Secrets

Chapter Seventeen

Aria and Kane were walking out of the club around three in the morning, laughing their heads off. 

“You’re so right, Kane, he is the biggest perv,” Aria said. They were talking about their boss, the creepiest guy on the planet.

“I know, right. Like, what old man works at a place where you get to see half naked, wait no, naked women everyday?” Kane said.

“I know. It’s sickening. And he isn’t even nonchalant about it. He totally stares right at all the girls. The guys sometimes, too.” 

Kane laughed. “See, this is why I love hanging out with you.” He brought Aria into a side hug then they heard a gun shot. 

“What was that?” Aria asked, running away from Kane.

“No, no. Don’t go after it, Aria,” Kane said. “It’s not worth it.” Aria didn’t listen and tried to follow the sound of where she heard the shot. She looked up and down every street, every alley. Until she came to a dark alley where she saw a blond holding a gun over a young boy, not any older than 15, lying dead on the ground.

“Hey!” Aria shouted. The blond looked up swiftly and ran away, leaving the boy there, dead. Aria could’ve sworn she recognized the girl, but she couldn’t have been sure. Aria walked closer to the boy, taking in his features. Messy dirty blond hair with long eyelashes. She recognized the iPhone, lying, cracked on the ground and then she realized who it was.

“Aria?” Kane said, coming up behind her. Aria turned around, running into Kane’s arms and crying.

“K-Kane,” she said, through her tears. “It’s my brother.” 

~

Aria stood at the front of the church. The church she and her brother grew up in. The church they both planned their weddings at. This was the church that her and Mike chased each other in, their childish laughter filling the whole building. The church they learned how to love each other in and learned how lost they would be without each other.  This church was their happy place and now it was the exact place Aria didn’t want to be.

Aria sat in the second pew. Spencer had her arm around her and Aria was crying quietly into her black dress. Seth and Chloe were on her other side, crying and trying to comfort her. 

“Michael was the greatest boy ever,” Aria’s mother said at the front of the church through her tears. “He was full of so much happiness, despite how rotten he could be, but he was truly a good child. He was the greatest son a mother could ask for.” Aria’s mother went on, talking about how great Mike was and how it was such a shame to see him go so fast. Then it was Aria’s turn to speak.

Aria walked up to the podium, wiping away her tears and putting her straight brown hair to one side. “I would like to thank you all for being here today. Mike would have really loved all this attention. Mike loved attention. He was truly something special. He was the kid that always knew what to say and when to say it, even when he was really little or if it was extremely inappropriate. He knew how to make people laugh. And without that, I don’t know how I’ll go on.” Aria laughed slightly through her tears as she looked up and sitting in the back pew was Kane. She composed herself as much as she could and continued talking about her little brother. When she was finished, she walked to the back pew to talk to Kane. 

Up in the second pew Spencer whispered, “Who is that guy?” Seth and Chloe just shrugged. The three girls turned around, looking at their friend.

“Hey,” Aria said, wiping away a tear. 

“How are you?” he asked, getting up and hugging Aria.

“As good as you can be for someone who’s brother just died.” Kane kissed her forehead and Aria smiled slightly.