Hello all my dedicated readers! At this point, we're 18 chapters in, so if you're hanging around I'm assuming that this story has snagged your attention to the point where you are enjoying Ariella's story. I absolutely love creating and sharing my OCs with you guys and sincerely hope you are satisfied with how this story has played out/will play out. This next chapter is a special one that I have been DYING to get to for a while. We're going to delve into the past a bit and get a glimpse into the night Sam left for Stanford. I enjoyed writing this chapter SO much and hope you all enjoy reading it just as much. It's nice and juicy and extra long! I would love to hear some of your thoughts on it, too! I'll let you get to it! Enjoy! Xoxo-NickyLynn
December 24, 2005 – Sioux Falls
Ariella had just finished clearing off the table from dinner and was on her way back out to where Bobby was sitting in the living room, watching a rerun of A Miracle on 34th Street. "Here." She said once she made it to the recliner he had his feet propped up in, holding out the bottle of beer she had brought out for him. He muttered a thanks to her and, after he took it, Ariella dropped down on the couch next to him, kicking her feet across it as she pulled her own bottle up to her lips. Her eyes drifted to the window as she took a drink, watching as the snowflakes drifted down and clung to the window. Her mouth pulled to the side as she finished swallowing, mind suddenly drifting to Sam and Dean and how they were spending the holiday.
Ariella hadn't seen either of the Winchester boys since St. Louis. She had been messaging Sam regularly enough, ensuring that they were okay, but she just couldn't bring herself to face Dean again—not yet, anyways. She just wasn't ready for it. So, instead, she had gone off on her own for a while and returned to her life of solo hunting. She had told Sam that she just needed some time, but the longer she was away from them, the longer she began to realize that she wasn't sure if being around Dean again was ever going to be an option. Despite how hard she had tried to convince herself she hated him, in the end it was a lie. She still loved Dean. Loved him so much that it was damn near torture to be around him. She let out a long sigh as her mind began to spiral. Instead of facing her problems, here she was. Sitting in Bobby's living room getting drunk.
"You're going to put a permanent dent in the center of your forehead you keep frowning like that." Came Bobby's stern voice, pulling Ariella from the depths of her thoughts.
She rolled her head to the side and rolled her eyes in his direction. "What? I'm not allowed to think?" she tossed at him before pulling her beer back up to her lips and taking another long gulp.
"I know what you're thinking about." Bobby responded, pointing his own bottle at her. "And no."
Ariella rolled her eyes again before her eyes slid back onto the window. The snow was coming down even heavier now, blanketing the sky in a thick whiteness. "I was just thinking about sitting on a warm beach somewhere." She lied. "I hate the snow."
"Mhm." Bobby mumbled in response, obviously not buying it.
"What? It's cold and wet and makes the roads shit to drive on." She added with a shrug, it not really being a lie that she hated the winter weather.
"I remember a little girl not too long ago who liked it." He told her, pulling her eyes back onto him. "Used to be out there for hours playing in it." He said, tipping his head towards the window.
"Yeah, when I was ten!" she said in defense.
"You and those boys would launch full on snow-ball wars between the three of you." He continued amusedly. Ariella found herself only frowning heavier at the memory. Bobby's house was one of the few places the three of them were ever allowed just to be kids. She was sure even if it had been a flood outside, the three of them would have found some way to have fun with it.
Bobby let out a sigh as he watched her eyes drift back towards the window. "Look kid—" he said. "Everything's going to work out okay."
"Bobby, nothing in my life has ever worked out okay." Ariella responded with a huff. Her eyes flicked back over to him, and as she watched his face fall, she felt instant guilt well up inside her. "I mean—I don't mean here." She quickly added, knowing he had done his best to give her what semblance of a normal life he could. "You know I've always appreciated what you've done for me."
"I know your life hasn't exactly been the easiest, Ella." Bobby sighed. "But everyone's got trials and tribulations….demons they have to face."
"Some of us literal demons." Ariella added under her breath.
"The point I'm trying to make here," Bobby continued, choosing to ignore her comment. "Is that we all got problems…and we all make it through it somehow. You're gonna come out the other side of this. You just gotta keep your head up."
Ariella was quiet as she processed that, head twisting around to look outside again as she brought the bottle back up and finished what was left in it. After she finished swallowing it down, she shook her head and let out a sigh. "I don't know Bobby…my neck's getting awfully sore from having to hold my head up all the time."
The truth was, ever since Sam had left for college, all she did was try to keep her head up. Keep pushing herself and pretending like everything was alright when, in truth, she was drowning all alone. She missed how things were….before everything had fallen apart.
Sioux Falls – Two years ago…
Ariella was bent over the hood of the latest truck Bobby had pulled into the yard, finishing putting things back together after replacing the idler pulley on it. She had a small radio sitting on the ground next to her, listening to the local rock station as she worked on getting the vehicle ready to sell. She spent a great deal of her time working on vehicles with Bobby, helping him with the salvage yard however she could. The truck she was currently half-way inside had been a three-day project now, and she was more than ready to be done with it.
Just as she was finishing with one of the final bolts, she heard a low whistle from behind her, pulling her attention out from under the hood. She turned her head to find Dean walking towards her, a wolfish grin plastered across his face as his eyes clearly settled on her ass. "Now there's a sight for sore eyes." He said as he strode closer.
Ariella rolled her eyes as she pulled away from the engine, scooping up the rag she had draped over the side of the frame to wipe the grease from her hands as he came to a stop next to her. "I thought you guys weren't supposed to be here until six." She said in confusion, having not expected them for a few hours yet.
"Yeah, well, Dad let me drive." He responded with a lift of his shoulder. "And I really missed you." He added, smirk pulling up in the corner as he took a step closer.
"Oh yeah?" Ariella asked, brow quirking up in amusement as he slipped one of his hands behind her back to pull her up against him. "How much?"
Dean responded by dropping his lips down on top of hers, pulling her into a kiss. A soft moan slipped past her throat as her lips moved in tandem with his, not having seen him since the last time they came to visit the summer before. They kissed until Ariella felt the need for air burn in the back of her throat, and she pulled away to flash him a wide smile. Ariella had never been sure what to call her and Dean's relationship. They had never been comfortable putting any type of label on the other, yet they had been this way since she was sixteen. He had been her first and only love, though neither of them had been inclined to throw that word around either.
"Maybe we can sneak out for a drive later tonight and I can show you just how much I've been missing you." He whispered into her ear then, eliciting a flush of color across Ariella's cheeks.
"I'm not sure if that sounds more like a promise or a threat." She told him as he pulled back, heart already going erratic in her chest at the thought of getting time alone with him.
"Oh, it's both." He answered easily, smirk growing higher.
Ariella's eyes slid over his shoulder then, smile faltering slightly as she watched Sam walking through the yard towards them. "Sammy's coming." She said as she pulled away from Dean, putting enough distance between them not to appear suspicious. While she and Dean had been involved with each other for years, they had never really felt comfortable sharing that detail with the others. They didn't want to hear the lecture from John and Bobby. They didn't want to have to answer twenty questions about what exactly their relationship was. They didn't want to complicate things. Instead, they would share late night kisses while no one was looking. Though, Ariella had high suspicions that Sam had figured it out long ago.
"Hey Sammy!" Ariella chirped as he stepped up beside them, throwing herself around his frame to give him a tight hug. "How are you?"
"Good." He responded as he brought his arms around her in response, now hovering a good foot taller than her. "What about you?"
"Eh. Bobby's been working me like crazy lately, but other than that I'm good." She answered as she pulled away, her mouth pulling up into a smile again as her eyes flicked between both him and Dean. "I was just finishing this up and then was going to head into town to grab some pizza." She explained as she turned and pulled the prop out from under the hood, letting it slam shut as she dropped it. "You want to tag along?"
"Sure." Sam told her in response, giving a lift of his shoulders as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.
"I'll hang back, actually." Dean added for himself. "Been cooped up in the car for far too long and I'm in desperate need of a shower."
"Yeah, you are." Sam scoffed. "I've been having to drive with the window down since Tulsa."
"Ah, that's just what a man smells, Sammy." Dean tossed back at him with a grin, reaching up to wrap an arm around his neck, effectively pulling Sam closer to his armpit.
"Gross, Dean!" Sam complained, pushing himself out of Dean's hold in frustration.
"Alright, come on, Sam." Ariella laughed, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him along. "Let's get out of here before the flies start swarming."
"Oh, you know you like it!" Dean called after her as he trailed behind her and Sam.
Ariella swung her head around, sending him a wink from over her shoulder before she turned back around to lead Sam back out front to where she had left her car parked. Once the two of them made it to the Firebird, Sam raised a brow at her as they slid inside. "You're not nearly as subtle as you think you are, you know."
"I'm quite certain I have no idea what you're talking about." Ariella responded quickly, reaching up to slide her sunglasses off the visor and slip them onto her face. She turned to face him as she fired the engine up, flashing him an innocent smile.
"Uh-huh." He said, unconvinced.
Ariella threw the car into reverse in response, finding satisfaction as she pressed heavily down on the gas, effectively sending Sam shifting into the dash unexpectedly. "Oops." She said despite the fact it had been entirely on purpose.
Sam let out a yelp of surprise before quickly righting himself back into the seat, shooting Ariella an exasperated look at her childness. "Real mature."
"So, how's life?" she asked, changing the topic as she turned onto the road and began heading towards town.
"It's fine, I guess." He answered with a shrug. He let out a breath then before shaking his head. "Actually, I've been dying to tell you something." He said then, pulling Ariella's curious eyes onto him. She watched as he pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket, curiosity morphing into shock as he unfolded it to reveal the emblem of Stanford. "I got in." he said, displaying the acceptance letter.
"Shut the fuck up!" Ariella blurted, unconsciously slamming down on the brakes from the sudden shock. Sam went slamming up against the dash once again, though this time it truly was an accident and Ariella quickly muttered out a string of apologies as he pushed himself back into the seat. "Sam, oh my God!" she said before pressing down on the gas again to steer them safely to the side of the road.
"Geez, Ari." Sam laughed as he rubbed at his forehead. "If I had known you'd react like that I'd have waited until we weren't in a moving vehicle to tell you."
"Sam!" Ariella squealed, reaching over to smack him on the arm. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I just did!" he laughed as he tried blocking her from hitting him anymore.
"I meant before!" she huffed as she pulled away from him. "I can't believe you got in! I mean—I can, because you're a freaking genius….I just mean that I can't believe it's actually happening!"
"Yeah, well…maybe." Sam told her in response, his previous humor fizzling away into seriousness.
"What do you mean maybe?" Ariella asked, eyebrows dipping together in confusion.
"I haven't told my dad yet." He sighed. "Or Dean."
Ariella felt her lip pull down in the corner as she turned in her seat, contemplating that. "You don't think they'll approve?" she guessed.
"No. I know they won't." he told her, sounding completely deflated by the thought.
A few moments of silence passed as Ariella envisioned how John and Dean would react. While she knew they wouldn't be nearly as excited about it as she herself had been, she didn't think they would completely shut down the idea. Or, at least, she hoped they wouldn't.
"Sam…" she said seriously, turning to face him again, heart lurching as she took in his troubled features. "You've wanted out of this life since we were kids." She said, reaching over to pull the paper from his grasp. "And this—"she said, holding it up between them. "This is your way out. This is your chance to actually build a life. Your dad should want that for you. I mean, it's a damn miracle you even got accepted into college with our chaotic schooling, let alone Stanford. He should be proud of you."
"What if he's not?" he countered with a frown.
"Then I'll be proud of you!" she told him resolutely. "And John can go fuck himself." Sam let out a snort at that, as she was the only one who ever dared say things like that about his dad. "You should tell him tonight." She urged. Sam bobbed his head in agreement, though he didn't look very comforted by her reassurances. They both knew John. And if John Winchester was anything, he was hard to please yet easy to piss off.
They finished their trip into town to get the pizza after that, returning to Bobby's to feed everyone around the large dining room table. Having the Winchesters drop in for visits had always been Ariella's favorite occasions. They would share stories about the hunts they had been on and laugh about the mishaps. It was the only time Ariella felt truly happy….some semblance of normal.
They sat around the table for hours, catching up, but once the sun began slipping under the horizon, Ariella and Dean snuck back outside to squeeze in some alone time under the guise of wanting to show him the latest improvements she had made to the Firebird. They had been on each other as soon as they were sure no eyes were on them, sharing heated kisses behind the cover of her open trunk.
After a few minutes of them catching back up on a year's worth of kissing, Ariella pushed Dean back enough to stare up at him, having to let out a laugh at the pout that immediately formed on his lips. "Dean, stop." She laughed as he tried nestling into her neck, leaving a trail of kisses along it. "I really did want to show you something." She said before effectively pushing him back enough that she was able to turn around.
"And I want to show you something." He countered as he slipped up against her, wrapping his hands around her waist as he pressed into her, trying to target her neck yet again.
"I'm serious." She said with another laugh as she reached forward to pull the fabric flooring of the trunk back enough to reveal the hidden compartment. She fished the key out of her pocket before undoing the lock snapped around the lid, slipping it off so she could pull it open to reveal the assortment of weapons stashed inside.
"Ohh. Kinky." Dean commented as his eyes swept over her collection of blades, guns, and various salts and fuels.
"I got enough in here to go up against ghosts to werewolves." She stated proudly, reaching down to swipe up a silver dagger, twirling it in the light for him to see.
"I'm at least thirty percent more attracted to you right now." He said in response before slipping out from behind her to rifle through the trunk himself. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs, dangling them from a finger between them. Ariella quickly pulled them out of his hold as he waggled his brows suggestively.
"Those are not toys." She admonished, tossing them back inside the trunk.
"Party pooper." Dean told her before turning around to face her, setting his weight down on the back bumper. "You're not seriously thinking about going out there on your own though, right?" he asked seriously.
Ariella raised a shoulder in response as she tossed her blade back into the trunk as well. "Why not?" she asked.
"Why not?" Dean repeated. "Because it's suicide."
"Well, what do you expect me to do?" she questioned with a frustrated huff. "Stay here at Bobby's forever? Dean, I'm not a kid anymore."
"You're acting like one if you think hunting alone is a good plan." He countered, drawing his arms up across his chest.
Ariella rolled her eyes. "I've got to get out of here, Dean." She said with a shake of her head. "It's…" she said, eyes sweeping to the side as she considered her words. "I'm suffocating here."
"Ari, hunting alone means dying alone." Dean said seriously, that lesson haven been drilled into them since they were kids. "You know that."
"Well, then maybe I don't have to go hunting alone." She answered with a shrug, eyes falling to the dirt under her feet. "Maybe me and you should hit the road together, like we always planned on when we were kids."
"What? You serious?" Dean asked in shock.
"Why not?" Ariella asked, bringing her eyes back up to meet his. "You're twenty-three now…and it's not like John needs you hanging on him for the rest of your life." She reasoned. "I think the two of out there on our own would be rather fun. I mean, just think about it…the two of us moving from town to town, taking down every monster we can find…sex whenever we want it…" she narrated, reaching forward to hook a finger into his waistband and pull him closer. "Tell me that doesn't sound enticing to you." She said with a smirk.
The seriousness of Dean's face though instantly had that smirk falling. "Ari, I'm not just going to abandon Sam and my dad." He told her.
"Dean, come on." Ariella huffed as she took a step back, quickly growing frustrated. "You seriously just plan on following John around for the rest of your life?" she asked. "You really think Sam will? What's so wrong about wanting your own life?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you." Dean bit out as his anger began rising to the surface to meet hers. "You asked and I'm saying no. I'm not driving into the sunset with you."
"Oh, for fuck's sake, Dean!" Ariella scoffed. "It's not like I'm asking you to marry me!"
"Well good, because that's never gonna happen!" he declared as he pushed himself off the car and stood over her, anger darkening his features. "And we're not hitting the road together."
Ariella felt a surge of anger boil in her gut at his sudden shift in mood. Her mouth dropped open to lay into him, but before she could get the words out, a yell from inside pulled both her and Dean's eyes back onto the house in worry. The sound of John yelling filtered out to them, followed by Sam's, and they were both moving in an instant.
Once inside, things only spiraled out of control quicker than anyone could have predicted. John was red-faced as he stood yelling at Sam, who looked down right pissed as well. "You ain't leaving for college, boy!" John was yelling as they stepped inside.
"College?" Dean asked as he and Ariella came to a stop between them, confused eyes sweeping from his dad over to Sam. "The hell is he talking about?"
Sam's eyes moved from John over to Dean, his jaw twitching in anger. "I got into Stanford."
"What? Is this a joke?" Dean scoffed in disbelief.
"You ain't leaving this family, Sam!" John yelled angrily, pulling his youngest son's eyes back on him.
"I'm not a kid anymore, Dad!" Sam yelled back at him. "I'm nineteen!"
"You are my kid!" John maintained. "And I didn't raise you to be stupid enough to go out there on your own!"
"Oh my God, Dad! It's college!" Sam huffed in frustration.
"You have a duty to this family!" John declared. "You have a duty as a hunter!"
"I don't want to be a hunter!" Sam bellowed, officially reaching his breaking point with the stubborn man. "I never wanted to be a hunter!"
"So, what? You want some apple-pie life?" Dean interjected for himself, siding with his father on the matter in an instant.
"I just want to be normal!" Sam said in defense.
"News flash, Sammy! We ain't normal!" Dean told him.
"Ok, let's just all take a breath for a moment before—" Bobby tried to interject, knowing things were beginning to teeter on the edge of no return.
"Stay out of this, Bobby!" John said sharply, cutting the other hunter off.
"You know what? I'm done with the perpetual disappointment." Sam declared with a shake of his head, moving towards the front door. "You can't control my life anymore."
"Sam, wait!" Ariella shouted, but her words were drowned out by John's harsh ones.
"You walk out on this family, Sam, then you don't ever come back!" he bellowed as Sam reached for the handle, the threat hanging in the air heavily. "You hear me?!" Sam's angry eyes fell on John one last time before he shook his head in disbelief and pulled the door open. "Sam!" John yelled as he stepped outside, slamming the door shut behind him. "SAM!" Sam didn't bother turning around, however. He had seemingly made his decision, leaving John to stew in bitterness as he walked away.
Ariella, who had been left watching the entire argument in stunned silence, turned towards an irate John, mouth falling open in shock before her anger burned in her hotter than ever before. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she breathed out, pulling his focus down on her next.
"Excuse me?" John bit out, ready to unleash his anger on her now.
"Don't talk to him like that!" Dean threw out at her as well, turning his anger back onto her.
"Oh, I'll talk to him however the hell I want." Ariella scoffed at Dean before her eyes fell back on John. "You're a shitty parent, you know that?"
"Hey!" Dean shouted, though Ariella chose to ignore him and continued tearing into John, unleashing all her anger on him.
"Do you know how hard Sam's had to work to get that acceptance letter?" she threw at him. "How many people he had to beat to get that slot? You know how many parents would be thrilled to hear their kid got accepted into fucking Stanford!?"
"This doesn't involve you, Ari. So, just stay the hell out of it!" Dean seethed before John could respond.
"Like hell it doesn't!" she sneered, wild eyes snapping between the two of them. "I have watched the two of you treat Sam like a second ratecitizen his entire fucking life! Always having to bite my tongue while you degraded his desire for a normal life at every turn! You want a news flash?" she tossed at Dean. "Well, here's one: Sam's not you!" she yelled before turning her attention back on John. "Why are you so angry at him for wanting a life outside of hunting?! Why is that such a fucking sin to you!?"
"How I chose to raise my boys in none of your business." John defended.
"And what would Mary think?" Ariella countered. "You really think she would have just stood by while you kicked her son to the curb for wanting to go to college?"
"You leave my mother out of this!" Dean exploded on her, giving a shove against her shoulders and causing her to stumble backwards.
"HEY!" Bobby yelled, seeing Dean lay hands on Ariella. "Dean Winchester you touch her again and you and I are going to have one hell of a problem!" he warned.
"You threaten my son again, and it's the two of us who'll have the problem." John said, coming to Dean's defense.
"The hell you know about family, Ariella?" Dean continued, ignoring both the older men's threats. "You ain't even got any! So just shut the hell up and stay out of problems you know nothing about!" Ariella's jaw snapped shut as she took in his words and the sheer amount of venom lacing them. "Stop pretending like this is your family! It's not!"
Ariella felt angry tears burning in the back of her eyes as she and Dean stared each other down. Never before had that amount of hatred been directed at her…especially not by someone who she had cared about so much. After a moment of gathering her thoughts, she stepped back up to Dean, narrowing her eyes onto him as her voice dropped to a near-whisper. "You're a coward." She seethed before slamming her shoulder into his as she stormed past him.
"Ella, now wait just a damn minute!" Bobby tried saying, knowing things had now completely spiraled out of control.
"Where are you going?" Dean asked as she moved for the door as well.
"After Sam!" she yelled back as she yanked the door open, refusing to look back at him before slamming it shut before anyone else could say anything more.
Ariella stormed towards her car in a cloud of fury, knowing that Sam would walk all the way to California if he had to. Her tires were screeching against the pavement of the road within seconds, catching sight of Sam's figure a good distance away already. She slowed to a roll as she made it to Sam, rolling down the passenger window as she pulled up beside him.
"I'm not going back." He told her firmly, keeping his eyes set on the road before them.
"And I'm not asking you to." Ariella said in response as she came to a full stop. "Come on Sam, it's a long way to California."
He paused mid-step, eyes flicking over to her in question. "You'll drive me?"
"You really think I'd let you walk there?" she countered with an arched brow.
Sam tipped his head to the side with that, stepping forward to pull the passenger door open and slip inside. He tossed the small duffle bag he had been carrying into the backseat before dropping himself down onto the seat. Ariella was pulling away from the curb as he pulled the door shut, already calculating the route to Stanford in her head.
"I told you he'd be a dick about it." Sam said bitterly, anger still rolling off of him in waves.
"Well, what did I tell you, Sam?" Ariella told him with a small shake of her head. "John can go fuck himself….Dean too. I'm proud of you, you hear me?" she said, eyes sliding over to him. "And I'm proud of you for finally standing up to that prick."
Ariella ended up driving straight through to California. It took them nearly twenty-four hours, but the amount of anger built up in her system was enough to keep her wide awake for the entirety of it. By the time she was pulling up to the University, however, Sam's own anger had simmered away into sheer nervousness. Classes wouldn't be starting for another week, and he though he promised Ariella he would figure it out, he had no idea what he was even supposed to be doing. It was all new terrain.
After Ariella had pulled them to the curb, Sam had pushed his door open without so much as a word, steeling himself in determination despite his nervousness. Ariella quickly followed him out, but as she made her way around the car, she stopped by the trunk, pulling it open. She made sure no one was around before opening up the hidden compartment, digging to the bottom of it to pull out a small manila envelope. She let the trunk fall closed as Sam stepped up to her side, curious what she was getting out.
"Here." She said, pushing the thick envelope into his hold.
Sam's eyebrows dipped together in confusion as he peeked inside, quickly followed by them shooting into his hairline as he caught sight of the large stack of bills. "Ari, I can't take this!" he denied instantly, trying to shove it back into her hands.
"You can and you will." Ariella countered, refusing to take the money back.
"Ari—" he tried to argue before she cut him off.
"Sam, I need you to take this." She told him with a firm shake of her head. "It's just some emergency cash I've had built up from what Bobby pays me." She explained with a shrug. "I don't need it….you do. You've got housing to figure out…food...books…school supplies…hell, a new wardrobe that consists of more than three pairs of jeans—" she listed off. "You're going to take it so I know you'll be okay." She insisted. "Besides, you can always pay me back once you're a fancy lawyer and rolling in cash." She shrugged.
Sam's eyes filled with a surge of emotion then, and Ariella couldn't help but reach forward and pull him into a tight hug. "Thank you." He whispered, voice shaking unevenly.
"Of course." She responded instantly, arms tightening around him as the need to comfort him washed over her. "You're going to be okay, Sam." She promised as she pulled away enough to smile up at him as brightly as she could. "You're going to go to school…go to parties…make friends…maybe even some poor decisions." She encouraged with a laugh.
"What about you?" he asked, eyebrows pulling together in worry.
"I'll be around." She answered easily, waving the thought away with her hand. "Don't worry about me, Sam. I'll be okay. You just focus on you." She told him, pushing one of her fingers into his chest. "Go be normal."
Sam reached forward again, pulling her against him again. Ariella felt tears slip from her eyes then, which were quickly soaked up by his shirt. After a minute of clinging to him like he was the only stone in a raging sea, she pushed herself out of his hold, letting out a laugh as she turned away, trying to hide her red eyes. "Go." She told him as she moved back towards her car, feeling herself on the brink of breaking down. "Go make me proud!" she encouraged as she pulled her door back open, casting him one final look from across the top of her car.
He was smiling at her, and, in that moment, she knew he was going to be okay. "I'm proud of you too, you know." He called after her.
Ariella's smile pulled up higher at the remark, but she quickly dropped herself down into the car before he could see the tears it elicited. She rolled the engine over, and, before she could change her mind, she pulled away, leaving Sam alone on the curb. She drove away as the tears began falling. She knew Sam was going to be alright. She knew he would make friends and begin building a life for himself just like he always wanted. The problem, however, was that Ariella had no idea what she was supposed to do now.
She was, for the first time in life…..alone.