The Troubled Ones | ✔

Chapter 8. Drowning

Chapter 8. Drowning

Marking down on my mini-calendar that there is only four more weeks of school left, someone rudely slams my locker closed, making me flinch. I glance up from my mini-calendar to see Nathan and Dawson standing beside my locker with innocent smiles on their faces. I scrunch my eyebrows at them, not buying the innocent act, but what they say next surprises me.

"I'm having a party at my house," Nathan explains.

"You're invited." Dawson winks.

"Wh-"

"The party is tonight at ten o'clock, and here's my address." Nathan cuts me off, grabbing my hand and opening my locker again to snatch a black marker so he can write on my palm.

He closes the cap on my pen and throws it into my locker carelessly, then slams it again. I roll my eyes, making a mental note to remind the school janitor that my locker needs to be fixed because I am unable to lock it. The stupid thing doesn't lock so anyone can just freely open it whenever.

Dawson and Nathan brush past me and start to leave me with many questions.

"Wait, why am I even invi-"

Dawson turns around and walks backwards as he speaks to me, "See you there!"

Curiosity fills me as I begin to walk to my last class of the day and I begin to understand how Jasper must feel. Yesterday, when we went to the museum, I could tell Jasper was still curious and confused by the events in the elevator, but he graciously kept to himself and didn't press the subject. Even today I can tell he still wonders what was going on with me, but I refuse to reveal anything to him.

-

After school ends, I march out to the parking lot of our school and enter my vehicle while starting the ignition. Once reversing out of my lot, I change gears and skid down the streets down to my apartment. However, as I arrive to the gracious apartment, I see Jasper walking into the building with his head down and his hands shoved inside of his pockets. Not wanting to have another confrontation with him only to have him bite his tongue in order not to ask me certain questions, I slowly turn my car off and wait a few seconds until he is inside the building.

Reluctantly entering the apartment building, I walk on my toes towards the elevator and click on my floor, which is the eighth one. Once the doors ding and slide open, I quickly exit and head towards my flat, placing my key in the knob and pushing the entry open. My parents stand there with uncertainty masking their features as I raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What's going on?" I ask, oblivious to why they're acting stranger than usual.

"We heard you were physically harmed by two blithering idiots; is this true?" Mom chokes up, tears welling inside her eyes.

"How did you ev-- how did you even hear about that?" I stammer in disbelief.

"So it's true?" Dad fumes, already having that murderous look in his eye.

"No-- well, yes-- but, no!" I ramble incoherently.

"That's it; we're calling your principal." Dad proclaims as I widen my eyes.

"Dad, nothing even happened! I'm fine!" I shout, not wanting to make a big deal about this.

"Somewhat hurt you, Aria!" Mom raises her voice, getting emotional again.

"I'm still standing, aren't I?" I raise an eyebrow and Dad ignores me, dialing up Mr. Fulton, the school principal.

"Dad!" I shout in protest and boldly, without much thought to it, reach up and snatch his cellphone away.