Chapter Four Continued...

On Monday morning, I'm a total wreck. I've lost my cellphone. All weekend I'd searched everywhere for it but had no luck in finding it. I was forced to leave home without it, it felt like I was missing something crucial like my pants. One good thing does come from losing my phone. My friends thought I'd been ghosting them all weekend and it prompted an apology.

Katie apologized for overreacting about Ari. And I apologized for keeping my lab partner a secret. I explained I was worried they would've tried to make me spy on her. In which Kris and Katie both responded, that's exactly what they would've done. Figures.

At school, I'm standing in the courtyard with my friends. I'm silently suffering and mourning my loss while I wait for the first bell. I end up telling them the truth, I hadn't been ignoring them, I'd lost my phone. They are happy to hear it and offer to help me retrace my steps. The thought of them snooping around Ari's room and under Cameron's bed makes me laugh—on the inside.

"Oh my god! Is she coming over here?" Kris exclaims.

I look to see who they're talking about. It's Ari and she is, in fact, heading directly towards us. Or more accurately towards me. She gives Kris and Katie a polite smile then she looks at me.

"You left this..." She pauses, then glances between Kris and Katie. "Uh...you left this...at my house." Ari stretches out her hand with my cellphone in it.

I'm so excited to see it. I want to jump up and down and hug her. I don't though. Kris and Katie are watching. We'd only moments ago patched things up. I quickly take it from her hand.

"Thanks, Ar..." I start to say and stop myself. "...Aurora."

She tilts her head and opens her mouth as if she's going to speak. Then she nods and leaves without saying goodbye. Kris and Kate, look at me as if I've contracted a rare disease.

"Aurora..." They both start.

I point my cellphone at them. "Don't even."

They shrug. As if to say they would never, but I can see the scheming and questions in both of their eyes. Thankfully the bell rings before they can say anything further.

It had been strange for her to approach me outside of class. It felt like she'd crossed of some invisible line. Turns out she'd only done it because that morning Cameron had dropped my phone off at her place. She hadn't wanted to wait for Physics but wanted to get it back to me as soon as possible.

A few days pass, Ari and I don't say much to each other. Our partying together hadn't affected much of anything. I was more disappointed than I wanted to admit. In hindsight, I realize her distance might've been because of how I'd reacted to her approaching me. Though at the time I couldn't fathom her caring enough to be bothered. Ari was well...Ari. Her life was full of parties, best friends, sports, and adventures. She didn't need my friendship. Or at least that's what I thought.

I'm sitting in the cafeteria with my friends. Ari is sitting with hers. She often rotated and sat with different people but today she is sitting with a group of girls from the soccer team.

There is an almost visible shift in the mood in the cafeteria. Everyone is talking and laughing and then the room drops an octave. Some are oblivious but at least half are aware of what has dropped. I'm part of the oblivious until Kris sucks in a breath.

I stop texting Cameron and see him staring at his phone. Katie has her hand over her mouth. I know what it means. The Dirty strikes again. I ignore it. I'd already removed the shortcut from my phone. I didn't want or need to know. I go back to texting. Cameron and I had hung out a few times after the party. He is out of state again, but despite the distance, we are really clicking.

Several people snicker and there are a couple of gasps. I sigh and give in to my curiosity. I look over at Kris's screen and nearly drop my phone.

It's Ari again. She's in a captionless photo uploaded by an Anonymous user. In the dark photo, her lips are locked with a hot blonde. His fingers are laced through her hair and he's pulling her into a steamy embrace. They're on a couch and she's practically in his lap. The photo only seems more erotic because of her clothes, or lack of. She is wearing nothing but an oversized men's shirt. At least that's how it appears.

I know it's not the case. I recognize this moment, but through now sober eyes. I search for myself in the picture. The fabric of my plaid shirt is on the very edge of the screen. I'm not in it. I can't help but be relieved. The relief is fleeting.

I look over at Ari to see if she's aware of the post. Her table is laughing and goofing off. It doesn't appear anyone has checked their phones yet. Ari doesn't have a smartphone. She'll have to hear about it secondhand.

"My god, Aurora is doing another gorg guy," Kris says. "I hate my life." His tone is wistful and hushed.

"Look at his jacket. Sunny State?" Katie points out.

"A college boy." Kris gasps. "And do you see what she's wearing? They tots just had sex."

I want to interrupt them. I want to explain she is wearing a men's shirt because some fool had pulled her into the pool. I want to tell them she only just met the guy and isn't making out or sleeping with him. I want to, but I don't. Because I'm a coward. I'd have to admit to being there and I'm too afraid of the drama.

"Is that smoke?" Katie closely inspects the picture, zooming in and hovering her face an inch from her screen. "Is it weed? Look in the corner! Is that a bong?"

In my head, I'm screaming 'It's not!'. But my lips fail to move. I look over at Ari's smiling face again. Someone at her table reaches over and shows her their phone. She pauses, then she laughs. A couple of the girls at her table giggle and pat her on the back.

"Drugs? Aurora is a stoner? Never would've guessed." Kris says.

I vaguely hear them analyzing details, I'm still focused on Ari. She casually gets up and grabs her things. The expression on her face is nonchalant and happy. But as she walks away, I notice it's a bit too casual. It's as if she is deliberately slowing her steps. Some students reach out to give her hi-fives as she passes. She hi-fives them back and even winks at a few. But as she nears the exit her steps quicken.

I shove my things into my backpack and abruptly stand up. My friends ask me where I'm going. I mutter I'm not feeling well then run out of the cafeteria. When I reach the hall, she is almost at the end of it.

"Ari wait up!" She stops but doesn't turn around. I jog up to her.

She gives me the fakest smile I've ever seen. Her eyes are filled with unshed tears and her eyebrows twist in pain. It breaks my heart.

"Ari..."

I'm at a loss for words. I pull her into an embrace instead. Her body goes rigid and she stiffens. For a moment I believe I've made a grave mistake. Then as if a heavy weight has been lifted from her, she collapses into me. Her arms tightly wrap around my waist and she pulls me closer.

I feel her pain through her touch. It's a strong current that washes over me and envelops me. It's suffocating, bottomless, and it's dragging me down with her. I don't try to fight the tide, or break free of Ari's emotions. I allow the undertow to pull me down to the depths of her sorrow. I don't mind sacrificing this little piece of my happiness to keep her company at the bottom.

We stand in silence, holding each other, in the empty halls of Sunny High. The sunlight beams through the glass windows and reflects off the lockers. It's too sunny. Too cheerful. Ari finally lifts her head and stares at me. She smiles sadly then brings her hand up to my face. She uses her thumb to wipe away a stray tear running down my cheek. Of course, I was the one who had started to cry. She didn't waste her tears. Not on our classmates. She has already pulled her stoic composure back into place. I've seen it before. I now know it for what it is. A facade, a mask.

"You want to get out of here?" She asks.

A responsible person, a good kid, would've tried to convince her to stay. I still had two more classes including AP Physics. But I knew she'd already made up her mind. The unknown was whether she was leaving alone. I'd never skipped a class in my life. I'd never even had a sick day. Never have I ever. I think you already know the answer to my decision.

TBC...Bite-sized chunk number 2...Thanks for reading.

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