The past that came back

After Chloe showed up, nothing felt simple anymore.

Ariana tried to ignore it at first. She really did. She told herself it didn’t matter, that whoever Chloe was had nothing to do with her.

But that didn’t last.

Because the way Chloe spoke to Oliver… wasn’t normal.

And the way Oliver avoided explaining things made it worse.

It stayed in her head longer than she wanted.

And she hated that.

---

The next morning, Ariana didn’t go straight to class.

Instead, she stood near the basketball court, waiting.

Tomos was the first to show up.

He slowed down when he saw her.

“Well,” he said, slightly surprised, “this is new.”

“I need answers,” Ariana said.

Tomos sighed like he already knew what was coming.

“Yeah… figured.”

Ariana stepped closer.

“Who is Chloe?”

Tomos didn’t answer immediately.

That alone made Ariana more serious.

“She’s from before,” he said finally.

“I already know that,” Ariana replied. “Before what?”

Tomos looked around before speaking.

“Before we came here,” he said quietly. “Before school. Before everything changed.”

Ariana narrowed her eyes slightly.

“You mean the streets.”

Tomos nodded.

“Yeah.”

Ariana crossed her arms.

“And her and Oliver?”

Tomos hesitated.

“They were… close.”

That word again.

Close.

It didn’t explain anything, but it still managed to say too much.

Ariana looked away for a moment, trying not to react.

But it bothered her.

More than she expected.

“Why didn’t he just say that?” she asked.

Tomos gave a small shrug.

“Because some things are complicated.”

---

That answer didn’t help.

If anything, it made things worse.

---

Later that day, Ariana saw them again.

Oliver and Chloe.

This time, they weren’t just talking.

They were arguing.

Ariana didn’t plan to listen.

But she couldn’t walk away either.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Oliver said.

Chloe crossed her arms. “And you shouldn’t pretend like you’ve changed that much.”

“I have,” Oliver replied.

Chloe shook her head slightly.

“You think walking away fixes everything?”

“It’s not about fixing it,” he said. “It’s about not going back.”

Ariana frowned.

Going back to what?

---

Then Chloe said something that made everything clear.

“You still owe people, Oliver,” she said quietly. “And they haven’t forgotten.”

Silence.

Oliver didn’t deny it.

And that silence said everything.

Ariana felt something drop in her chest.

Because now things were starting to connect.

---

That night, Ariana couldn’t stop thinking.

Liam’s attack.

Oliver saying he didn’t do it.

The way nothing added up.

And now this.

“You still owe people.”

What if it wasn’t random?

What if someone from his past was behind it?

---

The next day, Ariana didn’t avoid him.

She went straight to him.

Oliver was alone this time.

When he saw her, he already knew.

“You’ve been asking questions,” he said.

Ariana didn’t deny it.

“Who are they?” she asked.

Oliver looked at her for a moment.

Then away.

“People I left behind,” he said.

“That attacked Liam?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.

That answer surprised her.

Because he could’ve lied.

But he didn’t.

---

Ariana crossed her arms.

“You should’ve told me.”

Oliver looked at her.

“You wouldn’t have listened.”

She opened her mouth to argue.

Then stopped.

Because he wasn’t wrong.

---

Silence settled between them.

But it wasn’t like before.

It wasn’t anger.

It wasn’t tension.

It was something else.

Something heavier.

---

“If this is connected to you,” Ariana said slowly, “then it’s not over, is it?”

Oliver’s jaw tightened.

“No.”

That one word carried weight.

And for the first time…

Ariana felt it too.

This wasn’t just about school anymore.

This was bigger.

---

She turned to leave.

But Oliver spoke again.

“Stay out of it.”

Ariana stopped.

Then looked back at him.

“And let it happen again?” she asked.

Oliver didn’t answer.

Because he didn’t have one.

---

Ariana shook her head slightly.

“I’m not doing that,” she said.

And this time…

there was no anger in her voice.

Just decision.

---

Later that evening, Oliver stood with Tomos, James, Bucky, and Daniel.

They weren’t joking.

They weren’t relaxed.

They all felt it.

Something was coming.

“She shouldn’t be involved,” Tomos said.

“She already is,” Oliver replied.

James frowned. “If they’re really back…”

“They won’t stop,” Bucky finished.

Silence.

Then Daniel asked the real question.

“What are you going to do?”

Oliver didn’t answer immediately.

Because he already knew.

And he didn’t like it.

---

Across town, Ariana sat quietly in her room.

Her thoughts were louder than ever.

Everything she believed before…

was starting to fall apart.

Oliver wasn’t as simple as she thought.

And the danger around him…

was real.

For the first time…

she didn’t feel like she was against him.

She felt like she was standing in the same problem.

And she didn’t know what scared her more.

The truth…

Or what was coming next.

---

Because one thing was clear now.

This wasn’t over.

Not even close.