in my veins | jason dilaurentis [discontinued]

sixteen; two ghosts

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

TWO GHOSTS
❝It tastes so sweet, looks so real. Sounds like something that I used to feel, but I can't touch what I see. 'Cause we don't say what we really mean. We're not who we used to be. We're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me.❞

MID-AUGUST 2009

The day was a cold and breezy one, and for Arabella, the day began just as any other day would have. Yet, something about the way the hidden sun hardly shined, the way the leaves fell gracefully from the trees, and the way the wind felt on her skin made that day all the more special for her. The brunette was irrevocably exuberant, and anyone who stopped to watch her could see it on her face as she practically skipped about the town and felt it along with her as the happiness radiated from her body. She supposed she owed the sudden optimism to the fact that she had gotten into an argument with Alison the week prior about who was really in control when it came to the other girls—an argument Arabella was happy to let the blonde win because she was no longer feeding into Alison's bullshit and also because she knew she was the furthest thing from an insecure, controlling bitch that always needed to get her way. Usually these arguments would leave Arabella with a bitter taste in her mouth but this time, due to the little outburst the two girls had, Alison had decided to take the other girls on a trip for two days, a trip to which Arabella was not invited to or spoken to about. In fact, when asked about her absence from the trip, the brunette happily told the rest of the girls and her mother that she had a stomach ache and couldn't make it to the trip; meanwhile Alison, thinking she'd won this round, smirked as if she were on top of the world wearing her almighty crown. If only she had known that she'd given Arabella the opportunity of a lifetime, and she wasn't about to give it up no matter what.

Earlier on that day, Arabella was playing the part of a sick teenager, in bed with a warm towel on her forehead, a scowl on her face as she stared up at the ceiling, "Mom! When are you and dad leaving?" Prior to the drama with Alison, her parents had planned to go out on a date that day since Mike was going to be hanging out with his friends and Aria and Arabella were going to be busy with Alison and the other girls as they left for their trip. But with Arabella "getting sick" and not being able to attend the trip, Ella had decided that maybe it was best if they stayed in and watched over her, to which Arabella quickly objected and convinced them that it wasn't necessary and that she would be sleeping the whole time anyways. Now they were both getting ready for their date while the brunette rejoiced in bed at how perfectly her plans were going.

Byron stopped by his daughter's door on his way down the hallway and smiled, "We're just about ready to go. Are you sure you'll be fine here alone?"

The girl nodded reassuringly, "Don't worry, I'll be alright."

He nodded back, taking her word for it and heading downstairs, Ella right on his trail. "Arabella, honey, we're leaving now! Make sure you call if you need anything, okay?"

Arabella sighed at her mother's constant worrying, "Yeah, yeah, just try and have fun tonight!"

As her parents wandered around downstairs to make sure they weren't forgetting anything, the brunette sat up, listening attentively for the sound of the front door closing, and when she finally heard it, she hurriedly got out of bed and ran to the hallway, peeking downstairs to make sure they had really left. With her parents nowhere to be seen, Arabella smiled widely, running back into her room and eyeing her clothes in the mirror, contemplating whether or not she should change. The girl had on a slightly baggy black t-shirt and leggings of the same color, having been far too lazy to raid her closet and put on some fancy outfit when there wasn't a specific reason that required her to dress up for her plans today. Sighing, Arabella ran her hands through her hair and grimaced at the fading pink tips, deciding to throw it up in a messy bun given that no  matter what she did to it, there wasn't any way to make her hair cooperate.