Perfectly Imperfect

(5) Well don't leave me hanging!

Aria's POV

I stare at the clock, waiting for the bell to ring. I want food now! The bell is like music to my ears, and I quickly rush toward the cafeteria.

I glance behind me and see Aaron trailing behind me. I immediately stop and wait for him to catch up. "Sorry... I'm just really hungry." I say, laughing.

"I just want school to be over," Aaron says, walking beside me.

"Three more classes until the weekend!" I say excitedly.

We meet up with Julia and Henry and head over to where Brittany and Becca are. "Jules, how was your math quiz?" I ask.

"I actually understood it!" She says, hugging me.

I smile and say, "That's good! Glad I could help."

"Without you, I definitely would have failed." She says before sipping her drink.

"Was there anything that had a lot of steps?" Henry asks her.

"Yes! The two problems on the back." She answers. While they discuss the quiz, I turn to Becca, Britney, and Aaron.

"So while Ms. Han talked about presentations, Brittany and I just watched a movie on my phone," Becca says.

"Do you guys like Ms. Han?" I ask.

"No, she's a bitch. She yells at me when I'm on my phone, even if I was just checking the time." Becca says, rolling her eyes.

"Really? I loved her class because-" Before I could finish, Brittany turned her phone to Becca, and they both laughed. I slightly frown and give up on talking.

"Well, don't leave me hanging!" Aaron says, wanting me to continue.

"On the first day of school, she bought us donuts and showed us pictures of her puppy. She's really chill if you pay attention when there's something important." I say with a grateful smile.

"I wish one of my teachers bought me food," Aaron says, pouting. Awww, he looks adorable.

"There there..." I say, patting his shoulder.

He laughs and is about to say something when Brittany asks, "Aaron, wanna come with me to my locker?"

He turns away from Brittany and glances at me. I give him a tight smile and give him a small wave. I almost forgot Brittany is trying to get with him.

"Sure..." He says reluctantly.

My phone makes a noise, and I see I got a reminder to go to the movies with Brittany and Becca.

"Are we still on for movies?" I ask them.

Brittany glances at Becca and says, "Sorry, my parents are making us do this family thing... Rain check, though?"

"Sure!" I say, giving them a fake smile.

They walk away, and I turn to Jules and Henry. "I'm gonna head to class early," I say, picking up my backpack.

Jules gives me a sympathetic smile and asks, "Do wanna hang out with us after school?" Oh, a pity invite, yay.

I shake my head and say, "It's okay. I don't want to intrude."

Before they can respond, I'm already walking away. I raise the volume on my earphones and wish for school to be over.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Hey, Aria!" Suzan says.

"Hey..." I say, giving her a fake smile.

"Why aren't you at the movies?" She asks, frowning.

"They had a family thing and canceled last minute," I say, shrugging.

"Family thing, my ass." She says, grumbling.

"It's really okay!" I say, trying to convince myself. "Is it okay if I still work today?"

"Of course, sweetie. If this is what you want..." She says, handing me a pad of paper and a pen.

"Has lunch improved?" She asks.

I shake my head and walk toward a customer that needs a refill. "Coke?" I ask him.

He nods, and I go back to the kitchen to refill. I come back and hand him his drink. Then I take another table's order and pass the orders to the kitchen.

Suzan returns with dirty dishes and says, "I really think you should just drop them."

"I was planning on just eating in the library next week. Probably the rest of the year." I say, adding a fake laugh.

"You've given them a month, and they've barely talked to you, right?" She asks.

I nod, and she says, "You're a nice girl. Don't let them step all over you."

"I don't want to drop them just yet. I need to distance myself slowly so I'll get used to it." I say.

"I get it. You've been friends with Brittany since freshman year, right?" She asks.

"Ya... But ever since she got back from her trip, she's been kind of a bitch to me." I say sadly.

"You do what's best for you, okay? I know it'll probably suck, and you'll probably feel lonely. But in the long run, it will be better this way." She says.

I nod and try to believe her. "You can always call me if you're feeling down." She says with a wink.

"Thanks," I say, hugging her. I grab the food orders when they're ready and feel slightly better.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

I slip into bed and decide to use my phone instead of reading. How dare you?!

I go on Snapchat and check people's stories. Oh, look, Brittany posted. I press on it and see she's at a pool party with Becca. I thought she had a family thing. Family pool party? Most of the people in the background go to your school. Oh.

Maybe she got an invite and didn't want me to come. She's way more popular, so that would make sense. And she knows I wouldn't want to intrude when no one actually invited me. I exit the app and decide to watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

I press a random episode and lie down on my bed. I laugh at the opening scene but feel my eyes tear up. No crying, remember! We said we wouldn't cry over people leaving us. Right!

I blink as fast as I can and stop when my eyes don't feel watery anymore. I take a deep breath and let it out. Okay, I'm good. Are you sure? No.

I feel a tear roll down my cheek but quickly wipe it away. I blow my nose and cover my mouth in case I make a noise. I try to calm myself down and go to sleep. At least tomorrow is Saturday. We can sleep in!

<~~~~~~~~~~>

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