The Opposite Of You

Chapter 27

It's April just three months after the events that had occurred. I sat there starring at that stupid box. So I took it out of my closet and opened it and gazed upon this notebook. Inside there was a picture of a cloud that clearly was made by the company who made the notebook. And it came to me, a great tragedy...the story of my life. I took it everywhere, the library to class, not the bathroom and the diner. I paused from the daily autobiography of my life and scanned my wrist. "Is this what you choose to do all day?" Jake asks setting a towel on the table as he sits down.

 "Well, at least I'm not stalking my ex and smoking."

 He frowns. "I don't do that anymore."

 I cross my arms. "Okay...but why are you sitting by me? No one sits by me or talks to me anymore." 

He nods, "well I'm not everyone. And I have no one else to talk to." I shrug, "so I'm your last option?" He nods, "yea sad to say." I roll my eyes. 

"Can you go?" He takes a bite out of one of my fries. "Yeah...if."-

"She still hates me...and I don't know why you're not even asking Sara for help. She's you a conspiracy theorist." I sarcastically say. 

"You're a jokester." He chuckles taking another fry.

"And you're an annoying piece of garbage and stop stealing my fries!" I said packing my things. I leave a tip on the table. "Your wrist still hasn't healed?" 

My jaw drops, " I-I don't...it's healing slowly." I said covering my wrist before walking away.

The next day Jake approached Vanessa. "Hey Vanessa we need to talk."

"I don't want."-

"It's not about that it's about Aria I think she's hurting herself." Vanessa laughs. "She's probably just seeking attention and why the hell do you care? You hate her."

"I don't. V, Aria was your friend...she made a mistake. You made a mistake we all make mistakes, Aria forgave you. But I guess it's between you two to resolve this. But if she's hurting herself it's on you."

"yea well it's on you too." Vanessa mumbles. He turns to watch me walk past them. "And I will not be responsible for her death." Vanessa crosses her arms. "You secretly like her, don't you? I mean it's fine. I kind of figured since you're the one who bought her, birthday gift." Jake looks away.

 "My cousin told me you did."-

"You two aren't even related your families are just cool and I don't like her! That's Nick's problem."

"Then why aren't you telling him this?"-

I scream as a dead bird falls from my locker. In fear I storm past them. "I guess I'll go pity her." Vanessa walks up to me, "you okay?" She asks. "I don't need your pity," I said. "Well I just wanted to."-

"I'm fine...just go back to your life." She sighs, "are you sure you."-

"I don't need your pity! You didn't want to be my friend so why start now?" I question. "Hey! Don't get angry at me I tried to warn you."

 I nod, "but the only thing you could be honest with me about was actually nothing. I forgave you and."-

"Yea over something petty my reason is valid." I laugh calling her bluff. "You don't even like Sara! Know what I don't care just stay the hell away from me!"I yell making a scene. As I was walking away Nick was making his way over towards me. "Did you like my gift?" I frown, "do you enjoy being a father at 17?" He bites his tongue. "Bitch." He mumbles. "See you didn't have to go there." I shrugged, "but I did." 

"Fuck you!" I laughed, "you already did." As I walk past him he grabs me and I scream as my cuts start to sting.

 "Argh! Get off me!" I push him off of me and then slap him. "Buttercup." He says, "leave me alone." Nick takes off as if he was going to go after me but he doesn't.

Jake walks after me. "Are you okay?" He asks as the halls clear.

 "I'm fine," I said right before he lunged at me and grabs my wrist. "Let go of me!" I yell. "No, not until tell me the truth!" He yells back at me. "About what?"

"This." He pushes my sleeves down, pointing out my scars. "That's nothing...I'm."-

"You're hurting yourself!" I pull my sleeves down. "So what let me do it...it's not like I'm gonna kill myself." He gently let go of me. "And another thing, whatever I do to myself isn't your concern!" I snap vigorously annoyed by him.

"Okay then you can die for all I care," Jake says.
"Fine!"

"Fine!" I walk off and out of the school.

At home, while I was in the middle of going inside when Mrs. Lockwood stopped me. "Aria...dear."

"Mrs. Lockwood," I said.

"Sweetheart...Elena." I nod. "Okay...I don't see why you're here...Ester is."-

"I'm not here for her. I'm here for you." I look around. "Why?"

"Because I'm shipping Nick off early for the summer...I'm sorry for what's he's done to you. But I know for a fact that he does care."

"Then why did he hurt me?" She shrugs, "peer pressure, blackmail I don't know...but I wanted you to know...that I'm allowing him to come and say goodbye."

"I don't want to see him," I said sharply. 

"Please Aria...hear him out." I roll my eyes. "He has a minute." She turns gesturing for him to come out of the car. He walks up to me. 

"Ahem...well I wanted to say I was sorry and that you didn't deserve that." Yet I did in a way, I'm a selfish fool. I tilt my head observing him-it felt as if he was pitying me and his apology wasn't sincerely true. It felt staged. "You're lying."

"Buttercup please just accept my apology." He mumbles at me. 

"Why should I? You humiliated and ruined me! I was fine but you just had to keep pushing, you were always there and you took the most precious thing of my existence and you ruined me...us. Sara was right, I made a mistake ever telling you because you hurt me but then again I would've been wrong for me not telling you! And I will never forgive myself for doing that."

"Aria what I felt for you, it was real." He says, "no just.. don't tell me what I want to hear so you can look good in front of your mother! I bet I'm not even special! I heard you played these games all the time but this time it backfired. And one day I truly do hope you find someone that can keep up with your mind games. And I hope she isn't as a bigger fool than I was. But I want you to know that I was falling for you...and now I don't know. So now I have to go inside...To that damn house and maybe I'll cry or maybe I'll be fine...but you, have fun, Nicolas Lockwood." I walk away. Elena walked towards him. 

"You okay?" He shakes his head. "She hates me and I was going to tell her I love her."

Elena looks back at the house. "You did what you had to do son and if she can't understand that, then maybe it wasn't meant to be," Elena says, soothing his back as they walk back to her car.