21st Century Breakdown: Nathan and Ari

4 - Before the Lobotomy

So apparently, this story is R rated for "mature content." I didn't do that, just for the record. Wattpad did that. Stupid, dumb ass swear words...haha C:

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Chapter 4

Christian Newman

I jumped down from Dani's porch, extending my hand out to help Ari down. "What do you want to do now? You don't seem like you were having very much fun inside. I mean, there's Nathan, and Nathan..."

Ari giggled. "Yes, Christian, I get it. Nathan's here," she sighed, taking my hand and jumping down as well. "Hm. I want coffee...Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts?" I shrugged, our hands swinging back and forth between us as we strolled down Dani's driveway, laughing happily. Neither one of us even knew what we were laughing about; maybe it was the fact that we were both clumsy and kept tripping on the cracks and crevices in the driveway, or maybe it was the fact that it was late and we were both insanely tired and couldn't think straight.

Either way, it seemed like she was having more fun being with me instead of being with Nathan.

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Nathan Pritchard

"...and I'll come back from the dead and eat all of your brains and start the zombie apocalypse!" I heard Anthony shout just as I walked back into Dani's kitchen. I quickly swept the room with my eyes, looking for Ari. She was nowhere in sight, and neither was Christian. Christian was the least of my worries, though.

I joined in the chorus of laughter my friends were causing, leaning against the table next to Anthony, who had his arm slung lazily around Cat's shoulder with the dirty blond leaning limply on him. He looked up at me, his eyes widening as he realized who I was. He looked away from me for a second to whisper - well, more like say at a normal volume - something into Cat's ear.

"Nathan, can I talk to you outside?" Anthony asked, screeching over the booming music. I nodded, internally sighing sarcastically. He stood up, grabbing my arm roughly and pulling me outside onto Dani's porch. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!?"

I looked down at my beat up Chuck Taylors, scratching the back of my head awkwardly. "I take it you heard about what happened between Ari and me?" I asked, adding an untimely laugh at the end. He just shook his head, disappointment painted on his face.

He sighed. "Nathan, you need to learn that A, you're not the only person in the world that Ari can love, B, she's not always going to take you back, and C, if you keep randomly breaking up with her, or with anyone, for that matter, they're not going to put up with your shit anymore."

"Damn. That was deep," I replied, walking over to the patio set on the veranda, and sitting down in one of the chairs. Anthony sat in the chair across from me, waiting on a real response. "Okay, okay. Ari didn't take me back this time."

"Oh, I know. Cat told me all about it...in an -ish way. She just went on and on with all these assumptions that she had, but I think that they were pretty accurate for what I saw of Ari after she came downstairs." I looked at the blond seated across from me like he was going insane. "Either Cat's assumptions were right or you raped her...I think Cat's assumptions were right. Because, well, you know me, I just have a perverted mind! You hear-"

I slapped my hand on my forehead. "Anthony, I get it. You're a perv. And I didn't rape Ari, we got in a fight...y'know, I don't even know why you would even think that I would do something like that to Arianna!" I shouted, leaning my head on my fist. "So, what did you see of her after she came downstairs?"

"She came down the stairs looking like she was about to cry," he said. "As soon as she got down here, she rushed out the front door, and Christian went to see if she was okay."

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Ari Armstrong

"Christian," I whined and giggled at the same time, "we just passed a Starbucks and a Dunkin' Donuts! Where are we going?" Christian laughed, probably at how childish I sounded, and I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk we were walking on, letting go of his hand. He just kept walking, not bothering to stop and wait for me.

When he got a certain amount of feet away from me, I started running and jumped onto his back. "What the fu- Ari?" he asked, definitely surprised as I wrapped my legs around his abdomen and my arms around his neck. I chuckled, resting my chin on his shoulder.

"Christian!" I whined again. "Where are we going?" He shrugged, moving my arms with his shoulders. I laughed once more, closing my eyes and burying my head in the crook of his neck. "Y'know, I left my purse back at Dani's..." He took a sharp turn, and extended his arm, pulling a door open, causing bells to chime above us. We were instantly surrounded by soft-playing music and bright, fluorescent lighting. Even with closed eyes, I could tell where we were. "The 7-Eleven?!? Yay! I want a Mountain Dew Slurpee!"

I slid off of Christian's back, running through the small isles and to the Slurpee machine. "I guarantee you that the Coke Slurpee tastes way better than the Mountain Dew one..." he trailed off, reaching for a cup at the same time as I did. Intentionally, I poked his hand, putting an odd spin on an oh-so-classic cliché. For a brief second, our hands met, I thought to myself, stealing the cup out of his hand. Lamest cliché. Ever.

I finished filling my Slurpee cup before Christian, laughing in his face as I grabbed a lid and a straw. He stuck his tongue out, licking the tip of my nose. "Ew!" I shrieked, running away from him. "That's fucking disgusting, Christian!" His laugh echoed out through the tiny gas station as I sat down criss-cross-applesauce in the middle of a random isle.

Eventually, Christian found where I was and sat down in front of me, also cross-legged. "Isn't this kind of disgusting?" he asked, looking at the items on the shelves around us. "Sitting on the floor of the 7-Eleven in the candy isle drinking Slurpees?"  I nodded, starting to chew on my straw, my impatience skyrocketing due to the fact that I couldn't seem to finish the last bits of my Slurpee. "You know that straw is edible, right?"

I looked at him, my mouth hanging wide open. "Are. You. Serious?!?" I almost shrieked. He nodded, trying to stifle the laughs he was about to erupt in. "THAT'S SO FREAKING AMAZING!"

At that moment, Christian did the exact opposite of what I thought he would do. Instead of bursting into hysterical laughter as I frantically chewed on my straw, he said, "You know Arianna, I've never really noticed this before, but you're actually pretty beautiful." My mouth fell open and practically hit the floor. Out of all the compliments I got from Nathan, Anthony, my friends, and my family, they ranged from "cute," "adorable," and "pretty" from friends and family, and "hot," "sexy," and straight up "fuckable" from Nathan and Anthony. Never once in my life have I been called "beautiful." And if I have, then someone said it behind my back, because I've never heard it to my face...until now.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" I asked in awe. He nodded whole-heartedly. "Christian, you are honestly the best person I've talked to today. Thank you so much...for everything," I said, setting my Slurpee cup on the ground, scooting closer to him, and giving him a hug.

He laughed. "S'what I'm here for," he said coolly as the bell on top of the door rang, signaling another customer to the crappy 7-Eleven we were sat in. "Y'know, my dad didn't even want me to talk to you or your brother tonight."

"Probably because of our dad, right? Because he's crazy and he's in a punk band and he swears a lot and all that shit?" I asked. He laughed and nodded. "Wait...how do you know who my dad is?"

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Here. I uploaded.

Happy Leap Day :)

Love,

Elissa