lost | jariana

14

Ariana awkwardly stood by the door, unsure of what to do. She had went over to Jason's because he had invited her over to hangout with him and Chaz and Ryan, but it was Chaz who opened the door and let her in.

"Jason and Ryan are picking up the snacks right now. Mr. McCann is working downstairs, but you can wait inside."

She's never been alone with just Chaz before, or any other boy that wasn't Jason. She gripped her My Little Pony bag tightly, not knowing why she was so afraid.

But Chaz didn't seem to notice. He just sat on the couch, scrolling through his phone as music played, not even really bothering to look at Ariana. That made her feel slightly better, so she walked into the living room, sitting on the single sofa chair by the coffee table.

"You want to play a song?"

The 11 year old was two years older than her, so his music taste was a little more advanced than her Disney Channel playlist, so she shook her head. He shrugged and continued to play his rap music, mumbling the lyrics as he continued scrolling.

The silence was killing Ariana, and even though it felt strange to be alone with Chaz, she wanted to use it to explore a curiosity she always had about him and Ryan's friendship with Jason.

"Chaz, why didn't it surprise you when you found out about Jason's parents?"

The shaggy-haired boy paused his scrolling, finally look up to Ariana, who was staring intently at him. He blinked, sitting up straight on the couch before replying,

"I don't know. Wasn't something that was a dealbreaker, I guess."

"What would've been a dealbreaker?"

She watched Chaz ponder the question, tilting his head to the side and chewing the insides of his cheeks. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again.

"If Jason hated basketball."

That made Ariana giggle, not being able to hold her back from his silly answer. Being in a gang was okay, but not liking basketball? Over.

"Seriously?"

Chaz smiled, glad that he was able to make Ariana comfortable. He knew she was scared to be alone with him, so he had tried to act nonchalantly as possible and follow her lead.

"Yea. I mean, I love basketball. I play basketball. I know all the teams that play in the NBA. What would we do if Jason didn't like to do all that either?"

"I don't know... I just thought maybe... You would be scared or something."

Chaz shrugged, pulling his legs up to cross them underneath him. "It's normal to be scared of things. Sure, I know what gangs are about and I'm scared of the concept, but what's the difference of being scared across the street by Jason than being scared with Jason?"

The simplistic explanation from Chaz was hard for Ariana's little 9 year old mind to wrap around. Sure, she was forced to act older than she was, but still. She felt like she was always thinking about things to the point where the simplest answer didn't feel enough.

"Why are you asking?"

"I don't know. I guess, if I was in your shoes, I would've been more scared. I don't know if I could just... Sit in his house alone and talk with someone who you barely know but know also belongs in a gang. I don't know."

"I don't barely know you," Chaz argued, trying to understand where Ariana was coming from.

"I know, but like. It doesn't bother you?"