—Chapter Two—
✦ R I X T O N ✦
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Ariana was already at the bus stop as I trudged towards her, my hands tucked into my pockets as I welcomed the ice-cold air billowing into my face. As I approached, I noticed she had earbuds in. Her head was slightly bowed, mouthing lyrics, as per usual.

"Hi!" I said loudly, trying to get her attention. Her eyes snapped towards me, and for a moment her expression was startled before she realized it was only me. She turned down the volume of her music a bit before greeting me. "Hey Rixton."

I waved sarcastically and replied, "Hello." I knew my mistake almost exactly after I said it. She grimaced but hid it well. Idiot! I chided myself. "Hello" had been her friend Suzan's ringtone, so whenever she called, that came on. Ariana hated the song now, and was relatively fine with the word, but it still made her wince sometimes.

Still, I didn't comment on it and stretch the matter out. "How have you been during the short amount of time we've been separated?" I asked, trying to sound dramatic to get her to at least smile—which was odd for me. It didn't work, though.

Emotionless, she shrugged. "Fine." Quickly she pressed, "And you?"

I returned the gesture. "Pretty much the same as you."

Ariana nodded and glanced up, clearly impatient for the bus to arrive. I sensed that something was off. "What's wrong?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. "And please don't say nothing, because I'll know you're lying."

Ariana set her jaw, looked me square in the eye, and said slowly—deliberately— "Nothing is wrong. I'm just exhausted and don't want to go to school. Why do you immediately jump to conclusions?"

I scowled. I knew something about her was different, I just didn't know what. "Sure, Ariana. Sure." I shook my head. I didn't want to get angry with her, because I didn't understand what was making her like this. Maybe it was nothing, and I was jumping to conclusions. Even if that wasn't the case, perhaps I should just let it go. It would be better if Ariana wasn't irritated with me.

Since when have I had that thought? I wondered, frowning. My dwellings were interrupted as the sound of the bus met my ears. Glancing up, I saw the huge yellow-and-black vehicle surging towards us, gas billowing in its wake. As it screeched to a halt in front of us, I inhaled sharply. For some reason, I loved the smell of gasoline. I never told anyone because it wasn't really important, and it would make me seem like an even bigger freak than I already was.

The doors swung open, and Ariana gestured for me to go first. I was going to protest, but decided against it. It would only result in us standing out in brisk temperatures holding up the passengers onboard.

So I climbed up the steps and went to our seat, Ariana close behind. I flopped down, scooting so she would have room. She swung in beside me, gripping her phone tightly in her hands.

"Funny how the weather went from cool to freezing in a day, huh?" I wondered aloud, and Ariana glanced at me, mumbling, "Yeah, I guess."

I couldn't stand it. Something was wrong. I hated feeling like this—worried. I didn't like it one bit. But I supposed this was the price for having a friend. Still, I'd find out what was bothering her. If she could slowly weasel her way into my life, I could at least discover what was causing her to act so strangely.