Chapter X
"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to go down." -Arnold H. Glasow
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POV: Aria, Duchess Of Uniqueness
We said goodbye to the others and went out the spinning hotel doors (which are extremely fun). I had forgotten how busy this place was! We walked passed the parking lot and into the street to get a taxi. Multiple taxis passed us, but one finally stopped. We all got in and Corrie told the driver where to go.
He was an older man with a big mustache, tanned skin, and solemn, brown eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days! I understood how he felt; it's been about six days before I-
"Today's our first full day in New York and December 1st and...Aria? You okay?" Meels' voice sounded worried. She was holding my phone and was recording.
"Yeah! I'm fine! I just zoned out, that's all." I rubbed my eyes tiredly and looked at the camera. Sis looked at me worriedly, but shrugged, stopped recording, and handed the camera to Corrie. I stared out my window, thinking about what I was doing, where I was going, and who was missing. I watched the foreign city of New York turn and zoned out.
"Ari? Ari?" There was a pause. "Aria?!" Amelia's nice voice was cut off by Corrie's yelling.
"ARIANNA BLANCO WHITACRE, WE ARE AT PLATO'S CLOSET!!!!!!!"
I jolted up from thinking about life back home. I looked around and, sure enough, we were there. Something weird swirled in my stomach, causing nostalgia and homesickness.
I jumped out of the cab, tipped the driver (who looked thoroughly confused), and followed my friends into the store. Corrie immediately started holding different clothing pieces up to us and commenting on how it was "too 2000's" or "not your colour". I was hesitant to take another step, but they persuaded me at least look around. Then, we heard the door open and a familiar voice echoes the building.
"Hey guys!!", Alexis cheered.
I watched Corrie's face fall to the hard floor and shatter. I remembered there was something awful going on between them and realised this would be catastrophic. Amelia nervously chuckled.
"Let's...uh...let's keep looking, guys! Hehe...heh...heh..." I quickly nodded, pretending I didn't feel weird about shopping.
"Yeah!! Let's look around! Heh..." Under my breath, I muttered, "Oh boy..."
Alexis and Corrie went opposite directions, leaving me and Sis standing very awkwardly in the middle of the store. We nodded to each other, knowing we had to fix the situation. As soon as she called out for Alexis, I ran to find Corrie. She was at the very back, looking at clearance dresses and talking.
"I think she'll like this..." Her voice drifted off. She whipped her head, looked at me, and smiled.
"Speaking of which...Ari, do you like this?!" She threw a yellow dress with T-shirt-like sleeves at me. At first, I was confused; I was to help her, not the other way around. I stared at it and even more nostalgia came. It looked so familiar, but different.
"I...I love it!" I hugged Corrie tightly but gently and looked at the phone camera. "Perfect~!!!" I didn't care how girly I sounded. It reminded me of where we started: just a group of teens that had a camera and an unrealistic dream. I smiled widely and hugged Corrie again. I quietly told her about my homesickness and how I've been thinking about the past. She nodded, but then a grin slowly crept on to her face.
"Ari misses Louie~ Ari misses Louie~", she said in a singing voice. I blushed a little and shook my head.
"Home in general. But it's great being here, in New York City!!!" I glanced at the camera, rubbed the back of my neck, and gave a shy grin. As soon as she turned off the camera, I asked, "Are you okay?" She looked away and sighed.
"Let's not talk about it..." Her voice drifted off to a far away land. I nodded, half-knowing that would be her answer, and was about to leave when I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. She turned me around and looked me in the eye.
"I'm. Going. To. Help. You." I cocked an eyebrow. She cocked hers. I did the wave with mine. She broke the eyebrow silence by busting out laughing.
"Louie has to teach me how to do that!!!", she playfully whined. "Always doing that wave..." She was smiling at my eyebrow victory when she cut in, "I'm still going to make you look fabulous!" Her hair whipped me in the face as she flipped it. I rolled my eyes and shrugged.
"Alright. Go for it."
(Hey guys! The picture is what Corrie threw at Aria, in case you didn't know. Thanks for reading!)
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