Aria's POV. "Stop smiling like that Aria, it's creepy," Ryan groaned for the umpteenth time as he drove me to school.He has been trying to strike a conversation with me but I've decided to busy myself with thoughts of Jeremy. Maybe it could help me get over my feelings for him."Stop staring at my face and drive," I snapped and looked out of the window still smiling."Okay, Aria, I need you to tell me what's going on because you are freaking the hell out of me right now," he retorted."Nothing is going on Ryan, can't a girl just wake up on the bright side and decide to be happy?" "Whatever you say Miss, just wait till you are out of my car before you go back to that creepy smile of yours, please," he retorted, focusing back on the road.The rest of the ride to my school was silent."Jeremy is so cool, he's such a perfect gentleman," I bemoaned."I knew it, I knew it has something to do with that dickhead," Ryan cursed angrily.Why is he all salty?"Don't call my boyfriend names Rya
Aria's POV."Go search for your boyfriend girl, I gotta enjoy this party," Christie shouted in my ears and ran off leaving me all by myself in the crowd.I considered calling Jeremy to pick me up but then I wanted to surprise my sweet boy for once.I searched around in the crowd but no sign of him.'Okay, girl, you have to reconsider calling Jeremy because where the freak are you gonna find him in this massive crowd?I was about to dial his number when I sighted him at a corner trying to get away from a random girl who kept clinging on him.I couldn't hold back my smile seeing how he tried desperately to get away from the girl.I wish I could give you my whole heart Jeremy because you deserve it, Now, how do I tell you how terribly sorry I am for letting you fall for the wrong person? Exhaling a deep breath, I made my way towards him."There's no space for your bitchy ass bitch, he's taken, go force your cheap ass somewhere else," I snapped angrily as soon as I got to them, pushing h
Aria's POV."I'm totally disappointed in you Arya, this is the height of disrespect, since when did you start lying to us? Mom yelled angrily.They were gathered in my room with angry expression written all over their faces.The disappointment was visibly written all over their faces.I had woken up to dark shades under their eyes, I could tell none of them slept a wink last night.The family doctor left a few minutes ago, after running series of test and dropping off some medications. "I'm sorry mom," I managed to mutter as tears welled up in my eyes.I watched as Ryan clenched his palm in anger."Sorry for what exactly? Take a good look at yourself, you could have been raped, how do you expect us to live with the guilt that we are so careless to the point of watching your life get destroyed right under our nose? " Dad yelled angrily, his eyes were burning with so much rage."Dad, I know you are angry right now but we should all be glad nothing happened to her, she's safe that's all
Aria's POV.Ryan and I walked slowly down to the living room where our parents sat watching their favorite tv show."Mom, dad, I'm sorry, please forgive me," I quickly went down on my knees, Ryan followed suit."Please, forgive her Dad," he added."Okay, we are not going to do this, we are definitely not doing this, Ryan, up to your feet, now," Dad said, staring amusedly at him, it was obvious his raging anger has thoroughly lessened."Will Aria stand with me?" Ryan asked."She can choose to stand or continue kneeling, it's none of my business, matter of fact, i'm not even seeing her right now," Mom spat angrily, she was obviously still pissed for being tricked so easily."Mom...""don't you dare mention my name, you made me a fool Aria, do you know how ashamed i am right now for letting you and your friends trick me so easily like a fool? this is not the daughter that i raised," she yelled angrily, Dad slowly took hold of her hand squeezing it gently in an attempt to calm her down."
Aria's POV. "Who wants to go over to the Robbins?" Mom shouted, rushing downstairs, we were both sprawled out on the couch, I was watching my favorite Tv show while Ryan's face stayed glued to his phone.On hearing Mom's announcement, we both raised our heads to glance at each other then back to her."No one," we chorused simultaneously."What do you mean no one?" She glanced from Ryan to me."It's the answer to the question you asked mom, no one wants to go over to the Robbins," Ryan replied."Why don't you want to go? Do you have a problem with Jake?" She asked."No one has a problem with Jake, mom, we are just tired," Ryan replied."Enough from you Ryan, Aria why don't you wanna go to the Robbins?" She asked."Mom, it's a Sunday evening, we have to prepare for school, especially me, that has been away for a week," I replied."Lame excuses coming from you both, it doesn't even matter anyway, because we are all going over to the Robbins tonight, they invited us over for dinner," sh
Aria's POV. "What's is wrong with you Ryan, you are taking this protectiveness over Aria too far, how could you do that to Jake?" Dad yelled immediately we entered inside the house. My heart hasn't stopped beating furiously since we left the Robbins mansion. I was scared for Ryan. Dad looked really pissed. I don't know why he keeps getting himself into trouble because of me. "Dad, he was going to kiss her, I saw everything," he tried to speak up but Dad wasn't having it. "Shut the hell up you fool, Aria is old enough to be with someone, why is that always a problem to you? What is going on with you really!!!" Mom screamed at him. "That is how we all left her to be someone, look how it ended, and you are both letting her freely move on to the next one, they are.... His sentence was immediately cut off as Mom landed a heavy slap on his cheeks. A loud shrill cry escaped my mouth, the scene was slowly turning into a horrible situation to watch. "I said stop talking, have you gone
Aria's POV. "Morning mom, morning dad," Ryan and I chorused, walking down the stairs fully dressed in our different uniforms. "Morning champs, trust you slept well?" Dad asked. "We sure did, we had an amazing night," Ryan suddenly blurted out and I coughed out furiously. What is wrong with him? Is he really trying to blow our cover? "What's going on? Why do you seem so happy?" Dad asked, staring suspiciously from him to me. "Uhh, Dad, do you know that there's a new girl in Ryan's class? He has been trying to get her but she's not his regular girls that fall cheaply for him, well, she texted him last night," I quickly fabricated the lie with a sweet smile on my face. I watched from the corner of my eyes as Ryan bit his lips trying to subdue the laughter that was threatening to burst out from his mouth. Annoying asshole. "Oh really? So, boy you have a girlfriend now?" Dad retorted. "Dad, Ryan always has a girlfriend every new week," I replied. I've successfully changed the top
Aria's POV. "Hi, ma'am, I am here to see a patient," I said to the hospital receptionist with my heart beating hard on my chest. "Alright dear, what's the name of the patient?" She asked. "Ryan Liam," I replied, praying silently that she will smile at me and tell me that there's no one with such name on their patient list, and whoover it is, is playing a prank on me. "And you are?" The receptionist asked. "Aria Liam, he is my brother," I replied fiddling with my fingers nervously. "Ward number 32, take this route, its by the right," she said, pointing towards the direction to the hospital wards. I quickly turned around, the tears that has been threatening to burst out of my eyes finally rolled down my cheeks. I was hoping it would all be a prank, but it's really turning out to be true, Ryan is truly in the hospital, what would be my fate if anything happens to him. Slowly looking up, I realized that I was standing at ward number 43, I quickly turned back and rushed downwa
The restaurant was warm, the golden lights casting a cozy glow over the sleek wooden tables. Soft jazz music played in the background, mingling with the murmurs of the other diners, the clinking of silverware against fine china.I sat by the window, stirring my drink absentmindedly as I watched the city move outside. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was alone. No responsibilities pressing on my shoulders, no demands clawing at my time. Just me, a beautifully plated meal, and the illusion of peace.I let out a long sigh, sinking into the plush chair, allowing myself to bask in the moment. Life had been... exhausting. For years, I had been running. Not literally, but emotionally, mentally. Running to fix things, to prove myself, to erase the shadows of the past. And on top of that, I had a daughter now—a beautiful, sweet little girl who meant everything to me. She had Ryan’s piercing eyes, his lips, but my face. Every time I looked at her, it was like seeing pieces of him
Aria's POV. It had been two years since everything changed... since the scandal that turned my world upside down. And then my parents had it fixed. Christie, Josh and I were done with highschool and now in our first year in college. And just like every other day, we were laughing about some stupid class project as we made our way down the sidewalk.Suddenly, my phone tucked in my pocket and I quickly fetched it from my pocket, I didn't recognize the number, but it was an unknown area code, and something about it made my stomach drop.“Hold on, guys,” I said to Christie and Josh before picking the call “Hello?” “Is this Aria Liam's?” a calm voice on the other end asked.“Yes,” I replied, getting confused now. “This is city hall hospital. We need you to come in immediately. Your presence is required.”My mind raced. The urgency in the voice sent a chill down my spine. “What happened? Is everything okay?”“I’m afraid I can’t give you any details over the phone,” she said. “But it’s
Aria's POV.I had never been so relieved to return to school. Two weeks off, two long weeks of hiding away in my room, avoiding the pitying stares from neighbors, and the whispers of strangers who thought they knew everything. But today, today I was going back. I wasn’t going alone either. My parents were walking beside me, I didn’t know exactly what they had planned, but I knew they were going to do something about the scandal. Something that would either make everything better.. or make it worse.I adjusted the strap of my bag, glancing at my parents as we walked through the front gate of the school. Mom was standing tall, shoulders squared, walking with a determined pace. Dad, on the other hand, had his hands jammed deep into his pockets. They looked like the same parents I had known my whole life, though today felt different. They were on a mission.The moment we stepped onto school grounds, I could feel the tension. The eyes. People were still talking about us.. about the scanda
Aria's POV.The moment I broke the hug, a strange sensation crawled through my body. It wasn’t pain, but something that felt like an overwhelming wave, an unsettling force pulling at my insides. My stomach twisted, and a sudden wave of nausea surged up through my chest, catching me off guard. My vision blurred, and I swayed, struggling to keep myself upright. I gripped the edge of the chair, my fingers digging into the hard surface in an attempt to ground myself. But her body wasn’t listening to me. It felt like it had betrayed me, as if it had no control of its own."Hey, Aria, what's wrong?" I heard distant voices but I couldn't make out who they belonged to.My head spun, the room seeming to tilt at an impossible angle. The world around me began to dissolve, the sounds muffled as if underwater. I gasped for air, trying to steady myself, but it was as though the air itself had become thick, too heavy for me to breathe. My chest tightened, and my pulse raced, the noise of my heartbea
Aria's POV.The days dragged on, each one stretching endlessly without Ryan. The grief was a living thing, wrapping around me, suffocating me. I missed him in ways that words could never capture. It wasn’t just his presence; it was the way he made me feel, the way he could make even the worst moments bearable. Now, everything was unbearable.I hadn’t left my room much, only stepping out when my body physically forced me to. I barely ate. I barely slept. When I did sleep, it was restless, haunted by dreams of Ryan... his voice, his touch, his warmth. Only to wake up to the cruel reality that he was gone.Christie and Josh had been my lifeline, visiting almost daily. They would knock, call my name softly, and even if I didn’t answer, they would sit outside my door for hours, talking about everything and nothing at all. I didn’t deserve them, but I needed them. Even if I could barely acknowledge it.It was a week of my suspension today, after spending hours lying in bed, staring blankly
Ryan's POV.It had been days. Days since Ryan had disappeared from my life, leaving nothing but an empty hole where my heart used to be. I could still feel the echoes of his presence, haunting the corners of the house, in the space where his laughter used to ring, in the quiet that used to be filled with his voice. But now, everything felt hollow. I hadn’t heard from him since that video, that live confession. And with every passing moment, the silence grew louder, consuming me more and more until I couldn’t tell where I ended and the emptiness began.I sat on the floor in the far corner of my room, my knees drawn up to my chest, arms wrapped tightly around them as if I could protect myself from the overwhelming emptiness that consumed me. The walls felt like they were closing in. The quiet, the stillness, it suffocated me. My mind wouldn’t let me escape the thoughts of him. Of what he said. Of what he did. Of what he could have done to escape this nightmare.My heart kept trying to
Aria's POV.I didn’t think. I just ran.My feet slammed against the cold floor of the hallway as I hurtled down the stairs, my heart racing, pounding in chaotic rhythm. It was as though my entire body was trying to escape the terror and helplessness that consumed me, trying to outrun the suffocating fear that had taken over my mind. My thoughts were a blur, a haze of desperate urgency, but they all had one single, overpowering focus: Ryan.I had to find him. I had to stop him.I absolutely don't know where he is or where to find him but one thing was sure, I will get him back.The words from his confession echoed in my head, over and over again: “I’m leaving. I’ll disappear.”No. He couldn’t. He couldn’t just leave me. Not after everything. Not after the bond we shared, the love, the years of quiet, stolen moments that had built up between us. Ryan was my everything. He was my protector, my constant, the one person who had never looked at me with judgment, never turned his back on me,
Aria’s POV. my heart pounded against my ribcage, each beat echoing in my ears like a warning. Something felt wrong... deeply wrong. I couldn't quite place it, but it clawed at my insides. The silence in the house was unnerving, oppressive, like the air itself had thickened. The usual heated house filled with laughter and happiness was absent since the day Ryan and I got outed, but today's emptiness felt different. It was as if the whole house had been drained of sound, leaving behind only an unsettling stillness.My eyes darted nervously over the hallway as I reached Ryan’s door. My hand trembled slightly as I pushed it open, the door creaked softly and I stepped inside, expecting to find him lounging on the bed, headphones in, oblivious to the world as he has been doing since the whole scandal. But when I looked around, my stomach sank.His room was completely… empty.The bed was made finely as though no one has laid on it for a while, the edges of the blanket smooth. The chair at h
Aria's POV.I laid lifelessly on my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. I could tell my eyes has gotten swollen and red from crying, but no matter how much I tried, the tears wouldn’t stop threatening to spill over again. I curled up tightly under my blanket, trying to block out the whirlwind of emotions threatening to consume mr. It's the second day of my suspension and it felt like it had already lasted a lifetime, and the thought of enduring this for two weeks was unbearable.The silence in the house was oppressive, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioning. I have been replaying every moment of the ordeal in my mind, trying to understand how things had spiraled so far out of control. I wanted so desperately for things to go back to how they were, to have my parents' love and trust again, and for the world to stop feeling like it was closing in on me. Each time I thought I had run out of tears, a fresh wave of sorrow would crash over me, leaving me sobbing into my pill