true colors - jb & ag 《completed》

{fifteen}

Ariana didn't see Justin the rest of the weekend. At night she lay in bed straining to hear a footstep or telltale bang of pipes, but there were no signs of him. Except in her dreams, where he would show up uninvited, arms crossed, smirking as she danced in the garden in her bunny slippers, or arching an eyebrow as she fled from an enormous cartoon textbook.

Deciding it was best to put some distance between them after what had almost happened, Ariana hadn't texted him or gone upstairs to check if he'd slept there—although fighting the urge took up more of her mental capacity than she cared to admit.

Brayden had called several times, leaving apologetic messages, but she was too confused to call him back, so she'd texted to tell him she needed some time. Time to figure out if she could date one boy and want another. Despite everything that had happened, everything Justin had done, she'd wanted him to kiss her, wanted it from her tingling lips to the depths of her soul. What did that say about her feelings for Brayden?

To keep her mind busy, she'd reorganized the files on her computer, completed an extra-credit project for science, and helped her mom clean the library. Sorting the hundreds of books by author and genre had done wonders for her raging emotions.

■ ■ ■

On Monday morning Ariana trudged down the stairs, wishing she could crawl back under the covers and hide. Maybe being invisible hadn't been so bad after all.

As she entered the kitchen, her mom, head stuck in the pantry, called, "Rainn, did you eat the entire box of granola bars yesterday?"

Ariana slid onto a stool at the island. "Mom, you okay in there?" As if in answer, a bag of chips hit the floor, followed by more shuffling.

"And all twelve juice boxes?" Mom came out and eyed Rainn, who sat at the counter shoveling spoonfuls of oatmeal into his mouth, chunks of blond hair falling over his eyes. "Did you have a party I didn't know about, buddy? There are a whole bunch of bananas missing too. I was going to make muffins with those."

Narrow shoulders hunched, her brother didn't answer.

"Rainn Robert Grande, what is going on?"

He scraped his bowl, ate the last bite, and then turned wide green eyes on their mother. "I gave them to the ghost."

Mom's brows winged up, her forehead crinkling. "Really?"

"Yup, he lives on the third floor."

The bottom dropped out of Ariana's stomach.

Rainn slipped off his stool and walked over to the sink. "I hear him almost every night, but I figure if we give him something to eat, he won't hurt us. He'll know we're his friends."

Ariana met her mom's amused gaze and then let out a low breath. If the woman didn't sleep like the dead, she would've heard Justin by now too. But clearly a granola-eating ghost pushed the limits of Joan Grande's open-mindedness.

Mom turned back to Rainn. "Baby, I don't think ghosts can eat."

Ariana stifled a giggle as her brother spun around. "Oh yeah? Then why is the food always missing when I go back the next day?"

"Well, I—" Mom arched a brow at Ariana, accusing her of hiding the food.

Ariana froze. Justin was probably eating it because he thought she was leaving it for him. But before she could respond, Rainn explained, "He doesn't like everything." His little forehead scrunched up. "He didn't eat the rice cakes I left him Friday or Saturday, but when I checked this morning, the Pop-Tarts were gone."