Arielle hugged her back. “Thanks, Mom. If it’s okay with you guys, I’m going to go upstairs.”
“Jess has been calling,” Dad said, bending in his chair to face her.
“I’ll call her back later.” Then Arielle opened the door in the living room and climbed the stairs to her room.
It was early, about nine thirty, but she left her light off, cranked the volume on the radio, and lay on her pillow. She cried for a while longer, then sat up, tired of feeling sorry for herself. She pulled her journal down from the small shelf above her bed and started writing. It might hurt. It might sting. But her life hadn’t ended. Writing about it would help, so she poured everything out from her heart onto the paper in front of her. Her mom was right, there were plenty of boys out there in the big world. She didn’t need this one. Boy, did she want him, though.
***
The next morning, she woke up thinking only a few hours had gone by, but the clock read eleven a.m. already and she was late. Her mom had asked her to help with some things for Thanksgiving dinner, which was tomorrow, and there were a lot of preparations they had to take care of before then.
Arielle threw the blankets from her and scrambled out of her room, marching downstairs in the oversized t-shirt and shorts she’d worn to bed.
As she rushed into the kitchen, breathing in the fresh scents of pumpkin and apple pies, she said, “Mom, I’m sorry I overslept.”
Her mom bent down in front of the open oven, oven mitts on her hands and a blue apron around her waist. She pulled a cherry pie out, setting the pan on top of the stove. “It’s okay, honey. I am almost done with the pies. I was going to have you cut the cheese.” She snickered.
“Wow, Mom.”
She couldn’t stop giggling. “Sorry, honey. That joke never gets old. Anyway, cut the cheese and veggies and do the pickle and olive tray. Would you mind?”
Arielle shook her head. “I don’t mind at all.”
So she got to work, grabbing a knife from the drawer and about seven different types of cheese from the fridge. She started cubing Swiss since it was her least favorite, but when she did the Colby-Jack, she could have sworn she ate at least half of the block. Half for her, half for the tray.
The cheese tray didn’t take long to finish, so she covered it and carried it through her parents’ door to the backroom, her dad’s tool area. It stayed cold back there all the time, so it had basically become another refrigerator when they couldn’t fit everything in the one they had. Needless to say, on holidays, the small fridge in the kitchen never had enough room. Mom had a tendency to go a little overboard.
After she placed the tray on the steps which led to the creepy attic, she wiggled back out of the narrow doorway and fell back into her chair at the kitchen table.
“So, how you feeling today?” Mom asked, stirring something on the stove.
Arielle popped open a jar of bread and butter pickles. “I don’t know. Still sad, but a little better, I guess.”
“Remember, sweetie, that sometimes your heart is going to break. There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s how you pick yourself up that matters.”
Sometimes her mom said things that connected, and this one hit her head on. Arielle didn’t want to be sad all the time and mope around. Even though her heart still felt like it had broken into a bunch of tiny pieces, she wouldn’t have a hard time putting them back together. “Thanks, Mom.”
The pickle tray had bread and butter pickles, sweet pickles, and dill, but also black and green olives and some little smokies in the center when she finished. It looked good. Pickles were a weakness of Arielle’s and she had to stop herself from eating them all. After she covered it, she took it out back, setting it beside the cheese tray.
When she moved on to the veggie tray, she glanced up at the clock and saw it was almost four o’clock. Time sure moved when you were having fun, except in this case, “fun” happened to be “work.” Arielle enjoyed helping her mom, though, who hummed behind her as she pulled another pie from the oven. Arielle threw her arm over the back of the chair and shifted as Mom held the pie under her nose, sniffed it, and set it on top of the stove to cool with a smile on her face. Arielle couldn’t see, but she could smell the tangy sweetness of apples.
“Smells good, Mom,” Arielle said.
“Thanks. That was apple. So I’ve got cherry and apple done and been working on pumpkin all morning.” She chuckled. “Well, I guess I can start saying afternoon now. I can’t believe the time.”
Her mom was the best baker. The best cook too. Of course, Arielle might be a bit biased. Every holiday, at least the winter ones, Mom had to bake extra pumpkin pies because every single family member wanted one to take home. Arielle stepped through the kitchen into the dining room. Sure enough, there were already five pumpkin pies sitting on the table.
Holidays were spent next door at Aunt Margie’s house. Arielle had a close relationship with her and used to spend the night all the time, but had kind of grown out of it recently. Aunt Margie always did the turkey and ham for Thanksgiving, and Mom always did the pies and the trays, as well as the mashed potatoes.
Since Mom worked so much, Arielle got to spend more time with her when she helped in the kitchen. So, even though it might be a ton of work, she enjoyed the extra time with her mom.
Her heart dropped realizing she’d have all the time in the world now.
“Mom, why are boys so stupid?” Arielle asked.
“Because they have a penis.”
Arielle’s jaw dropped open. “Mom!”
Her mom laughed, then turned to face her as she wiped her hands down the front of her apron, leaving white flour marks all over it. “You might not want to hear it, but it’s the truth and the one thing I’ve ever been able to make sense of. Think about it. Their penis is the difference between them and us, so it has to be the reason they are the way they are.”
Arielle’s cheeks heated. She did not need to hear this from her mother.
Her dad walked in, clearing his throat. “Did I hear what I thought I heard in here?”
Arielle dropped her forehead into her hand.
Her mom placed her hands on her shapely hips, smirking. “You sure did. Men are idiots because they have a penis.”
“Okay, Mom. You can finish the veggie tray. I’m heading to Jess’s house.” No way would Arielle be involved in this crazy conversation.
“Be back by ten, okay?” Dad said.
She nodded, threw the knife down on the counter, and all but ran to Jess’s house. Maybe she should have called first. What if she’d left to spend time with Damien? Guess she’d find out soon enough. Arielle should have called Jess last night, but she didn’t have it in her. Things were too hectic and her head was a mess. Today, her heart didn’t hurt quite as much. Still broken, but on the mend.
At least it might be if she kept telling herself that.
Arielle held her hand up to knock, but the door opened before she could. “Where the heck have you been?” She pulled Arielle inside.
“Blake broke up with me last night.” No sense in beating around the bush.
Jess gasped. “You’re kidding me! But he likes you so much. You two are perfect together.”
Arielle shrugged. “He wants to be friends because he’s leaving at the end of the year.”
“Awesome. I knew there was something wrong with him. He’s a coward.”
Arielle laughed. Jess always had her back, no matter the situation, which made Arielle love her even more.
“He isn’t a coward, Jess. He’s a little mixed up is all. He’ll come around, or I’ll have another great friend in my life. Either way I’m okay with it.”
“How can you be okay going from kissing the guy to not kissing the guy all in the matter of a month?”
Arielle shrugged again. “I don’t know. If you would have asked me last night, I would have told you I’d never be okay again. But…that’s a wee bit dramatic.” She pinched her fingers together for emphasis.
“Today, I guess I’m happy he wants to be in my life at all.”
“Well, I’m glad you came over.” Jess hugged her. “I missed you, Ari.”
Arielle made a face. “Listen, I had to come. My mom was telling me guys were idiots because they had a penis and then my dad came in all…dadly…you know? It was either fly the coop or hear a conversation my fragile ears weren’t anywhere near ready for.”
Jess chuckled. “Good call. You want to hang out and watch a movie?”
Arielle nodded. “I’d love to. How about The Breakfast Club?”
“You read my mind.”
The rest of the evening, they sat on the couch eating Ruffles potato chips and watching a movie about teenagers who didn’t fit in together but found new friends in a day of detention, nothing like the reality of high school.
Afterward, Jess’s mom drove Arielle home since it was dark. She wouldn’t let her walk this late, ever, which Arielle kind of appreciated because she didn’t want to walk in the dark anyway.
When she went inside, her dad leaned back in his chair.
She smiled at him. “Hey, Dad. Where’s Mom?”
“She’s sleeping. She has been working hard on all those pies. I swear, she can’t ever cook for a small family, it’s always for an army.” Dad chuckled.
Arielle smiled, sitting on the sofa across the room. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sure she knows.”
Dad pressed his lips together. “Tell me, how’re you holding up?”
Arielle shrugged.
“Let me tell you something, and this is my honest opinion. I’m real good at reading people, Ari, and that boy’s eyes when he looks at you tell a different story. He might say he wants to be friends, but there ain’t no way. Maybe he is scared because when he goes home, if he lets himself fall for you and stay as attached to you as he has been, he won’t be able to let you go.”
Arielle tilted her head toward the ceiling. “Maybe. Either way, it is what it is, Dad. He wants to be friends, so I’ll give him a friend, but when I go on a date with someone else, he can’t be getting in the middle.”
Dad winked. “That’s my girl.”
Arielle crawled up the stairs. She sure did love her dad. He didn’t talk a whole lot, but when he did, his words were important and meant something, like tonight.
Chapter 10
Break’s Over
The holiday weekend was great, but Monday came faster than Arielle had hoped it would. Her fingers shook as she got dressed. This would be the first day she saw Blake since he’d broken up with her. She didn’t know if she could do it, but ready or not, she had to face him.
She grabbed a banana from the kitchen, the only thing she could bare to eat with her stomach in shambles. After she finished, it was almost time for the bus to come.
She grabbed her book bag from the computer room, right by the front door. “See you guys later,” she said to her mom and dad.
Reed pushed past her. “Move it, loser.”
She shoved him back and beat him out the door before her parents could respond. “Some of us don’t have a bus to catch, but I do, so you move it. Dweeb.”
He ruffled her hair with his hands. “I know. I’m older and wiser, so you’d better start listening to me.”
She ducked out of his grasp and jumped away from him. “Go to school, where people actually like you.”
Reed hopped in his car. It was an old one Dad had gotten for him, but it ran well enough. Arielle had a feeling the gold car would end up being hers one day, which didn’t bother her. She’d have something to drive at least.
She couldn’t believe she had to ride the bus today. But she couldn’t expect Blake to pick her up anymore. Since he had been, Jess had started picking Damien up, who lived a lot farther away. Now, Jess didn’t have time to get Arielle and Damien…so she had to ride the big yellow stink mobile with all the younger kids.
As she waited for the bus, a familiar car pulled into her driveway, stopping right beside her. Blake rolled his window down. “Need a ride?”
Arielle’s mind froze, then she tapped her fist against her lips. She had no clue why he’d showed up or if she should go with him. But it beat riding the bus, so she got in, her stomach fluttering as she strapped her seatbelt on. This is a bad idea, she thought. Awful, even.
“Hey,” he said with a question in his tone.
She blew out a breath as she realized she might not be the only one who didn’t know what to say. She flicked her head upward once, not meeting his eyes. “Hi.”
Utter silence followed. No talking whatsoever. Her gaze went around his car and out the window, but not once did she look up at him. Something caught her eye as he came to a stop at the one light in town. He had a silver necklace with butterflies hanging from his rearview mirror, which swayed back and forth when he accelerated as the light turned green.
She tucked her hands under her legs to keep from balling them into fists. Her cheeks grew hot, but not with embarrassment. Anger coursed through every pore of her body. He had picked her up with some girl’s necklace hanging in his car. Sure didn’t take him long to move on.
The silence in the car made everything worse because she sat there, stewing, waiting for an explanation. He had to know she’d seen it. He couldn’t be that dumb.
It didn’t take long until she couldn’t stand it anymore, but she didn’t want to come right out and ask. She’d work her way up to it. “So how was the visit with your parents?”
Blake shrugged. “All right, I guess. Had some issues with my dad. The same old story. Did you have fun over the break?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Not as much fun as you, she thought.
“You look amazing today.” Blake glanced over and smiled.
Arielle scowled down at her old ratty jeans and a dark green shirt, which she’d stolen from her brother’s closet. She liked to steal his baggier clothes because they were more comfortable.
“Um…whatever you say.”
He smirked. “Whatever I say, huh?”
Arielle raised her eyebrows. “Are you flirting with me? Okay, forget it, because I know you are and you can’t flirt with me, Blake. You broke up with me. And no flirting was part of the deal to be friends.” She paused, her temper bringing even more heat to her cheeks. “What is wrong with you?”
Blake pulled off the road and into a gas station. After he put the car in park, he shifted in his seat, throwing his arm over the back of hers as he leaned in close, resting his other hand on his knee. “Ari, I didn’t want to break up with you. You are amazing and I love spending time with you. I explained this already. When I go home at the end of the year, how am I going to handle not being able to see you?”
“About the same as if I was your friend, kind of like now. It’s a cop-out, Blake. At least call it what it is, okay? You don’t need to pretend with me. Be who you are.” She raised her hand and pawed the butterfly necklace, holding it out between them. “What’s this? From your new girlfriend?”
His face went blank right before he hung his head. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to either.
Arielle raised her voice. “How could you?” She slapped at his chest. “How. Could. You?” she screamed at him, tears rolling down her cheeks as the realization hit her. He’d broken up with her for someone else. All his excuses, him wanting to be friends, it had all been a lie.
A friend would never treat a friend the way he’d treated her.
“Take me to school, now.” Her voice shook with the energy it took to try to keep her calm. “I don’t want any more rides from you. I don’t want to see you either. We aren’t friends, Blake. I don’t think we ever were.”
Blake slammed his fists against the steering wheel. “Ari, it isn’t what you are thinking. Yes, I have a new girlfriend, but I met up with her again when I went to South Carolina. She’s from West Virginia.”
“The old girlfriend you told me about?”
Blake nodded but wouldn’t meet her eyes.
; Arielle chuckled with a hint of a growl. “Oh, classic. You broke up with me because it would be too hard to leave me, right? So you hook back up with your old long-distance girlfriend.” She yanked the butterfly necklace from the mirror and threw it at his chest. “That makes all the sense in the world, you donkey. Let’s go. I can’t stand to be in this car with you anymore.”
Thank goodness they were close to school because Arielle couldn’t take much more of Blake’s idiotic behavior. Sure, he was a guy, and her mom always told her they had problems, but she never thought she’d find one with this many issues.
Even with his problems, she liked Blake. Yes, she like-liked him, but she liked him even more as a friend and she didn’t know if she wanted to lose his friendship. Maybe, in a few days, she would calm down and be able to think about everything with a clear head.
For now, though, she needed space. And to never, ever see the stupid butterfly necklace again.
***
School flew by, but even so, by the end of the day, Arielle’s eyes were heavy and she wanted nothing more than to close them and sleep the rest of the day away. Blake waited for her at the main entrance to school, so she ducked down a side hallway before he could see her, not in the mood to deal with him and his drama. She waited at the side of the school for the buses and hopped on as soon as hers pulled up. Jess never got on, not that Arielle had expected her to, but part of her had hoped. She must have been taking Damien home which left Arielle sitting on the smelly bus, alone with her thoughts, and they weren’t pretty.
Her whole body felt like she had the flu, and in a way, she was sick. With heartache. Her heart felt like it had shattered into a million tiny pieces, fallen to the floor, and everyone around her had stomped all over them on their way to their seats.
She stayed quiet the whole ride and ran into her house and straight up to her room.
“Ari, get back down here.” Her dad’s stern voice left no room for arguments.
It Starts With L (The Letters of Love Series Book 1) Page 8