Complicated (Dylan O'Brien/Jack Johnson/Luke Hemmings fanfic)

Chapter 5

ARIAS POV

Not gonna lie, almost being raped and then put into a hospital for two weeks sucked. But the moment that I got out of that place, the feeling of the world and their judgements crashed over my head, and that felt even worse. How could I go back to school? How could I face my friends? How could they ever look at me the same?

But then I had a thought. I don't give a rat's butt what anyone thinks of me. If they want to judge, then judge. If they want to avoid me, then avoid me. I can't control their feelings or actions. I'm not God.

So it was with my head raised high and my fists clenched tight that I walked into school on Monday. Of course, Dylan was holding my back pack behind me because of my boot and cast. But I still looked confident, trust me. I even walked at a pace that made Dylan stumble while trying to catch up.

I scanned the crowd of faces, looking for Jack and Marlene. After spotting Jack next to a water fountain, I limped as fast as I could to meet him.

"Jack!" I called to him.

His head snapped up as he heard his name. It only took him a few seconds to recognize the crazy woman hobbling in his direction. He lifted his hand up and smiled, "Aria! Hey! You're back! We missed you."

He grabbed me in a big hug, but released me quickly because he didn't want to hurt me. I know he was just trying to be gentle, but the gesture felt half-hearted and weak. I brushed it off quickly and regained my previous attitude, "I'm sure you guys had the time of your lives without me. What happened while I was gone?"

Dylan answered my question, "That new kid showed up a couple days ago. Nobody really knows his name."

I followed his eyes to a mysterious figure lounging in the shadows next to the stairway. His dirty blonde hair was flipped up at the end like all the other guys, but that's where the similarities stopped. A black stud pierced his lower lip, and his dark blue eyes were moving from person to person as they walked past him. Almost as if he were studying them, learning everything about them just by giving them a death stare. He never lingered on one person. Not until he saw me, that is. I thought about glancing away, but I challenged him to look away first. He was just as stubborn as me, so we stared at each other for a while. Eventually, he smirked and walked away. As if I wasn't worth his time. A black hoodie covered his torso, but I could tell by the shape of his figure that he was ripped. The outline of muscles poked through his dark sleeves.

Jack added, "I heard that he got caught with weed in his locker last year. That's why his parents made him change schools."

"Nice," I replied sarcastically. But I couldn't help feeling a connection to this mystery man. Why was he so intense? He didn't seem like a druggie, but he definitely looked dangerous. I was fascinated.

Later that day, I met up with Marlene to walk to my next class. Mollie White, ugh, decided that she was going to play nice with me. She walked up beside me and Marlene and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, Aria," she said with the most fake smile I've ever seen plastered onto her annoying perfect face, "I heard that you were in the hospital. Are you okay? What happened?"

I glanced at Marlene. She looked just as confused as I felt. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I got in a car accident," I replied quickly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she put a hand on my shoulder, "I guess Mr. Hammond was in the car too?"

I shuddered and stopped dead in my tracks, "Excuse me?"

"He was fired two weeks ago and was arrested the exact same time you disappeared. I just thought that that was a little suspicious."

She eyed me like I was hiding something. I quickly realized what she was implying, "Oh my god, you think that I was seeing Mr. Hammond?"