, but I realize he's nothing but trouble."
"Well, maybe the distance from Zayn is a good thing for a while. It might help."
"It's not just going to be from Zayn. Principal Styles and Mr. Gray."
"You're distancing yourself from Mr. Gray?"
"I think he knows."
"So, you're distancing yourself from anyone who knows?"
"That's the only way I know to protect myself."
"What are you protecting yourself from?"
"The truth, a lie. I don't know anything."
"Here you go," Kaylin announced, coming into the room carrying two coffee cups of hot chocolate for me and Liam.
"Thanks!" We smiled.
She quizzed my shoulder before leaving and I took a sip of the warm drink. I lend my head on Liam's shoulder, letting out a sigh.
"Everything will be okay, you know."
I closed my eyes. "I know. I just wish they'd get better soon."
I trailed off as my eyes got heavy with sleep. I guess the emotional turmoil of my day had taken its toll on me though it was now mid-afternoon. At some point, I guess I fell asleep because when I opened my eyes, I noticed Liam had left me room probably to let me rest so he wouldn't disturb me. I got up heading to the bathroom before walking downstairs. It was quiet and I wondered where Liam was.
I turned the corner to the kitchen. "Hey, Ariel," I jumped as Liam came up behind me.
"Why are you so quiet?"
"Maggie and I were talking. We didn't want to wake you."
"Where's Kaylin?"
"She went out to get Chinese. She thought that would make you feel better."
"That's so sweet of her," I smiled.
"Come on," he took my head and led me to the living room. I stopped, seeing Sunny grinning at me from where she sat on the couch beside Maggie.
"Sunny, what are you doing here?"
"Heard you had a bad day and thought I'd come to make you feel better." A knock sounded on the door and I looked at them.
"Ariel, you better answer that," Maggie insisted.
"It's your present," Liam chuckled. A smile crossing my face, I walked over opening the door to see Nick smirking at me.
"Nick? You're my present?"
"No, not me. I think your present is behind you," he pointed. I turned to see Reggie, a smile on his face. When had he gotten there?
"Thank you, guys," I said, tears filling my eyes as I enveloped Reggie in a hug.
"Don't thank us. We love you, Ariel," Liam spoke as they all began a group hug which I realized I needed right now.
I had the best friends in the world, and I realized they were my family. I believed I could trust them with everything I had. Kaylin returned with the food and we all enjoyed Chinese and talked for the rest of the night. After Kaylin went to bed, we all sat in the living room and continued to hang out.
"So, Nick you said your dad owns a publishing company?" Maggie questioned.
"Yeah, Fisher's Publishing."
"That's why your parents aren't home a lot?"
"Yeah, pretty much. They have them stationed all over the United States."
"Do you think he'll be back soon? Ariel and I are interested in what he can do."
"Can't say for sure but he should be home soon and I'm sure he'd love talking to you about his work. I never listen because I think it's boring but whatever. He'd like it."
"I'd love to hear him talk," I beamed from under Reggie's arm. We were slowly becoming more open about our newfound relationship and everyone realized it. Similarly, Nick and Sunny were doing the same beside us.
"Yeah, remind me and I'll tell you when he's coming." He smiled.
Reggie and I then went out on the porch to be alone for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry for not texting you earlier. I didn't know what kind of day you were having," he apologized.
"No, it's okay. I'm glad you're here now," I expressed, kissing him.
"I'd rather be here than anywhere else. You're my girl and I'll always be here if you need me."
"Thank you, Reg."
"Remember not everyone has perfect families. Not me, you, or anyone."
"I guess you're right."
That night I slept better than I figured I would. Reggie said I was his girl in a voice that was filled with pride. He promised he'd always be there for me and I believed him. If my friends were with me, I could handle anything. If I kept repeating it, I believed I could make it true.
"Okay, so maybe my breakfast skills aren't the best," Kaylin said, frowning at her burnt pancakes.
"Yeah, you aren't exactly as good as Luci at making pancakes, Mom."
"Maybe they're still edible," I said, taking a bite to make Kaylin feel better.
"How is it?" Liam asked.
"Great," I said, trying not to spit it out. Kaylin caught on as a smile formed on her face and she picked up the plate of burnt pancakes.
"Here there's plenty and I want you to eat every single one."
"No, please!" Liam moaned. She chuckled as she went to discard the plate.
"I'm going to have to ask Luci to up her teaching skills. I burn everything."
"Yes, you do."
"Liam, go to school! You're going to be late." She scolded him.
I smiled as we grabbed our things and headed to Liam's car.
"Have you called Luci?"
"No, I might at lunch. I don't know."
"You can't stay mad at her forever, you know."
"I know and maybe I'm not mad at her. Maybe I'm just hurt."
"Of course, you are. It makes sense. I'm sure she'll explain everything when she can."
"I just don't know how much longer I can wait. It bothers me Zayn knows."
"So, you're not going to talk to him?"
"No. You think that's wrong?"
"You know I don't like him so I'm cool with that."
We headed to Maggie's to pick her up then were off to school. With my new resolution in mind, I headed to my locker and hung out with Liam and Maggie until it was time for class.
"Ariel!"
"Really?" I whispered under my breath as Melinda made herself known coming towards me.
Now what could she want and why did it require her to yell at me in the hallway. If this had anything to do with Zayn, I had no problem telling her exactly what I thought of him at this point.
"Why was Zayn at your house?" She demanded, shooting daggers in my direction.
"Not today, Melinda," Liam warned her.
"Stay out of this! I'm asking her a question."
"Why don't you ask him?" I questioned, stunning her by my sassy response.
"I know it's to work on some lame project. I just want you to know—"
"Zayn and I aren't working on the project together anymore. You can tell him I said that" I stated, shutting my locker as I walked past her to my first period. Why was it when I was angry it seemed like I could defend myself against her insults? I could feel her eyes on me as I marched down the hallway. My bad mood was noticeable as everyone was looking at me in surprise.
"Good morning, Ariel," Alec greeted me but I ignored him going to my seat.
I had made up my mind I wasn't talking to him either. Not if he was one of the ones Zayn said knew. It wasn't fair to me to have to keep everything about my life secret when so many other people knew everything and even knowing things about my life I didn't. It wasn't fair and I wasn't going to put up with it.
"Ariel, are you okay?" Here we go with this again. Pretending I didn't hear him, I looked down at my book writing some notes down for a new book I was considering starting. What was it going to be about? I had no idea.
I told myself I didn't care if Zayn came to class today or not but I wondered if he would. The look on his face wasn't one I'd ever seen before and I didn't know how to feel about it. Perhaps it was best he came to class because maybe I needed to see how he would react. Maybe life was on my side today because he happened to come to class on time. I looked away as I felt him sit down beside me. Was he looking at me?
Class started and he didn't seem to pay me any attention either. Was he angry with me? Maybe he had a right to be because of how I acted. However, if he had a right then I still had a right to be angry as well. My right was greater than his. Whatever it was he even had to be angry at me for. His elbow bumped my arm just once and I looked over, but he didn't even glance in my direction. Okay, so maybe he was mad. Unluckily for him, I didn't care in the slightest.
"You're not going to say anything?" He whispered.
I kept my eyes trained upfront. Nope, I wasn't going to do this.
"Ariel, seriously?"
I sure was.
"You can't ignore me forever. We have this project to finish and I thought you wanted to know about our past?"
I shifted.
He sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm going—"
"Yes, you're supposedly going to tell me. Everyone's supposedly going to tell me, but they never do! Oh well, guess what? I don't care. Now shut up and let me focus on this lesson." I snapped lowly.
He pursed his lips. "I think you do care. Want to know why I think that?"
"No."
"You tried to make it through class without talking to me and you couldn't. You claimed we couldn't work together on this project anymore, but I don't think that's true."
"We can't. It's painfully clear we can't work together or even be in the same room as each other without fighting."
"You don't believe that. You want to be friends and you want to do this project with me. You like being around me just as much as I do."
I snapped my eyes to him. He was smiling at me with a softness to his lips. His dark eyes were full of something I couldn't decipher. I bit my cheek.
"I don't believe that just like I don't believe anything else that comes out of your mouth."
"Is that so?" he questioned something changing in his expression I couldn't read.
"That's right. So, I don't want you telling me anything because I don't know if it's the truth.
"Alright, Loser. If that's really how you want it."
"Zayn, Ariel, everything okay?" Alec questioned.
"Yes, Mr. Gray. Everything's fine," I said, emphasizing his name. I was sick of all the lies and I was starting to believe anything any of them told me was a lie.
"Alright," he frowned, continuing the lesson.
"You're doing it with him too?" My eyes flashed to Zayn in surprise then they narrowed. So, he was admitting that he knew Alec knew as well?
"So, you know Alec," I muttered.
"You told me you didn't believe anything I told you so I shouldn't say anything at all. That's how you wanted it, remember?"
I turned my eyes back to the front. He was starting to get under my skin very quickly. Oh well, I was going to show him. I picked up my things five minutes before class was over to make sure I was out of the class before he was. That would show him to think he was all big and bad. I could do the same thing except I'd do it better.
"Aris, you okay?" Maggie asked.
"I'm just fine," I replied.
"You seem different today," she pointed out.
"Yeah, things are changing," I said with a smile. Whether it was for better or worse I didn't know but I was hoping for the former.
She offered me a smile, but I noticed it didn't quite meet her eyes. Regardless, I said nothing as we made our way to math class. It was quiet when we entered, and it brought me some relief to know we'd been the first in the class. Though it only left room for them to question me about Melinda if not Zayn too.
"So..." Maggie started.
Like I said...
I sighed. "So..." I chuckled.
"You stood up to Melinda earlier." She acknowledged.
"I guess," I muttered, opening my notebook.
"Gummy bear, are you sure you're okay?" Liam asked, resting his hand on my shoulder.
I turned to him and smiled. "Yeah, of course!" Perhaps I was trying to convince myself as much as them.
"Okay, if you say so."
It was no longer a mystery to me that ever since I'd started working with Zayn in class things had gotten worse in my life. Quite frankly it looked like the boy was just bad news and brought trouble with him. Staying away from him would be in my best interest and I was still intending to do just that. I smiled as I received a message from Reggie.
Reggie: Thinking about you, Beautiful.
"What's got you so smiley?" Liam wondered.
"Reggie."
"What did he say?" Maggie asked.
"Just that he was thinking about me."
"This is still so weird," Liam laughed.
"I know we've just started dating and everything is so new, but he seems to care about me. He makes me feel special and I need that. It's been a long time since I've felt that."
"That's good. This is a positive for you," Maggie smiled.
I was pleasantly glad someone was thinking about me positively. Rather than focusing on the negatives, I needed to focus on the positives. One of those things being my relationship with Reggie. He was good to me and he made me feel special and beautiful. I had missed these feelings. All these things could help me to start living a better life.
It was true I felt betrayed by Mom for what she didn't tell me. Maybe I shouldn't care at all. She didn't want to tell me then fine. If she didn't then I didn't need to know. She would tell me when she was ready and until then maybe it just shouldn't be my business. I wasn't going to dwell on it or let it upset me any longer. Neither Alec nor Zayn would affect me anymore. Zayn seemed to understand my sentiments and maybe he would follow them as well.
"Hey, Losers."
Again, really?
Zayn walked into the room hand in hand with Melinda. What was she doing here? Since when did he come to class early? They both had identical smirks on their faces as they walked to our table. Just what did they have planned now? Maggie turned to look at me with a frown on her face.
"Let's just try to ignore them," Liam advised.
"You couldn't ignore me if you tried. Right, Ariel?" Zayn stated, stopping right in front of his seat in front of me.
"You're not worth paying attention to," I replied, looking down at my phone.
"No, Ariel, you're not worth it," Melinda chuckled.
My fist clenched, but I said nothing. Deciding staying quiet was a better option at this point.
"You're not even in this class. Maybe you should go to your class," Maggie suggested. Zayn sat down in his seat and she put her arms around his neck, leaning her head on his.
"Come on, you know you're all excited to see us. We make your boring lives interesting, " she smirked.
"The only lives you guys make exciting is yourselves, and maybe a devil or two," Liam commented, rolling his eyes.
Yet again, Liam coming to the rescue, even when he shouldn't. Zayn and Melinda both glared at him and I feared they'd cause another fight again. At this point, it wouldn't surprise me.
On another note, why did it seem Zayn was purposely doing this to get back at me?
"Watch yourself, Friher!" Zayn warned.
Liam didn't look the least bit fazed. "Really? Because I could tell you the same, Styles!" He shot back.
So, we were doing the last names now?
Maggie and I shared an uncomfortable look as we peered between the two of them. Were they going to start this all over again? In the same room? If I got caught in the middle this time, I was going to let them both hear it until the end of time. There was no sense in this, and I wasn't going to let it carry out any longer, no matter how much Melinda seemed to be enjoying it.
"Liam, just leave it. They aren't worth our time anyway." I stated, with an annoyed sigh.
All this confusion was giving me a headache and to make matters worse, Melinda was there to egg it on. Zayn had a class with us, so his presence was inevitable, but hers wasn't.
"You know you never did have a backbone," Melinda sighed. "Maybe if you were different, we might have kept being friends, but you know what? I didn't need you dragging me down anymore. There's only so much of the pathetic little girl act I could take. I grew out of that years ago."
"Zayn, tell your girlfriend to leave," Liam threatened.
"She's not leaving until she gets ready too," Zayn replied.
She beamed at him as she hung her arms loosely around his shoulders. My fist clenched in my lap as I stared up at them both with a heated gaze. Suddenly a thought came to mind.
"So, Zayn are you going to tell her, or should I?" I remarked, receiving everyone's attention. This might be the only way to get them to stop.
"Tell me what?" Melinda demanded.
I smirked inwardly. "About what happened at my house," I explained innocently.
Zayn's eyes narrowed as if challenging me to go further. He must be wondering if I was going to tell a lie or if I was going, to tell the truth.
"About how I had to kick him out of my house because he knew too much about my family." I further explained.
The smirk on her face faltered as she peered down at me in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She demanded, and the daring look in Zayn's dark eyes didn't go unnoticed by me.
The corners of my lips lifted. "Ask your boyfriend," I said, braver than I was feeling.
You aren't the only one who could play this little game, Zayn. There I'd directly challenged him, and I didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. Liam and Maggie were looking at me in shock. Whatever happened next, I had the rare feeling of being able to handle anything. How long would it last?