you're a dream ~ ariana x you

Twenty Three

"Count me out" Derek mutters under his breath while typing on his laptop.

"Oh come on!" Dylan whines, "It's Halloween night! You can't just miss one of the biggest parties of the year!"

"Yeah" Ariana and I chime in while casually fidgeting with each others hands, "It'll be thrown by the same guy that hosted the back to school party, you know"

Ariana suddenly let's go of my hands and shoots me a bewildered expression, "Wait, seriously?" I nod my head, "That party was by far one of the most impressive ones I've been to."

"Yeah, remind me to ask Trent how he managed to get 4 kegs of beer that night" Dylan chuckles.

Derek looks up from his computer monitor to face us - in disbelief with our behavior, "Wow. Unbelievable" he scoffs, "In case anyone cared, I have a reason for not going, and I'm sure if you all heard it, you'd rethink your decision as well"

Instantly, everyone's attention shifts to him - blankly staring as we wait for an explanation.

"Ugh" Dylan turns in mine and Ariana's direction - shooting us a disgusted expression, "Here he goes again, the party pooper, or should I say, captain buzzkill"

"Quit being a jerk" I lightly punch Dylan in the shoulder in hopes that Derek won't run off. He was the sensitive type after all, "Let's hear his reason"

Derek shoots me a heartfelt smile while resting a hand on his chest, "Thank you, y/n. I appreciate it." he faintly nods his head - implying he was grateful, then quickly turns his attention back to his computer.

As boredom consumes us three, he begins to vigorously type, then scroll - searching for a specific page. When he finds it, he practically jumps from his seat out of excitement.

"Found it!" Derek shouts at us with a finger pointed on the screen. Dylan and Ariana glance over at each other - irritated by the amount of attention he was receiving.

"You guys wanna get some ice cream?" Once again, Dylan turns his head in our direction - completely ignoring Derek's presence, "I heard they opened up this really good restaurant nearby. Maybe we could grab lunch from th-"

"She was murdered!" Derek jumps up from his seat and shouts - causing everyone in the library to look to our table.

"Dude. What the hell are you talking about?" Dylan asks in a hushed tone all while shooting him a death glare, "See, this is what happens when you give him too much attention" He rolls his eyes.

"This girl" Derek takes a deep breath before returning back to his seat, "She went to a party on Halloween night with a group of friends. But the thing is, she never returned home"

The three of us stare at each other for a moment then immediately shift our focus back to him. "Well what happened to her?" Ariana asks - anxious for him to continue.

"They found her body on the front lawn the next morning under a tree" Derek croaks, "She was beaten with a golf club so badly that her face was barely recognizable"

"What's wrong with you?" Dylan squirms in his seat, "Why can't you get a hobby or something?"

Ariana quickly waves her hand in Dylans direction - motioning for him to stop talking.

"How did it look?" Ariana's eyes bulge out in fascination as she leans in close to Derek, "H-her face. How badly was she hit?"

Repulsed by her level of fascination, I lean back in my chair - speechless, "Since when were you interested in this type of gross stuff?"

"Since I came out of the womb." Ariana glances over at me and chuckles, "Now be quiet and let the guy talk" She lightly pecks my cheek before turning back to face Derek - excitement radiating off her, "Continue"