2|| Whispers in the Wind

12|| developments

Aria

Aria squirmed in her seat. This party wasn't nearly as exciting as she thought it'd be. Kalyani had disappeared, taking Evelyn, Jacob, and Arlo with her. Aria was stuck with Wilder and Leo, which wasn't awful per se, but they were clearly best friends and she constantly felt like she was missing out on some inside joke. 

Currently, Wilder was trying to kiss Leo and the other boy was fighting for his life. Aria felt slightly bad, but it was too funny to intrude on. Finally, she took pity on him.

"Relax, guys, there's plenty of time to do that at home," she drawled. Wilder backed off in alarm, shooting her a panicked look.

Leo took this opportunity to shove him. He was strong, to Aria's surprise, because Wilder flew off his seat and onto the floor.

Wilder immediately started wailing, "Leo hates me! He wants me dead."

"I didn't mean it!" the other boy said, horrified. "Here, let me help you up."

As Aria had expected, Wilder pulled some more dramatics. "No, no," he sniffed. "I know when I'm not wanted."

Loser,  Aria thought amusedly.

"Just get up," she told him. "Leo will let you kiss him if you do."

Leo's eyes widened comically. "I never said that! I'm not kissing him!"

Wilder, who had been in the process of getting up, immediately flopped back down, faking a sobbing fit.

Aria was pretty tired of this whole exchange and decided to take a break from the two. They barely even noticed as she stood, scanning the vicinity. Where the hell had everyone gone off to? She zeroed in on the staircase and had started walking up when Evelyn shot past her, Jacob at her heels. Aria reached forward and stopped the boy.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked.

He shifted uncomfortably, clearly done with the conversation before it'd even started. "Uh, we were just talking about something. Evelyn and I, I mean. You looking for someone?"

"Yeah, my sister."

Jacob looked at her with newfound interest. "She's up in Ev's room with Arlo," he said shrewdly.

A surge of annoyance flooded through her. "Cool."

"You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're clenching your jaw."

Before she could reply, Evelyn's voice called out, "Jacob, stop bothering her! Come over here."

Eternally grateful for the distraction, Aria watched the kid retreat. He was one weird guy, that was for sure. He seemed constantly preoccupied with something, his eyes shifty and his mind elsewhere. For that matter, Evelyn was the same. What type of person just disappears after hosting a gathering? It was like she had more important things to attend to. Aria couldn't imagine what it could be.

Either way, she had more important things to worry about. Like how her sister was buddying up to Arlo Daye. Arlo could be dangerous!