Strawberry Milk Candy

Chapter 4: Backstabbed, Again

 The chilly morning breeze rustled the leaves of the trees in the walkway of the school as Arystia entered through the school gates. It was Monday again, how fast time flied. She walked silently by herself, wondering if Aiden was late. There were still four minutes until class would start, so a quick stroll to the classroom shouldn't be a big problem. She reached the classroom in no time and sighed as she prepared to turn the doorknob. A new week meant five days, seven hours each day, with the girls in her class who she hated dearly.

"Heard they went on a date." Maria's voice came from behind the doors, Arystia paused to listen. She knew she'd interrupt the topic if she entered at the moment.

"No way, who told you?" Laura asked. Arystia guessed they were talking about someone in the school that she didn't know, or some celebrity. A small voice in her head told her they were talking about, though she tried to disregard.

"You know that girl, Monica, from his class? She was the one who told me." Maria explained.

"Oh crap, it is them! So, are they a thing now? I see them hanging out every day, and Ethan seems to have a thing for her too." Laura said.

"Seriously though, is it just me or does she like to hang out with boys a lot? I mean, a girl alone with a group of guys, who knows if she has an ulterior motive?" Jessica added in.

"I mean, everyone knows she's a tomboy, so I guess it's normal?" Jenna replied.

"But still, don't you think it's a little weird? She just became friends with the good-looking new student from another grade the second day he came. It's as if she targeted him or something. And look at him, he's all attached to her, I seriously think he likes her."

"He wouldn't have gone out with her if he didn't." Arystia opened the door at that, she didn't want them to continue the topic anymore. The moment she entered the whole class fell silent and they all looked at her. She sat down and nothing more on the topic was said. Aiden entered the classroom soon after and then the professor, and class started. The whole morning passed by, and Arystia couldn't get the conversation she had overhead in the morning out of her mind.

After the last class in the morning ended, they came out of the classroom. Luckily, their professor hadn't kept them late this time, and they eagerly exited the classroom. They were met with Ethan and his group of friends passing by. Ethan noticed them and eagerly came and greeted Aiden and Arystia, catching the unwanted attention of many classmates around her, particularly the four girls'. He excitedly mentioned the Saturday they had spent together, and asked if the two wanted to do it again this weekend.

Arystia looked around at the people listening to their conversation, her anxiety starting to creep in again. She felt that Ethan was bringing it up on purpose, as if to show it off and create gossip. She thought back to the morning, where Maria mentioned that a girl in Ethan's class knew about them going out in the weekend. She started thinking that Ethan had told them on purpose, and started guessing if he had done it to hurt her, to create gossip between them two to make her look bad, as if she were a girl that always attached herself to guys, which was already a thing that she had heard last year in her drama with Jessica.

She felt her breath get caught in her throat as her thoughts started frantically racing towards the worst. Ethan seemed like a nice person, she thought he would never harm her, but then again, he was only a new person that she had know for a few weeks. She thought she would've learned from back then not to trust others too much, and she hated herself for being too easy around a stranger. Ethan had betrayed her; he must have had. Why else would he have approached a stranger the second day after transferring to the school? A loner from another grade no less; it must've been to ridicule her. Everyone would betray her eventually, she should've known; it wouldn't be the first time anyway.