A Lifetime's Worth

Chapter 9

"Hey Aria! Hold up!" Martha's voice came from behind Ariana.

"Oh hey, Mart!" Ariana replied as she turned around. Lana was also with Martha. "Hi, Lana." She added curtly. Lana nodded in response. Over the course of three months, Ariana and Lana had managed to reach a level of civility in their relationship. It could even be called borderline friendship. Borderline.

"Lana went to Parker's yesterday. He asked her to inform the five of us that he's gonna take a test this weekend. Saturday, most probably. He said he was busy on Sunday." Martha explained.

Ariana smiled to herself. The 'busy'ness was nothing else but Ariana herself. She and Peter had made it a Sunday tradition to play FIFA. They played till lunchtime, and then Ariana would head back to her place or Peyton's or Natasha's place to do whatever schoolwork was left. Or plainly just waste time. Talking to Parker was so much fun. He was not just another pretty face. He read a lot and had knowledge about practically everything. So conversations with him were rich and informative and beautiful. Sometimes they simply talked about life. What they wanted from it, what they believed in. Like those deep conversations that one can only have with certain selected people that you are absolutely and completely comfortable with. Ariana loved talking to him and being around him. In fact, she was so drawn to him, she was scared she was going to fall in love with him.

"We need to decide a time. Mark and Sean are free the whole day so they don't have a problem." Lana added. Mark and Sean were two other guys that coached at Parker's. Mark was a gym addict with a real nice and toned body who flirted with Ariana a lot and Sean was a quiet guy who mostly kept to himself. He used to date Sydney, one of the very popular and pretty girls in the next town before she dumped him for no particular reason. Sean was pretty good looking, though. Ariana was good friends with both of them.

"Actually, I know. Mark told me last night. We decided that 10 o'clock in the morning would be a good time." I told them. "I think Sean too agreed. Are you guys ok with that?"

"Mark told you?" Martha asked in a weird tone.

"Yeah. Last night. He texted me."

"Didn't Parker tell you?" Lana jeered.

"No..don't you think I'd have told you had Parker told me?" Ariana asked. The whole Sunday ritual was something that Ariana and Parker had decided to keep private. Rumors spread like wildfire in a small town like their's.

"Nothing. He just seems to be very smitten by you, that's all." Martha said. "Said he's never seen anyone like you." Now two things happened when Martha said this.

First, Ariana blushed a deep red. Like the colour of a baseball. 

Second, Lana flushed with annoyance. She nudged Martha roughly.

"You shouldn't have told her that. Now she'll get all sorts of ideas in her head." She retorted.

"I won't get any ideas, Lana..." Ariana mumbled. But even she knew she was lying. The minute Martha said that Parker was smitten by her, a warmish feeling crept up her. She felt like her knees were turning knobbly. Yet somehow everything seemed brighter.

***
"I did not study shit." Ariana whispered to Mark. They were all in Parker's living room and Ariana was sitting between Mark and Sean. "I am relying on you and Sean and Mart."

"Why do you think I am a genius?" Mark replied as he stared at Parker who was almost done with making the question papers.

"I don't think you are a genius, I just think no one is as bad as I am." Ariana replied casually. Mark was about to give some witty reply when Parker began speaking.