Under Your Influence (GANG Series)

Chapter 27

Arias POV

I wake up with my head pounding and my heart with a huge ache. It's seven in the morning. I feel that my chest is heavy but it's my heart that's actually heavy. I start to feel my eyelids getting heavy but I force myself up to get ready for the day. I look to my right and see Sierra curled up and covered in blankets on my fuzzy carpet. Everything is dead silent, the only thing I can hear are Sierra's small and light snores. She sounds like a baby really. I laugh, and then I suddenly stop. Oh no. What has Jacob done to me?

I don't feel anything today. I'm backtracking. I was way worse back home. Way worse. But I feel like I'm backtracking because I'm starting to feel like this out of nowhere. It doesn't feel like someone is turning the knife in my heart. It feels like a wave has passed through me. A wave of realization. A painful realization. I start to feel like I can't breathe, like my lungs have closed up, so I decide to go to my aunts terrace for some air. When I enter her room it's clean. Bed made and everything put in it's place clean. I go out to her terrace and rest my elbows on the ledge of the terrace. I look down to see the people walking on streets. Coffee cups in hand and phone held to their ear in the other. I see many people in Central Park scattered all over like little ants and the rest is trees blocking my view from anything. I think my life would be just fine if I had a room like this, woke up to this every morning, had my friends with no drama, and I had gotten accepted into Juilliard. But life doesn't work that way. No matter how hard you work. It doesn't matter to anyone the effort, the time, the pain, blood, sweat, and tears you put into your goal or something you really want. It just matters about the money these days. Or maybe it's just my life that was designed to be a hell. It's my life that works like that. Everyone else has these small bumps on the road while I keep driving off a cliff for some reason, only trying to climb back but then again drive off the cliff. It keeps happening again. Like it's on repeat. I'm just waiting for someone to press continue on my life so I can finally move on.

I check the time and it's almost eight thirty. Damn, I've been overthinking my life for too long. I should stop, it's only painful to reminisce the last many years of my life.

"Aria?" I hear Sierra call from just the hallway.

"In here!" I call out to her. I hear her open the screen door and closing indicating her presence.

"How long have you been awake?" She asks putting her her elbows on the ledge just like me.

"Only since seven." I reply.

"Oh, you could have woken me up." She says.

"Nope. Book says never to wake a sleeping baby." She laughs. I attempt to laugh as well but comes out as more of a choke and cough.

"Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yes, of course." I lie to her. I sense that she notices that I lied since she frowned. Damn, I'm getting bad at hiding my feelings as well.

"So you hungry?" I ask her breaking the silence.

"Starving." She smiles.

"Okay, to the kitchen!" I march out and I hear her laugh behind.

I enter the kitchen and there's a notebook opened to a page with writing with a US bank pen next to it. Oh it's from my aunt.

Went to work early. Left breakfast for you and sierra in the fridge just heat it up. I'll be back after two am since i'm working late. please be safe and love you!

Aunt aleina.