Aria's POV
I sit in my eleventh grade English class and twirl my hair absent-mindedly. In front of me sits Ezra Fitz; the captain of the football team, the kid with a 4.7 GPA, the heart-throb of Rosewood High, and the boy who I dream about every night.
I always tell myself to stop liking Ezra, because he would never go out with a girl like me. It's not that I'm a nerd, it's just that I'm too normal. I'm not drop dead gorgeous like his past girlfriends, and even though I have plenty of friends, none of them are in the cool crowd.
After my teacher Mrs. Harmaning finishes writing everything on the board, she begins to speak in her boring and monotone voice.
"Okay class, today we are starting a long-term project. We will break up into groups of two, and you work on the assignment after school." Our teacher informs us.
"Do we get to chose our partners?" Ezra's best friend Noel Kahn asks as his eyes dart over to the homecoming queen Mona Vanderwall.
"No, I will be choosing them for you." Mr. Harmaning says with a chuckle.
Everyone starts to complain, but I smile to myself. Maybe she'll pair me with Ezra, and he'll get to come over to my house to work on the project. He'd see how awesome I am and fall in love with me, and we'd live happily ever after.
Stop it Aria! This is real life, not a Disney Channel Original Movie!
"Mrs. Montgomery, I'm going to pair you with Noel." Mrs. Harmaning says, snapping me out of my daydream.
We both sigh and stare at each other in annoyance. Noel Kahn is a total jerk, and I don't want to be stuck doing a project with him! He's probably just as disappointed as I am, because he obviously wanted to work with Mona.
"Class, you may meet with your partners." Mrs. Harmaning says after she finishes assigning the groups.
Noel walks over to my side of the classroom and takes a seat at the desk next to mine.
"Today is the only day after school that I don't have practice, and I'm coming over to your house so we can finish the stupid project." Noel tells me flatly.
"I have to check with my parents first..." I start to say.
"What are you, a third grader? Who gives a shit what your parents think?" He asks with a smirk.
"Fine, be at my house by two o'clock." I say before slamming my notebook shut.
Line Break
At two o'clock sharp, Noel Kahn rings the doorbell to my house.
"Hey Noel." I say as I answer the door.
"Hello Arianna." He says as he forces a smile.
"It's Aria." I say as I try to contain my annoyance.
"Whatever, let's get this stupid project over with so I can leave." Noel says before walking towards the staircase.
"Where are you going?" I ask with confusion in my voice.
"Upstairs. Isn't that where your room is?" He asks me.
My mom always tells me that I'm not allowed to invite boys upstairs, but it's not like anything is going to happen between me and Noel. We're working on a project for school, that's it.
"Yeah, let's get going." I say as I follow him upstairs.
Line Break
Noel and I have been working on our project for about two hours, and I can tell he's losing his focus.
"Okay, I'll do the works cited if you work on the cover page..." I start to say.
"You have really nice boobs." Noel says before I can finish my sentence.
My cheeks turn bright red, and I cover my chest self-consciously.
"Um thanks?" I say awkwardly.
"Would you let me feel them?" Noel asks me hopefully.
"No!" I say immediately.
I've never even kissed a boy, and I'm not about to let one touch me. The thought alone makes me shutter involuntarily.
"Please?" Noel begs.
"I said no and meant it." I tell him seriously.
"I'll let you touch me." Noel says with a suggestive smile.
Unsure of what to say, I begin to shake my head vigorously.
"Come on, don't be such a drag!" Noel exclaims.
"We're here to work on a project, not feel each other up. If you get off topic one more time, I'm kicking you out." I say as I try to keep my patience.
Noel doesn't respond, and I turn around to grab a piece of paper from my desk. A startled gasp escapes from my lips when I feel Noel spank me roughly. Rage begins to fill my body, and Noel begins to laugh hysterically.
"Leave." I say as I point towards the door.
"We have a project to do, remember?" He asks with a smirk.
"I'm serious Noel, get out." I say as I begin to raise my voice.
I don't think that many girls reject Noel, because he looks absolutely furious. I start to get scared because my family isn't home, and he's probably three times my size. If he wanted to hurt me, he could do it without batting an eye.
"Aria, if you kick me out I'll ruin you." Noel says in a warning voice.
"I'll take my chances." I say as bravely as I can.
"Fine, you just dug your own grave." Noel growls before storming out of the room.
As soon as Noel is gone, I burst into tears. Now how am I going to finish the project? I'll just explain to my teacher that it wasn't working out, and maybe she'll give me a new partner. After all, something bad might have happened to me if I let him stay.
I need to clear my head, so I walk over to my desk to grab my journal. I open the drawer that I keep it in, and gasp when I realize it's gone.
Did I misplace it, or did someone steal it? What if that someone is Noel Kahn? I write my deepest fears and insecurities in that journal, and if it falls into the wrong hands it could ruin me.
I shutter as I think about some of the passages I wrote in that journal. They range from embarrassing stories, to sob stories, and worst of all, poems and passages declaring my undying love for Ezra Fitz.
Would Noel be heartless enough to show the journal to Ezra? He did threaten to ruin me before he left.
I need to calm down, I don't even know if Noel has the stupid journal. I could have easily misplaced it, and I do have the tendency to stress out about nothing.
Line Break
When I walk into school the following morning, everyone is staring at me. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Even some of my teachers are giving me funny looks, and I'm starting to wonder if I forgot to wear pants this morning.
"Aria, there you are!" My best friend Spencer Hastings says as she sprints towards me.
"Hey Spencer." I say with a warm smile.
"I just want to let you know that Noel can't get away with this, and if you decide to sue my mom can represent you..." Spencer starts to say.
"Spence, what in the world are you talking about?" I ask cutting her off.
"I'm talking about Noel Kahn stealing your diary, photocopying different passages from it, and hanging them all over school!" Spencer exclaims.
I can feel a pit forming in my stomach as Spencer says this. What passages did he photocopy, and how many people have seen them?
"He did that?" I ask in disbelief.
"I'm so sorry Aria." Spencer says with a heavy sigh.
"He didn't photocopy anything too embarrassing, did he?" I ask her nervously.
"Aria, it's really bad." She tells me gently.
"How bad?" I ask as tears begin to form in my eyes.
Spencer responds by reaching into her backpack and pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. She smoothes it out before handing to me, and my heart sinks when I realize it's a love poem and passage that I wrote about Ezra.
My secret love
My shinning star
You have no idea
Who you are
Your sparkling blue eyes
Resemble the gentle ocean
Your sweet laugh
Is like my magic potion
To you who am I
Merely another girl
Who sits behind you in English
And does not exist in your bright world
To me you are the false hope
That lies in the back of my mind
You are the boy
Who makes my eyes shine
Why can't you notice me
Can't you see how happy we could be
If only you would look behind and see
That you are my secret love
I honestly think that Ezra Fitz is the most amazing guy on the planet. Not only is he handsome, but he also seems like a genuinely nice person. I'm obsessed with him, but he doesn't even know I exist. It's not like a guy like him would ever go out with a girl like me.
By the time I'm done reading the passage, I'm crying in Spencer's arms. How could Noel do this to me? The whole school is going to know about my crush on Ezra, and I can't handle it.
"Aria, do you want me to talk to the principal with you." Spencer asks me softly.
"No, I want to go home." I say through my tears.
"Aria..." Spencer starts to say.
"My mom doesn't have any classes until this evening, so she can pick me up." I say as I wipe away my tears.
"You shouldn't have to leave school because Noel Kahn is a tool! If we confront him, this will all blow over." Spencer tells me seriously.
"I'm sorry, but I have to get out of here." I say before running towards the nurses office.
Line Break
I lay on my bed and sob while my mom rubs my back gently. I didn't tell her why I'm so upset, but she seems worried about me.
"Honey, what happened at school today?" My mom asks me gently.
"I don't want to talk about it." I say with a sniffle.
"Aria, please talk to me." My mom begs.
"You wouldn't get it." I say through my tears.
"Really Aria? Did it ever occur to you that I was seventeen once too?" My mom asks with a sigh.
Before I can respond, our doorbell begins to ring. Who could that be?
"I'll get it." My mom mutters before crawling out of bed.
"No, I'll get. It's probably one of the girls." I say before sprinting downstairs.
I open the door and gasp when I see Ezra Fitz standing on my porch. What is he doing here? Is he going to yell at me for writing all that stuff about him? I probably embarrassed him, and now he hates me.
"Hey, can I come in?" He asks me softly.
Unsure of what to say, I nod my head and lead him into the house. We take a seat on my living room couch, and stare at each other awkwardly.
"I um, got this back for you." Ezra mutters as he hands me my journal.
"Thanks." I say as I try to keep myself from bursting into tears.
"No problem." He says flatly.
"Ezra, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for anyone to see it..." I say before I begin to cry hysterically.
"Hey, don't cry. It's not your fault that Noel decided to make you his punching bag." Ezra tells me gently.
I nod, and avoid looking into Ezra's beautiful blue eyes.
"If it makes you feel any better, I punched him several times in the locker room." Ezra says with a chuckle.
"You did?" I ask as my eyes grow wide with shock.
"Yeah, that's how I got him to give me the journal." Ezra tells me.
"Thanks." I say for the second time.
"Aria, can I ask you a question?" Ezra asks me softly.
"Sure." I say with a nod.
"We've been in classes together since freshman year, but you've never said a word to me. Why didn't you ever say hello, or ask me a homework question?" Ezra asks me curiously.
"Because I was scared." I say in a barely audible whisper.
"You were scared of me?" Ezra asks as his eyes grow wide with shock.
"I thought you'd think I was stupid." I say as tears begin to form in my eyes.
Ezra sighs before using two of his fingers to wipe away my tears. His touch makes my body feel electric, and at that moment I'm almost happy.
"You're not stupid Aria. You're a beautiful, intelligent, and sweet girl." Ezra tells me seriously.
Am I dreaming? Does Ezra really believe that, or is he trying to make me feel better?
"I didn't think you noticed me." I say with a blush.
"If we're being honest, I didn't. Not because you aren't any of those things but because you never reached out to me, and I never got the chance to see who really are. After reading your writing, and staring into your beautiful eyes, I know exactly who you are." Ezra says as he grabs my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
"Are you saying these things because you feel sorry for me?" I ask him nervously.
"No, I'm saying these things because they're true. I even wrote you a poem." Ezra says before reaching into his bag and handing me a piece of paper.
You're beautiful inside and out
In my mind there isn't any doubt
Sensitive and sweet
But oh so naive
You're a bird with a broken wing
If only you would lift your head and see
That you have the power to heal
And make your dreams turn real
Don't close your eyes
And let your dreams die
It's time to conquer the sky
Just spread your wings and fly
"That was beautiful." I mutter after I finish reading the poem.
"So was your poem. You give me way more credit than I deserve though." Ezra says with a chuckle.
"Huh?" I ask confused.
"You make me sound like I'm perfect, but I'm far from it." Ezra says as he stares into my hazel eyes.
"You're perfect to me." I tell him truthfully.
"You're not perfect. We still need to heal that wing of yours." He tells me seriously.
"What part of me is broken?" I ask him curiously.
"Your confidence. Like I said before, you're beautiful, but you don't even see it." He says in frustration.
"How can I see it?" I ask him softly.
"That's where I come in." Ezra says before pulling a piece of my dark hair behind my ear.
"I didn't know you were such a good poet, or therapist for that matter." I say with a chuckle.
"There are so many things you don't know about me, and I can't wait to show them all to you." Ezra says with a slight smile.
I blush and stare into Ezra's piercing blue eyes.
"Will you go to the movies with me on Friday night?" Ezra asks me hopefully.
Is Ezra Fitz really asking me on a date? This is unreal!
"Of course." I say with an eager nod.
"Just to warn you, I like the black and white stuff." He says with a chuckle.
"I do too!" I exclaim.
"Are you serious?" Ezra asks in disbelief.
"I'll show you my movie collection." I say trying to convince him.
"It's okay, I believe you." Ezra says after thinking about it for a minute.
An awkward silence passes between us, and I start to feel nervous.
"Aria, have you ever kissed a boy?" Ezra asks me gently.
His question makes my mouth go dry. I haven't kissed a boy, so I'm probably a lousy kisser. What if he changes his mind after I tell him?
"No." I say as I shake my head slowly.
"Well, you won't be able to say that after Friday night." Ezra says before winking at me and leaving the house.
Suddenly, I'm not so angry at Noel for stealing my diary.
What did you think? A similar situation happened to me, and ironically I'm dating the guy now haha. Hope you enjoyed this story, and thanks for reading :)