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“Yes, who is this?”
“Oh, thank God I managed to find you! It’s Nate, Meg’s friend. Nura, my girlfriend asked me to call you and let you know that Aria will not be able to make it today.”
&nbs
p; “Is she alright?” Will asked as he felt his stomach drop. Nate went silent for a moment, as other voices started yelling on the other side of the line and then he heard his sister’s voice.
“Will, I don’t want you to freak out but Aria is in the Memorial Hospital. You better come quickly.”
Will dropped his phone and ran.
Brian
It was already late afternoon by the time Aria was finished with all of her course work and left the library. She had always preferred to get everything done right away and not leave it for the last moment like so many of her classmates seemed to do, which had led to some teasing when she was younger, not that she cared much.
There was a small number of people still milling around campus since classes have ended two hours ago, as Aria passed them by on her way to the bus station while pulling her weathered leather jacket more tightly around herself and making a mental note to wear a hoody underneath it the next time she went out.
She had a small smile on her face, feeling incredibly excited to see Will that evening. She was unable to stop thinking about him since their conversation the night before. The man was damn near perfect and Aria still couldn’t understand why he wanted her, of all people, especially after she went home and ‘googled’ him to find out just how successful and well-off Will truly was.
But after everything that happened the previous night, Aria had decided to try and let her fears go and just relax and enjoy the ride while it lasted.
If Will said that he didn’t mind her scars and the baggage that came with them, then Aria was going to have to trust him and see what happens in spite of her brain’s furious protests.
Honestly, she was getting tired of being afraid all the time, tired of holding back and watching everyone else enjoy their lives while she sat in the corner feeling miserable and alone. That was the main reason for letting Will in, and if it proved to be a mistake then at least she could claim that she had tried.
Being too wrapped up in her thoughts, Aria failed to hear someone calling her name until she felt a hand on her shoulder which stopped her in her tracks.
“Hey, Aria, can we talk?” the person said, and she turned around to see Brian standing there.
The feeling of shame about the way she had treated him the last time they saw each other immediately washed over her at the sight of him.
She had been so angry with the world that day and took it out on Brian even though the boy had done nothing wrong.
“Hey, Brian. I am glad to see you because I have been meaning to talk to you.” she said and pulled him a bit out of the way, so they could have some privacy.
“I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved the last time we talked. I acted like a jerk and it was completely uncalled for. I promise you that it had nothing to do with you and I am really sorry.” she stumbled through her apology and waited for Brian to say something.
The boy spent some time watching her before a small smile appeared on his lips.
“It’s fine, Aria. We all have bad days, right?” he snorted and she nodded, letting out a relieved sigh at the realization that Brian would not hold a grudge against her.
“Yeah, we do. But it was still cruel of me to say those things and I am sorry. I hope that we can still be friends?” she proposed and found herself truly meaning it. It was the truth that Brian could be a little annoying sometimes but that didn’t mean that he deserved to be treated the way Aria has been treating him.
The blond nodded and smiled again, a smile that Aria readily returned. She prepared to say goodbye to him since she was already running late when Brian stopped her once again.
“So now that all of that is behind us, would you like to go and grab a cup of coffee or something?” he asked and Aria immediately grimaced.
“Oh, I am so sorry Brian, but I have to get home. I have to meet someone tonight and I am already running late. But next time, for sure!” she said and smiled at the tall boy, before turning around to go but a hand on her forearm stopped her.
“You mean like a date?” Brian asked, no trace of the previous smile on his face and a strange gleam in his eyes that made Aria’s stomach flip-flop in a bad way.
“I… well, not exactly but…” she stuttered as the grip on her arm intensified to the edge of painful.
“But what? It’s either a date or it isn’t, Aria. It’s quite simple.” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but the sudden coldness in his voice made the hairs on her back stand up in attention.
“Look, I really have to go now.” she said tearing her arm out of his grip and barely managed to make a few steps away when she suddenly felt a fierce pain in the back of her head, making her stumble over her feet.
She fell to the ground as a painful moan escaped her throat and quickly looked back to see Brian standing over her with an expression on his face that chilled her to the bones.
