Choosing Fights #Wattys2016 #JusWriteIt

ONE

and I'm late for school yet again. I can hear my mother calling for me. I try to ignore the sounds around me and just take a quick nap since I'm late anyway. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, that was my mom. " ARIA HOW MANY YEARS LONGER AM I GOING TO KEEP WAKING YOU UP?" "Mom you can stop now." I said. "Oh you would love that wouldn't you, hell if I didn't wake you, you'd never show up to school."

I slowly walk to the shower and gather my stuff, there is no way around it. I'm going to school. My mom is determined.

My mom drops me off and I walk down to school and I find my best friend, Clay. "Hey Clay what's up?"

"nothin much , I just got kicked out of math class cause I didn't do my HW for the forth time." he says that with a proud smile on his face. "You know, I never had the chance to catch breakfast, want to go to the cafe?" I say as I watch my mom's car drifting away. "Sure, iHop as always?" "As always."

iHOP..

Clay: "so whats going on in my princess sunshine's life right now?" smirking, knowing that I'm the most depressing person on this planet. "Well nothing much, other than the fact that my stepdad is starting to judge me even more than he used to after my mom got pregnant. He thinks that I'm an ungrateful smug and he can't wait to send me off to collage."

Clay: "oh him again, you gotta ignore him girl." " Well it's hard to ignore him when he starts getting into my own business! Last night, he was talking to mom like 'Why are you letting your daughter control you? you have to overrule her! don't let her call the shots!' just because I went to a damn party and told her 5 minutes before! he thinks I should ask her at least a day early! what am I five?"

Clay: "you know what, it was a mistake coming here." "oh my god did I bore you with my problems again?" I said with a very confused face.

Clay "no no no, its not that, we should have stopped at the theme park!"

Me: "I wouldn't say no to that either."

Because theme parks are so far away, we decided to go to an arcade downtown instead. Little did we know who we would meet there.

"Surprise surprise, if it isn't Aria Kerev, or should I say Aria Marin."

"Hey Mrs.Ross, it's very nice to see you too." With a heavy yawn clearly contradicting what I just said.

"Mrs.Ross, Aria's name never changes unless she herself gets married not her mom." Clay adds.

"it's a joke, can't you kids have a little laugh every now and then, and btw I didn't take you Aria to date this handsome young man.How long have you been dating?" She punches me in my arm thinking it's funny.

"He's just a friend." I cut her off. "Anyways, we have to go, see you later Mrs.Ross."

In the car.

"Don't you think we should date?" Clay asks with a smirk down his face.

"I was really scared she'd notice the time and figure out we missed school!" I ignore him.

"I mean come on we'd make a cute couple." He continues, knowing that I'd snap at him any minute.

"She has the biggest mouth in the whole neighborhood, I wouldn't hear the end of it!" I still ignore him.

"I mean if you look at our eyes, they kind of work together, I have dark blue .. "

"Shut up already!" I finally snap. He starts laughing. "That's my Aria"

"Aria, serious question." He says, still smiling.

"what?" I say.

"Why haven't you ever dated, for real?" Now with caring eyes.

"None of your business." I'm clearly still pissed off.

"You know your beautiful, right?" he says, acting all concerned.

"Oh I know, pretty boy, I'm prettier than all your girlfriends combined." I say confidently.

"That's my Aria."

"Quit that phrase would you, I'm not anyone's, I'm my own me."

He laughs hard as I stare down the window.

"Let's go back to school, we can still attend two classes before that stupid Mrs.Ross starts talking about how I skip school, at least I can beat her with a quarter of the truth.

"Always a buzzkill." With a roll on his eyes.

"Whenever you need me". I say as her parks the car.

At school

I attend two stupid art classes and then head home. My mom is strangely calm in the car. So I decide to stay quiet as well.

I head to my room, change and get downstairs for lunch and there he is. My critical stepdad sitting on the table wearing his suit reading the newspaper.

I sit down between them as I count in my head the days until he travels again. His presence irritates me.

"So we ran into Mrs.Ross just before we got in, she had a lot to say." Daniel, my stepdad says.

Doesn't she always.. I think to myself.

"It seems like you think we give you empty threats all the time, Aria." Dan says still holding the newspaper and not looking at me.

I still stay quiet.

"You know Aria, your mother and I have always been nothing but nice and supportive of you, and you never show any appreciation. So from here and out, I will be dealing with you personally to remind you how life should be like and how rules are rules and they should never be crossed......"

I look at him when my mind is really thinking why is mom allowing him to do this to me when she's the one who had me and he's the one who's suddenly being my new discovered dad.

"....So what I thought was best is that I will be coming with you and handing all your teachers my number so when your making any trouble, I'd know."

I was speechless and staring at my mom.. I wanted her to talk, to speak up for me, to tell him he was extreme. She looked deviously proud of him. Like he finally found a solution for her lifelong problem, me.  I shook my head and decided to fight his control and speak up "May I ask what did I do for you guys to be so mad?"

Dan answered "well according to our dear neighbor Mrs.Ross, you've skipped school this morning to go play in an arcade downtown for hours with a guy who's way older than you"

"So you can start by explaining who's that guy?" My mom asks.

I yawn in disbelief, "First of all I went to school Today, yes I was in the arcade.."He cuts me off grinning "so you did skip school!" I roll my eyes and say "Can you let me complete one freaking sentence?" He nods with a despiteful look. "Anyways, that liar neighbor of yours is delusional, the older guy she claims I was with was Clay, my childhood best friend and FYI, he's not my boyfriend."

"What ever you say Ari, I'm still going to school with you and that's final."

I leave the dinner table immediately to show my disapproval and Dan has the nerve to tell my mom that I'm a brat as I go up the stairs. I hate him.

Hello Everyone,

I hope you liked this chapter! I would like to know your thoughts? Who do you like, who do you hate, who's annoying and EVERYTHING!

I would LOVE to read constructive criticism and any type of remark you'd like to leave.

I hope you enjoyed this,

M.