𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕕𝕒𝕝𝕖

40

Arabella felt an overwhelming amount of dread as she thought about her friends' feelings towards her following the events that occurred last night. She had woken up with a headache pounding against her skull; sitting up with the palms of her hands pressed against her forehead, as if that was going to stop the pain.

The first thing Arabella saw when she fluttered her eyes open was Sirius waddling into her bedroom before she turned to see Eric's face nuzzled into his shoulder — he fell asleep on her loveseat.

Her heart thumped with hope as she saw the boy had still cared for her like when they we're dating. A pleasant smile crept across Arabella's rosy cheeks as she slid off her bed with her comforter in hand, wrapping it around Eric's body. Luckily, he was a heavy sleeper.

Arabella made her way downstairs to the kitchen, Sirius joining at her side on her way down. Melanie was preparing breakfast — three plates matching the amount of bar stools at the island; something Arabella hasn't seen in a while.

"I'm assuming you're going to ask him to stay for breakfast." Arabella asked groggily.

Melanie chuckled lightly.  "I made breakfast for three, it would be a shame if he didn't. You would have to eat his meal."

Arabella pretended to be shocked, giggling as she sat on one of the seats. "We would share his meal." She said.

Melanie grinned as she set a plate of waffles and scrambled eggs in front of her daughter. "Wait for him to eat."

"Oh, I know proper etiquette."

Melanie shrugged. "You forget a lot of things with Eric around, I thought that would be another."

Arabella playfully rolled her eyes as she placed a napkin over her thighs and picked up her phone to see if anything new has happened. She had no new notifications.

Maybe Betty was upset at her for what she had done to Veronica last night. Arabella clearly remembers what she did to her and Betty's negative reaction. She wouldn't want her best friend to chose between her and Veronica — it was unfair. But at the same time, Arabella would hate it if Betty chose the girl she's known for only a few days over her.

Soft footsteps clapped down the stairs catching Arabella's attention. Eric was awake and on his way down. It was impossible to understand how Eric still liked Arabella after all she put him through.

"Good morning." He spoke in a deeper voice than usual after planting his feet in the doorway.

"Good morning, Mister Maddox." Melanie grinned putting down another plate on top of the decorative one next to Arabella. "Please have a seat — Arabella told me before how much you like waffles. Of course that was when she was ten years old, so I'm not sure if you still do-"

"This is perfect, Missus Queen." Eric smiled. "Thank you. I really appreciate everything you have done for me."

"Oh, anytime, sweetheart. Consider this your second home." Melanie smiled as she grabbed her coffee and a waffle she prepared for herself. "I have some television to watch while I eat this. You two enjoy yourselves."

Melanie exited the kitchen leaving Arabella and Eric in complete silence. Arabella's fingertips grazed her silverware, smiling at Eric before picking up her fork and knife.

"How are you feeling?" Eric asked, slipping a chunk of waffle into his mouth.

Arabella mimicked his actions. "Better. My head is throbbing a little but I'll probably take something for it before school." She said.

Eric nodded. "School today? Or are you skipping again?"

Arabella grinned. "How cute, you noticed I'm skipping — I have to pack so probably not. Besides, I don't think I want to see the gang after what happened last night."