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35. Stronger Together
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Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 1. Diary # 6, The Last Entry
September 3, 2013 I pause and stare at the mess in my bedroom. Man, is it so hard to unpack. My suitcases are on the bed, clothes bursting out of them. My books, which I unearthed from their boxes a while ago, are scattered on the floor along with my school things. I start piling them on top of each other, counting them as I do. A hundred and three books in different sizes, all pertaining to English literature. I wonder if I would be able to use them here at Hector Park High School, where I would be a Freshman this year. Most of its students are Korean or half-Korean like me so I highly doubt they take English Lit that seriously. But that was the least of my worries. What really twists my stomach is the thought of seeing them again. The boys. My childhood friends. I just don't know how they'll react. It's been a long time. Though I miss them, I even wish for them to secretly hope they won't recognize me, if only for my sanity. I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I look so dif
Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 2. The Third Threat
The Present"What do you think will happen if I start telling everyone your deepest, darkest secrets?"I crumple the paper in my hands as a familiar black shroud covered me. A clear threat. The third one I've gotten this week and this only has one explanation. My diary from 2013. It's been two years and I still haven't found it. Whoever has my diary really has it in for me. I need to figure out who this person is and stop them before they can start doing so. Ugh. Just thinking about it makes my head ache. And it's the start of Senior Year, too, when it's the busiest time for us in the Student Council. "Do you think I can do photography?" A deep, cheerful voice calls behind me. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. I desperately schooled my features into something bright before turning to Cal. He's wearing a dark gray sweater and black pants today, his curly brown hair wild on his head. Calvin Park. Music and art enthusiast. And the baby of our group o
Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 3. The Proposal
Upon learning what happened, they came straight from school, and they come at me all at once in Seb's spacious living room. Simon, the gentlest of us all, immediately wrapped me in a hug. I feel warm and protected for a bit and it makes me smile. That is until Brad, dramatic as ever, wraps me and Simon from behind while he cries, "I'm so sorry for not coming here sooner. You'll be okay, right? Please tell me you'll be okay." Brad's wailing makes Simon struggle, but he can't let go either, because Kier had joined the hug, followed by Cal, who seems disgusted at the thought but did it anyway. Seb is the only one who doesn't join the task of suffocating me, which I appreciate. But he doesn't make any attempts to stop it either. The jerk. "Okay...okay, guys! Enough...I can't...I can't breathe." I say, giving them a pained smile. Besides, I don't deserve it. Three years. I haven't seen my mother for that long. But even as her death becomes more real every minute, I can't bring myself to
Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 4. Treehouse
Sebastian Laurent. The idiotic genius. What the hell was he thinking?! I fan the heat that consumes my cheeks, kicking a pebble off the treehouse roof. This treehouse. The very same one where Seb and I used to play house together. My whole body blushes at the thought. Arrrghh. What is happening to me? I'm supposed to be in love with Dave. "A! Please get down from there. Let's talk about this! Don't be such a child!" Seb calls out to me from below. "Don't call me a child! Just go away! Get lost, Seb!" I shout back indignantly, knowing full well that he can't follow me up to the roof, "And don't think about sending our friends, because I'll be kicking their butts the minute they get up here." I don't really think Seb will involve our friends in this mess at all. He knows as well as I do that will be chaos when they hear about this. In fact, I don't see them anywhere, so they must still be inside the house wondering what the hell is going on. "How dare you, Seb! This isn't some
Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 5. Ready? Let's Start.
"Ready? Let's start. What happens when your friends find out you're nothing but a manipulative bitch? Answer: They'll hate and leave you, of course, one after the other." They're finally going to make their move. The pounding in my heart becomes louder and louder as I stand there, paralyzed. Since I got that first note, I swore to God I'd stop the person who has my diary. But I sat on it too long, too terrified that failed majorly, and now I have to suffer the consequences. "Ari, you okay?" Dina asks me. She wraps her arm around my shoulders, pinning me close to her. Ever since finding out about my mother's death, she hasn't left my side. I should be grateful for her presence, but it only served to worsen my guilt. I told her before she left for Botswana that I have no feelings for Dave anymore, but after seeing him again yesterday, I realize I am still far from getting over him. "Yeah, just...tired." I was inconsolable last night. Once it finally hits me that my mother is gone,
Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 6. The First Reveal
There. Plastered on the wall, in bright, cheerful colors, were the thoughts I had written in my diary. The yearning I held for David during those years that we are apart. All my feelings, my melancholia, splattered there for the whole school to know. In my periphery, I see Seb's worried face. He's asking if I was alright but I can not bring myself to answer. All around me, my peers discuss in hushed tones, most expressing their shock and pity while some judge me harshly. Harboring feelings for her friend's boyfriend. What a bitch. I don't even notice my feet move, but before I know it, I am running away. And just like always, I find myself in the highest place I can find. The school rooftop. My heart pounds in my ears, threatening to burst out of my chest. And suddenly, I feel nothing but white-hot anger. For the stranger who has just shown themselves determined to destroy my reputation. And for myself for being so pathetic. "Isn't it funny? I've known you for only about a year, a
Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 7. Cold Secrets
I try not to get lost in his voice, just like I always do. But I can't help myself. I close my eyes, taking deep breaths. At the back of my mind, I find Dina. Dina, who's genuinely good. Dina, the girl Dave loves. Not me. It was never me. "Ari. Please say something." Dave's voice becomes loud enough to pull me back to reality, "You're going to Lucien's party this weekend, right? I know that with everything going on, you would want to be alone. But remember your promise." I sigh. How can I forget? After finding out about the letters, the boys make me promise over and over again to not shut them out from now on and let them keep me safe. And that apparently includes 24/7 surveillance where I have to be with one of them at all times. The first step? I have to move in with Lucien and Seb. That's why I'm standing in the middle of my old room now, feeling like I've just stepped into a time machine. The room's changed ever since I used it years ago, of course, but somehow it still feels t
Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 8. New Suspicions
I try not to drop the wine glass in my hand and kept the smile on my face. Onstage, Lucien's friends are having the time of their lives roasting him, the birthday boy. And all around me are the servers, my friends, and a couple of strangers that would absolutely judge me if I hurl right now. I'm reeling. Seb is acting crazy and he never acts crazy. He is one of the most sensible and logical people you'll ever meet. Thankfully, Seb is nowhere to be found. I don't think I can look him in the eye. All I could think about was my first day at Hector Park High, when I saw him and Brad in a diner for the first time in years. They didn't recognize me then, yet I panicked and left my diary. The diary I've now traced to be the reason for my extreme embarrassment at school the other day. Could Seb have picked it up? Could he be the one doing this to me? I shake my head at my wayward thoughts. This is Seb. I know him. We might fight every day of the week, but he would never do that to me. Or at
Latest chapter
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 35. Stronger Together
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 34. A Father's Wish
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 33. Make up
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 32. Courage
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 31. Confrontation
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 30. The Past
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 29. Close Again
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 28. A heart to heart
- Love and Letters (Ari & Sebastian's Story) 27. Stalemate
