Chapter 3

Ariana jerked up even before the sound of the alarm. She had programmed her brain last night to wake her up by 4am so she could go for a run. She slipped into her sports clothes and headed out. When she got out, she placed her earpiece in her ear and listened to her music as she jogged to the rhythm. She was engrossed in the music that she didn't notice a figure in front of her.

Okay, maybe she noticed but decided to ignore it. She kept jogging and with each steps, the figure got closer, until...

Ughf...

They bumped into each other but she caught her stance before gravity took place.

"Hey watch it. " Ari said frowning a little.

"Sorry... Ari? " The familiar voice called her name. She finally stared at the face and grunted.

"God do you follow me everywhere? " She sighed and he smiled. She so wants to punch that smile off his face.

"Didn't know you did morning jogs." Austin said.

"Ditto. " she placed her earpiece back and began leaving.

"Hey. " He brought her back.

"What do you want? "

"Let's go together. First to get to 20 miles wins. " He said.

"And when you loose? " she asked and he smirked.

"If, I loose, I'm gonna leave you in peace for two weeks. " He said.

"Make it two years. " She muttered.

Austin ignored her and continued.

"But if I win, we'll have to be close friends. And when I say close, I mean talk and laugh and eat together, visit each others house and stuffs like that for a month. " He said and she rolled her eyes.

"What? Don't tell me you're scared you might loose. " He smirked knowing what he said had an effect on her.

"You're on. Ready, set, Go! " She called and they both took off with speed, both in the same pace.

It surprised her though. Nobody beats her in sports even in ADD. She was quite impressed but if he should win, they would have to be best friends.

'Don't keep friends and you'll live long. Have best friends and your life span is short. '

With that thought, she grabbed more strength and increase the speed.

*************

" hello new bestie?" Ari clenched her teeth hearing Austin call her that.

"You know you don't have to make things weird. "

"I can make it as weird as I want, I mean I won the race. "

"No, I hit my leg on a stone, just a few steps away from the finish line. " She retorted and he smirked.

"That's what a looser would... "

"I am not a looser!" she raised her voice making him smirk more.

"See you in class... Bestie. " He said and walked away. She clenched unto her locker and slammed it shut.

When she entered the class, her gaze met Austin's, it was ephemeral but was enough for her to know he was ready to make life a living hell for her.

She drifted her eyes to the back of the class and saw how spoilt noisy students played around. She knew if she could just use one of them as a scape goat, the rest would respect themselves but then again this is just her second day in school.

She looked at the front rows and saw how students tried to focus on their assignments.

Nerds.

Then her eyes went back to her middle zone, it would have been perfect if the frustrating neighbor hadn't found it.

She reluctantly sat with him and cursed underneath her breath.

"It's gonna be like this for a month. " He smiled.

Punch him. Break his nose or finger, dislocate his leg, shove a book in his mouth, stuff a pen into his nostrils.

Ari's mind kept thinking of several possible ways to hurt him.

"You don't know how much I wanna hurt you. " She mumbled.

"You can't, cos I'm gonna beat you again. Just like earlier today. " He smirked.

Arrrgh!

"Just ignore. I'm just gonna ignore you for the rest of my life. " She said and the teacher walked in.

*******************

"I'm home. " Austin said knowing fully well his sister would hear.

"Hey, how's school? " Lacey smiled at him.

She was twenty two years old, just two years older than Austin but you can barely tell she's older. She has curly brown hair and brown eyes, she was tall... Not too tall but enough for a twenty two year old girl.

Lacey was lounging on the couch trying to enjoy her after exam college break.

"Interesting. I've got a new best friend. " He explained.

"Does Mark and Daniel approve another guy in your group?" She raised a brow.

"It's not a boy. " he gave a smug smile.

"Uhhhh. Austin's finally got a girl friend. "

"She is not my girlfriend. "

"I thought you never liked girls? " His sister smiled.

"No, I don't like girls that throws themselves at me. She's different. "

"What makes her different? "

"She's smart, notices everything around her, she could careless about... Wait, why am I telling you this? " He realised all he had been saying.

"Tell me more about your girlfriend. "

Austin took off his contact lenses and sat on the couch, collecting the remote control from his sister and changing the TV channel. Lacey frowned at this but let it slide not wanting to cause a fight between them.

"Well, her name is Ariana and she's the new neighbor. "

"You mean the girl that totally ignored you that day? " She joked and he nodded making her laugh.

"Ha! I like her already. "

"And by the way, she's coming over, we're doing a school's project." Austin said and his sister gave him a stern look.

"She's coming over and there's a gun on the table, bullets in your room and other stuffs?" She asked.

"shit." He began clearing things up.

Immediately Austin finished, he heard the door bell. He rushed to the door and opened it a little too fast.

"Hey bestie. " He greeted and was expecting a rude reply but instead she stood there staring at him, her face still unreadable as ever. She blinked and looked away.

"Good evening to you too. " She said.

"I thought you wouldn't come. " He asked.

"Are we gonna do the project at your doorpost or are you gonna let me in?" With what she said he cleared his throat and made a path for her. When she entered, she began scanning the whole well furnished room and within seconds, she had a picture of his living room in her head. Then her eyes met with his sister.

"Hey. " Lacey greeted.

"Hey. " Ari greeted back trying her best to hold her smile in the right position.

"I'm gonna leave you two alone to do your project." Lacey said, heading upstairs.

Then her eyes got caught with a portrait on the wall. It had the picture of all of them. Austin and his sister looked a lot younger then. She shifted her eyes to a man holding his wife and children close.

He had thick brown hair and brown eyes. Austin looked a lot like him. That's if you look past the dyed hair.

When she arrived, she figured he wasn't wearing his contact lenses.

Ari turned when Austin cleared his throat.

"Where's your lens? " She asked

"Shit. " He looked down.

"It's okay. I mean it's just me here and I already knew they were fake, so... You're cool. " She shrugged and his tensed shoulders relaxed.

"Let's begin. " She sat on a chair.

**************

"Finally. " Ari breathed out.

"We're not done yet. We still have to print out copies by tomorrow and practice a speech next tomorrow. " Austin said and she nodded in agreement.

Every minute, she stole a glance at the portrait of his dad on the wall. He looked a lot familiar.

"Is your dad around? " She asked, letting curiosity get the best of her. Again.

"No, he's out of town. Why? "

"No reason. When would he return?" She asked.

"He barely comes here. We go visit. "

"So you're living here alone with your sister? "

"Yeah, I'm nineteen, I'm old enough. " He shrugged.

"Yeah right. "

"Meaning?" He frowned.

"Never mind. "

"Tell me. " He insisted.

"You can't force me. "

"Tell me. " He kept insisting

"Keep bugging me and I'll shove my pencil into where it's not very comfortable for you. " She raised a pencil up.

He swiped it from her hand and snapped it into two.

"Look for a better threat. "

"You don't know me, do you? "

"Try me. "

With that, she sent a blow which he instantly dodged, replying it with another blow that she stopped with her hand. Subconsciously, they began fighting... More like playing... Or were they training? Either ways, they seemed to be having fun in what they were doing till...

"Guys! " Lacey interrupted before they broke something .

They turned to her a little bit upset about her disturbing them.

"I'm going out. If something breaks, you two would have to answer to me. " She glared and Austin gulped knowing what she could do.

When the door clicked close, they sighed and fell on the couch trying to catch their breath.

"That was... Fun. " Austin breathed out.

"I agree. " She agreed with him for once. With another loud sigh, they fell into a comfortable silence .

"Where'd you learn to do that?" She asked him.

"I'm supposed to ask you the same thing." He replied.

"I was in a boxing club. " she said.

"I learnt self defense. " He said.

They both told each other the truth-ish.

"It was one of the first thing I learnt. " Austin said.

"Me too. "

"I usually imagined myself as a navy seal. "

"Surprisingly... Me too. " She said and they fell into silence again.

"At least I've found someone who understands me in that school. " Austin said and she scoffed.

"Me too... I guess it won't be bad if we stick around for a while. " She said.

"Are you admitting that we're friends? " Austin smiled.

"I never said that. I only said to stick around. " She replied instantly.

"That's the definition of friends. " He said and she chuckled lowly but loud enough for him to hear.

Austin was a lot transfixed by this. Did she just smile?

"What? " She kept smiling.

"It's nothing. " He lied.

"Tell me. " She insisted.

"You can't force me. " He smirked and she laughed or scoffed... It sounded like both.

"Oh, we're not doing that again, your sister would flare up. "

"Are you scared? " He tilted his head to the side a little and she raised a brow.

"What? No. " The smile began to fade when she stared at the wall. He trailed her gaze and gulped when he realized what she was looking at.

She walked up to the wall and touched a circular hole on the wall. Like something penetrated it.

"What happened? " She asked.

"It's just a drill. " He lied and she knew.

When she first saw it, she knew immediately it was a bullet that caused it and since he doesn't want to talk, then he's hiding something. If he went to learn self defense, they wouldn't give him licence to a gun.

So her assumption was in two ways. It's either he was attacked, and he doesn't want me to know. Or that he's a wanted criminal and is living undercover.

Either ways, it doesn't sound good. If he realises more about you, you could be in danger, or worst, he could hurt mum.

She turned abruptly her look back to normal. Nonchalant.

"What were we doing again? " She asked.

"You were telling me how great a friend I am. " He said and she rolled her eyes.

"You wish. We're not friends. Remember, I have a reputation to keep. " She said sitting back on the couch and trying her best to remain calm.

"If I ain't a friend, then what am I ?" He asked.

"Let's see... How about we go with a frustrating neighbor. " She bit a part of her lower lip. He moved closer and smirked.

"So if I'm your frustration, then you're my bestie. " He knew it usually got her upset. She smirked back not minding how close they were to each other.

"You won't live long if you have a bestie. I heard they often stab people, usually at the back. And I've got several knives and it's hard to pick one to use against you. " She smirked.

Ariana knew everything that was going on between them. A teenage boy and a teenage girl alone in a house. Things could happen. But not for her.

Fine if she enjoys his company than any other guy in school but no way is she gonna let her hormones take over her whole thinking faculty and make her do the most stupid thing.

"I know what you're thinking and if you move any closer, I'm gonna move the location of your jaw. " She said her breath mixing with his. She still had an emotionless face, but her words entered his ears and brains but he wasn't paying attention. At all.

"Hey, I forgot my phone in my... " Lacey trailed off when she walked in and found them only few inches apart.

"And you want me to believe she's not your girlfriend. " Lacey said snapping Austin out of his trance. He moved away as his sister went upstairs.

"I'm going home. Call me when your hormones are back to normal. " She said and left slamming the door shut.

"Shit, I fucked up. " He said punching the wall. She heard him but kept walking.

"I can't believe he wanted to... Arrgh. " Ari mumbled as she entered her room. She fell on her bed and tried really hard to get her mind off it.

She turned her head and her eyes met her hanging punching bag, begging her to punch him.

"Your wish is my command. " She said grabbing her gloves.

She had got the bag as a birthday gift two years ago. It helps her mind off any trouble. Whenever her head couldn't handle things, she'd just punch it out. Ari kept punching till she felt beads of sweat drop down from her forehead and gasping hard for breath.

Then she remembered the hole on the wall. It was definitely not a drill. How would any of their family be in possession of a bullet.

Well even if she herself has a lot of guns in her room or knives doesn't mean he could. Ari kept punching the thick leather, ignoring the sharp pain in her hand and the sweats around her body. She made sure each punch never lacked focus. Transferring aggression to the bag. She gave a final punch and left the bag dangling.

She held unto the chain holding the bag in place, she rested her head on the leather, trying to catch her breath. Her hands hurt badly but she had gone through worse.

Without further thinking, she hit the shower, allowing all the pain to ease and wash away. Within minutes, Ari was eating her dinner, already on pyjamas. Then she heard a car drive in.

"She's home early." Ari mumbled within herself.

Ari kept her ears tuned to the sounds outside. She heard her mothers familiar shoe click on the marble floor, then the door knob twisted. Already knowing it was her mum, there was no need picking a knife.

"Hey. " Her mum greeted hanging her keys on the wall.

"Hey? " Ari's reply sounded more like a question.

She still kept wondering why her mother was being... Nice.

"Did you go to school today? " Her mum asked taking off her shoes.

"I never miss school. " Ari shrugged making her mum give her a flat look.

"Well not... All the time. " Ari added tilting her head to the side, studying her mums looks.

She had a slight smile on her oval face , her hair a little bit unkempt, probably windblown. Underneath her eyes are a little bit noticeable eye bags due to lack of sleep, but the woman still looked good.

"What's for dinner? " Her mother asked.

"I left some slices of pizza on the counter." Ari got up, heading upstairs to her room, she stopped mid ways.

"Mum are you seeing someone? " Ari asked and her mum froze. She swallowed hard and turned to reply.

"Um-why are you asking? " Her mum stammered making more suspicious. She slowly walked up to her mother who tried to avoid eye contact.

"That's not an answer. "

"No, I'm not. " Her mum replied nervously.

"Then why the sudden change of character?" Ari asked.

"Meaning? "

"You're being... I don't know, friendly?"

"I'm just trying to bond with my daughter, new town, new lifestyle." Her mum shrugged.

A thing she does when she wants the discussion to end.

"You didn't so that for the past ten years, why now? "

"Don't go all secret agent with me Ari, I'm just trying my best to do what I can. " Her mum walked away.

"Don't go all secret agent with me. "

Ari's mind kept repeating her mums words.

"You don't think she knows that.... Naa, she doesn't suspect a thing. "

Shaking her head, Ari left for her room. She turned off the lights and fell on her bed. Almost drifting to sleep, she heard her phone buzz. She picked it up and read the message.

Austin: Look out your window.

Without hesitation, Ari opened the curtains to her window and groaned loudly when she saw Austin waving from across.

"Hello. " He greeted from his side of his window.

Their house were just few steps apart, Ari knew that, but she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Well not until she realized Austin's room was opposite hers.

"What do you want? " She glared

"Wanted to say sorry... "

"Goodnight. " She turned not letting him finish.

"Ari please wait. " He said and she turned back to him.

"I'm not a subject of pity. " She said matter-of-factly.

"I didn't say you were. "

"Neither did I fall down to need an apology. " Her face was still impassive.

" I know. But I did something stupid that got you upset." he said and she stopped talking.

"I didn't mean to, I just thought you'd be like the rest of the girls and... " She said abruptly raised a finger, silencing him.

"You're making things worse by comparing me with hormonal teenagers. Unlike you and the rest, I'm not ran by hormones, so quit it. " she said and he nodded.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. " he concluded and she studied him for a moment and she could read his guilt. After a while of silence.

"Okay. But if you try such again, I wasn't joking when I said I'd move your jaw. " She warned and he smiled.

"I'm looking forward to it. " He said.

"I'm not joking. " She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I never said you were. "

"You don't know me, do you? "

"I actually don't, that's why we're besties, right? "

"I asked you not to call me that. "

"And I decided to ignore you. "

"I'm going to bed. "

"There was no need for an announcement. So are you going for a run tomorrow? " She realized how he changed the topic so she would not leave.

"Good night. " she closed the curtains.

"Night bestie. " she scowled at the label he had given to her.

She laid in her bed again, her mind going back to Austin's home, the whole on the wall. What exactly must have caused a bullet flying through the wall.

Ari got up and headed for her laptop on her study desk. She began running a facial recognition scan. She growled lowly when she saw how many hours it would take to run it.

"Just check it tomorrow. Stupid slow Wi-Fi. " She muttered incomprehensible words as she laid back on her bed, leaving the computer to run.