Love and Rivalry

Chapter 7

Aria slowly opened her eyes to a soft sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. The fogginess of a dream laid at the fringes of her mind. As she tried to grasp at the lingering tendrils, she found that they kept escaping through her fingers. Giving up, Aria turned over onto her side and looked at her alarm clock. It read 6:50. She had woken up 10 minutes before her alarm was set to wake her and signal that it was time to get up to get ready for school.

Heaving a sigh, Aria sat up and stretched her arms. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stepped lightly down onto the carpeted floor and headed for her private bathroom. Once showered and dressed, she decided to check her emails on her computer before heading down for breakfast. When nothing new popped up, Aria pushed away from her desk and looked again at her bedside clock.

7:10. She moaned when she saw that she still had almost an hour before school started. Aria couldn't remember feeling this restless before. Ever since she started her internship, her world has been topsy turvy. She allocated the blame on having to balance work and school life, making her too busy.

Or it could be a certain CEO, came a whispering thought. Aria covered her eyes with both hands, not wanting to go down that road again. What was it about him that kept making her think about him? It's true that she had never met a man like him. For acting so cold, Aria could definitely feel the passion that simmered below the surface. The passion that fueled his company. But was that all he cared about?

Mokuba's face came to her mind. She couldn't believe how the sweetest kid could be related to Kaiba. They seemed to her to be complete opposites. She could tell though that they were close. She smiled at remembering Mokuba's ribbing, making Kaiba flustered. She doubted many people could do that and get away with it. Her face suddenly warmed when she realized that she was one of those people. That Kaiba actually seemed to enjoy their back and forth repartee.

Giving her head a physical shake, Aria forced herself to think realistically. But what was she even daydreaming about in the first place? She refused to answer that question.

Seeing that the clock now read 7:30, Aria could finally go downstairs, make herself a quick breakfast, and be at the school before the 8 a.m. class started.

Fortitude setting in, Aria stood and made her way downstairs. I'm not going to let a stepfather get in my way Aria said to herself. And that goes for handsome CEO's as well. She inwardly cringed at the slipup of thinking Kaiba was handsome.

Arriving at school with five minutes to spare, Aria hastily stopped at her locker before rushing off down the hall to her first class. Although it was hard to pick out someone among the throng of students since everyone wore the same uniform, Aria couldn't help but briefly glance to see if she could spot any tall brunettes sticking out in the crowd.

Her first class sped by as did her second. Since school would be out next week, most teachers were going over review for their final exams. Aria had thought about asking for next week off from work, so she could focus on studying, but she worried it would hinder her chances of making it on Kaiba's special team. It'll just mean some late nights and long weekends of being locked away in her room.

Entering into the cafeteria for lunch, Aria grabbed a tray and joined the lineup of students buying their food. Just as she reached the buffet table, an arm was slung around her shoulders.

"Hey Ari, you don't mind if I cut in here do ya?"

Aria rolled her eyes at Joey's boyishness but smiled at his sweetness. "I don't mind. As long as you get a written note from each person behind me saying that they are okay with you butting in line."

"If you're okay with it, I'm sure they are," he said as he started piling as much food as he could onto his tray.

Aria shook her head, a smile still on her face. She found Joey too adorable to be mad at.