Mission 101 Heart Captured

[25] - Intertwined Hands

♣ Ariadne's P.O.V. ♣

Oh, I don't think that was supposed to happen. Brook was sopping wet, which I was yet to understand why it was so funny, and Ian didn't sound very happy. Brittany looked horrified, and she looked like she was trying to find a way to escape. Still, nothing could help her now.

"Care to explain, Brittany?" He asked, sounding like a furious principle at school. "Or are you going to throw the blame on Brook?"

"She started it!" Brittany squealed, pointing at Brook, who merely raised an eyebrow.

"I started it? Did you just say I fucking started it?" Brook said in a voice that was much too calm.

"Well, of course you started it!" Brittany protested, looking absolutely terrified. "This all began because you killed Amber!" Brook froze. We all did. My breath was caught in my throat as I watched this scene unravel before my eyes. Just as El was about to run fist first into the scene, Brook held up a hand at El, which was her way of saying that she could easily handle this. Brook took a deep breath in, calming herself before the storm.

"I killed Amber? Fine, let's say I did. Let's just imagine that I was the one behind the wheels of the car that smashed into hers. Let's just imagine that I was behind the wheels of the opposite car, not the one she was in." She said coldly, sounding too quiet. "What the fuck does this have to do with you? How does my killing Amber have anything to do with you? I'm a murderer, right? What does it have to do with you?!" Her voice had risen bit by bit, and at the end, she'd yelled her final words. I flinched, feeling the raw emotions behind her cold front.

"How could you even suggest that I could kill Amber?" Brook hissed, back to the quiet tone. "Do you even kno-" She was cut off as Ian swooped in to save his damsel in distress. He just grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"Calm down." He murmured, and she did, almost as if he had magically calmed her down.

"Get lost." Elody said coldly, standing in front of Brittany and her gang. "Now." With those words, the gang scuttled away with their tails between their legs.

Brook pulled herself out of Ian's arms, and she came closer to El and me. She offered us a smile, and we gladly grinned back. Brook had finally stood up to those who could only bully her by exploiting her weakness: Amber. She was one step closer to accepting Amber's death completely without blaming herself.

"Hey, Ari, how was your date with Aaron?" Ian teased me, trying to break the awkward tension. It worked. "I heard some rumours revolving around someone's derriere being touched... Is that true?" I blushed as everyone laughed, and Aaron couldn't even meet my eyes.

"I wanna li-li-lick you from yo' head to yo' toes." El sang quietly, sending me a wink. That just sent everyone off in another fit of laughter.

"Ooh! I'm wet!" Brook mocked.

"Thank you for going out with me." Damon teased, making a terrible impersonation of Aaron's voice. "I-" He was cut off by Aaron shoving him, looking completely embarrassed.

"Stop it!" I protested, feeling mortified.

"Oh, this is far from over, Ari. We're going to hold this over you and lover boy till our graves." El smirked, looking so proud of herself. "Anyways, boys, why don't you join us? The sushi here is great!"

Sure enough, the boys joined us and got their sushi too. We ended up moving tables to a six people table, just so everyone could sit comfortably. We all just talked and laughed, having fun in a casual way that we never had outside of school. Brook's house, of course, didn't count since it was luxury and didn't count as casual.