Monday arrived quickly. Ariana got up early in the morning around 4am. She made food for her family. She arranged her books in her beg as she left home. She has delivery to do before going to school.
With quick efficiency, she delivered milk and newspaper until 7:30am. However, as she glanced at her watch, a look of realization crossed her face. She was running late for school."Shit!" Ariana exclaimed under her breath, feeling the pressure building up. She swiftly finished her remaining deliveries and rushed to school. She arrived at 8am, class would start any minute from now.In a hasty manner, Ariana ran to the hallway and she ran to her locker, she grabbed some textbooks from her locker. She wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead with an handkerchief and took a moment to tidy herself up, fixing her skirt and adjusting her shirt. Once she felt presentable, she locked her locker and headed towards her classroom.Just as Ariana was making her way through the hallway, a group of girls carelessly bumped into her, causing her books to scatter across the floor. Without even looking up, Ariana already knew who had caused the commotion. It was Casey, the so-called queen bee, surrounded by her loyal followers.Casey, Nora, and Sofia were the spoiled heiresses of influential I parents. Casey's dad happened to be the city's mayor, Nora's dad owned a renowned mining industry, and Sofia's father was the owner of a highly successful gaming company. The three girls exuded an air of entitlement and arrogance wherever they went."Oh look, it's charity case. Running late today, are we?" Casey sneered, her words dripping with sarcasm.Ariana knew that this encounter meant trouble. Trying to regain her composure, she quickly gathered her books, but in her haste, her bag tumbled to the ground, spilling its contents."Let me help you pack" Nora offered, seemingly with genuine concern as she squatted down to assist."No need, I'm fine" Ariana said, her voice tinged with hint of defensiveness. She quickly packed her bag and stood up, feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment."Oh, the stench! it's unbelievable," Sofia commented, crinkling her nose. Swiftly pulling out a small perfume bottle from her pocket, she sprayed a cloud of fragrant mist into the air, inhaling the sweet scent.Eager to escape the uncomfortable situation, Ariana hurried away towards her classroom a word. Little did she know, Nora, discreetly picked up the letter she penned earlier that morning. Ariana had planned to mail it to her uncle in California once school school ended asking for help since he is ignoring her calls.*****After finishing her classes for the day, Ariana headed to the coffee shop where she worked in the afternoons after school. As she put on her apron, she warmly greeted her boss."Hey, that cute guy over there seems to be interested in you" her co-worker/bestie Annie whispered in Ariana's ear.Ariana brushed off the comment, saying, "I don't have time for guys right now. Just go ahead and take his order, Annie".Annie smirked mischievously and pretended to be on the phone with her mom as she walked over to the counter. Ariana watched Annie's playful behavior, amused and slightly surprised. Annie winked at her, encouraging Ariana to approach the customer.Taking a deep breath, Ariana walked over to the guy's table with a friendly smile."Hi, welcome to our coffee shop. What can I get you?" she asked in a polite and welcoming tone."I'll have a cappuccino please," he replied."Sure thing," Ariana replied cheerfully.She skillfully prepared the cappuccino and brought it over to him."By the way, my name is Jeffery, but you can call me Jeff," Jeff introduced himself with a friendly tone."Nice to meet you Jeff. Here's your cappuccino. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, maintaining her warm smile.Jeffery's demeanor suddenly changed as he checked Ariana out with a hint of lust in his eyes. He licked his lips, which made Ariana uncomfortable and disgusted. "Can I have your number?""I'm sorry, but I can't give you my number, Jeff. Enjoy your cappuccino," Ariana said with a touch of sarcasm before gracefully leaving his table.Returning to the counter where Annie was waiting with excitement, Ariana couldn't hide her annoyance. "Annie, please don't ever do that to me again. I've told you before that guys like him can be really disrespectful"Curiosity piqued, Annie persisted, "Well, what did he do?"Ariana sighed, feeling frustrated. "Just go ask him yourself. Can you cover for me? I have a letter to mail".Annie nodded understandingly. "No problem, our shift is almost over. See you tomorrow".Ariana quickly removed her apron, grabbing her bag, and hurried to the post office before it closes. Upon arrival, she realized that she had forgotten to bring her letter."Ugh, I must have left it at home. I'll have to come back tomorrow," she mumbled to herself and she headed to the gas station where she worked part-timed in the evenings.Deciding to grab dinner for both herself and her mom, Ariana headed home. After feeding her mom and tucking her younger brother, Mike to bed, she collapsed lazily onto her bed.As she lay there, the events of the day played over and over in her mind. She couldn't help but think about how Nora had kindly helped her pack her bag earlier. Maybe, just maybe, people can change for the better.Ariana woke up in the morning and continued her usual routine of delivering milk before heading to school. As she entered the hallway, she was shocked to find numerous photocopies of the letter she had written the previous day scattered everywhere. The letters asked for donations to help her family, and Ariana quickly realized that Nora must have found her letter and spread it around.Feeling a mix of embarrassment and fury, Ariana was approached by Casey and her gang, who walked over with a hint of mockery in their demeanor. "Here you go, charity case," Casey sneered, tossing a thousand-dollar bill at Ariana. The other rich kids followed suit, throwing money at her. Ariana had never felt so humiliated in her life. She wanted to slap Casey so hard but she refrained herself, knowing that such actions would only land her in trouble.Overwhelmed by tears, Ariana sought refuge in the restroom where she allowed herself to cry her heart out. She wanted to disappear and escape from school, bu
Nora gasped dramatically as she stared glanced at her friends."Well, what do you want to talk about?""Isn't this the black girl that wrote that letter?" Zach asked with his hoarse and also magnetic voice."Yeah" Casey giggled."See you later babe" Zach gave a quick peck to Casey and left the classroom."So charity case, what do you wanna talk about" Casey said as she sat down close to Nora."About the post, I know you guys are responsible..."Sofia gasped. "How could you say such a thing?""FYI, y'all bad at acting. I know it's you guys. I just have one question for you. Why? Why do you keep on embarrassing me and making fun of me in school. Do y'all think you're better than me...""We are, at least we're not in your kind of situation" Casey laughed."So you think y'all better just because you have the money. I have a question for you guys, the money that y'all spending, did y'all work for it. I can't blame you guys for my predicament or anything but I work for the money I use. Ther
Ariana sat down on her usual spot as she inhaled the cool and calm fresh air. What she did back there in the classroom felt nice, she's happy she did that. She rested her back on the bench and closed her eyes. Now that she has those bitches a warning doesn't change the fact that she needs help. Her mother's condition is getting worst each passing day and of she don't get the money on time...she's afraid that her mother will be gone.What is she going to do, where's she going to get the money from. She's a $1000 short and she still spent money on the food and drugs. What is she going to do now?She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder and she opened her eyes and glanced at the person. It was no other person but Jeff. What is he doing here?"Hey" he greeted. Ariana hissed as she made an attempt to stand up but Jeff caught her hands."Excuse you, let go!" she yelled."God you're noisey, can we at least talk?" he pleaded."I have nothing to talk to you about"."I'm not letting you go till yo
Just as the bell chimed again, everyone ran out of class. School's over for today. Ariana walked to her locker and kept her books. Just as she's about to close it, she got a call from Annie."Hey Ari" she spoke on the phone."Seriously, you're trying to act innocent after you set me up...""Who set you up?"."Annie I know you told Jeff that I attended this school"."I'm sorry I told him but the guy really likes you and since I've known you, you've never been serious with a guy...""Annie I don't wanna be serious with any guy,I have a lot on my plate right now"."I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again"."I forgive you but...I'm going to take my revenge".Annie giggled. "Make sure you give my number to a cute guy in your school"."Of course and he's going to have a french accent" Ariana added."Qui" Annie laughed.Ariana closed her locker as she walked out of the locker room. Unknowingly to Ariana, Casey, Sofia and Nora saw her leave the school and they smirk. Looks like those three
"So why do you decided to pair with me?" Jeff asked as he took a sip from his cup of coffee."Cause I don't have a partner" Ariana answered."So tomorrow we'll be given the topic we're going to present in school and we'll meet here everyday to share ideas and discuss about it" Ari added."Cool. Can I have your number then?""Why?""We're going to be partners, I need your number just in case" he answered."Fine, your phone". Jeff handed her his phone as she quickly dialed her number on the phone and handed it back to him. Jeff smiled as he collected his phone. He called the number just to be sure if the number is hers. Ariana's phone rang inside her apron and Jeff's smile widened as he hung the call."See ya tomorrow partner" Jeff dipped his hand into his pocket and brought out the money to pay for the coffee. He dropped the money and left the coffee shop.Annie hurriedly ran to where Ariana is and she sat down. "So?" Annie asked."I hope that this is a good idea"."I'm sure it is".**
Zach walked close to her as he rested on a locker next to hers."Can I help you?" Ariana asked."So you're the girl that insulted my girlfriend right?" "Yeah"."Look girl, you're playing with fire and you're the one who's gonna end up getting burned" Zach facial expression darkened as his voice was as cold as ice."We'll see who gets burned" Ariana said with a chilly tone.Jeff walked to her as he glanced at Zach and glanced back at Ariana."Ariana, who's this guy?" Jeff asked with curiosity in his voice."I don't know him. Let's go". Ari dragged Jeff before he could utter another word.Zach on the other hand couldn't control his temper as his gaze is fixed on Ari's back. Everyone in this school knows Zach and now Ariana is telling a new kid that she doesn't know who he is. He's going to deal with her in this school.Ariana dragged Jeff to her usual spot in school as they both sat down on the bench."Do you know what you just did?" Jeff asked."What did I do?""That's Zach Wilson. Ho
Jeff waited in the hallway in school but still Ariana didn't come out."Maybe she already left" he said with a sad tone. He waited a few more minutes but still, Ariana still did not show up. Just when he was about to leave, he found someone strolling in the school. "Hey excuse me?" he hurriedly ran and tapped the person's shoulder. Zach stopped in his traps and he turned around."Hey, sorry for disturbing you...have you seen any black girl. Actually have you seen Ariana? the girl you were talking to earlier this morning?""No" Zach answered and he left.Jeff paced around the hallway till he decided to go look for her in the bathroom.***********Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Ariana's heart pondered as fear gripped her. She never knew that anyone on this planet could do this to her. She doesn't want this, she just wanna go home and meet her family and she also want Jeff to walk her home this evening.The sound of belt unbuckling shook her out of her thoughts. She has to get out of here.
The light of the the sun woke Ariana. She groan and slowly opened her eyes. Shit, the sun is up and she can't make it in time to go deliver milk and newspapers. She reached for the bedside table to get her phone but her hand couldn't find it. She sat up on the bed and strectched her arms but she felt pains all over her body and a headache. Suddenly what happened the previous night replayed in her head. She was almost raped or was she raped? her body hurt so bad. The last thing she remembered is her head bleeding. She just wished that this is all a dream and she doesn't want to wake up. She would rather die than to wake up and face the fact that she was raped and she has to live like that for the rest of her life. If this is all a dream, she won't be able to feel pain but her body hurt and she has a severe headache. So she isn't dreaming, she's awake. Her eyes sting and hot tears streamed down her face as she fell to the ground.What's the use of living? the only thing that she can b