"Ari's not...she's..." Ashton took a breath, and Michael felt his heart racing. What was he going to say?
"Okay, she doesn't like me telling people this, but I think you should really know, so you have to swear not to tell anyone, or tell her I told you."
"Alright, I swear." Michael nodded, his anxiety growing more intense by the second.
Ashton took another deep breath before continuing. "When Ari was little, she was in a car with her parents - my aunt and uncle, and Marigold - she was just a baby at that time, and...well..." Ashton paused, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "There was...an accident. Her parents were both killed."
Michael felt his heart stop. All the worry about Ari that had been building up inside him since the night before had concentrated into one boiling mass directly within his heart when Ashton had initiated the story, and it had just exploded into a shower of sparks.
"She lives with us now," Ashton continued. "My parents, I mean. Her aunt and uncle. That's why she never talks about her parents. It hurts her too much. And that's why you have to be careful what you say."
Michael couldn't speak. He had wanted to know why Ari had been so upset, but now he wished Ashton had never told him. He didn't want to believe that something so horrible and unfair had happened to someone so sweet and beautiful and happy.
And then it hit him.
Ari was just like him.
She had lost someone too.
Two people, actually.
But how did she do it? How did she she stay so happy? How did she lived through every day and stay so fun and unpredictable? He didn't get it.
Ashton let out a breath and leaned against the backrest of the bench. "Remember: you can't tell anybody."
"Yeah." Michael was barely able to get the single word out. He felt the heat of shock still flooding through his veins.
He spotted Ari heading towards him, holding Marigold's hand, laughing to Luke.
"Does he know?" Michael asked, meaning Luke.
"No," Ashton shook his head. "He knows she lives with me, but he doesn't know why. Only her family knows the truth. She didn't want any friends knowing. I just thought you should know."
"If Luke doesn't even know, then why should I know?" Michael asked, not understanding.
Ari, Luke and Marigold had drawn within earshot, though, and Ashton couldn't answer.
He turned to Ari instead and smiled, "How was it?"
"Awesome!" Ari exclaimed at the same time that Marigold sighed and said, "Too short."
Luke just looked a little green.
Michael felt like he should talk, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Ari looked at him curiously, but before she could ask questions, Marigold was whisking her away for a hotdog, and Luke was turning a bit of a more intense shade of green at the thought of food, and Ashton was asking if he was okay, and Michael was saved.
But now he was not only filled with guilt and grief, he was also confused.HA HA HA (I know someone named Ha. She's Asian. Calum. Kidding) THE BIG REVEAL!
This chapter was really, really short, but I'm happy with it, so yeah. But um...not so happy with the authors note. XD.Loser_Luke