Chapter 1 - Truth

more of the beginning than the prolouge

Chapter 1

 

            “Hey,” Kate elbowed Aria. “Check out the new kid.”

            The two high school senior girls were meandering outside the school building after school.

            “You mean Tyler?”

            “You met him?”

            “Yeah, he’s in my homeroom.”

            “You get all the luck!”

            The two girls were quiet a minute.

            “Do you not think he’s cute?!”

            “I don’t know.”

            “The only one in your life is your boy Jayden; yeah I’ve heard it before.”

Aria smiled.  Jayden was her boyfriend.  Aria wasn’t allowed to date until she was sixteen years old, but in seventh grade, she was asked by an eighth grader she had been crushing on for four years.  He promised he’d wait for her until her sixteenth birthday and so they officially started dating; her sophomore year, and his senior.  They were a cute, happy couple, content and carefree with their lives, but they each shared one problem. Jake.

“Guess who?” A low voice spoke as warm hands covered Aria’s eyes.  She grabbed the hands that belonged to the voice.

“Hey, Jay.”

Jayden came around from behind and sat next to her on the curb.  “Hello Kate.”  He said with a smile.

“It’s funny how I have to endure you two together all the time, and yet, I’m still here!  Excuse me while I go introduce myself to the newest hunk of man candy!”  And she headed off towards Tyler.

“Jay,”  Aria started.

“Mhmm?”

“People are crowding our cars again.”

There was a group, made up of mostly guys, crowding around a cherry red 1968 Firebird and cobalt blue 1966 Mustang.

“Remember our first official date?”  He asked.

“Yeah, you took me to a Mustang show.” She grinned. 

“But I planned it out perfectly.”

“You knew it would rain, but I didn’t, so we ended up sitting in your car the whole time.”

He grinned.  They were quiet for a minute. 

“Okay,” Jayden hopped up.  He stuck his hands out and helped her up as well. “I gotta get going.”  He kissed her on the cheek, and then dashed off to his Mustang.

“Girl,”  Aria jumped at Kate’s sudden voice, knocking her out of her dream state.  “that boy keeps staring at you.  He hasn’t gotten over it yet?”

Aria looked over to see a boy, Jake, staring directly at her with his hands shoved in his pockets. He wore a dark, sinister look and was alone.

“I guess not…”

“Jayden better watch himself.  If that boy’s still sweet on you after nine years, and with a broken heart, I don’t think he’s gunna let up now.”

Aria looked back to where he was standing to see it empty.

“That’s creepy.  Ria, you better watch yourself.”

She didn’t take her eyes off that spot until Kate dragged her away.

*~*~*

“Nick!”  Aria called from her room. 

Her brother appeared in the doorway.  “Yeah?”

“When are you leaving?”

He looked at his watch.  “In about ten.”

“Kay, thanks.”  She opened her laptop and typed FACEBOOK in the Google bar.  Right as she signed in, Jake started a conversation.

Jake: Hey

Aria: hullo

Jake: How’s life?

Aria: fulfilling

Aria: u?

Jake: It doesn’t require much thought . . .

Aria: . . . right

Jake: So

Jake: Got any plans for Saturday?

Aria: movies w/j

Aria: sry

Jake: Aria, I have to warn you . . .

The doorbell rang and she quickly shut her laptop.  Leaping down the stairs, she skipped to the door.

“Jayden!”  She announced.

“Hey Ari,  So I brought your favorite movies,”  he held up all three Lord of the Rings movies, and Aladdin. “and I brought glow sticks and M&M’s.”

“Yes!  You think of everything!”

“I’m missing something.”  He grinned.

“One coke for you, one diet coke for me!”  And she dashed off to the kitchen.

“Hey bro!”  Nick walked in.  “How’s college life?”

“Boring.”

“It’ll get better.  My senior year was definitely the best.”

“So are you taking Penny somewhere?”  Nick nodded. “So you guys have been going out for what… eight years?  Do you think she’s the one?”  Nick smiled and nodded again.  “Kay, thanks!”  Jayden called as Nick walked out the door.

“Back!”  Aria handed him a can of coke.  The two sat on the couch and began watching the Fellowship of the Ring.

 

*~*~*

Jayden stopped and flipped up his ripstick when he read Daniel and Austin, his closest friends.

“Hey guys, you remember Aria, right?”  He asked, joining them on the grass.

“Yeah, we’ve seen her a couple times.  She’s really nice.”  Austin said.

“Cute too.”  Daniel didn’t even look up.

“Watch it!”  Jayden wasn’t joking.  “So you remember me talking to you about Jake?”  The two nodded.  “Well this guy threatened me yesterday.”

“You afraid?”  Austin asked.

“No.  I’m just not sure how far this guy’s willing to take this.”

“Did you tell her about it?”

“No.”

“You gunna?”

“No.”

“What’re you going to do then?”

Jayden sighed and started to pick at the grass.  He pulled out his iPod and started to untangle the headphones.  “I don’t know.”  He turned to them.  “I just need to watch myself.  You guys know how protective I am of her.”

“Oh yeah!”   Austin and Daniel both agreed.

Jayden put his headphones in his ears and stood up.  He boarded his ripstick and headed off towards his next class.

 

 

Reviews

[Pomegranate]

this is much, much better!
still don't really know what anyone looks like, but still very good!

i have no idea what a ripstick is... but that's what google is for!