𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐀 | The Girl Behind The Act

Chapter 29

Ariana

Monday arrived sooner than I expected, filling me with excitement as I prepared to head to school and catch up with my friends .

After the homecoming dance, we couldn't stop texting each other until the wee hours of the morning. It was like 2 AM when we finally stopped to get some sleep.

Then, yesterday, he came over, and we decided to make the most of a leisurely Sunday. We hit up an amusement park, which, in hindsight, wasn't the best idea since I almost barfed after every ride.

Following that wild ride experience, we grabbed lunch at Gigi's. Even though a bunch of students from school were casually hanging out there, we ignored their potential judgment. Tristan and I are on a different wavelength now.

As far as I'm concerned, Tristan and I are officially dating.

He dropped me back home later in the afternoon, leaving me with a sweet kiss goodbye. It's becoming a thing, and weirdly enough, I can't get enough of those butterflies.

So, that's how our first official date unfolded. Now here I am, cruising to school, grinning like a maniac, replaying every single detail in my head.

Is this what it's like after a proper first date?

Anne Marie's "2002" is blaring in my car, and I can't resist singing along with a huge smile. I parked in the school parking lot, hopped out, and immediately Joanna's in front of me.

"Okay, spill it. What's with the smile?" She immediately asked.

"Yeah, seriously. I haven't seen you smile like this since forever. That's a rare smile," Shay chimes in, and I chuckled.

"The smile's all about being happy to be back at school and ready to tackle the day with my dynamic duo. Does that count as an answer?" I replied, and they exchange playful eye-rolls.

"On a Monday? Girl did you forget to take your reality pill?"

We share a laugh as Joanna teases.

"Oh, Josh is here. Finally." She goes dreamy-eyed, and we all look over to see Josh's car pulling in, closely followed by Tristan's.

My heartbeat starts to race. I instinctively run my fingers through my hair.

They parked in their usual spot, stepping out and sauntering over. My gaze locks on Tristan, who's strolling towards us with a small smile. He greets some of the football guys with fist bumps before finally reaching us.

"Hey, Josh! Hey Tristan!" Shay greets me with gusto, and then sneakily glances at me.

"Morning ladies. Hey babe," he nods, giving me a quick peck on the lips as he sidles up to me.

Heat rushes to my face. I caught Shay and Joanna's expressions and nearly burst into laughter.

Their jaws practically hit the floor, eyes wide with shock. Their reactions are absolutely priceless.

"Babe?!" They exclaim in unison, and I barely suppress a grin.

"Wait, are we missing something?" Joanna asked, attempting to regain her composure.

"Nah, you're not missing a thing," Tristan smirked. Joanna playfully smacks Josh's arm in mock annoyance.

"Ow! What's that for?" he protests, and Joanna shoots him a glare.

"You knew about this?" He shrugs, pulling her close to his side.

Sensing a potential drawn-out argument, Tristan whispers in my ear, "We better get to class before they get into it."

I chuckled while nodding, and we left the parking lot. His fingers entwined with mine, and I glanced down, smiling at our joined hands.

More people began to stare as us as we walked past, their expressions ranging from shock and surprise, maybe even a hint of confusion.

At my locker, I quickly grab my needed books. Tristan leans against the locker next to mine, twirling a strand of my hair. It's become a habit – absentmindedly playing with my hair when he's close.

"Want to grab lunch outside school today?" he asks, and I slam my locker shut, grinning at him.

"Yeah, sure. But first, I need to rally the girls before lunch for a quick meeting about our upcoming competition and—"

I paused after noticing the look he was giving me.

"Tristan?"

"Hmm?"

"Stop looking at me like that." He smirks and leans in closer.

"Like what?" I rolled my eyes.

"Like you're up to something...bad."

"Oh, I do have a few bad and dirty ideas in my mind right now," he murmurs in a low tone, pulling me closer.

His arms encircle my waist, fingers interlocking at my lower back. I glance around – others are definitely staring.

"Don't mind them." he quickly reassured.

Arguing seems pointless when he's grinning mischievously, biting his lip. He knows how much that affects me.

"Tristan," I caution, but he shoots me a lopsided smile.

"What?" He leans even closer until our lips are inches apart, and I catch my breath as he kisses me, slowly.

My knees practically turn to jelly. I responded eagerly, but the bell interrupts, and we break apart, sharing a smile.

"We go to class or skip and go somewhere more private?" he suggests, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

I rolled my eyes.

"School is important so don't even try me."

He groans playfully, drapes an arm around my shoulder, and scoops up my books. We head to class, side by side – lucky for us, it's one we share.