Summer Fondness

4 | Fights with Friends

•Aria Summers•

•Unedited•

"Aria, why did you leave last night?"

Aria blinked and then shut her eyes again.

"Go away. I'm tired," she whined as she swung her arms in the direction of the voice.

She heard a groan, but she ignored it and settled back into her makeshift bed.

"I'm going home."

Aria exhaled loudly and reluctantly pulled herself up.

She pushed her messy hair out of her face but by the time she could see clearly, the door was clicking shut and Levi was gone.

She sighed as she picked up her sleeping bag and the bowl of popcorn kernels before she ultimately decided to message her best friend.

Aria: Did I do something wrong?

Deep down she already knew what she did wrong. However, Levi was making a big deal out of everything. She had only been gone for a few hours and he had been asleep the entire time.

Aria didn't know what was worse: her best friend responding, or ignoring her entirely.

After going the entire day with no response, she decided it was the latter.

Aria: Look, I'm sorry. But you were asleep and what was I supposed to do?

She sat, staring at her phone for several moments before placing it on the counter.

Was she in the wrong? She knew he would get angry at her, but she left him anyways.

There was a knock on the door that jolted her out of her thoughts.

"You were supposed to say no to your little boyfriend and stay with your best friend."

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Levi that was standing in front of Aria, it was Linc.

"Linc, why are you here? I don't know why Levi brought you into this but it isn't any of your business."

"Not any of his business? You and Levi are our friends! Your business is ours too!" shouted a girl's voice from behind Linc.

"Penny, you and Linc can just go home. I've got this situation handled," Levi grumbled as he pushed past both of our friends.

"If this is what you call 'handled' then I'm thoroughly disappointed," Penny muttered.

"Guys, this isn't a big deal. You're all overreacting. You shouldn't be here," Aria said as she rolled her eyes.

"Listen, we're not overreacting and it is our business. How do you think we felt when we heard you replaced us?" Linc replied.

"Replaced you?" Aria yelled. "I had one meal with a couple of people and suddenly you've been replaced? That's the definition of overreacting!"

"Come on, Linc. We're leaving," Penny spat.

"What is your problem? Why did you drag them into our mess?" Aria screamed.

"Calm down, Aria. It was never my intention for this entire confrontation thing to happen," Levi said.

"You are the one that needs to calm down. Leaving without saying goodbye and then ignoring my messages? You're making a fuss out of one tiny event."

"Leaving in the middle of our movie night without telling me and then trying to say that's nothing? You're not making a big enough fuss out of this!"

"You were asleep, or at least I thought you were," Aria said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I was taking a short nap," Levi retorted.

"You're so much of a child that you can't even admit when you exaggerate details and react disproportionately. You called yourself a man? Please. I know more manly seven-year-olds," she snapped.

"You're so much of an idiot that you can't even see when a boy is using you for his own personal gain. But who am I to stop you? Certainly not your best friend."

"If you're talking about Oliver then you're sadly mistaken. He's nicer than you could ever be or were ever to me."

"You know, you're right about one thing. None of us should have come here today," Levi growled as he took a step back and slammed the door in Aria's face.

She inhaled once before she broke down into tears and slid down the door.

It had been years since Aria had cried, but this time was different than the last.

She had realized that she had no one to wipe away her tears. No one to hold her in their arms. 

No one to tell her that things were going to be alright.

Things weren't going to be alright because she had pushed away the only people that could make things right. She had pushed all of them away in a moment of rage.

Aria didn't know how long she sat on the floor, completely alone with only her tears.

The natural light in her house began to fade and soon she was in darkness, drifting into sleep.

--

Aria woke up to the smell of food, an unnatural thing for her.

She got dressed slowly, the effects of the previous day's fight still consuming her thoughts.

When she peeked in the mirror she saw dark circles under her eyes and she looked paler than usual.

"Dad?" Aria questioned as she approached the source of the delicious smell.

"Hi, honey," her dad said warmly as she took a seat in the kitchen.

He set food down in front of her as well as a cup of warm tea.

"Can I ask you something, Aria?" her dad asked, a worried expression crossing his face.

"Of course, Dad."

"You didn't drink or anything last night, right? When I came home from work you were passed out in front of the door. I accidentally hit you when I opened it."

"No, I didn't do anything stupid," Aria sighed. "I had a fight with my friends. That's not why you stayed home from work, is it?"

"Did you forget, honey?"

She paused. "Is it that day already?"

Her dad nodded solemnly. "I was going to leave now."

"I'll come with you."

Aria and her dad silently drove to the cemetery together.

Even though they didn't talk in the entire ride, Aria's mind was packed full of thoughts. Memories.

Her dad handed her a bouquet that she gently placed on the stone.

Four years from that day. Four long and hard years.

Aria stood and her dad wrapped his arms around her.

If only she still had tears to shed.