Strawberry Milk Candy

Chapter 6: There for You

       The cold moon of early spring shone bright through the window as a young girl lay on her bed, her mind swirling as she recalled the events of the afternoon. She had screamed like a maniac, spewing all of her thoughts and accusations towards Ethan, which she remembered with great shame. She couldn't believe that she had lost her temper so easily, and was worried that Ethan would be scared or disgusted by her, and think she had lost her mind. She was surprised and skeptical at first when he said he had never gone against her, but the softness in his eyes made her want to trust him. Maybe it was because she longed for someone to trust after all the betrayal she had experienced, or because she wanted someone who could comfort her, but she wanted to trust him.

She scorned at the thought. Even after being hurt by people she could still not learn her lesson; she still easily trusted anyone that was nice to her. Ethan had comforted her that he could do what she asked for to earn her trust, which she requested that he kept his distance at school, and that he explain to his friends that the rumors are not true. Arystia turned to her side, wondering whether Ethan would keep to his word, or if he would turn on her and tell his friends what he had seen today. She shuddered in fear at the thought, as it would be the end to her if people started thinking she was crazy. Just then, she remembered the softness in his eyes when he had told her he never went against her; maybe he was pitying her, or thinking about how pathetic she was, or actually was comforting her, but there was no hostility in them. He didn't seem like he was lying, but then again, maybe he was just very good at acting. Nevertheless, despite her worries, she decided to give him the doubt.

Maybe......Just maybe, this can be the start of good things to come......She hoped.

The next day came in no time, and she was back to school, the place the loathed the most these days. Unlike other days, she felt slightly more enthusiastic, as she felt that all of the gossip and rumors will finally end once Ethan kept his distance. She nervously entered the classroom of the class in the morning, and much to her relief she didn't hear anything from the girls. Maybe they got tired of talking about her, maybe Ethan kept his mouth shut on what happened yesterday afternoon, or maybe it was both. Either way, she took it a sign that things may be taking a turn for the better. She had dressed herself imitating the girls' style again today, hoping that when the rumors were gone, she could start hanging out with the popular girls while hanging with Aiden from a distance and start over freshly, bidding farewell to her social life as an outcast.

Due to a good start in the morning, she felt as if the dark atmosphere that she loathed so much in the past month had faded away. Lunch time had come in no time and she cheerfully joined Aiden as they sat in their usual place. She thought that Ethan would not join them like he had done the past two weeks, but was dumbfounded when Ethan and his friend group all joined them for lunch. Instantly, Arystia's social anxiety took over her and felt extremely pressured when faced with these strangers who's faces were the only thing she recognized. She didn't know whether she should greet them or move away or do anything. Maybe they were here to tell her and Aiden to move to some place else, or to join them for lunch for reasons she couldn't guess. The only thing she knew was that none of them looked to have ill intent. While Arystia uncertainly squirmed in her seat, Aiden cast a questioning look at Ethan, who had sat in the seat furthest from Arystia. He took out his phone and quickly responded saying that he'll tell him later.

The first to break the short silence was Ian, who had sat beside Aiden. He greeted the two juniors saying that he had heard much about them, in which he received a warning glance from Ethan. Before Arystia could react, the girl sitting beside her, Hanna, noticed Ethan's glare and quickly added in to the conversation by asking whether Arystia remembered her from the sports team last season. Still nervous in the presence of strangers, Arystia quickly answered that she did, and with that she was forcefully taken into the group chatting that started forming within this new table of ten. Aiden had no problem indulging himself in the conversation with this new group of friendly strangers, which made Arystia feel bad, as she was very awkward around strangers.