Chapter Nine
1169 Words
CHAPTER NINE: Junk eating junk
Ariela's P. O . V
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"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing? What do you mean by someone like you? There's absolutely nothing ugly about you… you're amazing, Ari. You're considerate, attentive, kind and weird and you have a really beautiful smile.. it makes my heart flutter every time… but you rarely smile and I want to change that. I'll make you happy so you smile more."
I couldn't help my smile even though I doubted his sincerity, it felt so nice hearing words that aren't punitive and insulting.
"Uhmmm…" I nervously wrung my fingers. "I real- ahh- I- giv- please give me some time to-" I was rudely interrupted when someone suddenly grabbed my forearm and forcefully pulled me all the way to the lockerrooms.
"Already w*****g around! Trying to outdo your mother?" I winced and whimpered out in pain and he let go of my arm and rolled my sleeves up, then he just gave me a strange look before sharply turning to his back and walkng off mumbling,
"Weak."
What the f**k is he doing here in a tailored three piece power suit?! How does he keep showing up out of nowhere and ruining my peace?!
I was so angry that he was here that I walked around the whole park until my anger simmered down. I ended up in front of the on campus ice cream and candy store and got a text from him right after I joined the line.
"You have two minutes…" I rolled my eyes and carried on like I didn't see the text.
I smiled when I noticed Logan walking over to me. He opened his palm and I couldn't believe how careless I'd been.
"It fell off earlier." He gave me one of his panty- dropper smiles and helped me put on the bracelet my only best friend in the whole world gave to me on my tenth birthday.
It is one of a pair, a friendship bracelet, one of a kind, I cherish it so much and would've been so devastated if I lost it and never found it again.
"Thank you, I don't know what I would've done if I lost it." I noticed too late that he was staring at the big reddish- purplish bruise on my arm and I quickly pulled down the sleeve.
"Wait for a sec." Logan suddenly took off but returned as quickly as he left with a tall stacked cone ice cream in his hand.
"Salted caramel, double chocolate almond haze."
"Oh wow, my evening keeps getting better! Thank you! Ahhh, that hits the spot! Mhmmm… that's so good." I licked it happily and tried to sound more cheerful. If I look happy then he won't pity me or ask me questions.
My eyes bulged out when his finger swiftly swiped at the corners of my lips. "You're too cute, you know that?"
I blushed shyly but my smile flattened and I turned to my back when his face tensed as he stared behind me. I immediately donned the same expression when I noticed Hayden just standing there in that black, imposing amd threatening like he is some grim reaper.
My frown deepened and I opened my mouth to speak but before I could get anything out, Hayden had already charged at Logan and shoved him aside and then turned his aggression towards my ice cream and smacked it out of my hand.
He clucked his tongue and narrowed those baleful green eyes at me like I had just thrown the darkest insult at him. "You want to ruin your skin with junk? As if you're not ugly enough as it is. Junk eating junk. You are what you eat indeed."
I found myself unable to control my self- checking at his words. Without even realizing it, I had already brought my fingers to my face and I was self- consciously tapping and examining for bumps and pimples and that ugliness he was talking about as though I'll just touch my skin and feel it. Nothing had changed, my skin still felt the same texture wise but I felt like my cheeks were less puffy in the morning. My high cheek bones are a great source of insecurity for me, I don't like how they hoist up and expand my cheeks when I smile and make it look like I have a fat face, I don't like how they give the illusion that my eyes are sunken in in dim lighting. The only solution now is to wear a mask all the time until he even forgets how my face looks.
What am I saying?! I'm going insane, of course it'd be terrible to wear a mask most hours of a day. I was getting scolded in front of so many people, some who were in the same faculty and I hated having people's attention drawn at me.
The people around us did not even look a tiny bit interested in what was going on, there were only a few who pretended to not be looking while they were only interested in scooping out fresh gossip to start off the week. I did not even bother looking at him or saying anything, I just simply started walking away, slowly but I was still moving,yet Hayden still felt it was necessary to grasp my wrist and snared,
"Let's go." As if I wasn't already going.
"I was already goin-" I instantly swallowed the rest of my words when I spotted Candace. Candace suddenly emerged from the crowd and hugged Hayden from behind.
"Babe," she faced me with a smile and blew me a tiny, cute kiss, "Ari."
Hayden suddenly released my hand like it was slimy and gross and ridden with grime and germs then hugged Candace and gave her a peck on the lips,
"I told you to wait in the car," he glared at me for a second, so quickly that Candace missed it then seized my hand again. I tried to pull it away but the more I pulled the tighter his grip became.
"I know but you were taking too long and I had to see what was," I visibly tensed and oanicked when Candace's eyes went to our hands and she frowned at Hayden. I thought she would say something but she just sighed loudly and the pried Hayden's fingers open and freed my hand while giving him a reprimanding look that was still unbearably cute regardless. Even I wouldn't take her seriously looking that mad cute.
"Stop being such a bully! Seriously, you can't be Ari's biggest bully, you just can't, you're supposed to be looking out for her. Let's go, Ari, let's leave this barbarian. You think about what you have done." Again with her cute aggression and her ability to unwittingly make me feel like I should reevaluate my morals.
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- Writer
