21st Century Breakdown: Nathan and Ari

2 - Know Your Enemy

Chapter 2

As soon as Joey, Nathan, Anthony, and I walked in the front door of Danielle Martinez's house, we were surrounded by an immense sound of booming bass coming from the living area of her home. That's how it was almost every time I was at Dani's house. Any other time, it'd be completely silent, other than the quiet chit-chat coming from her parents and/or her little sisters.

This time, though, her parents and sisters were completely out of the picture. I could tell because the smell of alcohol was radiating from the same place as the booming bass. Before running into the heart of the party itself, I set my purse down on the bench right beside the door. I wouldn't have brought that if I wasn't sick; I had to keep that bottle of Tylenol somewhere, though, didn't I?

Between the time that we walked in and the time I found Dani - who was dancing with a few of our friends with a drink in her hand - I lost the boys in the crowd. They meant nothing to me for the rest of the night...well, until it was time to go home, that is. Then I was going to need to find them, and Joey was going to have to stay sober, because whether I drank or not, he was our ride home because I was the only one out of the four of us that didn't have their license. They called me pathetic for that -  I called myself a motor-vehicle challenged individual.

"Ari!" Cat screamed, pulling me in for a hug. "You feel better!" I laughed, probably barely audible to her over the volume of the, in my opinion, horrid pop song. I only found - and still find - one use for pop, rap, hip-hop, and R&B songs, and that is to dance to them. I have no other use for that genre of music; it disgusts me. I am a rock-n-roll girl at heart and at mind.

Before I was actually able to start dancing and socializing, I was trapped in a few more peoples' arms. Melonie Caldwell, Dani, even Anthony, who'd already seen me before this that day. And apparently, when you're out of school for a day, you're missed by people who you didn't even imagine to miss you.

I found that out when I ended up cradled in the arms of James Paige. It's not that I didn't like Jimmy; it's just that he hadn't spoken a word to me since we were in the seventh grade.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to it. "Are you surprised? Or am I just that stunning?" he asked loudly and cockily, obviously referring to my lack of words. I laughed quietly to myself, trying to think of something witty to respond with.

"Well, it's not that I'm surprised, just a little stunned is all," I replied just as loud, trying to get him to hear me over the noise blaring out of the speakers strategically placed around the room. "Jimmy, you haven't talked to me since we were thirteen." He nodded as if I'd said the most normal statement ever, as if we'd already had this conversation the day before.

"And...?" he questioned nonchalantly, loosening his arms around my waist. I just shook my head, amazed at his sudden friendliness. "So, do you want to dance?" he asked, leaning his head in towards my ear so that he doesn't have to talk as loud. My mind full of hesitation, I looked to my small group of friends who haven't taken their eyes off of Jimmy and me yet. They all nodded enthusiastically, Anthony included.

"Um...sure," I replied, this time leaning my head towards him, my lips barely grazing the skin on his neck just below his ear. Before I was escorted onto the dance floor by one of the most desirable guys in the junior class at Oakland High School, I snuck a glance at one person in particular: Cat. She gave me a thumbs up, the simple gesture telling me that I can have all the fun in the world tonight, with or without a boyfriend.

And that is exactly what I loved about being single. I could dance, grind, or whatever with anyone in that room - that entire house, even, and I wouldn't have anyone to get on my case about it after the party ended. I absolutely loved it.

Before I knew it, I found myself grinding promiscuously between Jimmy and Christian Newman, my hips gyrating in time with the beat of the music. Jimmy and Christian co-ruled the school, along with Anna McKinley and Emma Tyler, both of whom I could not stand to be in the same room with for more than forty minutes at a time. Now, you're probably wondering, "Why do juniors rule the school?" Well, to answer that simply, it's because the majority of the seniors didn't give a shit; they could care less.

For a split second, I decided to open my eyes and look in front of me, past the back of Jimmy's head. One second is long enough to see the disappointed eyes of someone who you truly love, filled with sadness and remorse. One second is long enough to feel enough guilt inside of you that it makes you feel sick to your stomach - although that could just be the stench of alcohol that permeated the air in the building. And one second is long enough to make all the feelings you were trying to forget - and maybe have already forgotten about - come flooding back to you, so hard that it's like a smack in the face.

Impulsively, I nonchalantly, yet urgently, walked away from Jimmy and Christian, leaving their eyes trailing behind me like I was a foreign object between the two of them for the minutes just passed. I walked straight towards Nathan, who was leaning against the back of the couch with his head in his hands. On my way past him, I grabbed his hand and drag him along with me.

"Arianna, where are we going?" he asked, a panicked undertone in his husky voice. I shook my head, still walking. I lead him up the stairs and into an empty room with a door on the other wall. "What the hell are we doing in here?" he questioned, this time sounding annoyed. I just shook my head again, ignoring my ex-boyfriend, but pulling him through the other door and onto the roof of Dani's house.

And that was another reason why I always loved Dani's house. I'd always wanted a house where you could sit on the roof with someone and talk, and when I was at Dani's, I could do that. It was especially helpful that night, because it let Nathan and me get away from all the commotion going on downstairs, and we could actually hear each other.

I took a seat, pulling my knees to my chest, and Nathan sat beside me. "Talk," I demanded, turning my head so I could look at him. He shook his head that time, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. "Okay...I guess I'll talk. I have no idea-"

He cut me off mid-sentence. "No, Ari, you do know what was going on in there. You were dancing with Jimmy Paige and Christian Newman, two guys who you haven't spoken to in...what, three years?" I nodded at his rhetorical question. "I only broke up with you yesterday. That little stunt down there makes me think that you were happy that I broke up with you. It made me think that you were happy being single."

"What if I am happy being single, Nathan? Did you ever think of that? There are guys besides you in this world, and if I want to, I can date them, I can dance with them, I can do whatever I want. You don't own me, but you're acting like you do right now!" I shouted, turning my head away from him so I was looking out on Dani's front lawn, where a few people are running around like airplanes, probably drunk. "I'm my own person, and you can't deny me of having fun for the one night that I'm single. And if you want anyone to blame, then blame yourself. Because you're the one who dumped me. You made me the single girl that I am right now. I mean, did you even have a logical reason for breaking up with me?"

He shook his head again. "I just thought that we needed a break. I didn't think that Dani was going to have a party tonight, I thought that you and I could hang out tonight, and maybe Anthony, too."

I sighed. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. 'I just thought we needed a break' my ass. Nathan, you dump me for no reason all the time, and I'm starting to get fed up. This needs to stop. You either want to be my boyfriend or you don't. Simple as that. Just make up your mind," I replied. "I'll give you the rest of the night to think about that, okay?" He nodded and stood up, holding his hand out to help me up.

Before walking back inside, I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

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So, what do we think??? I'm dying to know your opinions!

And what do we think about:

~ Ari?

~ Nathan?

~ Anyone else, perhaps?

~ Any improvements I should make?

FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS AWESOME! C: