Always And Forever || A High-school Love Story

Chapter 2: Arithea

"Hi honey! Did you have fun? Did you meet anyone attractive?" My mom asks before I even walk through the door. My mom and I have always been close. We are almost like best friends. We share everything with each other. And her advice is literally the best thing you'll ever hear in your life. "Mom, I haven't even taken my shoes off." I say laughing, and it makes my mom laugh too. "Okay, okay. Im being nosy. But you better tell me everything!" My mom says, excitedly. I take my shoes off and walk towards the couch and take a seat. We live in an average house in an average neighborhood. We moved in 3 months ago, and I started going to a high school here named Darlington High. It's a 15-minute walk from home to school.I met Emory there and if it wasn't for her and her social butterfly personality, I would've been the loneliest person to ever exist on this planet. "I did meet someone, and I have to say, he's really attractive." I say, which makes my mom jump up and down. "Oh my God! What's his name?!" My mom asks, absolutely impatiently. My mom has always been a patient person, but subjects like these always make her go crazy. "His name is Asher. He has a friendly and fun personality. He is Mike's friend, and I'm pretty sure he just moved here." I say, making my mom giggle. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, he asked for my number." I finish. "What did you say? Did you give it to him?" My mom asks, with a huge grin on her face. "Obviously! Guys like him come once in a decade. I couldn't miss my chance." I say in a proud tone. "I am so happy for you, Ari! What else did he say? Is he going to call you anytime soon? How old even is he?" My mom asks again. God, are her questions ever ending? "He's around 17, and he said he's gonna call me tonight!" I say, squealing. I'm gonna be honest here, I can't hold in my excitement anymore. I can't BELIEVE a boy like him asked for my number. I've never even befriended a boy, besides Michael, let alone asked out by one. So I am literally over the moon right now even though I won't admit it out loud. "Arithea! You really hit the jackpot didn't you?" My mom asks. She's more excited than me at this point. "Okay, let's not get too ahead of ourselves. We don't know what he's really like yet. Let me know more about him first." My mom smiles at my words and takes my hand and squeezes it. After my mom let go of my hand, my younger sister, Kylie joins us in our little girl talk. "Hey Kai." I say as I pick her up and sit her down on my lap. She's only 6 years old, but it feels like she's 10 because of her personality. "Did Ari finally meet a boy, mom? Or is she still the loneliest person ever?" Kylie asks, making me playfully hit her on the arm. "Oh, come on, Kai, stop making fun of me." I say as I laugh and tickle her. She starts giggling and jumps off of my lap. "I'll go to bed now, see you two in the morning!" Kylie says as she runs off to her room. "She's growing up way too fast." I say, making my mom laugh and agree. "I know, right? It feels like she and Kyle were born yesterday. I can't believe it's already been 6 years..." My mom says. I notice her face become pale. She looks as though she's holding back tears. "It's okay, mom. I miss Kyle, too. We all do. It's okay to cry." I say as I take my mom's hand in mine. She gives me a sad smile and says, "I am going to bed. You better tell me everything you guys talked about in the morning." I laugh and nod. She then walks to her door and closes it and I watch as the light coming from the little gap at the bottom of the door fades. Thoughts of Kyle, my younger brother, always make me tear up. He was Kylie's twin sister. He died of brain cancer 2 and a half years ago, on September 24, 2021, a week before his and Kylie's birthday. After his death, everyone was devastated, but Kylie was affected the most from his death, mostly because the two of them had such a close relationship. Their relationship was unlike any other siblings'. His death caused Kylie to mature way earlier than most girls. Kylie was such a down-to-earth person. But after Kyle passed away, she changed completely. She didn't talk to anyone for a whole month and cried every day for weeks. None of us deserved what we went through, but Kylie didn't deserve it the most. She was only five, and she went through so much. I try to block my thoughts about Kyle's passing from infiltrating my mind and walk to my room. I go to the bathroom and take a cold shower.
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I really needed that shower. I quickly dry my hair and pull it up in a bun. I retrieve my lip balm from my vanity drawer and put it on. I give myself one more look in the mirror and pick up my phone, and wait for Asher to call me.

My phone suddenly rings. It's 1am. Im still confused as hell when I look at my phone and see that it's from Asher. I gasp and jump up and sprint to my vanity. I look so ugly. I quickly fix myself up- wait, hold up. Why am I even looking in the mirror when it's not even a FaceTime call? I'm so dumb. I go back to my bed and pick up the phone and hold it to my ear. "Do you even realize what time it is?" I ask, laughing. "I do. It's 1am." Asher replies, making me slightly giggle. "Why did you call now? You could've called tomorrow or-" Before I could finish, he says, "I didn't want to disappoint you." And now I'm blushing again, like a total idiot. "That's cheesy." I say. I hear him laugh at the other end of the phone. "Were you asleep? Did I wake you up?" He asks, a little concerned. "Is it that obvious?" I ask him. "Well, you are a bit cranky. Sorry about waking you up. I thought girls like staying awake until like 3am." He says, leaving me a little stunned. "How do you know that?" I ask him. "I have a little sister. She stays up until 3am every night. I can hear her giggling and jumping up and down on her bed while watching korean dramas at 2am, from MY room. And her room is across from mine. I don't understand how our parents don't hear her." He says, making me laugh. "I'd totally befriend your sister. She sounds like such a fun person. What's her name?" I ask. "Her name is Faun. Faun Kingston." He says. Man, that's such a pretty name. "Wow, her name is so unique." I say which makes Asher chuckle a little. "Okay, enough about my sister. Let's talk about you." He says, making me squirm in my bed. "Me? What's there to know about me?" I ask him, making him slightly laugh. "I want to get to know you, Arithea. You seem so different from others. I've never met anyone quite like you." He says, leaving me in shock. This guy is good at making me lose my mind. "Okay, then. What do you want to know?" I ask him. He's quiet for a few seconds. I guess he's thinking of a question to ask. "What's your full name?" He asks. I'm kind of disappointed at his question, but oh well. "It's Arithea Maeve Emerson. What's yours?" I ask. "Asher Skye Kingston." He replies on the other end of the phone. "Wait, hold up-" I say as realization hits me. "Your initials are literally ASK." I say laughing. "That's probably why you ask so many questions." I say, still laughing. A few seconds later, he starts laughing too. I don't know when, but amidst all the laughter, I fall asleep. I fall asleep to his laugh.