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Rekindling

By JustSomeAnon
Created: 2021-05-11 01:01:06
Expiry: Never
anonaria blaze

  1. “Alright, I’ll take a look at the images in the morning.”
  2. >”Please do, Anon. Some of our clients are a little frustrated.”
  3. “See you tomorrow.”
  4. >The gruff voice on the other end acknowledges and the line goes dead.
  5. >You slip your phone back into your pocket.
  6. “Not my fault they can’t figure out how to do proper fuckin git branches.”
  7. >You return your attention to the stove, where placed inside a skillet are two beautiful cuts of beef.
  8. >The meat sizzles nicely in a mixture of garlic butter and it’s own fat.
  9. >You flip the meat over, admiring the sweet smell that emanates from the skillet.
  10. >Satisfied with the seared crust, you take the skillet off the flame and slide it right into the oven.
  11. >As you’re cleaning up, you feel your phone vibrate once more.
  12. >The vibrations send waves of frustration through you.
  13. >Can’t have one hour to yourself anymore.
  14. >It’s very rare that you have an evening to yourself without playing IT to some dumbass who can’t google their problem.
  15. >The buzzing continues as you decide to let it ring. If anyone asks where you were you can say you just dropped your phone in the toilet or something.
  16. >The vibrating abruptly stops and you breathe a sigh of relief.
  17. >Only for it to begin again a few seconds later.
  18. >A heavy sigh escapes your lips as you decide to answer it.
  19. >You prepare yourself to answer whatever inane tech questions will come spewing out, only to stop and read the name displayed on the screen.
  20. >...
  21. >Huh.
  22. >Sunset Shimmer. That’s a name you haven’t seen in awhile.
  23. >You’d completely forgotten she was in your contacts.
  24. >You’d known her since high school, but the two of you only became friends when she ended up being your RA in college.
  25. >After graduation, you fell out of touch aside from the occasional text.
  26. >If she’s calling you now, it must be important.
  27. >You tap the accept button and hesitantly speak.
  28. “Hello?”
  29. >”It’s been awhile, Anon.”
  30. “Two years isn’t THAT long, Sunset.”
  31. >”Sometimes feels like it is. How are you doing?”
  32. “Pretty good, pretty good. In the process of making some dinner.”
  33. >”Nice, Nice. Hey, listen, this may sound weird but....I need a favor.”
  34. >Quick to the point.
  35. “Didn’t call for a quick chat? You said yourself it’s been awhile.”
  36. >The line goes quiet before a quick sigh is heard.
  37. >”Anon as much as I’d love to just talk, this is something pretty serious.”
  38. “Serious enough to call someone you haven’t seen since college?”
  39. >”It’s...a really big favor.” Her tone has grown more pleading with each passing second.
  40. “Uhhh….Ok?”
  41. >”Like, a really really REALLY huge favor.”
  42. >You roll your eyes. “Sunset, the last time I heard someone say that I had to bail them out, so if it’s that, the answer is no.”
  43. “What? No no no no, it’s-well-kinda-It’s...look, can I come talk to you? It’s better if I explained it in person.”
  44. “Uhhhhhh…”
  45. >You hadn't really anticipated (or wanted) to cook for another…
  46. >But it must be important for her to just call you out of the blue after several years.
  47. >You mumble “Sure” as you bring out another plate and set of silverware.
  48. >”Great! Sunset chirps. “Are you still living in that apartment?”
  49. “Same place, yep.”
  50. >”Awesome! We’ll see you there. Bye!”
  51. “Bye.”
  52. >You place your phone on the counter and start pulling out a couple dishes.
  53. >It’s been a while since you’ve had guests ove-
  54. “Wait…we?”
  55. >...
  56. “No.”
  57. >”Look, Anon. I know that the two of you have some...history, but-”
  58. “No.”
  59. >”I told you he wouldn’t agree to it.”
  60. >”Hush. Anon, please just listen to m-”
  61. “I did. And I said no.”
  62. >”No, you just saw her and immediately went sour. Please hear me out.”
  63. >You cross your arms but say nothing, your gaze fixated on Sunset.
  64. >The second you opened the door and saw Aria standing behind Sunset, you almost shut the door back on their faces, had Sunset not intervened with a foot and arm wedged in the doorway.
  65. >You would rather not look at the girl sitting next to her.
  66. >Sunset shifts uncomfortably under your stare.
  67. “...I’m listening.”
  68. >”I understand how you feel Anon, I really do-”
  69. “No you don’t.”, you bluntly retort.
  70. >“-But believe me, we wouldn’t have come here if there wasn’t another option.”
  71. “I can think of one…”
  72. >”I’m not sleeping in a cardboard box outside, jerk.”
  73. >Sunset turns and points at Aria. ”Stop it, you’re not helping! Anon, please, it won’t be for that long.”
  74. >You rub your temples in an effort to dispel the headache you have, but Aria is still sitting right in front of you, cross-legged and staring at the wall.
  75. “Can’t she stay with you? Please?”
  76. >Sunsets lips twist into a frown as she shakes her head.
  77. >”My studio is barely big enough for me. Adagio stayed at their apartment, and Sonata is with Pinkie Pie, but-”
  78. >Aria decides to cut in again, her tone dispassionate and rude.
  79. >”But none of the other Lamebooms want to take me in. That prissy one said I’m too-”
  80. >Aria takes on a high and regal sounding voice, one you assume is meant to mock one of Sunsets friends.
  81. >”Abrasive and uncouth!”
  82. >You fold your arms over your chest and stare at the girl.
  83. “Sounds like she’s a good judge of character.”
  84. >Aria glares at you before kicking a leg up onto the couch arm and turning her attention back to the riveting wall that had captured her attention previously.
  85. >Sunset mutters something under her breath before looking back at you.
  86. >”Anon can we step outside for a moment? Just you and me?”
  87. >Sunsets eyes dart back and forth between you and the door.
  88. >The timer for your dinner says 7 minutes.
  89. “Fine.”
  90. >...
  91. >As you close the door behind you, you feel yourself immediately relax.
  92. >Being in the same room as Aria feels like having your entire body pricked by little needles.
  93. >”So, Anon” Sunset begins. “I really need you to hear me out on this.”
  94. >Sunset clasps her hands together.
  95. >”Please.” she pleads.
  96. >You lean back against the wall and cross your arms.
  97. “I’m listening.”
  98. “This is a lot to put on someone, all things considering.”
  99. >”Yes.”
  100. “You KNEW I was gonna say no.”
  101. >”I-Yes.”
  102. >You throw your hands up.
  103. “And yet you still brought her! If it was ANYONE-LITERALLY ANYONE-else, I would have said yes.”
  104. >”But..here we are.” Sunset mutters dejectedly.
  105. “Yeah, here you are.”
  106. >You clasp the bridge of your nose between your hands and let out a long sigh.
  107. “God damnit, Sunset.”
  108. >You feel a twinge of shame as you vent out your frustration on Sunset.
  109. >While she wasn’t the one you had history with, she was the one who brought Aria here.
  110. >An involuntary scowl contorts your face.
  111. >You didn’t want Aria to see how she gets to you.
  112. >Imagining her taking some sort of pleasure out of this makes you cringe.
  113. “Why couldn’t one of the others have stayed with me? I would much prefer either of them.”
  114. >Sunset looks thoughtful for a moment.
  115. >”I had thought of having Sonata stay with you. But…”
  116. “What.”
  117. >Sunset pauses before continuing. ”She wanted to stay with Pinkie. By the time I knew about this she had already moved in.”
  118. “It sounds like you’re trying to convince me that there’s no other choice in the matter.”
  119. >Sunset stares into your eyes briefly before speaking.
  120. >”I came here with Aria to ask you if you could. Not make you take her in.”
  121. >You narrow your eyes at the girl.
  122. ”And you brought her along thinking it would help you and your argument?” you retort.
  123. >Another pause as the girl seems to sweat over the right answer, and scowls.
  124. >”Ok, Anon this hasn’t really been easy for me either, y’know.”
  125. “Pot, meet kettle.”
  126. >”I didn’t want to be put in this position” She gestures towards herself.
  127. >Sunset runs her hand through her hair before turning away.
  128. >”Look, you can...say no, Anon. Like I said, I’m not forcing you.”
  129. >You chew your lip as you turn to look over the railings of the landing that your apartment is on.
  130. >Being on one of the higher levels of the complex offers a more scenic view.
  131. >The town is warmly lit by streetlights and open businesses, beckoning the nightlife in to enjoy an evening of food and drink.
  132. >Out of the corner of your eye, you see Sunset lean onto the railing and look out.
  133. “Was there REALLY no other option at all? No roommate ads? No tiny homes? No openings at a strip joint?”
  134. >Sunset groans “Believe me, Anon. You were the very last option on her list as well. ”
  135. “I shouldn’t even have been an option.”
  136. >You sense Sunset shift uncomfortably at your remark, but she doesn’t raise a protest.
  137. >Instead the two of you gaze out at the horizon, not a single word uttered between the two of you.
  138. >”You’ve got a nice view up here.”
  139. “It’s nice to look at, I guess. Clears my head.”
  140. >”...”
  141. “...”
  142. >”I know it hurt.”
  143. “...It did.”
  144. >You take in every detail of the surroundings, hoping that you can either distract yourself from this or the answer would somehow appear from the dark.
  145. >You want to say no.
  146. >Even though you already did.
  147. >You want to laugh straight in Aria’s smug face and kick her to the curb.
  148. >Every fiber of your being is telling you to say no.
  149. “How long.”
  150. >Sunset almost slides off the rail, but catches herself as she turns to face you.
  151. >“Anon, y-”
  152. ”How. Long.”
  153. >Sunset blankly stares at you for a moment before coming back to reality.
  154. >”I...uhhh….a couple of months I suppose, Anon are you s-”
  155. >You cast a sidelong glare at the girl.
  156. “Sunset, if you keep asking me, I’m going to change my mind.”
  157. >Sunset seems to realize her mistake and bows her head, and stammers out an apology.
  158. >”Right right right....Thanks.”
  159. >You’re met with a tight embrace as Sunset wraps her arms around you.
  160. >”I know how hard it must be. Thank you so much.
  161. “No problem, I guess. But I’m doing this for another reason.”
  162. >She gives you a confused look as she steps away.
  163. >”Huh?”
  164. “It’s...difficult to explain...Let’s just go get her bags.”
  165. >As you make your way towards the stairs, you hear a dull groan.
  166. >Sunset stands there with a sheepish look on her face as she places
  167. >”S-sorry. Haven’t eaten in awhile.”
  168. “It’s alright. I was just getting dinner ready when you ca-”
  169. >Your brain suddenly sends out the equivalent of an air raid siren ringing through your head.
  170. “MY FOOD!”
  171. >...
  172. >”You’re welcome.”
  173. “...”
  174. >”You’re. Welcome.”
  175. “I already said thanks, what more do you want from me?”
  176. >“A little more gratitude?”
  177. >A grumble is all you can muster in response.
  178. >Aria slides down from the countertop, making her way towards her bags.
  179. >Credit where it’s due the girl did help you avoid setting fire to your apartment by taking out the meat.
  180. >5 minutes after they should have been pulled out.
  181. >Now here you are, left with well done beef, and scrubbing the rest of it off the skillet.
  182. >You’re disappointed with her and yourself, but you’re too hungry to start anything.
  183. >So you resign yourself to your quiet brooding.
  184. >Your front door swings open slightly, and opens more as Sunset pushes her way in, overburdened with several bags.
  185. >Sunset grunts in effort as she drops one of them onto the floor, and flings a smaller one onto the couch.
  186. >”Whew-Well there’s just a couple of bags left, Aria. They’re in the trunk.”
  187. >Aria just stands there, and slowly nods.
  188. >The two just stare at each other for several seconds before Sunset coughs and speaks up.
  189. >”The trunk’s already unlocked, Aria.”
  190. >The purple girl stares at her for another moment, seemingly confused at the situation.
  191. >”Oh. You...I...Okay.”
  192. >Aria slowly trudges out the door, leaving you and Sunset to watch her leave.
  193. >”Are you sure you’ll be ok?”
  194. “I’ll be fine. You gonna stay for dinner?”
  195. >Sunset lets a bag slide off her shoulder as she shakes her head.
  196. >”I’ve got to get back home. Work in the morning. Then Twilight and I are having a night out.”
  197. “Awwwww”
  198. >”What?”
  199. “Aren’t you two so cute.”
  200. >Sunset shoves your shoulder, a blush streaking across her cheek.
  201. >”Sh-shut up…”
  202. >You pat Sunset on her bacon head, earning you a small pout from the girl.
  203. “Ah, you know I’m just messing with you.”
  204. >You wrap your arm around the girl and pull her close.
  205. “Despite the reason for your being here, it’s good to see you again Sunset.”
  206. >Sunset sighs happily and returns the embrace.
  207. >The girl pulls away and hums contentedly before turning your eyes to your work.
  208. >”Burnt in pretty good?”
  209. “Yep.”
  210. >You emphasize your point by scraping off a burnt char with your chainmail.
  211. >”...At least she got them out.”
  212. “You’d think she’d know what burnt food smells like given her track record.”
  213. >”Well…”
  214. >Sunset just glances at the floor and shrugs.
  215. >Picking one last chunk out, you grunt with defeat and decide to throw some warm water into it. Seasoning it again isn’t that hard.
  216. >”You wouldn’t mind if I checked up on you every now and again?”
  217. “Not at all-”
  218. >You turn to face her, leaning your arm on the counter.
  219. “-because I’m sure you don’t want to see anything about a murder on the news?”
  220. >The girl just rolls her eyes.
  221. >”I know you wouldn’t do anything like that, Anon. Plus, I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”
  222. >”SUNSET GODDAMNIT, A LITTLE HELP HERE?”
  223. >The yelling is accentuated by loud thuds coming from the doorway.
  224. >You turn to see Aria propping herself against the door, her ample chest heaving with each breath she takes.
  225. >Several bags were strewn in front of her, spilling their contents about the floor.
  226. >Aria takes another deep breath before she gestures at the mess.
  227. >”Well?”
  228. >It might be that bad.
  229. >”Yes, we’ll help you. Could you get the square one Anon?”
  230. “Sure, I gu-”
  231. >”NO.”
  232. >The purple girl immediately moves to scoop up the case and clutches it closely to her, her eyes darting between you two.
  233. >”It’s my...uh...personal things.”
  234. >Before you two can say anything, Aria quickly darts in between you two and vanishes down the hallway, leaving the two of you at the doorway.
  235. >You and Sunset stare at each other for a moment before exchanging a shrug and picking up the other two bags.
  236. >”I guess I should actually head out now.”
  237. “Gonna leave me with all of this?”
  238. >“I’ve kept dinner waiting too long.”
  239. “You mean you’ve kept Twilight waiting too long?”
  240. >Sunset scoffs and lightly slaps your chest.
  241. >”You’ve always been such a charmer with your humor, huh?”
  242. >You bend down to pick up a box, cradling it underneath your arm.
  243. “I’d say it’s one of my better qualities”
  244. >Sunset chuckles before she heaves a heavy sigh.
  245. >”Anon?”
  246. “Hmm?”
  247. >A short silence follows your response, before she wraps her arms around you.
  248. >”Thanks again.” Her head rests on your shoulder. “I understand it must have been hard to agree.”
  249. “Yea well…I’m nice like that sometimes.”
  250. >”I know...I always admired your kindness.”
  251. “...She knows she’s not staying here for free, yea?”
  252. >”I told her she would be paying some rent, yes.”
  253. “Good. Helps me out in the long run anyway.”
  254. >Sunset looks at you inquisitively, but before she is able to press further, a small chime sounds from her pocket.
  255. >She pulls her phone out from her coat, and scans the screen.
  256. “Gotta get going?” You wiggle your eyebrows.
  257. >Sunset sighs.
  258. >“She’s wondering why I’ve been gone so long.”
  259. “Guess I-well-we won’t keep you any longer.”
  260. >The girl nods, and she picks up her bag and jacket before she turns to look at you.
  261. >”If you need anything, Anon...I’m only a phone call away.”
  262. ”I know. I’ll… let you know when anything comes up.”
  263. >Sunset smiles and hugs you one more time “Take care, Anon. I’ll check up in a couple of days.”
  264. “Drinks?”
  265. >”Only if they’re on you.”
  266. >You rest your hand on your hip and raise your eyebrow.
  267. “That’s how you thank me?”
  268. >Sunset grins sheepishly.
  269. >”I was just joking. My treat.”
  270. “That’s more like it.”
  271. >...
  272. >”Where’s the egg salad?”
  273. >You turn from your food to see Aria foraging your fridge, rummaging through everything at her leisure.
  274. “The...the what?”
  275. >Aria continues to root through your food, not even turning to acknowledge you.
  276. >”Egg salad! Or a side dish!” Aria turns with her arms outstretched. “You can’t JUST have this meat!
  277. “I...have some rice and beans…”
  278. >You gesture your fork towards the two bowls.
  279. “Help yourself.”
  280. >Aria scowls but doesn’t reply.
  281. “If you don’t like what I’m having, you’re free to go out and get your own damn food. There’s a Burger King on the corner.”
  282. >”...”
  283. >Aria stares at you blankly, seeming to be lost in thought.
  284. >A quiet rumbling coming from the girl seems to affirm her decision.
  285. “Shut the damn fridge and come sit down. You’ll run up my bill.”
  286. >”Fine.” The fridge is shut with a slam and she sits down across from you.
  287. >You lift your head to see Aria already in the process scooping generous portions onto her plate.
  288. >There goes most of your leftovers.
  289. >Aria is looking at you with an indifferent expression on her face as she starts to eat.
  290. >The two of you eat in relative silence for a while, the only sound being the soft clink of silverware.
  291. >Neither you nor Aria speak for the duration of the dinner.
  292. >Once you finish, you take your plate and whatever is left of the food back to the kitchen, storing the leftovers and proceeding to clean the plates.
  293. >Aria is the first to speak,her mumbling heard over your shoulder.
  294. >"That was good."
  295. "Mhmm."
  296. >"..."
  297. "..."
  298. >"Where'd you learn to cook?"
  299. "I've told you before. My grandmother."
  300. >Aria grunts in response, but doesn't say anything.
  301. >Another silence ensues, this one more uncomfortable than the last.
  302. >After a minute, Aria mumbles something about changing before standing up.
  303. >Aria retrieves some things from a bag and makes her way down the hall.
  304. >Several minutes later, reappears, her hair completely let down, only wearing an oversized dark green shirt.
  305. >You cock an eyebrow at her choice of attire.
  306. >Aria sees you staring at her and shrugs.
  307. >"I get hot at night. You know that."
  308. "I know. But you could have waited to change."
  309. >"Nothing you haven't seen before."
  310. >She dives onto the couch, grabbing the TV remote and flipping the power on.
  311. "I don't have cable. Just streaming."
  312. >Aria turns to look at you dumbfounded as the TV shows a blank screen.
  313. >"Why not?"
  314. "It’s current year, no one has cable anymore."
  315. >Aria seems to take a moment to digest this information before turning back towards the TV.
  316. >"Whatever. Netflix?"
  317. "Yep."
  318. >"Same password?"
  319. “...Yep."
  320. >You stack the last of the plates and dry your hands.
  321. >Aria seems to have figured out the TV, as some crime show has started to play on the screen.
  322. >You stretch your back and answer the beckons of your bed.
  323. >Aria notices you out of the corner of her eye.
  324. >"Where you going?"
  325. "My room."
  326. >...
  327. >...
  328. >...
  329. >Night class.
  330. >There’s never a time during the day where you want to be home more.
  331. >Instead here you are.
  332. >Waiting for a professor who doesn’t want to be here anymore than you.
  333. >She seems to take rather perverse enjoyment out of taking attendance, considering it’s worth a healthy chunk of your grade.
  334. >Your gaze drifts towards the doorway, were the occasional student trudges through the door.
  335. >Each one looking as drained as you imagine you appear to be.
  336. >You glance at your phone to check the time, but it only serves to remind you how long you’re here for.
  337. >Maybe you can just watch something on your laptop.
  338. >You fish your laptop out from your bag and flip the screen up.
  339. >Can just connect to your NAS and-
  340. >”Anon!”
  341. >Or not.
  342. >You lower the screen to reveal a grinning blue face staring straight back at you.
  343. “Hi Sonata.”
  344. >You push the screen back, blocking her from your view.
  345. >"Soooo, Anon~"
  346. >Her ponytail rises into view, slowly before her eyes peer from the top of your only protection.
  347. >Guess it can’t be avoided.
  348. "Hmm?"
  349. >Sonata leans over her chair and rests her elbows on your desk.
  350. >”I know a little secret about-”
  351. >Sonata leans in closer, putting more weight onto the back of her chair.
  352. >”-you”
  353. >She punctuates her statement by lightly tapping your nose with her finger, causing your nose to twitch at the touch.
  354. >You sigh as you scratch the feeling away and stare back at her.
  355. ”Oh yeah?”
  356. >”Do ya know what it is?”
  357. >You roll your eyes.
  358. “Is it that your chair is gonna tip over?”
  359. >”No it-what?”
  360. >The girl leans forward a bit more, causing her chair to totter with the imbalance.
  361. >Sonata yelps and grips onto your desk to keep herself from falling over.
  362. >You chuckle as you flip the screen of your laptop back open, only for it to be slammed shut by the blue girl.
  363. >The expression she has is one of betrayal and hurt, her bottom lip quivering into a small pout.
  364. >”How could you do that, Anon!”
  365. >A shrug is the only response you can come up with.
  366. “Do what?”
  367. >Sonata opens her mouth as if to speak, but closes it.
  368. >Several other students were watching you two, but the rest were just slouched in their seats.
  369. >Being a night class, everyone is running on proverbial fumes.
  370. >The lecture hall is not even half full, but it’s to be expected of classes like this.
  371. >The seats surrounding the central podium are sparsely populated with exhausted students, waiting to go home.
  372. >Sonata sits back in her seat, crossing her arms over her perky chest.
  373. >”I guess you don’t want to hear my secret.”
  374. “Guess not.”
  375. >”Hey!” Sonata stares at you in shock. “You’re not supposed to agree!”
  376. “Oh. Ok.”
  377. >”Wh-I-You-” Sonata attempts to stammer out a response but it’s stopped by your finger placed on her lips.
  378. “She’s here, Sonata.”
  379. >You nod your head towards the direction of the door, from which the professor emerges.
  380. >Her beady eyes scour the hall, forming a mental list of who she decided to spite during tonight's lecture
  381. >The professor locks eyes with Sonata and she homes in on her first victim.
  382. “Ms.Dusk. Take your seat or I will mark you absent”
  383. >”Yes, Ms.Cinch. Sorry Ms.Cinch.” She slides back into her seat and tries to make herself a smaller target.
  384. >”Now then, I will be taking attendance. I hope by now you are all aware as to why.”
  385. >Because you’re a cunt.
  386. >”Now then-” Cinch takes a brief moment to clear her throat and adjusts her glasses. “Green Apple”
  387. >”Here.”
  388. >Gotta wait a bit before you can tune Cinch out.
  389. >She loves saying how much she hates repeating herself.
  390. >”Silver Dust.”
  391. >”Here.”
  392. >”Sonata Dusk.”
  393. >Sonata quickly raises her hand and exclaims “Here!”
  394. >The girl immediately returns her attention to her desk, scribbling furiously on a small slip of paper.
  395. >She puts her pencil down and looks up towards Cinch as she folds the slip in her hands.
  396. >”Flash Fire.”
  397. >...
  398. >”...Ahem. Flash Fire?”
  399. >...
  400. >”Very well. If Mr.Fire does not choose to put in even the minimum effort to pass this class, he must face the consequences.”
  401. >Cinch turns back towards the teacher's desk and begins to jot down something.
  402. >”This generation must learn to properly understand good discipline if they are to give this department and this school a good name in the future.”
  403. >With Cinch’s back turned, Sonata quickly flings the slip of paper behind her.
  404. >The paper flutters onto your keyboard just in time for Cinch to turn back to face the class.
  405. >”Now then. Hopefully the rest of the class is more exemplary. Ever Glade.”
  406. >”Here.”
  407. >You stare at the small scrap in front of you as you hear Cinch call off names.
  408. >It seems small enough to where it’s not long winded.
  409. >Sonata probably doesn’t have the attention span to write anything longer than a paragraph.
  410. >You take the folded paper in between two fingers and fiddle with it.
  411. >What secret could she be talking about?
  412. >You feel your heart rate rise and fall as you think of different possibilities.
  413. >”MISTER ANONYMOUS!”
  414. >You slap your hands down on your desk in shock.
  415. “What?”
  416. >Cinch is standing at the end of the row, her hands on her hips.
  417. >Her eyes peer at you behind her glasses in such a way that it makes you feel like they’re burning holes right into you.
  418. “Mister Anonymous. When you are in this class, I demand your undivided attention. I will not tolerate any daydreaming in this class. You should understand this by now.”
  419. “Yes, Ms.Cinch.”
  420. >Cinch turns around and makes her way back to the podium, making marks on her clipboard.
  421. >”Since you did not respond when called, I will be counting you as late.”
  422. >’WHAT??????’
  423. >You begin to stand up and shout in protest, but stop yourself.
  424. >You sink back further into your chair, realizing that whatever you say would go in one ear and out the other.
  425. >Fucking cunt.
  426. >People around the class exchange looks with each other and you, casting their pity onto you.
  427. >The whispers of several nearby catch your attention.
  428. >”Can she even do that?”
  429. >”I can’t believe her.”
  430. >Sonata briefly turns to face you and leans in to whisper.
  431. >”Sorry, Anon.”
  432. >You wave your hand dismissively and point towards the front of the class.
  433. “Don’t get in trouble because of me. Pay attention.”
  434. >Sonata anxiously glances down at the paper in your hand and turns back towards the front.
  435. >Whatever.
  436. >Let’s see what she knows.
  437. >You fumble around with Sonatas note and flip it open.
  438. >On the note are six words that make your heart skip momentarily.
  439. >’I know you like Aria.’
  440. >...
  441. >...
  442. >...
  443. >You sigh inwardly as you stare at the disarray laid out before you.
  444. >Palettes of makeup cast about on the countertop, spewing their chalky contents across the tile.
  445. >Brushes of different shapes and sizes are scattered, leaving a small pile of dust and stray fibers around.
  446. >Clumps of matted purple hair sit at the bottom of the sink, a comb sitting on the edge that was more hair than teeth.
  447. >Pulling a single strand from the drain reveals a much larger and horrific truth than originally thought.
  448. >Nothing about this scene is unfamiliar to you however.
  449. >You throw the tribble into the trash and lean over the counter
  450. >However, a large smear of some makeup greets the palm of your hand and leaves a bright purple stain.
  451. >You pull a large swath of toilet paper off the roll and clean your hand, tossing the tissue away.
  452. >It’s something that plagued your dorm bathroom back in college.
  453. >It was a serious point of contention with all your roommates, leaving you to clean it to avoid any further conflict.
  454. >When you tried to bring it up with Aria, she would just shrug it away, state that “it wasn’t that bad.” and go off on how her bathroom was much worse.
  455. >And in a fucked up kind of way, she was right.
  456. >Which was why you always took a shit before you would go visit Aria at her place.
  457. >You involuntarily shutter at the memories.
  458. >Your instincts are yelling at you to wipe everything down.
  459. >Must make everything pristine and clean again.
  460. >But the clock on your phone is also telling you that you need to get to work.
  461. >You pick your bag back up and sling it over your shoulder.
  462. “Just try not to think about it.”
  463. >Just close the door.
  464. >Out of sight, out of mind.
  465. >You turn down towards the hallway.
  466. >Out of sight out of mind.
  467. >Aria sidles past you, pulling her hair into her ponytails.
  468. >However, her usual punk attire has been traded in for what appears to be a uniform for the local movie theater.
  469. >You can certainly see her 3 years at college paid off well.
  470. “Hey.”
  471. >”What.” Aria doesn’t meet your stare, as she continues to shove her things into her own bag.
  472. “You know what. Pick up your shit. The bathroom is a mess.”
  473. >”Can’t. Gonna be late.”
  474. “Clean it when you get back then.”
  475. >Aria lets out one of her exasperated sighs before she mumbles “Fine.”
  476. “Good. I'll be back around 9.”
  477. >You close the door behind you and head out for the day, leaving behind any lingering worries about what you might find when you come back.
  478. >Out of sight, out of mind.
  479. >She did agree to clean it up.
  480. >Whether she actually would is another matter entirely, but it’s progress.
  481. >No worries are in your mind as you press the ignition of your car, hearing it’s engine roar in response.
  482. >Only sweet thoughts of the money you’re saving.
  483. >...
  484. >Fuckin Jenkins.
  485. >No one on your team wants to migrate to Ansible so you’re stuck clunking around with this mess of a system.
  486. >Assholes.
  487. >The buzzing of your phone pulls your attention from your terminal screens.
  488. >The display shows a number instead of a contact name.
  489. >You swipe to decline the call and turn your attention back to your current problem of no one knowing how to export container data like a normal human being.
  490. >Your phone resumes its enthusiastic buzzing once more, with the same number displayed on the screen.
  491. >Couldn’t be Sunset.
  492. >You saved her number last night.
  493. >They can leave a voicemail.
  494. >’docker exec -d /bin/re-’
  495. >Your phone buzzes once and indicates that you’ve gotten a text.
  496. >You tap your passcode into your phone and open your messages.
  497. >Upon reading the contents of the text you immediately realize who the sender is, breathing a sigh of relief that you didn’t answer.
  498. >’Hey asshole, answer your phone. I’m locked out.’
  499. >Oh, such a shame.
  500. >You forgot to give her key back.
  501. >What a shame, indeed.
  502. >You drag your thumb over your phone's keyboard and review the message.
  503. >’At work for a while. You’ll get your key tomorrow. Go find somewhere else to be in the meantime.’
  504. >Send.
  505. >You place your phone face down in an attempt to isolate yourself and turn your attention to the myriad of error messages thrown up on your screen, straining to pick out the telltale one.
  506. >’Couldn’t read version from server.’
  507. >God damnit.
  508. >./load_env
  509. >vi KUBECONF
  510. >Another buzz from your phone makes you groan in anguish.
  511. > You flip over your phone and swipe open the screen.
  512. >’Nevermind I got in.’
  513. >God damnit.
  514. >...
  515. “Just count yourself lucky that my neighbors weren’t here to call the goddamn cops on you.”
  516. >Aria sits in the chair across from you, arms crossed and legs thrown over the side.
  517. >”I said I was sorry.”
  518. “Yea, you say that a lot. But is sorry gonna fix-”
  519. >You point towards the door hanging listlessly open with a small hole where the knob should be
  520. “That?”
  521. >The doorknob is sitting between the two of you, accompanied by several screws that once held it in place.
  522. >Her expression betrays the notion in her head that she was the one wronged here.
  523. >”You didn’t give me a key.”
  524. “Oh well excuse me for not having the clairvoyance to give my ex her key back, how silly of me.”
  525. >Aria shoots you a glare before turning her attention to the tips of her boots.
  526. >A response seems to escape you for a moment before you finally collect some words.
  527. “How did you even...I mean, there’s no way to-?”
  528. >Your question earns you a shrug.
  529. >”Just some skills.” Aria responds, her focus not taken away from the ceiling. “Picked em up duri-”
  530. >You wave your hands in the air as you rise from your chair and pick your bag up.
  531. “It doesn’t matter. Nevermind. Point is, I want this thing fixed before I come back home tonight.”
  532. >Aria returns your demand with a grimace, but says nothing.
  533. >You grab the door by the hole and swing it open.
  534. >Just as you’re about to step outside you hear Aria pipe up.
  535. >”Why can’t you just call some repair guy?”
  536. >Your foot stops you in your place, and immediately pivots you back towards the girl.
  537. >Before you know it, you’re standing right over the chair, looming over her.
  538. >Aria has shrunk into the chair, but the look on her face doesn’t betray any timidity.
  539. >But deep down, she knows what a thin line she treads.
  540. >It was not very often that you ever had the dominant position in your interactions.
  541. >Her lips are pursed as she stares at you and awaits whatever action you’re going to take.
  542. “I can think of more reasons than I can count, let me list a couple for you, AND state them clearly enough for you to wrap your head around.”
  543. >You jab your hand out in front of you, quick enough to make her flinch.
  544. “One.-”
  545. >You extend your middle finger.
  546. ”Because this is MY place and I say so. Two, Be-”
  547. >You almost lose your train of thought as a subtle scent catches you off guard.
  548. >Lavender.
  549. >It’s her.
  550. >She’s still using the same shampoo.
  551. ”...Because I don’t want to have to pay for some greasy balding fat man to take 2 weeks to come put screws in my fucking door. Three-”
  552. >It’s the same one you’d bought her.
  553. >You swallow a lump in your throat.
  554. >You fell asleep to that smell.
  555. >The scent, while bringing some sense of familiarity, only serves to open up a wound that continues to widen.
  556. “Because while you live under MY roof and eat MY food and sleep in one of MY rooms, you’re gonna do what I fucking say or I’ll be more than happy to escort you and your shit to the nearest homeless shelter. Got it?”
  557. >Aria’s face is scrunched up, but her hands are balled so tightly that they’re shaking.
  558. >Content that you got your point across, you step back and allow the uncomfortable silence to grow between you two.
  559. >Obviously wanting to say something, Aria instead opts to bite her tongue and stare into her lap.
  560. “I’ll be back around 9.”
  561. >You slam the door shut before a response can be heard.
  562. >You check your phone, silently pleading to yourself that this gave you some time to enjoy a meal.
  563. >And then loudly cursing as you see you have 10 minutes left.
  564. >While you may not have time to enjoy your leftover dinner, you still can claim some small sense of satisfaction.
  565. >Aria may be a stubborn bitch, but she’s not Sonata.
  566. >There’s no real concern in your mind that the door won’t be fixed.
  567. >It’d be a lose-lose situation; she’d be out of a home, and you’d be left with a broken door and full rent.
  568. >She’ll definitely have to be more agreeable if she doesn’t want to find herself out on the street.
  569. >Perhaps you need to sit down with her and lay down the rules.
  570. >Or leave passive-aggressive post-its on her door.
  571. >You slam your car door closed and sit there as you recall the smell of lavender and cast your mind back to better days.
  572. >And...
  573. >Why did she still use that shampoo.
  574. >Why did it make you feel so conflicted?
  575. >Just thinking about her made you feel disgusted and angry.
  576. >...
  577. >Maybe this was a bad idea after all.
  578. >Was an extra couple hundred bucks really worth putting up with this?
  579. >You pull out your phone and tap on Sunsets contact.
  580. >Your thumb hovers over the call icon, unmoving.
  581. >A million streams of thoughts roll around in your head, overwhelming your head with thousands of voices.
  582. >Eventually, they all begin to say the same thing.
  583. >’Why are you doing this?’
  584. >...
  585. >...
  586. “Asshole.”
  587. >If he’d given you the key, this wouldn’t have been a problem.
  588. >You pick the doorknob off the coffee table and stare at the door.
  589. >It swings ever so slightly with the gentle breeze coming through.
  590. >Well if you took it apart you can put it back in, right?
  591. >Wait, why are you even thinking about fixing it? It’s his fault in the first place.
  592. >Just leave it for him to fix when he gets back.
  593. >’And risk getting kicked out?’
  594. >He wouldn’t do that. He’s too nice.
  595. >’Bet.’
  596. >You stare at the metallic object in your hand, and up at the door.
  597. “God damnit…”
  598. >You fish your phone out of your back pocket and slide it open to your contacts and tap on Sonata.
  599. >The phone rings twice before a pause followed by a sing-song not-Sonata voice.
  600. >”Heelllloooooo~?”
  601. “Uuuuhh Hi? Wh-who is this?”
  602. >”This is Pinkie Pie! What’s cookin’, Aria?”
  603. “I wan-wait how did you know it was me?”
  604. >”Uh DUH, Silly Ari-Rawri! Your name popped up on the phone! I’m not psychic or anything.”
  605. “Oh. Yeah. Well I nee-”
  606. >”You wanna talk to Sonata about issues with Anon? Hol’ on, she’s right here.”
  607. “WAIT WH-”
  608. >”Heeeeeey Sis!”
  609. “Ugh, Hey Sonata.”
  610. >”Pinkie said you were havin’ troubles with Nonny? Does that mean you’re trying to get back with him?”
  611. “NO. It does NOT mean that!”
  612. >”Ok, ok. So what’s the dealio?”
  613. “Well...I moved back into his place and-”
  614. >A shrill laugh cuts into your eardrum, making you recoil from your phone.
  615. “What the hell are you laughing about?!?”
  616. >”Oh. Migosh. Aria. You, like TOTALLY are trying to!”
  617. >Your knuckles feel like they’re going to pop out of your hand.
  618. “It’s.Not.Like.That.Idiot.”
  619. >Sonata groans. “Cmon, Aria. It seems a looooooot like it to m-”
  620. “I’M NOT TRYING TO GET BACK WITH HIM. EVER. AT ALL. END OF STORY!!”
  621. >You take several deep breaths and hold back the desire to throw your phone at the wall.
  622. >She’s always been like this ever since it ended between you two.
  623. >’Oh Aria, you need to, like win him back. He’s such a sweetie. And he looks reeeeally tasty too teehee I’m a brainless idiot’.
  624. >The thought of Anon with SONATA of all people made your lips involuntarily curl back.
  625. >Sonata meekly replies “You need to, like, really chill it Aria. I’m just messing around.”
  626. “You need to get it soaked into your thick head that there is no chance that I am going to get back with Anon.”
  627. >You heave a heavy sigh.
  628. “If you saw the way he glares at me now, you’d see there’s no way in hell that’s happening…”
  629. >His expression was still visible in your mind.
  630. >Eyes flaring with contempt and anger, his mouth contorted in a scowl that did not hide his disgust for you.
  631. >Jerk.
  632. >”Soooounds like you’re sad about that, Sis.”
  633. “I- ugh look, I haven’t asked you my fucking question. Can I finish? Please?”
  634. >You pinch the bridge of your nose.
  635. “Damnit, I don’t even know why I called you.”
  636. >”Just sayin’.”
  637. “ANYWAY. He didn’t give me a key and I had to break in. He chewed me out and left all pissed so now I have to fix his door.”
  638. >”So you’re calling cuz you want me to fix the door?”
  639. >Sonata’s question leaves you blank.
  640. >What advice are you even looking for?
  641. “I-I don’t know. I guess I just called because I felt...I don’t know. Whatever.”
  642. >”I see.”
  643. “Look, I guess I just wanted someone I could call and talk to and I don’t want call Adagio because she’d probably rub this all in my face about how ‘she always knows best’ and how I’m ‘always just causing trouble for myself’.”
  644. >You slump back onto the couch, feeling the leather sink in. Making you wish it absorbed you into a void.
  645. “As if I hadn't heard that enough.”
  646. >You’re greeted with a rare silence from Sonata, something you normally love. It just annoys you now.
  647. “Well? Got anything stirring in that empty pot you call a head?”
  648. >”Oh you’re finished? OK! Uhhmmmmmm, do ya want me and Pinkie to come over?”
  649. “Fuck no. Fuck that. Last thing he probably wants is two spaztastic bimbos in his place.”
  650. >”I was gonna say we could help, but fine if you’re gonna be that way I’ll just hang up!”
  651. “Fine! I’m fine on my own anyway!”
  652. >”Fine!”
  653. “Fine!”
  654. >”Fine!”
  655. “FINE!”
  656. >You smash the end call button and throw your phone to the other end of the couch, collapsing back down.
  657. “UuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!”
  658. >You wrench at your pigtails in frustration.
  659. “I don’t need any of them! I can do this shit on my own.”
  660. >You jump up off the couch and grab the broken knob.
  661. “I’ll show him. I’ll show them all. I’m fine. I don’t need anyone.”
  662. >...
  663. >...
  664. >...
  665. “Sonata you can not say a fuckin word to Aria.”
  666. >Sonata hums happily as she skips by your side as you exit the classroom.
  667. >People file out beside the two of you, eager to find solace in the comfort of their own homes.
  668. >Or vans.
  669. >Or cars.
  670. >The two of you are walking away from the parking lot, towards the campus cafe. Last stop for late night munchies or stressed out students.
  671. >Sonata agreed to talk more over food and drink.
  672. >On your tab of course.
  673. >While the sun had set not too long ago, the college provided a beautiful well lit pathway all throughout the campus.
  674. >The night cooled the air down, making it a brisk warm breeze.
  675. >Didn’t help the cold feeling shooting up and down your spine.
  676. >What if she’d already told Aria.
  677. >You quickly look behind you, expecting to see a blur of purple anger dashing towards you.
  678. >All you see is one of the campus feral cats dash across the pathway towards some bushes.
  679. >Sonata nudges you with her shoulder ”Relaxies, Anon. She’s at the gym right now.”
  680. >You step in front of Sonata.
  681. “Sonata, I’m serious about this. You know how your sister is. If she finds out I’m fucking screwed!”
  682. >The ditz rocks back and forth on her feet, avoiding your gaze.
  683. >”I dunno, Anon. I’m getting pretty hungry and the cafe closes soon~. Maybe I’ll just text Aria and see-”
  684. “I already told you I’m buying you food, Sonata PLEASE don’t-”
  685. >A fit of giggles erupts from the girl.
  686. >”I know, Anon. I’m just totally messin’ with ya! C’mon they’re gonna shut down the shake machine soon!”
  687. >...
  688. >”So why haven’t ya told Aria that you like her yet?”
  689. >Sonata sucks down another gulp of milkshake before stuffing another handful of fries in her face.
  690. >The two of you elected to eat your food outside at the base of some art sculpture in the quad.
  691. >The atmosphere inside the cafe was way too….melancholic.
  692. >The only people there were the half asleep employees thumbing away at their phones and someone hunched over a pile of books and papers at a corner table.
  693. >You couldn’t tell if they were sobbing or snoring. Maybe both
  694. >The warm night offered a much more peaceful environment to calm your inner turmoil.
  695. >”Well?”
  696. “What?”
  697. >”Why haven’t you tried to hook up with Aria yet?”
  698. “You serious?-”
  699. >You take a bite of your burger, and chew a few times.
  700. “She’s the kinda girl that will kick anyone’s ass for looking at her funny.”
  701. >You leave out that part that you love a girl who could kick your ass.
  702. >You take a long drink of your sprite to wash down your food.
  703. “-Can you imagine how she’d react if someone like ME tried to confess to her?”
  704. >”Whaddya mean?”
  705. “Look at me, Sonata.-”
  706. >You gesture at yourself.
  707. “-Do I really look like someone that Aria WOULDN’T be absolutely disgusted by? I mean, she’s fit, she’s fiery, she’s smart, she’s beautiful, and I’m-”
  708. >”A lanky, weird dude studying computers for school?”
  709. “...Yeah. That.”
  710. >”Iunno, Anon. To all the girls these days, skinny is the new fit~”
  711. “So you’d want to date me?”
  712. >”Ewww-I mean, uhhhh. Not exactly?”
  713. “I rest my case.”
  714. >”But I’m not Aria, y’know? She has, like, her own things and stuff.”
  715. >Another bite followed by some contemplative chewing.
  716. “It’s better for me not to risk my neck like that and admire from a distance.”
  717. >”Like a stalker?”
  718. “Ye-NO! Not like-ugh, nevermind. I can’t.”
  719. >You take another bite of your burger.
  720. >”Have you even tried talkin’ to her? Like, when have you ever said anything to her?”
  721. “That was probably when we were in that world history class together…”
  722. >”And? What she say?”
  723. “Well, I asked her for notes that I missed from when I slept in the class before.”
  724. “Aaannddd?”
  725. “...And she looked at me like I had just ripped a nasty fart.”
  726. >”Uhm. Ew? Did you?”
  727. “No, I save those for my bathroom so my roommates can enjoy them.”
  728. >”Gross, Anon.”
  729. >You chuckle to yourself before emptying your soda.
  730. “So I think it’s safe to say I’m not a prime pick for Aria.”
  731. >Well...Do you want me to ask her for you?”
  732. >You scoff.
  733. “Sonata, we’re not in high school anymore. Please.”
  734. >The girl raises her eyebrow. You feel a sweat start to break out.
  735. >This could be your chance.
  736. “...Be discreet about it.”
  737. >”Discreet? What’s that mean?”
  738. “It means don’t just say ‘Hey Aria, Anon thinks you’re a hot piece of ass. What do you think of him?’. Don’t do that.”
  739. >Sonata giggles and starts to pick at your fries.
  740. >”I wasn’t going to, but what you said seems waaay more fun to say to her.”
  741. “Damnit, I will buy you food for the rest of the semester if you do NOT do that.”
  742. >”Okie! Dealzies, forealzies!”
  743. “Please don’t say that.”
  744. >Sonata giggles again.
  745. >“Dealzies.”
  746. >Ugh.
  747. >...
  748. >...
  749. >...
  750. >You lock your workstation and zip your bag up, slinging it onto your shoulder.
  751. >You look around at the office. Cubicle desks strewn with papers and disassembled tech.
  752. >Several of these desks are occupied by the overnight workers, each with their own assortment of energy drinks and soda.
  753. >You wave goodbye to them and head out. You stayed a little longer than your shift, insisting you needed to finish up on some scripts.
  754. >In reality, you were almost dreading returning home. This time alone was to brace yourself.
  755. >You mostly expected to come across your door still hanging open, and Aria nonchalantly watching something on Netflix.
  756. >While you would be more than happy to throw Aria out on her ass, you would not look forward to the act of trying to do so.
  757. >Even though you’ve been hitting the gym much more often these days, you are certain she could still beat your ass.
  758. >You lock the door to the office and make your way out, your footsteps echoing across the empty hallway that leads out to the parking lot.
  759. >Was there really no other place for her to go?
  760. >Seemed like the last place she would want to be is near you.
  761. >Maybe it really was an only option. You wouldn’t be surprised if she’d burnt so many bridges since college that she had no choice.
  762. >But you shouldn’t have even been an option, all things considered.
  763. >Seems like Aria gambled for the chance.
  764. >Or maybe she thought she could just walk all over you again?
  765. >Maybe she thinks you’re weak like you were.
  766. >You’re probably going to come home and not only see the door not fixed but a worse mess than you left her in.
  767. >She thinks she can step all over you again like that?
  768. >The closer you get to home the angrier you get, until you’re white knuckling your steering wheel and clenching your teeth.
  769. >Normally, your drive home decompresses you and makes you tired.
  770. >But right now every muscle in your body feels like a compressed metal coil just waiting to spring into action.
  771. >Various scenarios of what you come home to and how the following altercation might ensue only serves to make yourself angrier.
  772. >Your near blind rage almost makes you miss the turn to your street.
  773. >With a hard yank on the wheel and screech of the tires, you swerve back away from the street and wheel around towards your street.
  774. >A hidden blessing of working evenings is that you get to enjoy a practically empty road on the way home.
  775. >But the pleasure is lost on you as you peel down the road, fueled by your own hate-induced fantasies to reach home.
  776. >You turn into the parking lot and jump out of your car, yank your keys out and slam your door shut.
  777. >The mental image of walking past a busted door with Aria lazing away on YOUR couch and eating YOUR food plays over and over in your head.
  778. >It almost feels as if you’re eager to start some sort of fight or some resistance.
  779. >Your angry pace slows somewhat.
  780. >Do you really want something to happen?
  781. >While it’s no surprise that Aria has been irritating you ever since, you’re the one who agreed to it.
  782. >And yet again you come back to the same question you’ve been asking yourself this entire time.
  783. >Why?
  784. >Here you are, standing out in the parking lot of your apartment at night, presented with another opportunity to cut Aria out of your life.
  785. >And you’re hesitant.
  786. >Why?
  787. >You can nip this in the bud and never have to put up with her again with just one phone call, but you’re somehow reluctant to do so.
  788. >Why?
  789. >You forgot to get your bag from your car.
  790. >Why?
  791. >At least you have an answer to that one.
  792. >You walk back to your car and grab your bag, making the quiet journey back across the lot.
  793. >Things would have been so much easier if you had just turned off your phone that night.
  794. >Your footsteps clatter against the stairsteps as you hurriedly make your way up.
  795. >’Here it comes. The door is still gonna be broken and you’re gonna have to deal with this shit’
  796. >”About time, loser.”
  797. >The sound of Aria’s voice almost causes you to lose your footing and slip, but you catch yourself on the banister.
  798. >At the top of the stairs is Aria, leaning on the same banister with a smug look on her face.
  799. >You shake your head and walk up past her towards your unit.
  800. “So eager to see me that you couldn’t wait at the apartment, huh?”
  801. >”Wh-NO! Fuck off. I just came out to gloat in my victory!”
  802. “You’re what now?”
  803. >Aria strides ahead of you and stops right before your doorway.
  804. >”Gentlemen…”
  805. >She flamboyantly gestures towards it. “BEHOLD!”
  806. >Huh.
  807. >Well shit she actually fixed it.
  808. >She remains fixed in her position, a smug shit-eating grin plastered across her face. “Well?”
  809. “Uh, well what?”
  810. >Aria groans. “What do you mean?? I fixed your damn door!”. She grabs the handle and demonstrates its door abilities several times over while glaring at you.
  811. “Yea, I see that. Now move over so I can go through my damn door.”
  812. >You nudge past her and toss your bag onto a chair as you make a beeline for your fridge.
  813. >A beer sounds good right now. You’ve put yourself through a rollercoaster of stress today.
  814. >The blast of chilled air kisses your face as you open the fridge and pull out a large can you’d been saving for bad days.
  815. >”Uuhhh, you aren’t gonna thank me, dork?”
  816. >The ride never ends, apparently.
  817. “For what? For fixing something YOU fucked up in the first place?” You pop the tap open before taking a large gulp and turning back. “I don’t think so.”
  818. >Aria looks incredulously at you as she places her hands on her hips.
  819. >”What is your problem? I did what you asked me to do. A fucking ‘thanks’, would be nice.”
  820. “Fuck off.” You pause to take another gulp, which Aria takes advantage of.
  821. >”It was a pain in the ass to put that back together, could have just had someone come do it for me. I want a ‘thank you’, dick.”
  822. “Can we seriously not do this now? It’s my weekend and I’d really rather spend my night getting drunk playing games than listening to you.”
  823. >“Not until I get some gratitude.”
  824. “I’m not kicking your ass to the curb so you can live in a box underneath the interchange! How’s that for gratitude, you arrogant bitch.”
  825. >”ARROGANT?” Aria yells. “That’s fucking rich coming from you, needledick! Ever since I’ve come back, you’ve acted like a pouty little manchild.”
  826. “Yeah, uh, forgive me if I’m STILL a little peeved at you for what you did to me last time I let you in here.”
  827. >Like a flame being snuffed out, you see the hostility in Aria completely vanish. Aria clenches her jaw as she studies you. “That’s what this is all about, huh? You really want me to be the bad person here, don’t you?” She dismisses you with a wave of her hand. “Couldn’t just fucking move on…”
  828. >You laugh bitterly. “Move on?”
  829. >You throw the can into the sink, splattering beer across every surface and startling Aria.
  830. “MOVE ON?!?”
  831. >You get straight in her face again and the smell of lavender assails you once more.
  832. YOU FUCKING CHEATED ON ME IN OUR GOD DAMN BED. YOU DON’T JUST MOVE ON FROM THAT. I had to toss MY mattress and sheets because I felt so FUCKING disgusted every time I looked at it, you selfish cunt!”
  833. >Before Aria can respond you hear a series of loud raps at the door, followed by a muffled voice
  834. >“Anon?”
  835. >The two of you exchange glares before you head over to the door and peep through the spyhole.
  836. >Your neighbor Moondancer is standing there, a bag of groceries clutched in her arm as she fiddles with her oversized sweater nervously.
  837. >A fairly bookish girl who’s also a PhD candidate at your alma mater, she’s the only neighbor you’ve actively spoken to.
  838. >You open the door just enough to poke yourself out of, making sure Aria is hidden from view.
  839. “Hey Moondancer what’s up?”
  840. >”Ummm, I-I know it might not be any of my business, but I just overheard a lot of, um, arguing as I was coming up and I was...well...I, um, I was worried.”
  841. “Oh. Well…”
  842. >You wave your hand dismissively.
  843. >Your altercation with Aria just reopened some old emotional wounds, so you’re still fighting back some tears from showing.
  844. >The lump in your throat goes down after an awkward swallow, and you breathe deeply.
  845. “To be perfectly honest, it’s been a bit of a stressful week. I’ve been having to deal with problem clients and users nonstop. It’s all kind of just boiled over and I needed to let off a little steam by yelling.”
  846. >”A little?” Moondancer furrows her brows “Anon, I heard you from down the stairs. You were probably disturbing everyone else. Are you sure you’re alright?”
  847. “Yea...yea. Like I said, it’s been a long week. I just need to destress a bit. Want to get a raid together this weekend?”
  848. >Moondancer shakes her head and pushes her glasses back up. “Sorry, I’ve got a deadline to meet next friday and I’m kind of behind. Next weekend should be fine though.”
  849. “Sounds like a plan. Do you need help with those?”
  850. >”No, I’ve got this. You seem like you should get some rest.”
  851. >You force a small smile and nod.
  852. >It would have been nice to have a reason to stay out of your apartment, but being outside has already cooled you off considerably.
  853. “Yea, I was gonna have dinner and head to bed. G‘Night.”
  854. >You wave to Moondancer as she walks down the corridor, stopping at her door further down.
  855. >You exchange courteous waves before she disappears into her apartment, and you breathe a heavy sigh as you rest on the banister and gaze out into the night.
  856. >The trickle of tears starts to flow despite your best efforts to blink them back.
  857. “Waste of some good beer back there.”
  858. >You take several more moments to watch the night sky before a gust of wind reminds you of your lack of a sweater.
  859. >Wiping your cheeks with your wrist, you take one last deep breath before you open the door.
  860. >Aria is sitting on the couch, her knees tucked close to her chest. Her gaze is fixated towards some crime drama on the TV.
  861. >On the coffee table in front of your chair is another beer, complete with a coaster.
  862. >You kick off your shoes by the door and trudge over to pick up the beer, collapsing onto the chair as you take a hearty gulp.
  863. >You empty the can in a matter of moments before you get back up and make your way to the fridge and open it to retrieve another container of emotion-numbing liquid.
  864. >As you grasp another cold can, you hesitate for a moment before grabbing another and shutting the door.
  865. >If the two of you are gonna be miserable, might as well have alcohol.
  866. >You set the can in front of Aria as you sit back down in your chair and glue your eyes back at the TV, watching but not actually paying attention.
  867. >A sharp hiss breaks the quiet, and Aria takes a drink before returning to her fetal position.
  868. >The night passes as the two of you sit in relative silence, alternating turns pulling beer out of the fridge for the two of you without a single word exchanged.
  869. >After a while your stomach starts to growl, so you stand back up and walk back over to the fridge.
  870. >The lack of food in your stomach partnered with the cheap beer you’re essentially inhaling leaves you feeling a little off kilter, but you make it to the kitchen and start fishing out leftovers to pick at as well as the last two beers.
  871. “Hey.”
  872. >Aria turns and catches the beer you clumsily toss towards her. She fumbles with the can before clutching it with shaky hands.
  873. >You sit back down, placing several dishes of microwaved chicken and veggies, which you both greedily devour in a short manner of time.
  874. >Aria looks uneasy as she takes a deep breath and finally speaks. Her voice is shaky and quiet.
  875. >”Anon.”
  876. >You don’t respond, but she continues anyway.
  877. >”What‘s going to happen now.”
  878. >Her question hangs in the air like a thick cobweb, until you finally decide to brush it away.
  879. >Your own voice comes out quiet and raspy as well.
  880. “I don’t know. At this point I don’t think it matters. Let you stay, kick you out. I think either choice would make me feel terrible.”
  881. >You take another drink, tasting salty tears on the brim of your can.
  882. “I wish it was an easier choice for me to make. Believe me, I would love to just wipe my hands clean of you.”
  883. >”I-”
  884. “I spent so long being angry. Angry at you, angry at that asshole...angry at me. I’m just tired now. I don’t even wanna fight about it anymore. I don’t care. I don’t want to care. And you wanna know something weird? Yelling at you just now didn’t make me feel better. It made me feel worse”
  885. >You sniffle and lift your head to look at her.
  886. “I’m not sure what I want to feel right now. It’s hard to say what I’m feeling right now. All I know is just having you back here really fucking hurts. But I made the choice myself, so I can’t blame you.”
  887. >She’s staring back at you tentatively.
  888. >You hate to admit it to yourself, but you find the fact that her expression has softened to be begrudgingly comforting.
  889. “This shit has thrown me out of the loop so hard. I only recently got my shit together and started living for myself and then BAM-”
  890. >You smack the coffee table for emphasis, startling Aria.
  891. “-Here comes Sunset in tow with someone I...hoped to never see again.”
  892. >You finish with a long exhale and bury your head in your hands.
  893. >”I’m sor-”
  894. “No.”
  895. >You shake your head vigorously.
  896. “Nonono you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to act like you care. Not now. That ship fucking sailed long ago. You don’t get to bullshit me like that anymore.”
  897. >Everything about this night has made your mind relive countless nights spent awake wondering what you did wrong.
  898. >What you could have done to prevent it.
  899. >Like it was your fault.
  900. >Was it?
  901. >A million thoughts were racing through your head, none of them seeming like the right thing to think.
  902. >”...Why did you let me stay then? If you hate me so much why did you let me come back??”
  903. >You shake your head.
  904. >There it is.
  905. “I guess-”
  906. >The question you’ve been asking yourself.
  907. >Did you enjoy making yourself suffer?
  908. >Was there something you feel like you needed to atone for?
  909. >But for some reason now, the answer comes so naturally to you that you speak it before even thinking about it.
  910. ”I guess I just wanted to know if I could move on.”
  911. >You finish your last beer before crunching the can in your hand.
  912. >“Rent’s due this Friday.” You growl as you get up to leave, tossing the can without a care as to where it ends up. “Either have the money on the table or have your bags at the door, I don’t fucking care which.”
  913. >...
  914. >...
  915. “Well I’m tired as hell, guys. I’m gonna head back to my dorm and crash.”
  916. >You push yourself away from the table you’re seated at and slide your laptop into your bag.
  917. >Slide Rule turns to look at you from behind his thick rimmed glasses.
  918. >”Are you sure Anon? We were just gonna start playing Smash.”
  919. >A pudgy young man scoffs next to Slide Rule
  920. >”Yeah, we were gonna play the GOOD one. I got my gamecube.”
  921. >”Shut up, Snips. Always with you and Melee.”
  922. >Snips crosses his arms and grumbles “Don’t blame me for Ultimate not having the best meta.”
  923. >Slide groans and rubs his temples.
  924. >“Snips, why do I have to explain this every time. There is NO difference between...”
  925. >You weren’t really tired. Quite the opposite. Several cans of energy drinks had seen to that.
  926. >Your group of friends had elected to stay at Hard Drive’s apartment for a LAN party.
  927. >This usually entailed playing games until the morning and sleeping the day away.
  928. >Tonight, however, no one seemed to agree on a single game to play.
  929. >The normal banter had devolved into passive aggressive bitching about game preferences and tier lists.
  930. >You’d just elected to remove yourself from the conversation and browse funny pictures on the internet.
  931. >As entertaining as it was, the appeal of a quiet dorm and a rock hard twin mattress felt more inviting right now.
  932. >Hard Drive chimes in amidst the arguing that was just reignited.
  933. >”You sure you don’t want to sleep on the couch, Anon? It’s kinda late.”
  934. “Nah, dorm is just a 10 minute walk from here. I’m fine.”
  935. >You snake your hand between empty liter soda bottles and grab a slice of pizza hanging from a half open box.
  936. >Your stomach protests at the thought of more greasy food and lurches.
  937. >You decide against it and throw the slice back in.
  938. “See you guys later.”
  939. >Your friends state their goodbyes before they turn back to the task of trying to prove each other wrong.
  940. >Like an internet forum in real life.
  941. >You close the door with your elbow and take a moment to enjoy the calm night air.
  942. >Free of inane bickering.
  943. >The apartment complex sits across the street from the college campus, and your destination was on the other side.
  944. >Time becomes distant as you make your walk back to your dorm on a still night, with quiet wisps of wind rolling over your bumpy skin.
  945. >The street is barren save for a couple parked cars, so you cross over onto the campus and find the path through campus dimly lit by overhead lights.
  946. >Out in the distance you can make out the dark outline of your dorm building straight ahead with bedroom lights cutting through the dark.
  947. >You begin to hear footsteps echoing behind you at a pace faster than yours, and you move to the side of the path to give whoever it is room to pass.
  948. >”Hey, you.”
  949. >The voice that cuts through the quiet breeze makes you jump.
  950. >Because you know who that voice belongs to.
  951. >”You hearing me? I’m talking to you!” the voice blurts out.
  952. >You nervously gulp as you turn to come unto your maker.
  953. >Standing before you is Aria, looking impatiently at you.
  954. >She’s dressed in tight black leggings and a green tanktop and has a large gym bag slung over her shoulder.
  955. >”’Bout time I found you. You’re a hard fuckin dork to find, y’know?”
  956. “I-is there something you need?”
  957. >”Sonata told me about you.”
  958. >The words hit you like she’d just thrown a punch.
  959. >That traitor. No more food for her.
  960. “Sh-she did?”
  961. >”Yea. And I appreciate the thought, twerp, but-”
  962. >Here it comes.
  963. >You’re about to be dropped harder than an unwanted child.
  964. >”But I’d appreciate ot if you would have some fucking guts and tell me to my face.”
  965. “I’m so sorr-Wait. You mean you’re not mad?”
  966. >”Why would I be? Honestly, I’m more pissed that you told my dumbass sister before you told me. What are you, a fucking prepubescent grade schooler? If you got something to say, say it to my face.”
  967. >She comes so close to you that you can smell a mixture of her sweat and her deodorant, a scent that you try to discreetly inhale as much as you can.
  968. >Save it for your spank bank.
  969. >”Well? Got something to say?” she deadpans to you.
  970. “Do you-you want to. Uhm. Do-I...well.”
  971. >Your attempts at any kind of response fail, so you resort to weakly gesturing as if this were a game of charades.
  972. “Y’know...Kind of...Uhm...you-me-I...uhm…”
  973. >Eventually, Aria rolls her eyes and groans, fed up with your stammering. ”Typical. Another dumb dude with no fucking balls.”
  974. >With another groan, she turns to leave back the other way, and with her your last chance of getting a date with her.
  975. >You figured Aria would be the type to want a confident man, and that was something you’d always struggled to be.
  976. >The intense pressure of being near her made you cave, and you feel a deep pang of regret.
  977. >If you don’t do something now, this’ll make every night you stare into the mirror imagining Aria for nothing.
  978. >All the time spent befriending Sonata so you could find out everything about Aria. Wasted.
  979. >The unease in your chest starts to boil over and form into the only three words that explode out of your mouth before you can think.
  980. “I like you!”
  981. >The dark blur that was Aria stops in her tracks, before you see her figure coming closer and being illuminated under the streetlight once more, arms folded over her chest.
  982. >Her typical scowl has been replaced by an indifferent leer that is somehow just as unsettling.
  983. “Please don’t hurt me.” you quietly whisper. Aria seems to catch that, as she raises an eyebrow inquisitively.
  984. >She stares stone-faced at you for several moments, making it hard to gauge how hard she’s going to beat your ass.
  985. >Finally Aria chuckles.”Don’t worry, dork.” She pats your shoulder with a firm slap. “I won’t kick your ass.” She shrugs. “Unless I have to.”
  986. >You force a weak laugh as your gaze trails down Aria’s shapely figure.
  987. >Her tank top cuts off just underneath her midriff, and the streetlight catches her in such a way that reveals a sheen of sweat that glistens across her abs nicely.
  988. >Her leg muscles flex against the thin fabric of her leggings and trace every curve and dip perfectly.
  989. >It doesn’t take long before your mind conjures up scenarios where your head is placed firmly between those legs in a vice grip.
  990. >Suddenly, the grip on your shoulder tightens, and your attention is brought up to Aria’s glare.
  991. >”I could kick your ass right now, you fuckin simp-”
  992. >Oh shit.
  993. >You’re about to have your ass kicked by the woman you find both physically attractive and intimidating.
  994. >Every part of you involuntarily tenses up as you ready for a hail of blows.
  995. >”-But I can’t be seen in public with you if you’re beaten to shit.”
  996. “Sorry.”
  997. >”Whatever. You got a car?”
  998. “Uhm. Yes?”
  999. >You will not mention that it’s an 12 year old 2 door with a rebuilt title.
  1000. >Everyday makes you worry if it was gonna be the last.
  1001. >”Cool.” Aria reaches out with a hand, making you flinch. “Gimme your phone.”
  1002. >You hesitantly reach into your pocket and unlock your phone as Aria grabs it out of your hand.
  1003. >”Gonna give you my address and phone number.” She taps on the screen for a moment before tossing your phone back. “Be there at 11 and call me when you’re there.”
  1004. >“Wait!” You call out. “Should I dress up or something?”
  1005. >Aria’s voice answers through the dark.
  1006. >”Fuck no. Do I look like someone who does fancy bullshit? Don’t embarrass me.”
  1007. >You shrug and mutter to yourself.
  1008. “Casual it is, then.”
  1009. >...
  1010. >563...567….Here it is.
  1011. >The address Aria gave you belongs to a modest townhouse a couple streets down from the campus.
  1012. >It’s a modest size but leaves you baffled as to how they’re paying for it. This was a neighborhood more meant for families.
  1013. >How the hell are three college age girls able to afford rent for a damn house while you’ve had to take out loans for a tiny closet of a dorm room.
  1014. >They probably have beds bigger than twins with comfy mattresses. With their own bathrooms.
  1015. >Jerks.
  1016. >The driveway appears empty, but you saw light peeking out through curtains in one of the front windows as you pulled in.
  1017. >You unlock your phone and send Aria a message that you’re out in the driveway and wait.
  1018. >Soon, a light cuts through the dark and illuminates the walkway at the front, and Aria comes out the front door.
  1019. >Her clothes are the first to catch your attention. She’s dressed in ripped black jeans, a tight neon green tanktop and long fishnet gloves. Definitely a far cry from what you see her in at classes.
  1020. >Her usual twin ponytails have been twisted up into a pair of tight buns on each side of her head.
  1021. >As soon as Aria locks eyes onto your car, she freezes. You just wave sheepishly.
  1022. “Hey. Ready to..go?”
  1023. >”What the fuck, dude!” She leans in through the window and you get a good look at her angry face.
  1024. >She’d painted a thick ring of green eyeliner around her eyes, and her entire face was dusted with a purple glitter.
  1025. >Where the hell was she going that this was considered casual?
  1026. >”THIS is your car?” You feel a thud against the passenger door. “This hunk of junk?”
  1027. “It was all I could afford. It works...for the most part.”
  1028. >”This is ridiculous.” Aria groans. “You really drive around in this thing?”
  1029. >Aria slaps the roof, which causes a shower of particulates to float down from the ceiling of your car.
  1030. >”Great. Just great.”
  1031. “I mean we could take your car, if it’s that much of an issue.”
  1032. >Aria grimaces for a moment before she yanks the car door open with a loud screech from the hinges.
  1033. >”Well can’t do that for several reasons, dork.” The door slams shut. ”One is I don’t have the car tonight because my sisters and I share it.”
  1034. “And the other?”
  1035. >”The other is I need a DD.”
  1036. “A DD? Are you drunk?”
  1037. >”Not yet. ”Aria gives you a wide grin and pulls a large can of beer out from her bag. “I’m getting there though.”
  1038. “JES-”
  1039. >You whip your head around to see if you were unlucky enough to have a cop coming down this street at this moment.
  1040. “You can’t drink that in public! What if someone sees??”
  1041. >”God, relax will ya? Watch this.”
  1042. >Aria opens the can, brings it to her lips and starts chugging. All you can do is sit there and watch the girl down a 22oz can of alcohol in less than a minute.
  1043. >She finishes with a belch and tosses the can into your backseat, sticking out amongst all the empty water bottles you hid there.
  1044. >”I was looking to pregame on the way there, but I’ve got another in my bag anyway.”
  1045. “So...you asked me to come get you so you could go drink?”
  1046. >Aria seems to read in between the lines of your question, and she narrows her eyes.
  1047. >“I asked you to come pick me up because you wanted to go out with me. This is what I do on the weekends.” She throws her legs onto the dashboard. “If you don’t like that, I can get out right now and you can take your scrawny ass home.”
  1048. >You open your mouth to respond, but shut it quickly.
  1049. >Was this some kind of a test? Is this what a relationship should be like? You’d never really been in a serious one before.
  1050. >You don’t exactly feel comfortable being used this way. Was this really worth it?
  1051. >What are you saying, of course it is! This is Aria Blaze! The girl you’ve been hoping would even talk to you or look at you is giving you a chance.
  1052. >Only thing is she doesn’t know you that well. All she knows is that you share classes and talk to Sonata. This has to be some kind of way to get to know who you are.
  1053. >It does kind of make sense to be sure of the loyalty of the person you wanna date. You don’t want to end up with someone who’s unreliable and flaky.
  1054. >You two haven’t even gone out yet. It’s important to know where the two of you stand.
  1055. >Maybe this was just her way of making sure you’re someone she wants to be with. Someone she feels comfortable with.
  1056. >You never had any illusions that Aria would be low maintenance. This is just a hurdle to gain her trust.
  1057. >She seems confident in her request. She knows what she wants out of the relationship.
  1058. >You just have to deliver. No matter what.
  1059. >After coming this far, you couldn’t just back down now.
  1060. >You start your car and begin pulling out of the driveway.
  1061. “Let’s get going then, shall we?”
  1062. >Aria smirks and pulls out another can from her bag. “That’s more like it, dork. Pull out onto the main street and I’ll tell you where to go.”
  1063. “Alright. Where exactly are we going?”
  1064. >”To a party. You’ll see.”
  1065. “Uh...Alright, then.”
  1066. >Aria’s directions take you to the other side of town and out into the farmlands, away from any place you know that could be having a party.
  1067. “Are you sure we’re goin the right way, Aria?”
  1068. >”I’ve partied at this place shitloads of times. Trust me.”
  1069. >Right. Trust.
  1070. >All relationships need trust, after all.
  1071. >You highly doubt Aria is taking you somewhere to harvest your organs or something like that.
  1072. >Although you can’t deny the eerie darkness of the environment is a little unsettling.
  1073. >No streetlights or neon signs to illuminate the area, only your dim headlights cutting through the night.
  1074. “So...what kind of parties are out here in the rural area, anyway? Doesn’t seem like a great place for big things.”
  1075. >”Hah! Only the most hype kind of shit happens out here in the cuts. Friend of mine, she’s got this huge fuckin barn out here and she throws the greatest scenes.” Aria pauses to take a swig. ”Out here, we can REALLY go crazy.”
  1076. >Sounds out of your element. “Is it-y’know-safe?”. You try your best not to sound nervous.
  1077. >”I’m still here aren’t I?” Aria retorts. “Relax, you’re with me. Nothing’s gonna happen except a good time.”
  1078. “O-ok.”
  1079. >Trust.
  1080. >”Hey.” Aria extends her beer towards you. “What some?”
  1081. “Wha-No! I’m driving!”
  1082. >”Psh whatever, lightweight. Do you even drink?”
  1083. “Not really. I don’t drink too often.”
  1084. >Not entirely true.
  1085. >Every once in a while, someone in your friend group will bring over a case of some beer. Being cheap college students limited their choices to the lame 30 packs of weak water ,so you choose to not drink it.
  1086. >You had higher standards than that.
  1087. >Aria brings the can close once more. “Cops rarely stake out this stretch, dude.” She insists. “It’s all good, dude.”
  1088. “I’m fine, thanks.”
  1089. >Aria grumbles but doesn’t press any further.
  1090. >The car grows quiet as you continue down the empty road.
  1091. >You feel the growing need to say something to avoid this becoming an awkward car ride.
  1092. >Why are you not talking? This is your chance to get to know more about her! All you know about her is she’s hot and lifts weights.
  1093. “So uhhhh….what are you majoring for?”
  1094. >You already knew the answer at this point, but it was better than just leaving the entire ride quiet and not having any conversation.
  1095. >”Kinesiology.”
  1096. “Nice, nice. I’d only seen you in my GE classes so I didn’t really know. I’m in computer science.”
  1097. >Aria mumbles in acknowledgement. “Cool. You’ll be useful if I have any problems with my laptop.”
  1098. “Heh. Well, you’d be surprised how many computer problems can be solved by turning it off and on again.”
  1099. >”Interesting.” Aria responds in an uninterested manner, not taking her eyes off her phone screen.
  1100. >With that dead end of a response, you rack your brain for any possible way to keep some conversation flowing.
  1101. “You mind if I put on some music?”
  1102. >With a free hand and practiced movement, you connect an aux cord to your phone and switch on your radio.
  1103. >This seems to get Aria’s attention. “What music you got? Better not be video game music, or something dumb.”
  1104. “Take a look for yourself. You can pick.”
  1105. >She grabs your phone and studies your music selection closely, occasionally humming to herself.
  1106. >”Meh, not bad. But I’d rather play some of my stuff, dude. Need to get in the mood for this shit, y’know?”
  1107. “Oh-uh...ok. That’s fine, I guess. I’m interested in what you got?”
  1108. >Aria has already taken the cord out of your phone and plugged it into hers. “Some real heavy stuff. Gets you fuckin AMPED. You’ll see.”
  1109. “Alright, let’s see what you got.”
  1110. >Immediately, the car starts to pound and vibrate as a heavy bass line grows louder and quickens the pace.
  1111. >”DUBSTEP?” You shout over the cacophony of loud noises building up.
  1112. >“I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S CALLED. IT’S LOUD AND I CAN VIBE TO IT.” Aria begins to jerk and gyrate to the rhythm of the pumping bass as it builds up in intensity. “THIS DROP IS SO FUCKING SICK!”
  1113. >Before you can respond, your eardrums are suddenly blasted with an enormous wall of sound that causes your car to violently shake.
  1114. >It feels as though the vibrations could just rip you apart, nevermind the pounding on your ears.
  1115. “CAN YOU TURN IT DOWN A BIT???”
  1116. >”WHAT?”
  1117. “IT’S TOO LOUD. CAN YOU TURN IT DOWN?”
  1118. >”STILL CAN’T HEAR YOU. LEMME TURN IT DOWN.”
  1119. >Aria twists the volume knob down to where you can finally hear yourself think, but the dull pounding in your ears doesn’t subside.
  1120. “Could barely hear myself think.”
  1121. >A sharp thud in your head brings your hand to your temple to massage the throbbing away.
  1122. >Aria grins from behind her can.
  1123. >”Ahhh lighten up, Anon. This is my shit.” She lets out a small belch and tosses her can to join with its twin. “You’re just gonna have to get used to it, dork.”
  1124. >“Used to it?” you chirp. “So...this isn’t a one time thing?”
  1125. >Aria stiffens at your question
  1126. >”Ok, here’s the deal. There’s a couple of things that you’ll need to understand about this...thing. Whatever the fuck it’s gonna be. Ok? One: We are not in a relationship unless I say so. Got it? You listen to ME.”
  1127. >That’s understandable. Not really dating if the other person doesn’t consent.
  1128. >“Two: There will be no romance-y shit. Lovey-dovey pet names and heart candies, no dumb shit like that. Got it?” Aria shudders. “Grosses me the fuck out.”
  1129. “BUt, well. I-uhhh
  1130. >”Well what? You got something to say?”
  1131. “I mean...I would like to show...that... in some way, y’know? What would you like me to do?”
  1132. >”That.”
  1133. “That...what?”
  1134. >”Doing something FOR me.” Aria replies. “You asked what you can do, there’s your answer plain and simple. Actions over fucking words, man. Do what I say and like, and we’ll see what happens.”
  1135. >Would it really be that simple? You can’t believe it.
  1136. >Aria seemed to be confident enough in you that she was willing to tell you this. Otherwise she wouldn’t even have approached you.
  1137. >She must really see something in you if she’s willing to give you a chance!
  1138. >Your mind begins to wander as you start to imagine what daily life will be like with Aria.
  1139. >Spending time together, watching movies, playing games, going out to new places.
  1140. >With cooking becoming a recent interest for you, and you eagerly begin making a mental checklist of dishes
  1141. >“Turn here, dude.”
  1142. >You snap out of your fantasy in time to catch a small dirt road cutting through an orchard to your right.
  1143. >With almost no time to react you jerk your wheel, basically drifting around onto the small road and continuing on.
  1144. >”You know, you could have just done a U-turn.”
  1145. >You process the situation before mentally kicking your ass for doing something so reckless.
  1146. >”That was pretty cool though.” Aria mumbles.
  1147. “Uhhh...thanks?
  1148. >The road quickly opens into a clearing with a large dilapidated barn in the center.
  1149. >Surrounding the clearing are cars and trucks parked around with no rhyme or reason.
  1150. >Strobe effects with different colored lights leak out through holes in the walls and roof of the building.
  1151. >Gathered around the entrance to the building are groups of people dressed like Aria has, or has chosen to reveal a lot more.
  1152. >It makes you feel kind of undressed in a weird way. Or overdressed.
  1153. >Aria points out an empty spot around the right side and you take it while trying to leave enough room for others to get around.
  1154. The way everyone has parked made it seem like there were little concerns for any bumps or scratches on the body.
  1155. >”Alright. This is my crowd. Follow my lead, and don’t embarrass me.”
  1156. “I’ll...try, I guess?”
  1157. >”Just don’t do anything stupid.” Aria growls and hops out of the car.
  1158. >You follow suit and lock your car before tailing her towards the entrance to the rave barn.
  1159. >The music pounding from inside is drowned out by the thick layer of bass chugging out.
  1160. >You swear you can see it swaying with the vibration.
  1161. “Aria, how long has this been here? It looks like it could fall if someone sneezes on it.”
  1162. >”Dunno. Dun care.” Aria shrugs “All I know is that the scene here is always fucking wired.”
  1163. >As you approach the entrance, you notice that you’ve caught the attention of several people outside. Their stares tell you that the two of you may be anything but welcome here.
  1164. >Any conversation that might have been happening in the din of the wub-wubs has stopped in exchange for cold glares in yours and Arias direction.
  1165. >”Ignore them, dork.” Aria grabs your wrist, making your heart flutter. “They’re pussies.”
  1166. “Did I already do something wrong?”
  1167. >”No, not you” Aria deadpanned.
  1168. >You want to ask more but decide against it as you approach the front.
  1169. >The large door to the barn is blocked by a man with biceps wider than your head, and a chest the size of a boulder. He towers over everyone that approaches him, to the point where several people have to crane their neck up to look at him.
  1170. >His face is covered with a thick brustling beard, his piercing eyes leer at any person that comes towards the door.
  1171. >He stares at them for a moment before giving a curt nod, allowing each person to walk in.
  1172. >You’d have mistaken the guy for a bear, if he didn’t speak as soon as his gaze locked onto Aria.
  1173. >Aria’s demeanor relaxes when she sees the huge man, and she approaches him with her arms out.
  1174. >”Bulk, buddy how’s it goin?” Aria nonchalantly says. “Seems like a fuckin good time in there, huh?”
  1175. >The beast apparently named Bulk continues to glare at Aria, but says nothing.
  1176. >”Yeaaaa, I was just gonna show my buddy Anon here the crazy shit that goes down. So we’re just gonna-” Aria makes to sidle past the behemoth, but her attempt is blocked by a large hand stopping right in front of her face.
  1177. >”No.” His gravelly voice cuts through the music.
  1178. >Aria chuckles. “Bulk, c’mon. It’s me, Aria! You know me!”
  1179. >”Exactly. That’s why you’re not coming in.”
  1180. >Aria grimaces. “The FUCK you mean ‘not coming in?” She spits out. “Vinyl is my goddamn friend, and this is her goddamn party barn.”
  1181. >Aria steps up and tries to get as close to Bulk’s face as possible.
  1182. >Hard to do when the guy towers over her.
  1183. >“She’s the one that throws you your fucking chump change! She’s my friend, you idiot!”
  1184. >Bulk sighs. “She’s the one who told me to not let you in.”
  1185. >“WHAT?” Aria screams, causing “What the fuck for?? I KNOW Vinyl, Bulk. We fuckin smoke bowls together every weekend. WHY the FUCK would she not want me in there?!?”
  1186. >”Do you need to be reminded of what happened last week?”
  1187. >Aria stammers angrily before she’s able to form a coherent comeback.
  1188. >”That was not my fucking fault, alright?? That fucking prick started it, he had what was coming to him!”
  1189. >Bulk remains unmoving, but something about his presence makes it seem like he’s losing his patience.
  1190. >”Uhhhm, Aria?” Is all you can meekly utter before Aria continues on her tirade.
  1191. >”Look, you fucking meathead. Just tell her to come out here and I’ll explain it to her AGAIN.”
  1192. >”Nope. You’re gonna leave.” Bulk rests a large hand on Aria’s shoulder, and you see her tense under the touch. “Right now.”
  1193. >The two remain like that in a close standoff before Aria wrenches free from the grip, turns and stomps away from the hulking dreadnought.
  1194. >Her lips are moving in a quiet grumble that can’t be heard over anything.
  1195. >You breathe a sigh of relief. ”Aria-”
  1196. >Before you can react, the girl quickly wheels around and scrambles toward the opening in the barn.
  1197. >Bulk shifts ever so slightly at the provocation, and his eyes track her darting around him as she looks for an opening.
  1198. >As quick as a flash, Bulk’s hand snaps out and snatches her by the collar of her shirt and lifts her into the air, and brings her within inches of his face.
  1199. >”You’re not coming in.” Bulk jadedly sighs. “Take it up with Vinyl next time you see her. Not now.”
  1200. >You just watch as Aria dangles helplessly from his iron grasp, swinging her arms around in a desperate attempt to be free.
  1201. >Confident in his secure grip, he fixes his gaze on you, making you feel smaller than before.
  1202. >”You’re new around here, so I’m gonna give you a word of advice, kid” Bulk extends his tree trunk arm out to brandish Aria like some chastised pet. ”Ditch this trainwreck. She’s nothing but bad news to anyone around her.”
  1203. >Aria growls and desperately beats at the massive hand restraining her, but the grip remains.
  1204. >”All she does is cause problems for anyone she’s involved with and leaves everyone else to clean up her mess.” He tosses Aria to the ground, and she lands with a dull thud.
  1205. >”Take her home and get as far away from her as possible, kid. Save yourself a lot of hurt.”
  1206. >Satisfied that he’s got his message across, Bulk turns his attention to the partygoers who were waiting for Aria to finish blocking their way in.
  1207. >Aria yells in frustration before wheeling around and walking back towards your car.
  1208. >You follow behind her, careful not to do or say anything to antagonize the situation further.
  1209. >The provocation comes from a group not far off in the distance, who you can hear laughing amongst themselves.
  1210. >Aria seems to hear this, as she makes a beeline for that group, which they
  1211. >Some men in the group form some sort of defensive line, but don’t approach her.
  1212. >”YOU FAGGOTS GOT SOMETHIN TO SAY?” Aria blurts out. Her teetering posture suggests she’s ready to fight the first person to utter a single word. “COME SAY IT TO MY FUCKIN FACE.”
  1213. >Desperate to distract yourself from the situation, you cast your gaze off towards the party barn.
  1214. >Off in the distance, you see the hulking figure of Bulk illuminated by the light show, motionless.
  1215. >His attention is unmistakably directed towards you two.
  1216. “Aria…”
  1217. >”WHAT.” She snarls, keeping her focus on the group.
  1218. “Bulk is looking this way.”
  1219. >Aria curses to herself and shouts “Whatever. None of your asses are worth my time anyway.” Before storming towards you and grabbing you by your shirt. “Let’s go.”
  1220. >All you can do is keep with her furious pace so as to not lose your balance and shirt.
  1221. >”Start the damn car.” she grumbles as she shoves you towards your side of the car.
  1222. >You oblige, as Aria gets in, slamming her door
  1223. >Fortunately, you somewhat remember the way that you came. Probably better to
  1224. “Why did he not let you in?”
  1225. >As soon as you finish your sentence, you’re verbally assailed by an outburst.
  1226. >”GOD, Don’t even get me started.” Aria growls. She smacks her legs with her hands. “ Some jackoff tried to fondle my ass and steal my E. I punched him out and it caused a huge fuckin fight that ended the night.”
  1227. >Aria crosses her arms and stares out the window.
  1228. >”I didn’t think Vinyl would be that much of a bitch about it.” she sighs. “The two of us are fucking tight. I didn’t mean to cause a giant fucking scene.”
  1229. >It was disheartening to see Aria so...passive. It’s so...unlike her.
  1230. >Everything you admired about her was centered around how headstrong she was.
  1231. >You want to pull over and embrace her, but decide against it after remembering her rules.
  1232. >“I’m sorry.“
  1233. >Aria dismisses your sympathy with a weak wave of her hand. “Forget it. Just take me home.”
  1234. >Your shoulders slump as you realize that this opportunity is slipping through your grasp with each second.
  1235. >You take her home, she’ll never give you another chance like this.
  1236. >There’s no way you can let this chance be wasted so poorly. Think, damn you!
  1237. >What could possibly help salvage this night?
  1238. “Do you know any good bars where we could get cheap liquor?”
  1239. >This seems to get Aria’s attention ever so slightly.
  1240. >”I thought you said you don’t drink.” Aria curtly responds.
  1241. “I said I don’t drink too often...”
  1242. >Trying to gauge an appropriate response, you softly nudge her knee with your elbow.
  1243. >You try to adopt as casual a tone as possible.
  1244. ”Cmon, You really gonna give up on a night like that? Y’know what, let’s go get piss drunk.”
  1245. >Aria seems to study you for a moment before chuckling.
  1246. >”I think I’m starting to like you, dork.”
  1247. >...
  1248. >...
  1249. >...
  1250. >The week following your blowout with Aria has been a tense one, to say the least.
  1251. >Ever since the night, Aria has seemed to make any presence of her as scarce as possible.
  1252. >The bathroom has even started to be cleaned up, to a degree. There are still some stray purple strands of hair, but it’s certainly an improvement.
  1253. >That being said, the air felt uneasy ever since she started avoiding you.
  1254. >It was like a cold war was starting inside your own apartment, and whatever was going on behind the iron curtain was making you feel uncomfortable.
  1255. >At least if the two of you were fighting you’d be able to tell what she was thinking, as it would just spill out her dumb mouth. At least there was interaction.
  1256. >The only indication of Aria even being home when you got there were dishes in the sink and the door to her room was shut.
  1257. >As you’re washing your dishes, you feel your phone buzzing. After drying your hands, you accept the call and are greeted by Sunset’s voice.
  1258. >”Hey Anon. Just kinda, y’know, checking in. Making sure everything is alright. You free for a drink?” She coos.
  1259. “Sure. I got nowhere to be right now. Got a place in mind?”
  1260. >”Familiar with that pub in downtown? The one on main street?”
  1261. “Pancho’s? I’ll see you there after I finish cleaning up a bit.”
  1262. >”See you then.”
  1263. >...
  1264. >It was always funny to you how a place as lavish as the downtown could allow a dive like Pancho’s.
  1265. >The store fronts all along the street showcased a collection of intricate dresses, rare antiques, gourmet food, glittering gold, trinkets and baubles.
  1266. >And then, sticking out among the opulence is a red brick dive bar, stashed in between an antique shop and a wine/oyster bar.
  1267. >Still standing for years, despite countless attempts from store owners and property tycoons trying to buy or intimidate the owner out.
  1268. >You walk in and are buffeted by the smell of cheap cigar smoke and oily bar food.
  1269. >Several groups are crowding the pool tables, clamoring loudly amongst each other amidst the sound of pool cues hitting balls.
  1270. >Across the bar are good examples of various stages of alcoholism, ranging from several drinks to passed out on the counter.
  1271. >Sunset is sitting at the far end, beckoning you over with a bottle in her hand an
  1272. >”I took a crack at what you might have wanted.”
  1273. >“Doesn’t really matter to me, right now.” you reply as you sit on the creaky stool. “How’s your week been?”
  1274. >”It’s the end of the school year, so my students are getting ready for their summer. Twilight is getting ready for her PhD proposal, so aside from our dinners, this week has been just me.” Sunset sighs and pauses for a sip. ”Been kinda boring.”
  1275. “Oh? MY neighbor is doing the same thing. What’s her dissertation on?”
  1276. >”You know this kinda sucks to admit, but everytime she tells me the title or whatever, it just goes way over my head.” She bops herself in the head. “If she gets on the topic I can’t stop her from basically doing her entire presentation for me.“
  1277. >She shuts her eyes and purses her lips momentarily before hesitantly chiming back in. “I think it had something to do with string theory?”
  1278. “Jesus, that’s way over my head as well. I’ll stick to my error messages.”
  1279. >The two of you drink and talk into the wee hours of the night, laughing over past memories and current happenings.
  1280. >Even though the acrid cigar smoke that hung in the air and made your eyes water a bit and the pervasive smell stung your nostrils, it was a welcoming moment of respite.
  1281. >The past week with Aria had done nothing but drum up bad memories, so it was good for Sunset to help bring out your fond ones.
  1282. >”Waitwaitwaitwaitwait…” Sunset waves wildly with her hands. “You mean YOU’RE the reason they stopped doing to-go at the cafeteria?”
  1283. >All you can muster is a shrug.
  1284. “I can’t say for certain, but I didn’t get good looks from the staff when I was walking out with a clamshell and a couple soda cups stuffed with food.”
  1285. >Sunset gawks and jovially nudges your stool with her foot. “Man, there were so many times I’d have rather nursed my hangover in my dorm-” She kicks your stool again “-than with other hungover students, you jerk.”
  1286. “Sorry! I-ah! I was a hungry growing boy!”
  1287. >Sunset groans and shakes her head before smiling.
  1288. >”You definitely had an appetite, Anon. I could tell you mainly came to my events for the food.” Sunset pointedly states.
  1289. >You raise your hands in “Hey now, I still came to them, didn’t I?”
  1290. >Your friend scrunches her face before whispering. “Fair enough.”
  1291. >The two of you take a moment for drinking before Sunset turns to face you.
  1292. >”So, Anon…” Sunset sets her beer down and claps her hands together. “How are things back at your place.”
  1293. >You inhale sharply. “Can we talk about string theory instead? That’s much preferable.”
  1294. >Her warm smile doesn’t fade, but Sunset shakes her head no.
  1295. >You grunt before downing half your beer in one gulp
  1296. >The beer only adds to the bitter taste in your mouth.
  1297. “Well, you haven’t heard about a murder in the news, have you?”
  1298. >”Anon…”
  1299. >“Ok we fought. Are you surprised?” You scoff. “Did you not think you were gonna hear that?”
  1300. >Sunset rests her hand on your back, and you feel your anger deflate.
  1301. >”Just tell me what happened, Anon.”
  1302. >The buzz you’d been building wavers off as your arguments play back in your head, and describe the events that unfolded.
  1303. >Sunset nods and listens attentively, waiting for you to finish.
  1304. >”And you haven’t seen her at all after this?” She asks.
  1305. >You shake your head and take another sip.
  1306. “I don’t think I’ve seen more than a single ponytail all week somehow. Kinda unsettling to be honest.”
  1307. >Sunset gives you a sympathetic look. “Anon...I know this is hard to hear, but you need to understand the position Aria is in.”
  1308. >Her statement catches you off guard, and you choke and sputter on your drink for a moment.
  1309. “The FUCK you say?”
  1310. >Sunset is taken aback at your response, as are several patrons close to you, who watch your exchange from the corners of their eyes.
  1311. >”I-no-Anon listen.” She stammers. “Let me rephrase myself; Aria isn’t trying to go out of her way to give you a hard time.”
  1312. >You leer at your friend, who is looking rather dejected at your outburst.
  1313. >”I find that hard to believe” you mutter, as you sidle back into your seat. “Instant I saw her again, I knew nothing had changed. Everything after just reassured me she’s as self-centered as ever.”
  1314. >Sunset frowns. She looks at you and huffs ”Well...Do you want me to come get her?”
  1315. “You’re offering to clean up this mess? How kind of you.”
  1316. >She bristles at your retort.
  1317. >”You agreed to let her, remember. I gave you the option to say no.”
  1318. >The steady stream of alcohol flowing into you has left you feeling a little more brazen, so you decide to do a speech check.
  1319. “Yeah, see that’s a thing I’ve been wondering about. Options.”
  1320. >”What?”
  1321. >“Y’know I wasn’t really thinking too clearly at the time, I was too angry to consider it.” You excitedly raise your voice. “But the last couple of days gave me time to think, and you know what I’ve been thinking?”
  1322. >”Anon, hush! You’re making people look!” Sunset says under her breath.
  1323. >You can feel the eyes all around you, but you don’t care. If Sunset could put you in an uncomfortable position, so could you.
  1324. “There’s no way that there wasn’t any other available place for Aria to go to. Online ads, social media, a fucking newspaper ad for christsake! You mean to tell me not ONE person asked said there was a room for her anywhere at all?”
  1325. >”Well, you see-”
  1326. “SO I think, hold on-Hey!”
  1327. >You wave down the bartender, a bored looking girl with dull gray hair.
  1328. “Jack and coke, hold the coke. Thanks. Anyway-I think you two, ESPECIALLY YOU-”
  1329. >You point a slightly unsteady finger at Sunset.
  1330. “-came to me for a reason.”
  1331. >The grey girl comes back to place a glass of alcohol in front of you, which you down in almost one gulp, shuddering at the burn.
  1332. >Sunset says nothing for a while, opening and closing her mouth
  1333. >”I used to be a horrible person in highschool, Anon. I treated a lot of people like...like shit.” Sunset laments. “I thought that by...being some strong dominant leader, I could impress everyone into being my friend.”
  1334. “Ok…?”
  1335. >”Twilight...well...actually...yea Twilight, helped me realize what I had been doing wrong. She taught me what being a friend meant, the value of caring for someone truly.”
  1336. >You do remember her confessing some acts of cruelty she did in her problematic high school years, but never delved much deeper into why she had been that way.
  1337. >”Ever since, I vowed never to be like that again. I wanted to spread the value of compassion and friendship, kind of as some way to...pay it forward, I guess.”
  1338. “What does this have to do with anything? I’m not following.”
  1339. >Sunset holds her hand out to stop you. “Please. Lemme finish.”
  1340. >She stares distantly at nothing for a moment, probably trying to find the words to piece together.
  1341. >”Aria and her sisters had a bit of a falling out, and needed some space for a bit. Sonata was the one who reached out to me to ask me to help Aria. I guess this is normal for them to do, because Sonata acted like it wasn’t that big of a deal. Adagio had demanded the two leave the apartment, and they couldn’t say otherwise, she said she and Aria aren’t on the lease..”
  1342. >She continues to avoid your gaze, staring past the wall of alcohol that sits in front of her. ”I went down to the motel Sonata said Aria was currently holed up in and, after a lot of convincing, she let me in to help her.”
  1343. >Sunset fidgets with her bottle, her discomfort becoming more apparent.
  1344. >”Initially when I proposed the idea of reaching out to you, it was met with...a lot of resistance, unsurprisingly. When I asked her why she said she’d already burned that bridge.”
  1345. >You grunt in agreement.
  1346. >”She mostly left me to try and find her a place to live. Said she was ‘much too busy for that.’” She airquotes.
  1347. >”It was then I had the idea of...altering her postings. Instead of her contacts, I put mine. She may have made a name of herself around town, but there were still people reaching out. I left them all in the dark. Also told her none of my friends wanted to house her.”
  1348. >“You lied to her?” you grumble.
  1349. >Sunset shakes her head. “I didn’t necessarily ask them about it, but they would have said no anyway. As soon as Sonata had called me, I saw this as an opportunity to try and...mend things. Between you two, for lack of a better term. I just waited for a bit and eventually she gave in and...well...you know the rest.”
  1350. “So this whole thing was some...pet project to you? So you could play matchmaker or something?”
  1351. >”No! It’s not like that Anon.” She adopts a warm smile and places her hand on yours. “I just wanted to help.”
  1352. >“HELP???” You furiously smack Sunsets hand away, causing her drink to spill across the bar and your glass to be sent down with a smash.
  1353. >Sunset recoils and clasps her hand in shock. “Anon-”
  1354. “I’m out.”
  1355. >You fish a couple 20’s from your wallet and grab your jacket before storming out the door under the curious gaze of whatever bar patrons were left.
  1356. >Sunset is quick to follow right behind you, weakly pulling at your jacket and stammering apologies.
  1357. >She follows you outside, and you snap yourself away from her and yell in frustration.
  1358. “God damnit Sunset! I was perfectly fine before you brought that fucking trainwreck back. I had moved on! Now she lives in my apartment AND in my head! Neither of us wanted you to come in and try to fix something that just isn’t fucking there!! ”
  1359. >”You didn’t WANT me to,” Sunset stands toe to toe and matches your glare. “-but both of you have your heads too far up your asses to admit you needed it. Forgiveness is an important lesson.”
  1360. >“FUCK your stupid ‘pay friendship forward’ bullshit!” You spit on the ground next to her.
  1361. “You want a friendship lesson?!? PEOPLE. GET. HURT. People are assholes, people lie to your face and cheat! Things end poorly! Sometimes, everyone would just rather forget than forgive, because it’s easier! They don’t need someone with delusions of grandeur, thinking they’re a ‘magical friendship fairy’ and try to fix it. I’m not some broken fucking vase for you to try and glue back together. I’m a person who apparently can’t trust anyone anymore, because they all just go behind my fucking back.”
  1362. >”Everyone has something in their past they’re trying to move on from, Anon. I do, and you may not believe it, but Aria does too. Not you.”
  1363. “I’ve learned enough from the past.”
  1364. >”No, you’re stuck in the past, Anon. You’re stuck in it because YOU want to be right.” Sunset huffs. “You want to remind everyone how miserable you are and make it some pity party, as if it gives you some...fucking...moral high ground.” She jabs you in the chest with a finger. “I can tell you from experience that DOESN’T work. You need to grow up, Anon.”
  1365. >You bit your lip hard enough to feel a trickle of blood in your mouth.
  1366. >“Fuck off, Sunshit.” You smack her hand away. “You’re the reason I’m miserable at all right now. Guess old fucking habits die hard, huh?”
  1367. >Sunset gasps before her face contorts into a mixture of hurt and fury, tears glistening from the corners of her eyes.
  1368. >Your brain suddenly cuts through the fog of your anger and alcoholism, giving you the clarity to realize what you just said.
  1369. “Wait, Sunny, I didn’t-"
  1370. >You’re interrupted by a sharp sting across your cheek as Sunset...your friend slaps you with enough force to turn your head..
  1371. >All you can do is gingerly touch your cheek and look into Sunset’s pained eyes.
  1372. >”Don’t.“ She spits venomously. “I’m done. Figure your shit out yourself, asshole.”
  1373. >She makes a slashing gesture with her hand across her neck before turning away. “I’m fucking done.“
  1374. >You reach out in a half assed attempt to stop your friend as she walks back into the bar, leaving you alone in the parking lot.
  1375. >Minutes pass as you stand there, shoulders slumped.
  1376. >Your last words to Sunset acted as an effective sobering agent, and your brain starts to catch up with everything else you said to her. And what she said to you.
  1377. >Have you been too harsh on her? On Aria?
  1378. >You were really quick to paint Aria as the same in your mind. She just reacted to your hostility as she would have.
  1379. >It didn’t feel right being mad at Sunset. It didn’t feel right being mad at Aria.
  1380. >Maybe you’re mad at yourself? But why?
  1381. >While Sunsets manipulation was underhanded, she did still give you the choice.
  1382. >You flop into your car and let your head sag onto your steering wheel.
  1383. >Her reasonings and methods were dubious at best, but in all the time you’ve known her, you never doubted she had your happiness in mind.
  1384. >And you lash out in the worst way possible. You feel absolutely mortified.
  1385. >The look in her eyes is burned into your memory.
  1386. >Pain, Anger, Sadness.
  1387. >Pity.
  1388. >Everything that’s happened so far feels like some test to make you doubt yourself.
  1389. >You’d always tried to convince yourself that you were over Aria. Now you’re not so sure.
  1390. >...
  1391. >With a lot of effort, you force your eyes ever so slightly open.
  1392. >Instantaneously, sun rays seeking through the cracks in your blinds rush into your eyes, forcing them back shut.
  1393. >A throbbing wave courses through your head, making a pained groan escape from your throat.
  1394. >The word ‘coffee’ forms in your mind, much like a toddler making their first word with letter blocks.
  1395. >Every inch of your body protests against any form of movement you make, but you the lure of black ichor calls to you.
  1396. >You slowly plod down the hall into your kitchen,
  1397. >Through half lidded eyes, you grind your coffee and set it into the boiler on the stove.
  1398. >The heels of your palms shield your eyes from the dreaded sun effectively well until your coffee is ready to pour.
  1399. >No cream. No sugar.
  1400. >None of that pussy shit.
  1401. >Each sip feels deliciously bitter, giving your body and mind the totally necessary fuel it needs.
  1402. >You blink your eyes several times, awakening your spatial awareness.
  1403. >One of the first thoughts that greets your waking brain is the hazy memory of last night.
  1404. >A phantom sting twinges on your cheek as you remember what you said to her.
  1405. >You stand awkwardly outside the door to Aria’s room.
  1406. >Why are you so nervous about this? This is your own damn place!
  1407. >You hesitantly knock on the door. “Aria?”
  1408. >After a moment of silence, you knock more firmly
  1409. >Eventually, you hear muffled rustling from the otherside.
  1410. >”What is it?” Aria mutters from behind the door.
  1411. >Aria obviously isn’t going to react well to being lied to.
  1412. >You internally chuckle at the irony of your thought.
  1413. >It would be better to just come out and say it, instead of pussyfooting around the issue.
  1414. “Can we talk?”
  1415. >There’s no response, but after a moment, the door cracks open.
  1416. >Aria stands at the doorway, wrapped completely in a thick, fuzzy comforter.
  1417. >”What I do wrong this time.” She mumbles sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
  1418. “I-no-listen. Sunset lied to us.”
  1419. >Aria blinks her eyes open and gives you a perplexed look. “What?”
  1420. “Let’s sit and talk. There’s a lot to unpack right now.”
  1421. >The two of you sit in your living room across from each other, the tension in the air palpable.
  1422. “She lied to you so she could make it seem like my place was your only choice. She lied to me”
  1423. >”Why the hell would she do that?”
  1424. “She thought she could give us both a lesson in ‘friendship’
  1425. >Aria stares blankly at you for a moment before muttering “That fucking bitch.”
  1426. >“She played us both.” You shake your head. “She wasn't doing it as a joke, but still…”
  1427. >”Didn’t know she was fuckin moonlighting as a tinder app.”
  1428. “I said something along the lines of that to her.”
  1429. >”Oh really? How’d she respond.”
  1430. “Called me an asshole and slapped me.”
  1431. >Aria stares in shock. ”Wow you made Sunset swear? Impressive.”
  1432. “I’ll check it off my bucket list.”
  1433. >The two of you exchange quiet glances before sputtering into a fit of chuckles.
  1434. >Your laughter dies down quickly though, and the two of you just sit there, looking at anything but each other.
  1435. >”So...I should start packing my things, huh?” Aria sighs and stands up.
  1436. >With her words, you feel a heavy pressure against your chest.
  1437. >What is this feeling? You should feel glad that she’s getting out.
  1438. >Instead you feel...anxious. Unsure.
  1439. >Sunsets words to you echo in your mind.
  1440. >’Everyone has something in their past they’re trying to move on from, Anon. I do, and you may not believe it, but Aria does too.’
  1441. “Wait.”
  1442. >Aria stops at the mouth of the hallway and looks back at you curiously.
  1443. >If this happened earlier, you would have said ‘Don’t let the door hit your bitch ass on the way out.’
  1444. >But ever since your fight, your opinion is muddled. On one hand, you know her as an aggressive, lying, cheating, selfish cunt.
  1445. >But the last week has shown that maybe she’s more open to changing than you initially thought.
  1446. “Can’t believe I’m fucking saying this, but...stay if you want to.”
  1447. >Arias face twists in shock. “What?? You want me to stay? As in...here?” She hesitantly sits down across from you. “You...do know you don’t have to anymore, right?”
  1448. >You inhale deeply before speaking.
  1449. “I’m aware that I could be rid of you easily. But you got the wool pulled over your eyes just like I did. So-”
  1450. >You gesture aimlessly.
  1451. >“-if you want to stay. Go ahead.” You say slowly. “It’ll be a pain in the ass to move you out, and I ‘m not feeling like packing anything.”
  1452. >Aria eyes you suspiciously for a moment. As if she’s trying to look for a tell that you’re fucking with her.
  1453. >”Does this have to do with what you told me that other night? When we argued.”
  1454. >Her question sets you on edge.
  1455. “I can help you move out by the end of the day, if you’d like.”
  1456. >Realizing her predicament, she vigorously shakes her head.
  1457. “Great. Coffee?”
  1458. >”Sure.” Aria replies as she gets up to presumably change for the day.
  1459. “Sugar, no cream?”
  1460. >”Yep.”
  1461. >...
  1462. >...
  1463. >...
  1464. >BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
  1465. >...
  1466. >BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
  1467. >...
  1468. >BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
  1469. >You let out a long, unsatisfied groan at the incessant buzzing breaking you from your deep sleep.
  1470. >With your face buried in your pillow, you blindly fumble around your bed until you find your phone tucked into the corner of the frame.
  1471. >You blink yourself awake and stare at the phone screen.
  1472. >The number that’s displayed on the screen isn’t familiar, but your phone mocks you anyway by continuing it’s vibrating.
  1473. >Somehow, you hit the accept button on the first try and prop your phone up against your ear, giving a long groan to let whoever was on the other end know you were there.
  1474. >“Heya dork, it’sh Aria.”
  1475. >“Aria?” you groggily mumble.
  1476. >“Yea, you idiot. I need ya to wake the fuck up and come get me.”
  1477. >You feel yourself nod in response, but the rocking motion starts sending you back off into sleep.
  1478. >“HULLLLLLOOOOOOO?” Aria yells from the other end, startling you awake.
  1479. “Wh-huh? Yeayea pick you...up. Uh-huh. Ok.”
  1480. >In the background of the call, you hear a male voice pipe up. “C’mon, kid. Finish your phone call.”
  1481. > “Hold on, you jerk. I’m gettin’ him tah get me.” Aria shouts away from the phone.
  1482. “Whozzat, Aria…”
  1483. >“Just a fuckin cop.”
  1484. “Mmmm…wait. What?”
  1485. >You sit up in bed, your brain kickstarting you awake.
  1486. “A cop? Aria, are you ok?”
  1487. > “I’mmm fine, fucker. Jus come and get me-”
  1488. >You hear some shuffling from her side.
  1489. >“-and make it quick. I have to piss.”
  1490. >“Ok” You reply hesitantly. “Where are you?”
  1491. >...
  1492. >You try to rub the sleepiness from your eyes for the umpteenth time as you give a great deal of effort to focus on the road.
  1493. >Luckily the streets were completely deserted, given the fact that it was three in the morning.
  1494. >You wearily stare ahead at the street as you get closer to your destination.
  1495. >The city jail.
  1496. >Aria refused to tell you why she was there, only that you needed to come pick her up.
  1497. >You finally reach the jail and feel slightly intimidated by the authoritative feeling the building emanates.
  1498. >The shape of the building is perfectly rigid and square, with cameras jutting out from every possible angle they could fit one on.
  1499. >Floodlights on the ground illuminate the walls and corners of the facility, further amplifying it’s menacing aura.
  1500. >You approach the front doors and pull at one, only to find it refuses to open. Pushing yields the same results.
  1501. >The glass on the windows is tinted, offering no indication if anyone was inside.
  1502. >Suddenly, a sharp beeping sound causes you to jump. To the right of the door, a weathered intercom crackles to life before a voice
  1503. >A voice echoes through the fuzz and the feedback. “Can I help you?”
  1504. >You look around the intercom
  1505. “I’m uh, I’m here to pick someone up?”
  1506. >“What’s the name?”
  1507. “Uh, Aria Blaze.”
  1508. >The intercom cuts out, and after a brief moment you hear a loud ‘KA-CHUNK’ from the door.
  1509. >You pull the door open and walk into a bland and beige waiting room, decorated with one fake plant in the corner.
  1510. >At the other side sits a bored looking officer behind a desk and plexiglass window.
  1511. >You hesitantly approach the desk and get a better look at her. She couldn’t be older than you are.
  1512. >She’s lazily thumbing through her phone while resting her head on her hand.
  1513. “Hello?”
  1514. >The officer doesn’t look up to you. “Please wait. Someone will come to get you.” The woman tersely grumbles.
  1515. >You nod in acknowledgment and step back from the desk, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.
  1516. >You were now being kept awake by the l of the entire situation. Dozens of questions were racing through your sleep deprived mind at the moment, feeding back into your anxiety.
  1517. >After what seemed like hours, a loud buzz cuts through the room, and a door to the right of the desk pops open.
  1518. >A stout male officer shuffles through the door and yawns.
  1519. >“Anon?”
  1520. “Yes?”
  1521. >“You have your ID?”
  1522. >You fish your driver's license out of your wallet and flash it at the man. He squints at it with watery eyes before nodding and beckoning you in.
  1523. >He leaves the door open for you to walk in, sealing it shut behind you. “This way.”
  1524. “Where’s Aria? I-is she ok?”
  1525. >The officer grunts. “Your friend is fine. A little out of it and uncooperative, but fine.”
  1526. >The man leads you through several corridors and sealed doors before you finally reach a large holding cell that is currently holding several others inside of it.
  1527. >Aria is slumped over the bench at the far corner, wearing a similar outfit to what she was wearing the other night you two went out.
  1528. >At her feet is a puddle of what appears to be vomit.
  1529. “What happened? What did she do?”
  1530. > “Your friend was cited under Penal Code 647F; public intoxication.” he replies with a heavy sigh.
  1531. >Public intoxication? You breathe a sigh of relief. All this time your mind had been racing at the possible scenarios that landed her here, and that was one of the mildier possibilities.
  1532. >“ARIA BLAZE” The officer shouts. Everyone in the cell except Aria jumps at the sudden interruption.
  1533. >Aria weakly raises her head, peering at the two of you with a dulled expression.
  1534. > “She was belligerent when we first brought her here.” The officer says. “She breathed a .23, so take her home and make sure someone watches her.” “Is 23 a lot?”
  1535. > “Well kid, considering the legal level is .08, I’d say it’s a miracle she’s even as awake as she is right now. She’s been cleared by EMT for now, but you need to get her home and keep an eye on her.” He steps in front of you and peers into your eyes with a hard glare. “And no more alcohol for her. In any way, shape or form. Got it, kid?”
  1536. >You silently curse to yourself as you run your hands through your hair. Everything about this situation was making you feel so uncomfortable.
  1537. > “Her fine is set at a thousand dollars. You can pay with cash, card or check.”
  1538. >You almost felt your eyes pop out of your head at the question.
  1539. “W-WHAT?”
  1540. >“It was hard to understand her, but she said you’d pay her fine.”
  1541. >You exhale loudly, pacing in a small circle. “Sorry it’s just-” You shrug “-y’know, a thousand is a lot of money. I mean, i-is there any other option?”
  1542. > The officer shifts his belt around “The other option is leaving her here for the night and having someone else get her.”
  1543. >Aria’s swaying finally causes here to topple off the bench and onto the ground, narrowly missing the pile of vomit she left.
  1544. > “Look son, I’m gonna speak as a bystander instead of an officer; I think you should take her home.” He gestures towards Aria. “You can see she’s in no state to be left here. We’ll make sure she doesn’t...well...die, but she needs to go home. The choice is yours. Nobody is forcing you to do anything here.”
  1545. >You stare at the pathetic form of Aria as she struggles to push herself up onto her elbows.
  1546. > “You said you accept card, right?”
  1547. >...
  1548. “Easy there, I’ve got you. Watch the steps ok?”
  1549. >You carefully guide Aria down the steps while supporting her underneath her arm. The height difference coupled with her inebriated state makes it difficult, so you take extra care to account for her lack of balance.
  1550. >Aria clumsily grasps onto the railing on the steps, but her hand keeps slipping off.
  1551. >You can hear her mumbling something, but her words are too quiet and slurred to make any sense of them.
  1552. >After a great deal of effort, you finally reach your car and unlock it.
  1553. “Ok, I’m gonna open the door, alright? Just stand right there for a moment, ok?”
  1554. >You think Aria nods, so you gently pull yourself out from under her arm to open the door.
  1555. >She teeters wildly as she’s left to sort her own balance out. Her effort is wasted as her legs just buckle and she falls to her knees.
  1556. >You stand in front of Aria trying to figure out the best course of action to get her up and into the car.
  1557. >As you reach under her arm and rest her on your shoulder, she opens her mouth and a stream of vomit flows out onto the pavement, with some of it splattering on you..
  1558. >Ignoring the mess, you struggle to lift Aria’s deadweight back up and take care not to step in the puddle in front of you.
  1559. >Getting her into the car is easier than picking her up was, as she just slides off your shoulder and flops into the passenger side easily.
  1560. >After tucking her limp limbs inside and clipping her seatbelt in, you shut the door gently and get in on your side.
  1561. >Aria’s hands are clumsily grasp at the seatbelt, so you reach over and fasten her in.
  1562. >”Dun furget to-” She pauses for a moment with her mouth hanging open. “-I think she said sumthin about it earlier.” She slurs. You look at her, expecting there to be more to what she said. She just slumps over as far as the seatbelt will allow her.
  1563. “Who said what, Aria?”
  1564. >Her eyes flutter awake and she slowly turns to you with an empty look in her eyes. “Huh?”
  1565. “You, uhhh...you said something about someone saying don’t forget. Don’t forget what?”
  1566. >Aria continues to gawk at you, as if she already forgot what she said.
  1567. > “No you don’t unnersssstand. Don’t...they haf to…” Her hands seemed to have gained a life of their own, as they slide every which way across her side of the car. “Adajiuh is always on my fuckin’ ass about it.” her speech devolves into more incoherent babbling as her eyes flutter.
  1568. “Aria, look at me. Are you ok? D-do you know who I am?”
  1569. >She turns to look at you the same dullard expression before she just slumps back in her seat, mumbling and groaning.
  1570. “Ok, Aria. Look I need you to get a hold of yourself. It’s me, Anon! Your bo-” You pause, hesitating to say the word. “-It’s me.”
  1571. >”I fuckin told you that-that I already...” Her eyes widen and she and she turns her to frantically fumble at the handle to her door.
  1572. >Realizing what is about to happen, you quickly lean over and yank the handle, shoving the door open just in time for Aria to lean out and heave up hopefully what’s left inside of her.
  1573. >Still unsure what to do about this, you gingerly rub her back until the sounds of retching finally stop and she shakily pulls herself back into the car,
  1574. “Better?”
  1575. >Aria gives you a weak nod as she closes the door.
  1576. >You’d never dealt with someone this drunk before. Worst you’ve come across was when Snips would drink hard lemonade in the dorm and walk around with no pants on. This was something else entirely.
  1577. >But that officer had said that she placed her trust in you to get her out. You grip your steering wheel tighter.
  1578. >What kind of person would you be if you had left her there in an unfamiliar place like that?
  1579. >You pull a water bottle from the door of your car and place it in her lap.
  1580. >”Wuzzis?” She grabs the bottle and fumbles it in her hands as she struggles to open it.“Vodka?”
  1581. “It’s water. You need to drink it.”
  1582. >She listlessly stares at the bottle for several moments before she tosses it down at her feet.
  1583. >”Gimme sum fuckin booze, retard.”
  1584. “Aria I can’t.”
  1585. >“Get me sum FUCKIN booze before I bite yur dick off.” She swings her fist at you but the state she is in turns the blows into limp-wristed slaps against your shoulder.
  1586. >You raise your arm to defend yourself. “Aria, stop. The cops told me you’re done.”
  1587. >“FUCK twelve. Can kiss muh sweady ass.”
  1588. “Look, you can’t have anymore alcohol, Aria. You could hurt yourself.”
  1589. >You shift your car and begin to drive out of the lot.
  1590. “I’m taking you home.”
  1591. >”WHA-NOOO!”
  1592. >Aria’s sudden outburst causes you to reflexively slam on your brake with a loud screech as you wheel over to the side of the road.
  1593. >As soon as you stop she grabs at the sleeve of your sweater in a tight grip an pulls you close to her.
  1594. >“Don’t take me home..puhlease.” Her grip tightens.
  1595. >Her face is hidden behind her disheveled hair, but suddenly you hear quiet sobs from her.
  1596. >”I...I can’t. I don’t want to... please.” She almost whispers.
  1597. >You sit there staring at the mess of a girl crying before you.
  1598. >This drastic change in emotion leaves you feeling disarmed. Her entire demeanor change at the drop of a hat.
  1599. >To you, Aria was always the glowing example of pride and confidence. She was able to carry herself with such an air that made you sure she knew what she was doing.
  1600. >Seeing her reduced to an emotional drunken wreck like this felt like shattered a porcelain vase into thousands of pieces.
  1601. >Did something happen with her sisters? A common talking point for Aria was her sister Adagio and whatever they argued about at the time.
  1602. >You obviously weren’t going to get any clear answers out of her in this state. And taking her back home like this would probably make things worse.
  1603. >You take your free hand and gently run it down her hair.
  1604. >She jumps at the contact, but the sniffling quiets down.
  1605. >An old saying your grandfather told you several times rings through your mind.
  1606. >’A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.’
  1607. >You pull back out onto the street and make your way back to the campus.
  1608. I’ll take you back to my dorm. I don’t think my roommates will mind.”
  1609. >You hear Aria whisper what sounds like a thank you, her hands still clasped onto your sleeve.
  1610. >...
  1611. >Despite it being four in the morning, the sky was showing the smallest hints of sunlight as you stopped in the dorm parking lot.
  1612. >The exhaustion you pushed to the back of your mind has caught back up to you, making the walk from your car to your door feel much longer.
  1613. >Aria seems to have sobered up ever so slightly, and fortunately can walk with minimal assistance.
  1614. >You reach the gate to the small community and turn to Aria.
  1615. “I’m gonna unlock the door now ok?”
  1616. >Aria steadies herself against the fence that adjoins the gate while you unlock the door and hold it open for her to hobble in.
  1617. >You pull out a spare toothbrush, some toothpaste and a small towel and offer them to Aria.
  1618. “Here, take care of yourself. I’ll have the bed ready for you.”
  1619. >Aria looks as if this surprises her. “You’re not…?”
  1620. “The bed is barely big enough for me as it is. You need it more than I do right now, so I’ll sleep on the floor or something.”
  1621. >Aria continues to blankly stare at you before shuffling into the bathroom.
  1622. >You go into your closet and fish out your winter sheets, laying them out on the floor in between your bed and desk.
  1623. >Unfortunately the only pillow you have is on your bed, so you grab some clothes from your hamper and ball them up as best as you can.
  1624. >You turn to see Aria standing at the doorway, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
  1625. >”I need...pajamas.”
  1626. “Well, I’m not really one to have women’s pajamas so uhhhhh-”
  1627. >You trail off as you open and shut the drawers underneath your bed, looking for some sort of substitute.
  1628. >You find what you’re looking for in the form of a pair of basketball shorts and an oversized shirt, balled up in a corner of your closet.
  1629. >Aria takes the clothes and gives it a hesitant sniff.
  1630. >You shrug. “Sorry, it’s all I got that might isn’t too dirty.”
  1631. >Aria’s eyes intently study you for a moment, as if she’s memorizing every detail of you before she grunts and tosses the clothes onto the bed.
  1632. >She grasps at her belt and starts undoing her pants, and that’s the last thing you see before you quickly turn away.
  1633. “Y-you can go into the bathroom, y’know.”
  1634. >”The fuck you turn around for, dork?” you hear her ask indignantly. “I’m getting naked fer you, y’know.”
  1635. >You bring a finger up to your lips and hush her without turning around.
  1636. “My roommates are asleep, we can’t be too loud.”
  1637. >Aria doesn’t respond, but you hear a quiet rustling from behind you.
  1638. >Suddenly you feel arms slide up your shoulders and around your neck, and before you can react you’re pulled back towards your bed, landing backwards with Aria straddling you from behind. Her legs wrap around your hips, pulling you in closer.
  1639. >You feel something wet slide up your ear, followed by a series of light pecks along your neck.
  1640. >The sensation sends waves of chills up your spine, forcing a long groan out of you.
  1641. “A-aria, ah!”
  1642. >You feel Aria’s breath caress your skin, tickling the ear she dragged her tongue across. Her breath carries a faint acrid hint of the liquor she practically drowned herself in.
  1643. >“Let’s be loud for your roommates, Anon.” She whispers to you as she wraps her arms around your neck, planting more kisses across your exposed skin.
  1644. >Everything from her honeyed words to her nuzzlings is sending you into a sensory overload.
  1645. >You feel her hands slowly journey down your chest until they reach the bottom of your hoodie.
  1646. >Aria pulls the bottom up, revealing the fact that you opted out of wearing a shirt. She coos softly in your ear as her fingers lightly dance across your bare torso, sending more shivers throughout your body.
  1647. >While keeping her grip with her legs, her bare feet push down your pajama bottoms, letting them fall to the floor. She does the same thing with your boxers, exposing your full mast for her to appreciate.
  1648. >Aria rests her chin on your shoulder. “Not bad.” She brushes the soles of her feet along the shaft, sending jolts of pleasure running through you. “I thhink shomeone needs a reward for-” She pauses to leave a kiss on your cheek. “-being so generous.” She loosens her vice grip on your hips. “Come here.”
  1649. >You feel her slip out from underneath, and you turn to see her propping herself up at the head of the bed.
  1650. >The only thing on her is the large shirt you gave her, the shorts tossed aside next to the bed.
  1651. >She reaches out towards you, her breathing is ragged and heavy.
  1652. >You swallow a nervous lump and slowly crawl up until you’re on top of her.
  1653. >Her hands find their way back up into your hoodie as she pulls it off your body.
  1654. >You see her eyes tracing over your thin frame and she hums softly. “We’ll work on this-” She slides her hands down your chest, then rests them on your back. “-But it’ll do fer now.”
  1655. >She pulls you in and smashes her lips into yours, groaning into your mouth as she forces her tongue to meet yours.
  1656. >Your inexperience is apparent as her tongue mashes up against yours, wrestling it all around your mouth.
  1657. >Despite having brushed her teeth, you can still taste the acidic sting of vomit mixed with the flavor of the alcohol you were smelling.
  1658. >If you weren’t so aroused by Aria’s foreplay you would be disgusted at the taste.
  1659. >You feel a hand on your wrist gently guide you till it is placed against her crotch, and you feel her shudder at the contact.
  1660. >She moans into your mouth as she lets your fingers explore her pussy. You feel your hand shaking in excitement as you feel the damp flesh of her pussy twitch at your touch.
  1661. >In the time you’ve come to be with Aria, she never once gave the indication of having this kind of desire with you. Maybe her drunken state was causing this sudden shift in emotion?
  1662. >The thought makes you freeze in place, as hours of college mandated training makes you realize that this could land you in big trouble.
  1663. “Aria waitwaitwaitwait.”
  1664. >You stop your caressing of her pussy, earning you a half lidded glare from the breathless girl underneath you.
  1665. “I-I don’t think this is...this ok. You’re drunk. I th-”
  1666. >Aria cuts you off by grabbing you by the hair and bringing you within inches of her face.
  1667. >”Shut the fuck up and keep going.” She growls. “I’m close.”
  1668. >Her free hand grabs three of your fingers, and jams them inside of her.
  1669. >Aria arches her back and lets out several loud, drawn out moans that you’re sure could be heard by even the people above you.
  1670. >All you can do is sit there as your hand is essentially used as a pleasure toy for Aria.
  1671. >You were feeling incredibly uncomfortable and incredibly horny right now, but it would probably be for the best to ride this one out.
  1672. >Trying to stop her now would result in a very unhappy Aria.
  1673. >You feel your dick twitch in jealousy at all the attention your hand was receiving.
  1674. >Maybe she’d feel nice enough to reciprocate?
  1675. >Aria quickens her pace with your hand, losing herself to her drunken lust. Her moaning has devolved into short primal grunts.
  1676. >You can feel the walls of her pussy clamping down on your fingers with an uncomfortable amount of pressure.
  1677. “Fuck I’m gonna-fuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK”
  1678. >Suddenly, Aria opens her mouth in a soundless scream as she raises her hips in the air, her eyes rolling in her skull.
  1679. >Aria’s hips continue to buck before she collapses like a discarded doll, breathing heavily and twitching.
  1680. >After a moment of waiting to see what she’d do next, you withdraw your fingers from Aria’s quivering slit, causing her to let out a small whimper.
  1681. >You curiously examine your fingers which are covered in a thin layer of whitish, sticky fluid.
  1682. >This came from inside Aria. This was her cum.
  1683. >You’d seen it before in much of the media you consumed on a lonely friday night. Now was as good a chance as any to see what it was like.
  1684. >You drag your tongue over your fingers to taste the mucus, only to recoil at the taste.
  1685. >Everything said this was supposed to be like sweet nectar or honey. There was barely any sweetness in this. It tasted like licking a handful of salty pennies.
  1686. >Something about it encourages you to give it another chance. Can’t be that bad if it’s from Aria, right?
  1687. > You give your fingers a hesitant lick
  1688. >Maybe it’s already growing on you. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that it came from a vagina. A girl vagina.
  1689. >You hear a quiet murmur from Aria, and you look over to her.
  1690. >She lays there splayed out across your bed, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath she takes. At some point, her ponytails came undone causing her hair to gently cascade over her face.
  1691. >You smile at the beautiful sight before. If she were awake, Aria would get defensive towards you looking at her for too long.
  1692. >You didn’t mind either way. You think she’s just as pretty asleep as she is when she’s glaring at you while holding you by the collar of your shirt.
  1693. >You’ve come to appreciate the rough edges Aria came with. It made things with her interesting.
  1694. >A quiet snore leaves her lips and she tosses over to face the wall.
  1695. >She fell asleep.
  1696. >Your smile quickly fades into a look of disbelief as you sit there and stare at the unconscious girl. She actually fell asleep.
  1697. >Your first time with a girl and you get immediately blue balled.
  1698. >With a groan, you lift yourself off the bed and lay yourself down onto the makeshift bedding you laid out for yourself on the floor.
  1699. >The comforter was thick enough to provide some protection from the floor, but this would be a matter of finding the least uncomfortable position.
  1700. >As you roll over in an attempt to get comfortable, you see a small black object crumpled up underneath your desk chair.
  1701. >You reach out and bring it closer to your eyes.
  1702. >The fabric unfurls, revealing itself to be a thin black thong held together by string.
  1703. >A faint musk wafts to your nose, not unlike the smell of the fluids that coated your fingers.
  1704. >Aria may have blue balled you, but you might not have to end this night with a total loss.
  1705. >You shoot a glance up at Aria to see if she’s still fast asleep, and another snore confirms your suspicions.
  1706. >You could take this into the bathroom for some helpful ‘inspiration’.
  1707. >It’s the least Aria can do for you after tonight, right?
  1708. >After all it’s only fair to expect something out of the relationship.
  1709. >You shake your head trying to rid yourself of your impure thoughts.
  1710. >This was a relationship that was being built on trust. Aria trusted you to get her out of jail, she’d trust you not to be creepy with her underwear.
  1711. >You toss the thong back underneath the chair and tos the opposite way, trying to put it out of your mind.
  1712. >The last thought you have before you drift asleep is how you basically paid $1000 to almost lose your virginity.
  1713. >...
  1714. >...
  1715. >The month or so has been a rough ride, to say the least.
  1716. >Work has been particularly rough with meeting after meeting halting progress on work that you actually considered important.
  1717. >All for the sake of management to think that their paychecks were well deserved.
  1718. >Pales in comparison to your personal life, though.
  1719. >Sunset hasn’t called you ever since you fought at the bar.
  1720. >All your calls go unanswered, unsurprisingly.
  1721. >Aria on the other hand has been more...cordial, for lack of a better term.
  1722. >While you certainly weren’t welcoming her with open arms, the two of you weren’t constantly at each other's throats.
  1723. >An improvement, you suppose.
  1724. >Was still stressful to have her back, all things considered.
  1725. >You were in dire need of some stress relief, so you decided to hit the gym.
  1726. >You hadn't been around since Aria moving in threw you out of your routine.
  1727. >After parking your car, you pull your bag from out of the trunk and sling it over your shoulder as you make your way in.
  1728. >The gym had been opened inside the lot of a warehouse, making it hard to find for those who weren’t looking for it.
  1729. >You’d only come across it by word of mouth, giving you the sense that you were in some sort of exclusive club.
  1730. >The people that gravitated to the premises certainly acted like it, acting prideful of the camaraderie they shared amongst each other
  1731. >Kinship here was hammered into shape by stainless steel and bumper plates. Lifting mates pushing each other through their plateaus. A band of brothers bonded by self improvement.
  1732. >The front doors were propped wide open, as if to welcome a long lost brother in it’s open arms.
  1733. >The soothing sound of metal plates clanking together, the familiar musk of dried out sweat mixed with chalk.
  1734. >You were in your happy place.
  1735. >You take a deep breath and wave to the front receptionist as you scan your keychain, who perks up at the sight of you.
  1736. >”Anon!” she exclaims joyfully. “Thought you got scared away from here!”
  1737. “Ah, you can never keep me out of here too long, Dash. Just had some stuff happen recently that forced me to be away.”
  1738. >Dash gawked in mock concern and held her cheeks with her hands. “Oh no! Did Anon pull a widdle baby muscle?” She says in a childish voice. “Did someone need a breaky wakey?”
  1739. >You turn around with your arms out as you walk backwards. “I can still spot your featherweight lifts, Dash.”
  1740. >Rainbow Dash responds by sticking her tongue out at you before answering a phone.
  1741. >You knew that wasn’t a fair comparison, given the fact you were about twice her size.
  1742. >It was still fun to hold it over her head though.
  1743. >You pull your notebook out of your gym bag before dropping it at an empty squat rack.
  1744. >It’s always been vital to you to track everything. The progress you’ve made, the walls you hit. The numbers have been a good indicator of how much you’ve grown. How far you’ve come.
  1745. >Aria drilled the importance of tracking everything right from the start. Keep yourself in check, instead of settling into a routine. Never stop improving.
  1746. >”I see you’re still obsessing over your foot placement.”
  1747. >Your shoulders slump at the voice, and you turn to see Aria standing behind the platform.
  1748. >You shake your head, mouth struggling to find words.
  1749. >”I’m working in.” Aria bluntly states as she plops her gym bag next to yours.
  1750. “How the hell did you find this place?”
  1751. >”I saw you leaving in gym clothes. I figured I needed a workout so I followed you.”
  1752. “You...followed me?”
  1753. >You lean against the bar, resting your forehead on it as you groan.
  1754. “Don’t you think if I wanted a workout partner, I would have invited you to come with me?”
  1755. >”Did you forget everything I tried to teach you?” You hear a bag drop right next to you. “You can’t work out without a spotter, dork.”
  1756. >You feel yourself bristle at her usage of her old pet name for you.
  1757. “I’ve lasted this long without one.”
  1758. >”And you’re not going to today.” Aria says with some degree of force in her tone. “Plus, there’s no more room.” She flashes an uncomfortable smile. “I’m working in.”
  1759. >You bite your tongue against any quick remarks. She knew exactly what she was doing.
  1760. >She knew you wouldn’t want to cause a scene here.
  1761. “Whatever. Fine.”
  1762. >You step away from the rack as Aria takes your place underneath the bar.
  1763. >Aria runs through a pre lift habit that you’re all too familiar with seeing. Rolls her shoulders, stamps her feet, cracks her neck.
  1764. “You don’t want to change weights?”
  1765. >Aria shakes her head as she exhales through her mouth. After another pause, she lifts the bar from the pins and slowly walks it out.
  1766. >You take your place behind her at a comfortable distance, hands ready to catch the weight or provide assistance.
  1767. >Aria’s movement is fluid and controlled as she slowly lowers herself, stopping when her legs run parallel to the floor.
  1768. >Your eyes slowly drift over the figure you were so enamored with when you were younger.
  1769. >Aria’s gym shorts are stretched taut around her firm behind, contorting perfectly around it as she continues the exercise. The perfect balance of toned muscle and soft fat of her thighs were pinched around the tight material, creating a dimple that any man would want to sink their teeth into.
  1770. >Her back muscles visible through the loose tanktop she wore, flexed tightly as she supported the weight across her upper back.
  1771. >You swallow nervously as you realize how intently you’re staring at Aria’s ass and look away, hoping she or anyone else didn’t notice your creepy gaze.
  1772. >This invoked many memories of identical situations at the college gym.
  1773. >Aria made you watch her go through different lifts, oftentimes from an angle that offered very tantalizing views.
  1774. >Some days provided more of a challenge than others, given the fact that you would have to awkwardly shift your gym shorts before trying to mirror what she would do.
  1775. >Your bid to hide your shame did not pay off, as was evident by Aria’s equally poor attempts to hide her amusement whenever she saw.
  1776. >But to either save herself embarrassment, or because she pitied you, she never brought it up once.
  1777. >With a loud clatter, Aria jumps you back into the present as she reracks the weight, breathing heavily.
  1778. >”That’s how you do a squat. But you should know already.” says with a shrug as she bends down to pick up her shaker bottle, flipping the cap open to take a swig. “You did learn from the best, after all.” She chuckled as she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up to wipe her face.
  1779. >You nod absentmindedly, trying not to stare at the sculpted surface of Aria’s stomach.
  1780. “I suppose that was good form...for a warmup weight.”
  1781. >Aria stops in place and let’s the fabric fall from her hands, her eyes slowly turn until they rest on you, a primal fury igniting in her eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she tries to ask calmly.
  1782. >You shrug as you pick up some more weights, racking them onto the bar. “Nothing. Just didn’t know you’d struggle with 90 kilo. Did you take a little break?”
  1783. > “You think I can’t out lift you? Remember who taught you this shit.” She says with a quick jab of her finger in your shoulder.
  1784. >“I’ll try and remember that.” You grunt as you lift the weight into position. “I got some knee braces in my bag if you need them.”
  1785. >You struggle to suppress a laugh as you hear Aria growl at your jab.
  1786. >”I could let that weight drop your ass if I want.”
  1787. “Will you though?”
  1788. >Aria doesn’t offer a response aside from more grumbling as you finish your set.
  1789. >The two of you continue to take turns several more times until your legs wobble and shake.
  1790. >You rerack the bar one last time, lungs heaving for air and sweat dripping from your face.
  1791. >The dull ache that pulsed through your legs felt good. Makes you feel alive.
  1792. >Using the rack as support, you pull yourself up and hobble over to pull off the weights.
  1793. >”Leave it on.”
  1794. >Freezing in place, you turn to see Aria bringing up another plate, that same look from earlier in her eyes.
  1795. “You sure?”
  1796. >Aria only nods as she slides the weight into place.
  1797. >A quick round of math in your head tells that this would be well over what you were just pushing.
  1798. >But Aria seems to be determined in her display of force, as she stances up in front of the bar and shakes her legs.
  1799. >You step up behind her, eyeing her posture with concern. Her balance is shaky at best and you can tell she’s already struggling as she lifts the bar onto her shoulders.
  1800. >Each step back she takes is painfully slow and unsteady and her exasperated breaths sputtering out from her puffed up face.
  1801. >When she finally stands in the middle of the platform, she stands there for what feels like several minutes.
  1802. >The bar totters on Aria’s broad shoulders as her balance with the weight wavers.
  1803. >Finally, Aria manages to bring herself down to parallel, with no small amount of grunts and labored breaths.
  1804. >Yet still she continues to sink closer to the ground, until her firm butt is almost pressed against the hard foam of the platform.
  1805. >There she remains in her crablike state, her face turning a darker shade of purple before she makes the effort to stand back up.
  1806. >As she struggles to push the weight, her body shakes under the pressure before she fails and comes back down.
  1807. “Aria, bail the lift. Don’t hurt yourself.”
  1808. >Her only response is a shake of her head as she attempts to raise herself again, only to sink back down with a pained groan.
  1809. >”I got this. I got this. I got this. I got this.” she says with no small amount of strain.
  1810. >’Just like old times.’ you think to yourself in annoyance. ‘Always gotta prove something.’
  1811. >Once more she attempts to complete again, only to cry out in frustration as she almost falls backwards.
  1812. “Aria, bail the fucking lift, goddamnit!”
  1813. >You grab the bar and attempt to hoist it from her shoulders enough to let her fall forward, when a shout from Aria causes you to freeze.
  1814. >”I’VE GOT THIS.” Her voice is loud enough to startle half of the people in the gym. “DON’T. TAKE. THIS. FROM. ME.”
  1815. >You roll your eyes and step back to give her space.
  1816. >Aria takes a deep breath and pushes herself up with a loud grunt.
  1817. > She arches her back as her form slowly degrades, but she brings herself back up, much to your amazement.
  1818. >You almost don’t notice her knees beginning to buckle, but as soon as she falters you’re quick to catch on her predicament.
  1819. >Thinking quickly, you grab the bar from both ends and support it as much as you can.
  1820. >With your support, Aria is able to regain her footing and rerack the weight, collapsing onto the ground like a limp doll.
  1821. >She lays back across the platform, chest heaving as she lays her forearms over her face.
  1822. >With a sigh, you kneel down to look at her.
  1823. “Yo Aria, you alright?”
  1824. >Still gasping for air, Aria nods before breathlessly speaking. “Blacked out...for a second.”
  1825. >You hum in acknowledgement.
  1826. “I noticed that you arched your back.”
  1827. >Aria only offers an extended middle finger in response, making you chuckle.
  1828. >Early on in Aria teaching you how to lift, you often had to bail her out of what could be described as “egolifts”.
  1829. >In the same breath that she would lecture you on the dangers and stupidity of lifting beyond one’s ability, Aria would ask you to help her with setting new personal records.
  1830. >There was a fine line between pushing your limits and endangering your safety, and it always worried you when Aria crossed that line.
  1831. >Aria’s breathing slowly becomes less erratic, and she nods. “Ok...ok...I think...I think I’m good.”
  1832. “You sure?”
  1833. >Aria moves her arms off her face braces to push herself up, but only managing to sit up with her legs crossed. “You gonna try?”
  1834. “Fuck no.”
  1835. >Aria scoffs at your quick response. “Why not? I was able to do it.”
  1836. “Yea, uh BARELY. You needed my fuckin’ help to do it.”
  1837. >She rolls her eyes. ”Pfft, Whatever.” Aria mutters as she tries to pull herself up using the beams of the squat rack.
  1838. >You offer your hand to her, a gesture that causes her to look at you in surprise.
  1839. >Still, she takes your hand and your combined effort pulls her up.
  1840. >The touch of her skin sends a shiver down your spine, and you pull your hand back as soon as she’s standing on her own.
  1841. >“Come on, dork.” You feel a gentle nudge in your side. “I did it, so you have to now.”
  1842. >You snort and give her a quizzical look.
  1843. “Oh is that how this works? You almost break your back so now I have to?”
  1844. >“Guess you don’t wanna see if you can do it, then.” Aria shrugs. “That’s ok. This isn’t for everyone.”
  1845. >You glare at her as her obvious attempt at baiting you totally does not work.
  1846. >It totally won’t work.
  1847. “Fine. Spot me, then.”
  1848. >Aria gives you a knowing smile as she swaps places with you.
  1849. >You close your eyes and take several long drawn out breaths as you try to steel yourself for what’s to come.
  1850. >Opening your eyes again, you look ahead at your reflection in the mirror that covers the wall, mentally correcting yourself.
  1851. >Behind you, Aria stands ready as she keenly watches you adjusting your stance.
  1852. >With no point in delaying this any longer, you take
  1853. >You could quickly tell that this was going to be an ordeal, as you felt the unfamiliar weight bear down on your shoulders.
  1854. >The muscles in your legs protest more and more as the fatigue from your previous sets rushed back into existence.
  1855. >Once again, holding the parallel proves to be difficult, as the dull aching sensation that was throbbing in your legs felt like it was spreading through your entire body.
  1856. >Just as you’re ready to lean forward and bail, you feel the burden on your shoulders lighten ever so slightly.
  1857. >“Come on, you got this. Push your fucking legs, dude! COME ON!” Aria yells.
  1858. >Her voice carries no hint of sarcasm or malice. In fact, the tone it carries feels...genuine.
  1859. >”C’mon C’mon C’mon! Hip drive, Anon, Hip drive! You’re almost there! FIGHT IT!”
  1860. >Aria continued to bark at you like a drill sergeant as you manage to return up, your whole body shaking from the exertion while you slowly step forward.
  1861. >As your vision begins to go blurry you feel the bar touch the stops on the rack. The weight clatters onto the pegs and you rest your arms on top as you regain consciousness.
  1862. >You feel her hand slap your back several times, almost throwing you off balance.
  1863. >“Nice job.”
  1864. >Managing to catch your breath, you push yourself to stand up straight, turning to see Aria still standing in the same spot, arms crossed and the ghost of a prideful look in her eyes.
  1865. “...Thanks.”
  1866. >Aria wasn’t expecting your gesture of gratitude . “What for?”
  1867. >You roll your shoulders and look away, suddenly finding it hard to meet Aria’s gaze.
  1868. “The encouragement helped.”
  1869. >Aria looks you up and down as she chews her lip before giving you a shrug. “You looked like you needed it.”
  1870. >As your breathing returns to normal your lips curl into a slightly sadistic smirk.
  1871. “I win, y’know.”
  1872. >Aria’s mouth shaped soundless words as she narrowed her eyes at you. ”Can you take my fucking praise and be happy with that?”
  1873. >You push hands into your lower back and stretch backwards.
  1874. “Not when you’re the one who started this.”
  1875. >You move to unrack one side of the barbell, feeling your mood immediately sour again.
  1876. “It’s not a contest when your competitor has to prevent you from folding like a lawn chair.”
  1877. >”What?” Aria says with a scowl as she pulls the last weight off the other half. “I’m fucking capable of handling myself.”
  1878. “I can attest to otherwise.”
  1879. >You flick her shoulder as you take an uneasy step off the platform.
  1880. “Chest is next.”
  1881. >Before you can hobble your way to the benches, Aria steps in front of you, blocking your path. Her trademark scowl is plastered on her face, but that flicker of protest gleams in her eyes.
  1882. “What?”
  1883. >”Bet I could press more than you.”
  1884. >You lean your head back and lot out an exasperated groan before giving her an impatient glare.
  1885. “For fu-Seriously??”
  1886. >Aria responds by mimicking the flick you gave her.
  1887. >You shake your head at her challenge.
  1888. “Nuh uh. I’m not doing this again, Aria.”
  1889. >”Loser makes dinner.”
  1890. >You throw your head back and laugh.
  1891. “I’d be the loser either way.”
  1892. >Aria huffs as her leer remains fixated on you. “The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
  1893. >You step around her and continue on your way, but she matches your pace next to you.
  1894. “It means either I end up cooking dinner OR I end up cooking dinner after you burn everything to a crisp.”
  1895. >”I’m not as useless as Sonata in the kitchen, I know how to make shit!”
  1896. >You blow a raspberry as you toss your bag down next to the bench.
  1897. “Aria, I had to teach you how to scramble eggs, and even then half of it stuck to the pan. ”
  1898. >Aria waves her hand and leans back onto the bench before you can sit down. “You’re just upset because you needed more help with your squat.” She says as she pretends to stretch her back, giving you another glimpse of her glistening abs.
  1899. >You swallow the lump that was forming in your throat and look away. Not going to work again.
  1900. >It’s not going to work again.
  1901. >You’re not going to fall for it again.
  1902. “Goddamnit, Aria.”
  1903. >...
  1904. >...
  1905. >This was exactly why you didn’t want to fall for Aria’s little game again.
  1906. >But Aria seemed convinced in her ability.
  1907. >Up until you outclassed her.
  1908. >She must not have been prepared for that, given the wager she offered.
  1909. >Despite complaining for the rest of the workout about having to cook, she refused your offers to do it anyway.
  1910. >Her explanation being that this was something that she had to do now.
  1911. >Part of you wanted to throw your weight as the head of the so-called household and tell her no, but the curiosity gnawing at the back of your mind told you to see how this would play out.
  1912. >The two of you parted ways after you left the gym, Aria mentioning she would be back after a trip to the store for supplies.
  1913. >So you returned home by yourself, anticipating her return with equal parts curiosity and dread.
  1914. >In your mind, It was entirely possible and likely that she was going to return with frozen pizzas or microwave meals.
  1915. >Which is why you were left surprised as Aria came through the door wrestling several crowded plastic bags into the kitchen.
  1916. >The sight makes you sigh as you imagine how crowded your fridge is about to become, eventually having to throw out half of whatever Aria carelessly bought.
  1917. >As Aria starts to lay out most of the ingredients she bought onto the island, you come over and run a mental checklist of it all as you try and piece together what she’s making.
  1918. >Before you can make your way over to the kitchen, you’re interrupted by Aria waving her hands in front of her as she stands in front of you.
  1919. >”You. Stay.” She snaps her fingers as she points to where you were previously sitting. “There.”
  1920. >You shoot her an incredulous look. “Are you telling me what to do in my own apartment?”
  1921. >”I’ve been paying my half of the rent for the last several months.” She says, crossing her arms. “That makes it our apartment.”
  1922. >If you didn’t know any better, you’d have thought Aria was packing a huge set of balls for saying that with a straight face.
  1923. >Nevertheless, you don’t feel like having another fight so you shrug and resume your wait back in the living room.
  1924. >Noisome clatters and muttered curses can be heard from the kitchen as Aria seemingly struggles with whatever childish concoction she decided to stir up.
  1925. “I’m coming in there to help if you keep destroying my stuff.”
  1926. >”STAY THERE. I told you I can handle myself, damn it!”
  1927. >You throw your hands up in defense as you sink back down into your chair, leaving you with the suspicions and anxiety of what she was going to do to your kitchen.
  1928. >Social media shitposts can only distract you so much from the clamour and chaotic sounds that come from your kitchen.
  1929. >Clangs and clatters of clumsily handled pots and pans, swears uttered in varying volumes, the grating screech of metal scraping that seemed to reverberate through your body.
  1930. >Soon enough the tension becomes too unbearable to withstand as you sit there and listen to your kitchen be destroyed.
  1931. >Gritting your teeth, you start to stand only to stop as Aria comes around your chair with two plates in hand.
  1932. >She sets a plate towards you and you immediately recognize the dish she served.
  1933. “Chicken Parmesan?”
  1934. >”Yea. Something wrong with that?” Aria says as she shoots you an inquisitive look .
  1935. >You shake your head as you pick up your utensils and cut into the chicken.
  1936. >Correction; You try to cut into the chicken.
  1937. >The slab of food offers stiff resistance as you exert force with your knife, but it doesn’t give.
  1938. >You’ve come this far, so you might as well see how this actually is though. Especially with Aria hanging over your chair, watching your every move.
  1939. >You shift the knife in your grip and use it as a saw to cut your way through the hard crust.
  1940. >The burnt breading cracks and grates against the silverware, but you make it through the hardened shell only to reveal the tragic extent of Aria’s failings.
  1941. >”Well?” Aria is watching you with anticipation, her food untouched so far.
  1942. >Hesitantly, you place the bite into your mouth and chew.
  1943. >You’d been preparing yourself to immediately regurgitate whatever it was, but that would imply you were able to actually chew the food.
  1944. >The breaded exterior practically cracks like gravel as you attempt to bite it, and that’s completely ignoring the fact that this is the driest chicken you’ve ever eaten.
  1945. >It takes a great deal of effort to grind it down into a form that won’t stick in your throat as you swallow.
  1946. > Aria was standing over your chair before she leaned over close to your shoulder. Even from the corner of your eye you could see the smug grin that threatened to split her face in half.
  1947. >”Go on.” She pridefully boasts. “Tell me how great it is.”
  1948. >You try to twirl your fork in the pasta, only to watch in horror as the noodles turn to mush under the slightest pressure of your utensil.
  1949. “Do you want the honest truth?”
  1950. >Aria gives a dry laugh before walking over to the couch and letting herself fall back with a soft thud. “You’re fucking with me.”
  1951. >You offer no words, instead nodding your head towards her plate.
  1952. >Her eyes flick back and forth between you and the suspicious dish, her confident facade falling into a frown. ”That bad?” She asks, the expression on her face making her disbelief clear.
  1953. “Your food’s getting cold.”
  1954. >Aria scoffed as she narrowed her eyes at you, but picked up her own fork and attempted to dig in.
  1955. >She grunted as she mimicked your efforts to slice through the so called food, frantically sawing away at the brick that sat on her plate.
  1956. >”Fucking SHIT!” Aria spits as she throws down her utensils in disdain, both falling across the glass surface with a loud sound off.
  1957. >You open your mouth to reprimand Aria for being so careless, but the words quickly fall flat on your tongue.
  1958. >Aria is sitting hunched over her knees, tugging at her hair with enough force you were sure she’d rip it out.
  1959. >”I was so sure that I did it EXACTLY like you had done!”
  1960. “Wait...I...showed you this?”
  1961. >Aria groaned and limply leaned back on the couch, her arms flopping to her sides.
  1962. >”It was the only fucking thing I could remember. You kept going on about how useless I am in the kitchen and I-” Aria tensed before letting her head hang with an angry sigh.
  1963. >”Forget it. I failed…” Aria said in a resigned tone. “Again.”
  1964. >You shift awkwardly as you watch Aria stand up and head towards her room, feeling your stomach twist in a knot as the pieces all fall into place in your head.
  1965. >She wasn’t trying to annoy you at the gym, she was actually trying to spur you on.
  1966. >She went out of her way to uphold her end of the bet, even if it meant failing at it.
  1967. >And what did you do in response? You antagonized her, mocked her, downplayed and derided everything she did.
  1968. >In short, you were exactly like she used to be.
  1969. >The irony of it all is not lost on you as the guilt weighs down on your conscience.
  1970. >But another part of you tries to remind you this should be largely overshadowed by the fact that she still cheated on you.
  1971. >While the memory makes you bristle slightly with anger, it doesn’t have nearly as much bite to it as it usually does.
  1972. >In fact that was one thing that came as a surprise to you; her infidelity had almost slipped out of your mind today.
  1973. >Normally, it would slip into your mind at least once a day, leaving a trail of scattered thoughts like a destructive tornado.
  1974. “Hold on.”
  1975. >Aria stops right at the mouth of the hallway.
  1976. “You promised me dinner, didn’t you?”
  1977. >Aria rolls her head to look at you with a defeated and angry expression and gives you a limp shrug of her shoulders. “So what.”
  1978. “So I haven’t had dinner yet, get back here.”
  1979. >Aria stared at you with a hollow scowl while pinching her lips together.
  1980. “You were on the right track so why don’t we juuuussssst…”
  1981. >Your train of thought abruptly derails and becomes an unmitigated disaster.
  1982. >Much like the state of everything in the kitchen.
  1983. >A considerable pile of cookware is stacked in and around your sink. Much more than what would be necessary for two meals.
  1984. >Utensils of varying purposes are scattered across the countertop as well as the island.
  1985. >Foodstuffs, both cooked and uncooked lay about the clutter, raising alarms of cross contamination in your head.
  1986. >Your mouth gapes open and close like a dying fish as the scene laid out before worsens the longer you stare at it.
  1987. >Aria seems to take note of your reaction, as she huffs and rubs her arm.
  1988. >“Yea. I can tell it’s bad.” Aria ran her hand through her hair before whispering sadly. “It’s just gonna end up worse if I try again.”
  1989. “Well…”
  1990. >You bite your lip as you slowly walk closer to ground zero to fully assess the damage.
  1991. >There’s only one way to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
  1992. “This time I’m gonna do it with you so you don’t forget.”
  1993. >You sweep your hand across the remaining ingredients that she’d left scattered across the wooden surface.
  1994. “There’s plenty of...ingredients here we can salvage something.”
  1995. >You lean over the counter and give Aria a sympathetic look before speaking gently.
  1996. “What do you say?”
  1997. >Aria’s stony gaze doesn’t leave you as she leans onto the wall by the mouth of the hallway.
  1998. >Her demeanor slowly begins to soften; her shoulders relax as she nodded with her eyebrows pulled down into a slight frown.
  1999. >”Ok.” She sullenly says. “What’s first?”
  2000. >You clap your hands and rub them together.
  2001. “So the thing you want to do is make sure the chicken is tenderized. That’s why yours was so tough to chew. Hand me a plastic bag from that drawer over there.”
  2002. >...
  2003. >...
  2004. >...

Rekindling

by JustSomeAnon