She wasn't in a hurry, just lost in thought, but her ears perked when she heard Clark's voice ahead, carrying down the hallway like a warm breeze.
"Well, Whitney, uh, you shipped out over there," Clark stammered awkwardly. "I'm sure it's pretty warm..."
Ariella turned the corner, spotting Lana holding a video camera inches from his face, patiently encouraging him.
"It's okay, Clark. Just say what you feel," Lana suggested with a soft smile.
Before Ariella could get too close, she felt an arm link with hers. "So," Valerie whispered, "has he asked you to be his girlfriend yet?"
"Not yet," Ariella replied, feigning indifference. She felt her cheeks warm, but played it cool.
"I see." Valerie raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying her nonchalance.
"I think he's waiting until dinner with Dad and Nadia," Ariella added.
Valerie blinked, surprised. "Meeting the parents? Already?"
Ariella shrugged. "Dad wants to scare him."
Valerie chuckled. "Good luck with that. Does your dad know?"
Ariella glanced around as they headed toward her locker, her voice dropping to a hush. "About Clark being an alien?"
Valerie nodded.
"Yeah, he knows."
"I need a full debrief after dinner," Valerie said, grinning.
Ariella rolled her eyes. "Fine."
Valerie's hand tightened on Ariella's arm as they reached her locker, and a frown creased her brow. "You're freezing."
Ariella furrowed her brows. "No, I'm not."
Valerie looked at her. "Yeah, you are. It's 101 degrees outside, and there's a heatwave. Everyone's sweating buckets." She gestured to the surrounding students, the air heavy with the scent of sweat and humidity.
