Saved by the Bell: A New Generation
Chapter Ten
The subsequent day, homeroom had ended, signalling the commencement of first period which for Ariana meant she had maths first up. After her chat with her mum last night, her mood had piped up over her decision to end things with her boyfriend and now she was geared up to begin a new expedition at school, trying to fit in and building new friendships. Walking into the classroom, she took a seat towards the middle of the room and retrieved her almost empty note book as well as a pen from her bag and placed them in front of her on her desk as she stared out to the front of the room.
Out of the corner of her eye a few seconds later, she watched Chase make his way into the class room and take a seat a few chairs away from her. Ariana couldn't help but think that perhaps he was avoiding her? It was only days ago when he took the opportunity to grab the vacant chair and sit beside her-when he didn't even know her name. And now that he did know her name and had asked her to the concert, he dismissed the opportunity to sit in the seat, made vacant beside her. Ariana dismissed these ideas as nonsense. After all, he didn't know her that well.
"Hi," Ariana said with a smile.
Chase looked over to her with his piercing hazel eyes. "Hey," he grunted, before he returned his attention to the white board.
This was puzzling. Chase was confusing. Was this how Chase was most of the time when he wasn't trying to charm his way into someone's heart? Was he hot one day and then cold the next? She couldn't seem to figure him out and just when she wanted to take the time to get to know him better, he was acting like he only wanted to overlook her.
But she had to know what his deal was. It was an illness she had. She had to let herself in the heads of other people so she could try to help them.
"Well I'm allowed to go to the concert tomorrow night," she added, making conversation.
"OK," he stopped. "I wasn't sure if you'd still come. I thought maybe you'd be doing something with your boyfriend."
Did she hear correctly? Did he just use the boyfriend word? How did he even know she had a boyfriend? She hadn't told anyone that she had a boyfriend. Well, anyone other than Claire and she doubt she said anything to Chase. If she remembered right, Claire and Chase had never really been around each other long enough to have a conversation together. She was a junior and he was a senior who both found themselves at a different status among the social ladder of the school.
"No I can come. Actually I'm looking forward to going to the concert. I love Simple Plan," Ariana began, fronting up overpoweringly. "And not that it's any of your business but I did have a boyfriend." She emphasised on the word did, making it clear enough to Chase that she was no longer attached like she was asking him to woo her, declaring his love and dedication to her like Seth did when he stood up on the kissing booth cart and declared his love for Summer on The O.C, one of her all time favourite shows. She loved that episode and in particular that moment between those pivotal two characters and after that episode, she only wished someone would do that to her, making her heart skip a beat as she thought about it.
Turning her attention to the front of the room as she waited for the class to begin, she could only think about who would have possibly known that she had a boyfriend and in that second, her interventus mind triggered to the one person who might have overheard her conversation the other day. Some one who was out right determined to destroy all chance of a friendly relationship between the two of them.
Before the bell rang to signal the beginning of the second last class, Ariana stood at Claire's locker as she waited for her friend to stock up on her books she'd need for the next class, when she saw Kayla heading her way with a cluster of her friends. Ariana had confessed to Claire that Chase knew about her boyfriend or ex boyfriend as Logan was now. Claire too suspected that Kayla would be the one who shared the information with Chase if it meant that he'd back away from any intentions he may have had to be with Ariana.
Claire suggested that may be a good idea if she confronted Kayla over her alleged attempt in sullying any chance of a friendship she could have with Chase. Fortunately for Ariana, Sierra didn't appear to be amongst the girls following Kayla which was a plus. She didn't dare let her emotions ride high toward the girl who was Sierra's best friend when she was in her presence. God knows, why Sierra was even best friends with her in the first place. It baffled Ariana.
"OK, are you ready?" Ariana asked Claire.
"What am I ready for?" Claire asked as she slammed her locker shut and packed a book into her bag.
"I'm going to stand up to Kayla," Ariana replied. "Kayla, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, stepping in the direct path of her.
Kayla's eyes darted to her friends and back to Ariana. "Sure, what's up?"
"Maybe we should talk in private," Ariana suggested, angling towards the open classroom near them.
"Why? Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of my friends," Kayla responded, sensing no visible tension what so ever. "I'm not afraid to be spoken to in front of a crowd."
Ariana took in a sharp air of breath. "OK. I really don't like the fact that you deliberately eavesdropped in on my conversation for you own personal gain. It's rude and it sucks."
Kayla shot her a scathing look, putting on the innocent act. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, let's see what I do know. Hmm, I know Chase knows I have a boyfriend and I didn't even tell him. I haven't told anyone except for Claire," Ariana explained.
"So maybe Claire told him," Kayla said with a conceited smile.
"Oh please Kayla," Claire laughed. "As if I'd go and do that to my friend."
"Your friend?" Kayla spitefully laughed. "Claire, you've known her for what a few days and you're already calling her a friend. Jeez, you really are gullible."
"Oh, don't be so surprised Kayla. I guess I just don't have as high social standards as you do," Claire retorted back to an evenly remorseful Kayla.
Ariana changed the subject. "The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that you overheard me telling Claire and so you thought you had it in your best interest to report it to Chase as an advantage to yourself."
"Look Ariana, don't blame it on me. It is not my fault."
"I'm not stupid," Ariana said. "What, do you think you're the only girl to scheme your way into getting what you want? I saw plenty of girls in San Francisco who were just as conniving as you are."
"Whatever," Kayla dismissed, getting ready to leave. "I'm 'outta here."
"Oh, and for your information, I did have a boyfriend-we broke up," Ariana continued.
Kayla tilted her head and pouted sarcastically. "Oh, boo-hoo, and you're telling me this because?"
"I just though I'd let you know that your little scheme to steer Chase away from me was a waste of time," she lied.
"Like I care what you say. C'mon girls, let's go," she and her friends walked around Ariana and Claire. She looked Ariana up and down before she finally said. "Thanks for filling me in on your relationship status but you need not bother. It's not like I have anything to worry about. Bye."
"I really hate that girl," Claire remarked, swinging her bag over her shoulder. "And did you see her face? She tried to hide it but she actually looked intimidated by you. I am so glad I met you."
Ariana laughed. "A likely story of my life, don't remind me."
"But you see, that whole intimidation thing does have its advantage," Claire piped in with a smile.
Ariana shrugged. "I guess."
"Well hey, it worked on Kayla."
"Maybe my hereditary resemblance to my mum is a good thing after all," Ariana responded with a cackle as she and Claire headed to their class.
With the bell ringing at the end of the day to signal school finishing, Sierra was unpacking books from her bag into her locker that she would no longer need at home until the next day as Kayla leaned against the bright orange lockers next to her and inspected her flawlessly manicured nails and gabbled on about something or someone that she either despised or irritated though Sierra had learned to toggle off from her friends' bitch fests, only inputting her thoughts when necessary. As much as Sierra loved Kayla, she also knew how much of a gossip she was and there was only so much Sierra could take-this not being something she could stand all that much.
"What do you think?" Kayla asked, snapping Sierra away from her purposely induced daze.
"Huh, what did you say?"
Kayla stood up straight, holding her hand on her hip in an infuriated way and pursed her lips together. "Have you not been listening to a word I've said? Where's your head at Sierra? You got something else on your mind?"
I'm just trying not to listen to you without being rude. There's only so much I can take to listen to your lectures.
Sierra shook her head. "I've just got a lot going on and I guess I spaced," she lied. Okay, so she didn't have anything going on but she wasn't going to confess the truth to her. Kayla was her friend. She had been friends with her since they were in grade school. Sierra knew of Kayla's qualities more than anyone but she wasn't going to downgrade her. It wasn't her style to deface her friends or people in general unlike Kayla who dwelled on demeaning people whom were never going to be up to Kayla's standards.
"So, what do you think?" Kayla asked, ignoring Sierra's comment. "Do you think we should set that new girl straight about who's in charge?"
"What new girl?" Sierra asked puzzled.
"That girl you chose to be on the squad. Ariana or whatever her name is," Kayla replied, obviously unmoved to repeat herself. "She and her friend had a go at me today."
"Then you must have done something wrong by her to have her confront you," Sierra shrugged haphazardly.
"How can you say that?" Kayla questioned. "You're my friend. You're supposed to be on my side."
"I'm not on your side nor am I on Ariana's side but you barely know one another. She wouldn't have confronted you for any reason. She doesn't seem the type to do so," Sierra explained lucidly.
Kayla huffed with a frown. "Okay, so maybe I did something that may have upset her but she took it out of context and I only did it for Chase's sake. I see no harm in protecting my friends."
Sierra stared at Kayla in disbelief. She should have known that it'd have something to do with Chase. Everything Kayla did had to do with Chase-especially when Chase showed interest in another girl other than her. Kayla liked to believe that Chase was hers-whether she stood a chance with him or not. If she didn't succeed with him, then no one did. In other words, Kayla was pretty much protecting herself for the friendliness she and Chase showed one another or tried to be showed.
"Is this about the concert and the fact that you're not coming too? Because you know, Ariana did suggest that you take her place and you turned her offer down."
"No, it's not about the concert. And anyway, I'm not going to accept an offer from her when she was offered the ticket first. I don't do seconds. It's about my friends. I was merely looking out for my friend Chase by telling him to maintain a strict friendship only with Ariana because of her boyfriend. I wasn't implying anything else-I didn't need Ariana come and pin point the finger at me."
Sierra closed her locker door and placed her bag over her shoulder. "I know why you've got it in for Ariana but you just need to get over it already. Chase isn't yours nor is he Ariana's so I don't know what the big deal is. And I doubt Ariana has any plan to start something with him if she has a boy-"
"Ex boyfriend," Kayla input. "Yeah, Ariana made it perfectly clear that she was now single. But big deal-it means jack all to me."
But it did, and Sierra knew that Ariana breaking up with her boyfriend meant a hell of a lot to Kayla. After all, it was her only intervention of knowing Ariana wasn't going to become another problem to the Chase and Kayla equation. But now that Ariana had broken up with her boyfriend, Chase would eventually discover the truth and end up being the pawn of their equation.
Walking down the hall, Kayla's face bared a mysterious smile upon her lips like she didn't have a single care of the world. "She's not going to be a problem-not if I have anything to do about it."
One thing Sierra did know about her friend was that when Kayla wanted something her way, she always got everything her way-no matter how many people she hurts in the process.