The Billionaire Summer

Chapter Five

There seemed to be a tension around the room for the past ten minutes and I had a feeling it was due to the arrival of Aria, but I wasn't about to have it openly brought up.

I also didn't want to make anything worse so I purposely ignored the tension.

"How long have you and Aria known each other?" Hunter asks looking between Aria who was across the room and me cuddling with Olivia on the couch.

"Since I was four, I got to see her until I went to Thornbrook, because she came to LA" I reply. Over time I've learned to give minimal descriptive answers so that it answers questions but doesn't add to much to it.

"Even when you went to the Rosenberg Institute?" Olivia asks her grey green eyes staring into mine.

"Yes, most of our friendship was formed there, same with the boys, you also know what my childhood was like, she helped me through it only if I went to her" I say.

"That's because your stubborn and heavily self reliant" Aria says.

Well don't expose me.

"Yes, I am, I will admit, I went through a time where I was an overly closed off person, though I did have some anger issues".

"You were always closed off so none of us noticed, also what do you mean anger issues?" Riley asks looking up at me.

"You all know I'm a confident, hardworking, cunning, assertive, occasionally emotionally controlled individual" I say and they all nod, "well I developed anger issues from being away from my family, and I was so controlling that I pushed people away because I was very apathetic when challenged about it".

"Oh damn, you have changed a lot then" Hunter says.

"What made you change?" Mia asks.

"I realized how bad I had become when people I had been close to at Rosenberg began distancing themselves. I might be an introverted, independent person but I also know that human interaction is key to being healthy, and I started to change that, I started to use meditation, working out, sports, and things that improved me in one way or another to change my bad habits. Now here I am".

"I don't think any of us saw it" Riley remarks.

"That's because I hid my emotions from everyone I state, though my anger was obvious to everyone but for some reason you three just accepted it".

"You have the worst demons in the room, we all know that" Nico says looking up from his book.

"We all have demons, some we don't let out, others we don't even let be known" I muse.

That's the thing with being the child of wealthy families. We all had issues and did things because of them. Hunter partied and drank, Riley had a period of being reckless and had gotten in trouble because of it. Nico didn't see his parents much and luckily was only faced with depression for a few years which we all helped him in our own way by being supportive and reminding him were all here for him. Kate left the Upper East Side because she missed our parents so much that she too turned to partying though now it's not as bad as it once was. Aria I don't know if she's ever had a negative coping mechanism, Olivia's was the aftermath of a toxic relationship that meant she had some trust issues at first when she met the group. Mine just seemed endless up until I met Olivia who is priceless to me and always will be.

"That's true" Kate mutters as if contemplating her own dark past.

"On a lighter note, I need to get ready for tonight" I say lifting Olivia in her exact position so I could get off the couch, before setting her back down.

"What's tonight?" Hunter asked while I walked toward the stairs.

"That's a secret" I say with a smirk before going upstairs to find something presentable for me and Olivia's date, I also wasn't going to take her to a restaurant that would be a little cliche so I had a different idea.