Sugar & Spice

16|hope and anger

Aria was dragged through the crowd by Rebecca who didn't seem to have any intentions of stopping. Too preoccupied with what's on her mind she allowed herself to be dragged through the crowd while trying to keep her apple cider from spilling out completely. What she had seen had surprised her but she should've expected it to happen soon enough. Tom was moving on with his life and rightfully so, she supposed, it was too much to ask for him to wait until she had walked across the graduation stage. She could feel the tears reach the surface of her eyes but wouldn't dare let them fall when anyone could see her, no she desperately wanted to be mature about this. 

When Rebecca finally stopped they were by a staircase leading to the roof of a building. There was a chain keeping people from walking there, but it was easily stepped over if one wanted to. Aria hesitated for a moment and Rebecca didn't force her to go any further.

"I could tell that you weren't okay back there. I saw you looking at...him. That's Tom isn't it?" Rebecca asked softly.

Aria nodded, "He's with someone now." 

"Don't be so sure about that. Shouldn't you ask him first before you jump to conclusions?" Rebecca encouraged.

"I don't need to ask him, Rebecca, he was very clear that he didn't love me and that he only cares for me. I should've known better than to hope for more." Aria stated and sighed when she put her apple cider down next to the staircase. 

Aria felt like she was now forced to move on regardless what her heart wanted her to do. All she wanted now was to be left alone with her thoughts before finding her way back home. Jane and Rebecca would try their best to convince her to stay, that she knew, but she was going to stay firm in her decision on going back home and then leaving for Hudson early tomorrow morning. It's time to start minimizing my time here, Aria thought.

"Oh, Aria; I feel bad that you had to see that and especially now. If you want to go home I can take you right now if you want?" Rebecca said.

Aria looked up the staircase and thought it perfect for some alone time. It would give her some distance between the people in this town and herself. Up there they couldn't ogle her like a zoo animal and she would be away from Tom and his new woman - up there she could lose her cool and be as immature as she liked. 

"No that's okay. I think I'm going to head up on the roof and spend some time alone--just to think. I'll give you and Jane a call once I'm home." Aria said with a faint smile. 

With a nod Rebecca left her alone and Aria climbed the stairs in her heeled boots. The view was spectacular from where she was now standing; the lights from the Fall Festival glimmered brightly and looked like a thousand fireflies had assembled down there. The view of it all soon became blurry when her tears started falling uncontrollably and she hunched down from the painful sadness that overcame her. It was over now, they were over. She cried for all her hopes, for anytime spent thinking of him and for own foolishness - she should never have bothered with her curiosity for Tom Landry in the first place.

"It's over now, it's over--" She repeated it over and over again until her voice was no longer full of that crying whine but merely a whisper.

"What's over?" She heard a familiar voice ask her from behind and she quickly turned around.

Tom was panting and looked a little disoriented from where he was standing. It appeared that he had been looking for her because a relieved breath escaped his lungs, suddenly. Aria wiped her tears and damned him for seeing her like this, frankly she didn't really want to see him at all.

"What are you doing up here?!" Aria asked still in shock.

"I know you saw me, Aria, I certainly saw you and I know what you think--"