lost | jariana

09

"Ariana, this is Chaz Somers and Ryan Butler, but I'm pretty sure you've met them before."

The younger girl smiled, shaking hands with the two older boys whose familiar faces brought back memories of that rough night. Her parents had to go on an urgent mission, and she was given no other choice than to stay home alone in the Buteras' emergency room with just her purple giraffe. It took hours before someone came to get her, and it was Chaz and Ryan, who was sent by Jason. "Hi, it's so nice to officially meet you guys."

"Yeah, it is. It's great to finally meet you in a better circumstance; I didn't really enjoy back when we were at a trashed house, and we found you in a hidden room behind a bookcase," Chaz joked, earning laughs from the three.

Ariana noted that by far, between the two times that she met him, his personality was her favorite. Even back when the two boys came to get her, Chaz could make the tensions in the room lift. He was a jokester and an all around nice guy, so she knew that her and him would get along well.

On the other hand, Ryan seemed to be the opposite. With a more conservative and quiet attitude, he was a laid back kind of guy, but no one can be too shy when it came to being best friends with Chaz Somers, and especially Jason McCann.

"Jason has told us a lot about you," Ryan said, grinning as Jason slightly shoved him. Jason's face began heating up, making Ariana giggle and grab his hand. Glancing at their intwined hands, Ryan continued, "He won't shut up about you actually."

"It's always, Ariana this, Ariana that," Chaz started. He began prancing around the room, hands clasped as he pretended to be daydreaming with a lovey-dovey expression on his face. "Did you know Ariana loves Harry Potter? I bet Ariana is bored, I should check up on her. Ariana has one of these, that reminds of this one time we-"

"Okay, we get it!" Jason yelled, interrupting Chaz's act before he could say anything else. Ariana couldn't help but laugh along with Ryan, who was nodding in agreement.

"Chaz makes a pretty good Jason."

Jason just crossed his arms, a look of embarrassment with a hint of amusement was present on his face as his three best friends continued laughing. He was glad that Ariana was getting along so well with his friends, except he didn't like how they were making fun of him in the process. Ariana leaned over closer to him, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face into his chest.

She whispered so only Jason could hear her, "I think that it's so adorable that you talk about me to your friends. I feel special."

He smiled down at the smaller girl, uncrossing his arms and wrapping it around her waist. "That's because you are special. I never tell these guys about my girl problems unless that girl is special."

"Hey love birds. We're here too," Ryan said, an eyebrow arched as he watched the two's interaction. Jason was right -- guys didn't really share their feelings with each other unless they actually care, and it was obvious to everyone that Jason cared deeply about Ariana.

"We know," Jason grunted, as he unexpectedly picked up Ariana and tossed her over his shoulder, causing her to screech in surprise and repeatedly hit him in the back. "Let's go?"

He followed the two other boys out the door, who was snickering at Jason's behavior. They enjoyed seeing this side of Jason, rather than the tough gang member who could have them killed within seconds.

Chaz and Ryan weren't apart of a gang, like Jason. The three became friends in second grade when Ryan moved into the house right across the street from Jason. Ryan and Chaz were already friends from school, and one day when Chaz was over at Ryan's, they saw Jason playing basketball alone outside his house. They asked if they could join him, and from that moment on, they were like the three musketeers; they never did anything without each other.