Chapter 3
Truth was Aria did have a place to stay that night; a forgotten house not five minutes from Hollis which she had known to be vacant for a few years. A place no one would ever look for her, a place next to no-one knew was abandoned; perfect, she thought. Of course, there was no electric, gas or water; but it was better than nothing. With the last of her belongings from her and Byron's home which fitted into 4 suitcases, she had successfully moved out of her childhood home, leaving furniture that had been family hand-me-downs for generations, but she couldn't lift them on her own. She collected every photo, piece of clothing and piece from her life that she could carry with her. Rent for her family home was due within 10 days, and there was no way she could have paid it.
Cold and hungry, Aria settled the final suitcase in a room upstairs of the abandoned home that she had claimed as 'her room'. She had already surrounded the room in candles to warm the room in light. Aria then went to one of the suitcases and she removed a blow up mattress and pump, letting them fall to the floor while she stared at them already past exhausted. She sighed audibly before falling to her knees to begin blowing up the bed, a process which would take her hours.
By 2am, the bed was ready; pillow, matching sheet-set, her doona and pillows completing the look. Though the walls were stark and the floorboards in desperate need of varnishing, she had to admit she didn't hate the sight before her, considering the circumstances. She smiled tightly, letting her thoughts return to Byron, the car accident, Ezra. She groaned loudly before reaching into the suitcase that was already open to start unpacking her books; piles and piles of books were next to her bed, and a book light for the night-time was not far behind. She collapsed on the bed, preparing herself to sneak into the school early the next morning to wash in the bathroom before classmates arrived, before teachers arrived. Ezra.
The alarm in her phone threw her out of her dreams at 5:30am. She had in no way had enough sleep, but she had to race to school. She threw back the covers and grabbed her bag, already filled with a change of clothes and her schoolbooks for the day.
The walk in the crisp, harsh air had her body numb by the time she arrived at Hollis. She snuck into the bathrooms of those who lived on campus. No one else was around yet. She showered and then changed into flawless clothes for the day; jeans, a simple yet fashionable black singlet, and blue-feathered earrings to hang from her ears. She dried her hair with a hairdryer which was left for those who lived there, styling it upon drying. Her make-up was applied like always, then she stopped and stared at herself for a moment. Her eyes were tired, cold. She sadly reflected upon them as someone pushed into the bathroom. The girl stared at Aria puzzled, but before she could question her, Aria pushed her way past the girl and out of the bathroom, taking all her stuff with her.
"Aria!" Ezra called after her as she ran towards her locker at 6:15am. What the hell was he doing here so early? She continued to open her locker and shove the bags she had in, hoping he wouldn't notice her wet towel and pyjamas that were sticking out of the top.
"Hey, Aria," he said, touching her shoulder to grab her attention. He did that, all right. His touch stopped her movement and breathing immediately. She huffed, slamming the metal door of her locker before turning around to face him.
"Yes, Ezra?" she glared rudely.
Taken aback, his eyes shot wide and he pursed his mouth. "I-uh, well… I just wanted to see how you were," he asked hurt, yet trying to hide it.
She read immediately his underlying emotion, but didn't need him knowing her secrets right now, nor complicating her life any further. "I'm fine. Ezra, you can't keep doing this," she said frustrated.
"Doing what?" he asked.
"You know what! You call my name, touch my arm. You look at me the way you're looking at me now," she spoke softer, stepping in closer towards him.
