𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 | The Girl Behind The Act

Chapter 13

Tristan

"Yes, a large pepperoni pizza, thank you," I placed my pizza order over the phone before slipping it into my back pocket.

Meanwhile, Ariana was still getting dressed in my room, and I am lowkey panicking.

Not because of the possibility of Josh or my parents showing up suddenly and finding her here, since we weren't that close. No, it was more about why I had this sudden urge to help her.

Why did I invite her to stay at my house and even use my bedroom for the night? It seemed crazy. We weren't friends or anything. I barely even know her.

But I could tell she needed help, and I was open to offering her that. Even though her current state confused me, I felt compelled to help.

What am I thinking? Just today I turned her down at school, and now I'm offering her a place to stay.

My thoughts were interrupted by a ringing phone. I spotted an unfamiliar iPhone on the counter, grabbed it, and saw it was Ariana's. Her dad was calling her. I let it ring for a bit before notifications started popping up.

Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know why she was at the park earlier. When I'd been to her place for a party, I knew it was far from here.

She was alone in the park, with no car, no suitcase - ruling out the idea of her running away.

I picked up the phone, glancing at the messages that revealed more about her situation.

Dad: Ari sweetie, you need to come home. You can't ignore her forever.

Her? Who's her?

Shay: Hey Ari, not sure why your Dad's calling me at this hour, asking for you. Where are you?!

Joanna: Girl, answer your phone! Your father's asking where you are. Don't worry, I covered for you, said you're at my house. Please call me.

At least one of her friends cared enough to cover for her. Relief washed over me as I set the phone down. A few minutes later, the front door opened and Josh suddenly walked in holding the pizza box in one hand.

"Hey, got the pizza you ordered from the pizza dude outside. Paid for it too. So, movie or game?" he asked.

"Thanks for paying. How did your date go with Joanna?" I asked, curious.

"Went well. She surprised me; she's not like the typical mean cheerleader stereotype. She's different and we got along really well. I think I'm really gonna like this girl man," Josh grinned.

I smiled back, agreeing with him, although my thoughts started drifting back to Ariana. I had rejected her at school, but now I was helping her. What am I doing?

Josh handed me the pizza box and walked up the stares. A sudden realization hits me and I turned around to call him but it was already too late. He stopped halfway on the staircase staring up at Ariana who was on her way down.

They exchanged confused looks as she slowly descended the stairs. I couldn't help but notice how different she looked in my oversized t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up casually, and she wore no makeup.

"Um, did I miss something?" Josh asked.

"Hey, Josh," she greeted casually, casting a wary glance my way.

Josh's gaze shifted between us, and my eyes widened as I realized what was probably going through his head.

"Wait, it's not what you think!" I blurted out, and their attention turned back to me.