"I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now."

~ Part of Your World (Jodi Benson)

A loud thud woke me up abruptly in the middle of the night. I hurried out of bed, grabbed my hairbrush as a weapon, and tiptoed into the hallway to uncover the cause of the disturbance.

Please don't be Stacy having sex.

There he was, ladies and gentlemen; Jonah Parker, caught in the act.

"Are you sneaking in or out?" I whispered, amused by his amateur antics.

"Out. Wait, no. I'm inside right now so that means I'm in..." he muttered brainlessly.

My eyes widened when I realized how strange he was behaving. "Are you fucking stoned?" I yanked his arm and dragged him into his room before he woke anyone else up.

A goofy grin was plastered across his face, his eyes bloodshot and droopy. I rolled my eyes, forcing him to lie down. I was pissed off, to say the least. I mean, tattoos and a bad attitude were one thing but sneaking out to get hammered was totally another, and it was something I sure as hell didn't support.

"Good night, sissy," he mumbled before passing out.

————

"Where's Em?" I pulled the passenger door open and climbed into the truck, turning towards Dan. Andy was throwing a party at his house tonight and both Dan and Emily were supposed to pick me up, but she wasn't there.

"Her mom said that she can't come tonight. Something about me not being a good influence on her." His voice conveyed his frustration as we sped down the dimly lit street.

I checked my phone which revealed a flood of messages from her, conveying the same point as Dan, alongside other messages which read "S.O.S".

That's not good.

"Fuck that. She's going. I'll talk to her mom," I replied.

"What's the point, Ariel? It's not like she's gonna be able to have fun. She'll be worrying the whole time," Dan said bitterly. He was acting odd but I shrugged it off.

"It's not like I haven't done it before. Just drive," I instructed and he complied.

"At least you get to see her at college," he said while reaching into the glove compartment. "I mean, I barely see her anymore and even when you two are on break her mom's just always breathing down her neck." With one hand on the wheel, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

He positioned one between his lips, ready to ignite its poison but I gave him a knowing look, "You sure you wanna do that?"

He pressed down on the brakes harshly, bringing us to a standstill under a street light. "It's not just about the party and her not getting permission," he confessed slowly.

"Okay..." I nodded.

"Dammit." He hissed while slamming his palm against the wheel. After a few seconds of silence, he finally whispered, his eyes still not being able to meet mine. "I-I kissed her."

Goddamn.

"Oh." I opened my mouth to say more but couldn't find the words. I had known about his feelings as well as Emily's and I expected them to act on them at some point in life, but it was still a shocker at that moment.

Well, that explains the S.O.S.

"Yeah, I'm a fucking idiot." He pressed his forehead against the wheel hopelessly.

"No, you're not. Let me talk to her, 'kay?" I reassured him while patting his back.

As soon as we pulled up into Emily's driveway, I darted inside. I barged into her room and got straight to the point, "Are you okay? What are you gonna do?"

She groaned before sitting up on her bed, "Firstly, I'm going to the goddamn party."

"And secondly?"

"I don't know, I haven't gotten that far yet." She sighed, "Ari...I love him. I've always loved him. I just, mom's gonna kill me if she finds out and she already hates him so much. And...Chase, oh, God. I just..."

"Em, you've always taught me to stand up for myself. Now, you need to do the same. I mean, you can try to hide it for a while, until we find a decent way to break it to her but just please stop letting her control your life. Plus Chase is away, so that's good."

I sat down beside her and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Will you be happy when you look back at your life and all you see are wasted opportunities?" She shook her head as a response. "Dan's amazing, you know that. You've been suppressing your feelings for him all your life..."

"You're right. I don't want my life to be planned by my mom anymore. I feel so pathetic, I'm nineteen and I can't even, ugh." She sniffed.

"Shh, you're not pathetic. You're so strong." I stroked her hair softly, "We're gonna get through this together, okay? Now, come on, he's waiting for you outside." I winked at her and she turned red.

When we finally got back outside after convincing Emily's mom that we needed to do our assigned summer work, I practically felt Dan's eyes light up like a Christmas tree. Typically, all three of us would squeeze into the front of his pick-up truck, but today was different.

I wanted it to be different for them. I climbed into the cargo bed, my back resting against the cold metal. I could feel the light breeze tickle my bare skin and seep into the fabric of my black top. By granting Dan and Emily privacy, I was able to truly appreciate the view of the moonlight.

By the time we reached Andy's house, their shyness had morphed into something far more comfortable. When we entered the unbelievably aristocratic mansion, it was crawling with people. It was a classier version of a frat party but built on the same principles. Red and blue cups, heaps of crisps, and countless sweaty bodies pressed up against one another.

I clung onto Emily and she clung onto Dan until we heard Andy's voice over the reverberating music. "Yo, help yourselves," he greeted us from inside the swimming pool which was far more crowded than the mansion itself.

"College parties are just way more carnal than high school parties," I whispered to Emily and Dan.

"You mean, Andy's parties." Dan joked which made us laugh.

Andy's house was where all the magic happened. He had moved out of his parents' house as soon as he turned eighteen because his father encouraged independence from a young age, consequently, he asked Melaine to move in with him. It was one of the reasons Andy never felt the need to go to college. He was one of those people who managed to indulge in the best of both worlds. He worked relentlessly with his father during the day and partied maniacally in the night.

I noticed Dan signal that he was going to take Emily somewhere more quiet to talk things out. I mouthed "good luck" before they disappeared into the crowd. I, on the other hand, found the kitchen which was elegantly designed with white marble and exquisite woodwork.

Fortunately, it was empty. I grabbed an unopened bottle of apple juice from the refrigerator before turning back to the hallway to find Melaine. At the same time as I neared the doorway, someone else was walking in. I immediately stepped to my left, allowing them the space to pass, but the person had done the same. Simultaneously, we both moved towards my right and it made me giggle.

I peered up at the stranger with a wide grin. I didn't know it was possible to feel this drawn to someone without even knowing their name. Every single time I had seen him in the past few days, the stare in his unbelievably amber eyes had kindled something inside me.

Don't say anything dumb.

"We need to stop meeting like this." My voice was a mere whisper.

Breathe.

For a moment, I was glued to the ground. He had these eyelashes, they were so effortlessly curled. His light stubble complimented the contours of his fair skin while his fierce gaze penetrated through me.

My eyes dropped to observe his sharp jawline as he chewed on gum, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he spoke, "You seem to have a habit of headbutting things." Nonchalantly, he shrugged before side-stepping to enter the kitchen leaving me under the doorway.

Okay then, mister.

"Heyy," Andy slurred as he stumbled into the kitchen from the other entrance, his hair wet. "Oh, t-this is Tobias. He's my brother, from another-" Andy cut himself off by clearing his throat, "he's my cousin."

Tobias.

Andy wrapped his arm around his cousin's shoulders, who was leaning against the marble counter. "That's Ariel." Andy pointed towards me as I stood rather awkwardly, staring at my feet because of how flustered I felt at that moment.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

"Like the mermaid?" My eyes perked up at the sound of his husky voice.

A shy smile spread across my face as I took a few steps towards the marbled island which stood smack in the center of the kitchen. "Like the mermaid," I replied while biting down on my lower lip.

"Ari, there you are!" Emily's excited voice flooded my ears from behind.

I turned around to respond, "Someone's chirpy," I teased her.

When I turned back around to sneak a glimpse of Tobias, he was no longer there. Emily managed to distract me by relaying all that happened with Dan and how they were officially in a relationship now. I was ecstatic about them finally accepting their feelings.

All of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my uterus making me wince. "That looks painful," Emily said with concern. I nodded as I bent over to massage my stomach.

Yup, Satan's waterfall is gushing.

I dashed towards the bathroom on the first floor where Melaine had stashed some sanitary products. After downing a painkiller and doing the needful I managed to do a penguin-walk all the way towards the balcony for some fresh air.

Unfortunately, a dense cloud of smoke welcomed me as I stepped out. I swatted and blew at it so I could breathe again but before I could my eyes widened and I let out an irrepressible gasp.

Don't overreact.

"What the honest fuck?"

————

Fairytales aren't reality, they're an escape from ours.

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Love, Ari