Rejecting Hope (Old Copy)

Chapter Forty Two - "Where Have You Been?"

    (Aria)

        I was in utter surprise, I couldn't believe it. The breath had been drawn from my lungs, no the air had been ripped out from within me.

                                                                          "Lacey?"

       I whisper looking her up and down. My beloved red head was no longer... red. I didn't even recognize her at first. She slams her locker door shut with a bang and gives me a solemn smile.

                                    "Why hello there Aria, did you have a good day yesterday skipin'?" 

              I shake my head steadily, "Y-yeah... yeah, I did. Would you mind keeping it low though?" She lets out a small tight laugh. She shakes her head and just stares at me longingly, somehow I see the sadness in her eyes. I decide right then and there not to ask her about her hair or well... lack of.

           "Are you okay?" Suddenly her eyes squint with a sense of confusion, she's clearly surprised that I haven't asked yet. But she regains her composure, "I'd say yeah. But to be honest Arie, I'm really not." With that she walks away to her first class, I won't see Lacey again until third block and even then I can't help it, I can't stop worrying about her. 

         The bell rings and I nearly run out the door, she's been off lately and I can sense it. Ever since she picked me up from the rain that one day after throwing her heavy loaded Harry Potter books at m-no... even before that she has been acting weird. Ugh, this is worse than I thought! I can't help it, I keep biting my lip.

        "Hey Ariana, you okay?" I hear Hope's laugh beside me, he bumps me in the hips. I just nod my head, but he doesn't take it. "Oh I get it, scared of ole' Ms. Tribeck now, aren't you? Well no need to fear, I'll be here right beside you through it all!" Somehow his words go in through one ear but out the other. 

               "I'm fine." I say absent mindedly, I hope no one's making fun of her. Abruptly I close my eyes, what if father came and saw her? What if she knows? What if she's driving herself insane because of me? What if... what if?

               "Ehm!" I hear a moan of pain in the distance, but it only takes a second to realize that the sound had came from none other than my very own lips and suddenly he's right in front of me and I have to stop mid-step. I open my eyes to see such a bright and lovely color in front of me, his eyes are sincere and full of worry. His hands are on my shoulders and I try to look away, I completely forgot that he was here. But I need to go find her.  "We have to go Hope, come on." I whisper but he doesn't let go.

         "W-what? What is it? What's the matter?" I stutter out against his expression, he's starting to scare me. Suddenly his fingers are tracing my lips as his eyebrows knit together. He draws his hand back and I see upon his fingers such a bright crimson liquid. "You did it, again..." He whispers and suddenly he looks sad. "You're hurting Arie, whats going on?"

         "W-what? Nothing's wrong, I'm just worried that's all. I'm completely fine!" I stutter out barely thinking, the blood already making me a bit queasy. I reach my hand up and try to rub it away but I rub too harshly and only make it bleed but more and more. Hope grabs my hand to make me stop, he looks me directly in the eyes reading me. "You're lying, I can sense it." He whispers steadily.

           "How?" I whisper, and he looks at me gingerly.

                  "Because you only bite your lips when you're worried or upset. However when you're extremely hurt you break the skin. The last time you did this, it was because I hurt you. Arie, what's going on?"