CHAPTER 6

ARIA

I have never felt more lost in my life than I do right now.

I wanted to scream, to deny it, to say Nesta was lying but her words made sense. No wonder Father had never shown me any affection. No wonder I had always felt like an outsider in my own home. Now, I understand why .

The party still continued, the  music was loud and laughter was ringing through the hall, but I was no longer in the mood for festivities. I sat quietly in a corner, wishing my mother was here. I had too many questions to ask her, too many answers I desperately needed, but she was gone and I was left sitting alone, sad, in a party that was supposed to cheer me up.

After a while, I quietly made my way to the garden, trying my best not to draw attention to myself.

The cool night air kissed my skin as I sat unto one of the chairs as I clasped my trembling hands together. I had barely settled down when I heard footsteps behind me.

“Hey there,” someone said from behind me.

I turned to see a girl smiling widely at me. “I saw you quietly sneaking out.”

She looked to be around my age, with really dark, straight hair and a petite body. Her expression seemed warm and open unlike my sister’s.

“Hey,” I replied calmly, though my voice sounded tired even to my own ears. “I needed some fresh air.”

“I saw the drama just now,” she said. “It’s not every day a girl gets a major plot twist in her life.”

She was smiling, and despite myself, I felt the corners of my lips lift.

“I guess you could say that,” I replied.

“I’m Kara,” she said, settling comfortably beside me . “And I just want to say, your sister is one hell of a jealous chicken.”

I threw my head back and laughed, the sound bursting out of me before I could stop it. “That’s the first time anyone has described my sister that way. Everyone practically drools over her.”

“Oh really?” Kara said, scrunching her face. “Then, I guess everyone is suddenly attracted to rotten attitude.”

“I’m Aria,” I said, still smiling.

“Oh, you don’t need an introduction,” she replied. “I’m pretty sure everyone in that hall knows who you are.”

“Yeah,” I said softly, the smile fading as Nesta’s words replayed in my mind. “I guess everyone sees me as a tramp now.”

Kara turned to me immediately. “That’s not true” she said firmly “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

I could see her concern was real, and that made it harder to lie.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled, forcing a smile but my eyes betrayed me. Tears burned at the corners, threatening to spill.

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” she said gently, pulling me into a hug. “If your sister has decided to be a mean asshole, you can just adopt me as your sister instead.”

She patted my back as she spoke.

I pulled back to look at her face and saw her grinning widely. Despite everything, I smiled again.

“Nesta has always been like this,” I said quietly. “You’d think by now I would’ve gotten used to her.”

“Yeah, but you should never have to put up with that,” Kara said firmly. “Next time someone tries to pull you down, make sure you attack back. And if they’re too much for you” she pointed at herself “you call me. That’s what friends do.”

“I’ve never had a girlfriend,” I admitted.

“Well, you have one now,” she said proudly. “So now it’s two of us against the world.”

I stared at her, smiling. For the first time that night, my chest felt lighter. At least something good had come out of the drama today.

“I think we should celebrate,” Kara said suddenly, her eyes lighting up. “I’ll be right back.”

Before I could protest, she jumped up and disappeared into the building, leaving me alone in the garden once more.

As my eyes wandered around, something caught my attention.

I looked again.

Then my heart skipped.

Karlo.

He was standing behind the leaves, half-hidden in the shadows, staring straight at me.

“I’m back!” Kara called.

I turned toward her briefly, then snapped my gaze back to where Karlo was.

But he was gone.

What was he doing there?2

Wasn’t he taken away with Nesta?

Maybe I was just seeing things because how could he disappear so fast. 

I frowned.. If he was truly here, did he have something to say to me?

I shook my  head. I didn’t care. Whatever feelings I once had for him died the day I caught him with my sister and they were buried tonight when he showed up with her just to humiliate me.

Kara sat beside me again, placing two cups in front of us.

“In celebration of our friendship,” she said brightly. “I decided to bring the  party outside.”

“What is that?” I asked pointing at the bottle in her hand 

“Liquid courage,” she replied, smirking and slowly shaking the bottle.

From there, one drink turned into two.

Then three.

The ache in my chest dulled. My laughter grew louder. The world felt lighter, like my life wasn’t falling apart. 

Kara told me funny  stories, and I laughed until my stomach hurt, and the humiliation of today felt far away.

“I think,” I drawled , “you’re my favorite person.”

Kara giggled. “Good. Because you’re definitely drunk.” And I burst out laughing again. 

The next thing I knew, strong arms were lifting me off the chair and I tried to stand up straight. 

“Careful,” a male voice said. “You can barely stand.”

I blinked, my vision was blurry but I recognized the voice.

“Kavin?” I murmured.

“Yes, Freya,” he replied calmly. “Let’s get you to bed.”

As he carried me towards the manor,  I rested my head against his chest as my thoughts wandered .

Just before my eyes fully closed, I saw him again.

Karlo.

He silently stood still  behind the leaves,his eyes fixed on me.

This time, I knew it wasn’t a mistake. I had definitely seen him watching me earlier.

But my body was too weak to react, too heavy to resist, and my eyes finally slid shut.