...Ariana Ximena Castillo  ...

"Out of everything that dad and I have done for you, this is how you repay us?" Fumed Daniel.

"Danny, can you please calm down!"

"Calm down?" He laughed hysterically. "You want me to calm down?"

"Keep it down. You're going to wake dad up," I fretted.

"Maybe it's for the best. I can't keep on covering for you."

"Look, I know how weird this whole situation makes you f—"

"Weird?" He quoted. "From every other word in the dictionary, you come up with that? You don't even want to know what I'm feeling."

"Why can't you just accept me for who I am?" I raged, projecting my voice higher.

"Don't you get it?! This isn't you," he raised his voice back.

My fist clenched before exploding in absolute anger. "How the h*ll are you going to tell me who I am and who I'm not!"

"¿Que diablos pasa aquí (What the h*ll is going on in here)?" Dad inquired exhaustingly while entering the living room. "Your screams could be heard from my room."

"This ends now..." Daniel threatened in a low whisper.

"I beg you," I implored.

"Well?" Our dad shot daggers at us. "Why was I interrupted from my sleep? You both know my shift starts in just a few hours from now."

"Ximena over here." Daniel signaled his head towards me. "You know, your perfect little daughter?"

"Stop it!" I insisted.

"She's been seeing someone," he finished.

"This is why you are fighting? The older you get, the less mature you both are," he scolded. "Daniel, she's almost eighteen for the love of God. Stop playing the overprotective brother role. You can't make a huge scene every time you see a boy talking to her."

"What if I told you that all those times she was hanging out with Orlando, she was actually with Jade."

"I'm not sure I understand." He sounded a bit confused. "Aren't they friend—"

Daniel interjected. "I caught her sucking Jade's face almost an hour ago."

"What?"

"I said that she was sucking Jade's face," Daniel reiterated.

Dad took a deep breath and turned around to face me.

Disappointment and confusion were written all over his face.

"Is that true?"

"Y...yes," I admitted, reluctance in my words. "It's true."

"Since when have you been..." He coughed.

"Gay?" I interrupted since he clearly couldn't put the word in his mouth. "For about a year now."

"Please let this be some kind of joke." Dad glared at me with such anger.

"It's not," Daniel chimed back in. "Tonight wasn't even the first time I've caught them making out."

"Have you been spying on me?!" I seethed. "That's a new low for you!"

My anger meter was starting to rise.

"I had no other choice kid," he confessed. "The moment you started acting suspicious, I needed to know the reason behind it."

"I'm such an idiot. All this time I thought that you were going out with Orlando," Dad vexed. "Instead you were sucking that girl's face."

"That girl has a name!" I defended her. "You are both making a big deal out of this. How hard is it for you to accept the fact that I'm gay?!"

"Stop saying that word d*mnit!" My brother snapped. "What is everyone going to think about our family?"

"That's your problem. You're so focused on what this whole town thinks of us," I shot back.

"You have brought us disgrace." Daniel took a deep breath. "I have lost all my respect for you."

"You want to talk about disgrace?" I chuckled as a tear escaped the corner of my eye. "I'm sure you recall your days of adventure with Skipper, don't you?"

"That's enough!" Dad yelled.

"I don't understand," I said wearily. "You were okay with me going out with Orlando."

"And yet you lied to us," Daniel added in.

"My intention was never to lie or hurt you." I sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."

"I don't care how many times you apologize. As of now, I forbid you from seeing that Jade girl ever again, do you hear me? As for Orlando, he lied to me too. I actually thought that the kid was good for you. He's no longer welcomed in my home."

"I expected this from Danny, but from you..." I put my palm to my chest while trying to hold in my tears. "What happened to support each other no matter what?"

I went on with, "When did it stop?"

"I can't even look at you right now," Dad said, looking a bit regretful in the end.

"You have brought shame to the family. No wonder our mother left you here," my brother said, putting more to the flame.

"At least she's supportive unlike you two!"

As I put both hands on my face, my father's fists started to clench. Oh but the look on Danny's face, it's probably going to give me nightmares for the long run.

What I blurted out was meant to stay in. He and my mom had a good relationship despite everything that happened. I didn't want them to take this out on her too.

"Cr*p," I muttered under my breath.

My mom didn't leave me, as my brother had put it. She's been running my grandparents' bakery in Glendale, a small town in Los Angeles, California.

After they retired about six years ago, they handed the shop to my mother, who is now in charge. Occasionally, I visit her during the holidays but it's been two years since the last visit.

As you may have already filled in the blanks, my parents are divorced. I've lived in New Jersey my whole life while my mother lived her own life elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom. She's the greatest person I've ever known and our bond is strong. I just wished that she was here to see me grow. I don't blame her for leaving, of course.

"Mom knew about this?!" Daniel bellowed.

I suspired listlessly. "Don't take this out on her. I told her to keep quiet until I was ready."

Dad put his hands on his head as he left the room. "I can't believe it."

Approaching the exit, he looked back and added, "Since you seem to share most of your life with Elena, I bet she won't mind sharing her home," and walked away.

"Are you..." I was unable to continue.

"Kicking you out?" My brother rebuked. "Yeah."

"Don't worry." I headed towards my room. "This disgrace was about to leave anyway."

... ♡⃛ ────────────⠀♡⃛...

—Two Hours Later—

I found myself laying down on the bed while looking at the two enormous suitcases filled with my essentials. Within seconds after shutting my door, I reached for my laptop and booked a one-way plane ticket to Glendale, California. There was no need for a round trip because I wasn't planning on coming back.

Honestly, if Danny wouldn't have caught Jade and me, there was absolutely no way in h*ll that I was coming out to them. In a way, I kind of felt relieved that I didn't have to carry that big secret anymore. But in another way, I disappointed the most important men in my life.

No matter how much they disliked it, I can't keep pretending to be someone I'm not. They can either accept me for me or I can just leave. Period.

To them, I was a letdown. What they thought of me has always been important. Supporting each other was easy. But then this happened and soon it was all gone.

Maybe leaving was for the better.

Jade and I weren't in a relationship by any means. I liked her, but I've always felt like she was using me. Not so long ago, she broke up with her girlfriend of two years. It makes sense if all this time her plan was to make her jealous. I never told her about my assumption, obviously.

Guess that I was caught up in the heat of the moment as well.

Snapping out from whatever universe I'd entered, my phone started ringing. Actually, it's been ringing for the past five minutes. I was just too lazy to even look at it. All and still, I already had an idea of who it might be.

"What's wrong with you? I was worried sick you know!" Yelled an angry person on the phone call.

"Calm down." I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine, Jade."

"How are you fine? Your brother just saw us for the love of God. Even I'm scared and he doesn't even know me that well."

"On a serious note though, are you all right?" She went on in a calmer tone.

I wasn't sure about telling her the truth. If I'm being totally blunt here, I don't think she would've given a d*mn. In fact, we were just fooling around. She didn't have to admit it. I knew she was still in love with her ex-girlfriend. It's extremely noticeable.

A year ago, when Jade was fresh out of a relationship, I found her crying at a park. Being the curious and nosy individual that I am, my legs walked across the grass and made their way to her. Trying not to cross any line since we'd been strangers at the time, I sat on the far side of the bench.

It took a while for her to open up, I was a stranger after all, but she eventually did. She explained to me the reason why she'd been crying but all I could really think about were her beautiful features.

Her curly black hair.

Her glowing, perfect dark skin.

Her auburn eyes.

Although her eyes were red due to all the crying, her auburn eyes sparkled like a sunny day (it was cloudy that day).

She spoke with such anger but even after all of that, her love for the girl could be heard from her weeping voice.

Jade had unresolved feelings that needed to be fixed and I didn't want to get in the way of that. Unfortunately, it got way out of hand which resulted in the situation that I am currently in.

"No, I'm not, " I replied.

"Orlando and I are here if you need us."

"Thanks but you and your brother have done more than enough for me."

"Let's go down to Cherrie's coffee shop. You know what their motto is: If you're downy eat a brownie."

"I swear...Cherrie claims to have started that slogan yet I saw it on Facebook two weeks before she started using it." I giggled.

Even during moments like these Jade knew how to get a tiny laugh out of me. That's one of many qualities I admire about her. She would get out of her way to make others smile.

"So, what do you say? You, me, Orlando, and a batch of warm brownies."

"Look, there's no point in lying to you." I took a deep breath before breaking the news. "I'll be gone in a few hours."

"Gone?" She gasped. "What why? Where?"

"I'm leaving for California to spend more time with my mom. I think it's time to pay her a visit."

"Are you sure it's not because of—"

"Positive," I lied.

Technically I did tell her the truth. Well, part of it that is. I couldn't tell her that my dad kicked me out because she would burst her way through these doors and start a war. I knew Jade too well. She's like another version of myself. I don't think her walking in here and causing a scene was going to change their mind about me.

"When do you leave?"

"In two hours."

We stayed quiet for a while. Jade and Orlando were my only friends ever since my dad stopped being a truck driver. He thought it was a good idea to spend more time with Danny and me since he was away most of the time. Now he found a job as a cook at this fancy a*s restaurant that we could never afford.

I met Lan (short for Orlando) through Jade since they're related. We've been friends for a year. Since Dad and I were always on the road, I never had the opportunity to meet new people and if I did, it never lasted.

"Tell Lan that I'll give him a call after landing."

"He's going to be pissed at you."

"I know." I puffed out deeply. "That's why I can't say goodbye to him now. He'll try to convince me to stay."

"What's so wrong about that?" Jade gave me her sweet voice. "Can you please stay?"

"Nice try." A small smirk started forming on the corner of my lips. "Even your fake-sweet voice sounded real."

"That's because it was real you b*tch," she snarled, totally in a joking manner.

"Goodbye, Jade. I really hope you find someone who can stand you," I joshed.

"Okay ouch." She tittered. "For the record, I knew that you felt as if I was trying to make Teagan jealous. Just know that I wasn't. I'm over here."

"That might've crossed my mind," I remarked awkwardly.

"I know this is horrible timing, especially now that you're leaving," she paused.

"Do you think that maybe we can try to be something more? I know that I'm not the only one who felt the connection," she went on.

"J...Jade," I stuttered. "I did feel it... the connection between us."

"But?"

"I care a lot about you. You're the first girl I've ever liked if I'm being honest. I just don't want to start something I won't be able to finish."

I was not expecting that. Jade actually told me that she felt a connection too. I like and care for her. As I told her, she's the first girl I've ever liked. My feelings for her were unclear though. I think it was more of a physical attraction than an emotional one as awful as that sounds. Whatever it was, I can't give in to someone knowing that I won't be putting enough effort back. She deserves someone better than me.

"I understand," she simply said.

"Well, I should get going. Take care of yourself, yeah?" I tried to end the awkward tension between the two phone lines.

"Yeah, you too Ana."

And with that said, I gathered my things, made my way out of the house, and into the dark night without looking back.

I wasn't planning on returning.

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To Be Continued...

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Author's Note:

Hi, I hope you're all finding yourselves well. I mentioned on "ADALYN" that I was working on another story and here it is. Now that I am officially halfway done with my first book, I had the idea to go more in dept with Summer and Ariana's journey.

***You do not need to read "ADALYN" in order to understand this one***

Keep in mind, this story will only be based on their perspective and no one else's. However, it doesn't that I'll complete block or exclude characters from my first book.

So not to worry, Adalyn and Mason will also be making an appearance ;)

Having that said, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "All I Want". If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section.

\~ With love, Cynthia M.

...♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥...

...Summer Bellamy Hayes  ...

"Can you stop moping around like an idiot?" Tyler chastised me while entering my room.

"I don't remember inviting you in here." I crossed my arms irritatingly.

"Eat your heart out for all I care. I'm enjoying seeing your aspirations die."

"What do you want Tyler?"

"Mom sent me here to tell you that dinner's ready."

"Is that all?"

"No. I forgot one thing."

Moving my eyes, following his movements, he made his way towards my desk. This was very typical of him. Every time he came into my room, he left with something of mine. The worst part was that he did it on purpose.

About two months ago my camera went missing. I got tired of looking for it and was even calling quits. It wasn't until walking inside his room. Since my parents had to work late that day, mom sent me to pick up his dirty laundry.

The day Tyler had his room clean, was also the day that I'd win one billion dollars. His room was unexpectedly clean that day, which was weird. It only meant one thing. He had shoved all his clothes in the closet or that he'd been hiding something.

Well..two things.

Answer: It was a bit of both.

That little devil had my camera inside his closet knowing that I was desperate to find it!

"Oh, I wonder what's in this gem?"

Realizing that he was reaching for an item very personal to me, I sprinted over to him but once I got there it was already too late. He had grabbed a hold of my totally unlocked diary that was sitting on my work desk.

"Give it to me!" I tried to snatch it away but his reflexes were fast.

"Well would you look at that," he laughed. "You forgot to lock it."

"You little—"

"Remember, you're too sad to come after me," Tyler mocked me as he ran out of the room with the diary in his hand. "Because someone broke your precious heart."

"Come here you little brat!" I yelled while chasing after him.

Don't be too surprised. This is an everyday thing for my brother and me. As I mentioned earlier, he really knew how to test my waters. I usually didn't care if he took a pen or pencil and then ran off.

But taking my diary...he really messed with the wrong person today.

I stopped multiple times to catch my breath but he kept on running. Where in the world did he get all that energy from? I worked out until my body couldn't take it anymore yet was still stopping for breathing breaks.

Once I finally caught up to him, he was already in the living room standing up next to the back of the couch. My diary was wide open while a few chuckles could be heard coming from him.

"Dear Diary," he read while clearing his throat.

"If you don't give it back I swear that I'll—"

"Today was probably the worst day of my life. My boyfriend, Jonah, moved to San Francisco and broke up with me. Now I can't seem to stop the tears from falling. How will I ever live without him by my side?" He said in a girly voice, obviously mocking me.

"That's not what I wrote you a*s wipe!"

As he chuckled one more time, I took the opportunity to snatch it away from him. He was a bit surprised at my quick action but still gave me the "I still won" look. After years of trying to keep it away from him, he found a way to get it from me.

And right in front of my nose too.

"I like my version better. Yours is filled with pointless and cringe-worthy emotions. F*cking cr*p, it was even hard for me to read it without wanting to puke. I thank you, sister. I could've been really sick to my stomach if I went on."

"I hate you."

"Feelings mutual," he responded.

"Well, if you're done wasting my time then I'll gladly excuse myself out of here."

Turning around, my face bumped into a very hard torso, making my head bump back. Letting out a scared scream, I backed away slowly. Rubbing my eyes to see who this person was, I slowly opened them again only to find dad standing behind me.

"Sorry Summer," Dad let out a small chuckle. "Did I scare you?"

"No, I just like screaming for fun," I leered.

"That was great dad," Tyler gave him a high five. "Her face was priceless."

"You were in on this?" I exasperated.

"You know it!" My brother snapped his fingers at me while giving me a wink.

"Please tell me that I'm adopted and that my real family wants to meet me," I gulped.

"Nope. You carry one-hundred percent of Bellamy-Hayes blood," Dad replied.

"Lucky me," I sarcastically commented. "I'm leaving now."

"Not so fast young lady." Dad raised an eyebrow as he got in my way. "It's dinner time. You know how your mom gets when we're late."

"Says you. You're always late," I shot back. "But really, I'm really not hungry dad."

"Is there anything wrong? You seem a little off. What's the matter?" He inquired, giving me a worried look.

"Ohh can I, can I?" Tyler raised his hands while moving them side to side as if he was a little kid screaming to participate at those amusement park shows.

I rolled my eyes. "No."

"Jonah broke up with her. That's why she's been down in the mouth all day!" Tyler bleated out.

You have got to be sh*tting me right now.

"Why didn't you tell us anything?" Dad asked. "I know how hard this must be on you."

"Because Jonah didn't break up with me," I made crystal. "He's just moving, well moved, to San Francisco a few hours ago."

"Then what's the problem. If you're both finding a way to make it work then what's the issue here?"

"Dad, catch up please." Tyler rolled his head in frustration. "She won't get to see him on a regular basis anymore. He's like the only person she talks to. Now she has absolutely no one."

"D*mn, must suck being a loner," he went on with a low chortle.

"Wow, you really know how to make people feel better. Brat."

"It's one of my many talents," Tyler boasted, snapping back at me.

"Please, dad. Can I be excused for today? I want to be left alone."

"All right," he was finally in agreement. "But I'm going to ask Lucy if she could bring you dinner upstairs. You still need to eat."

"Fine by me," I concurred. "Actually, don't bother her. She's probably resting as we speak, I'll come downstairs before heading to bed."

  ♡⃛ ────────────⠀♡⃛

The food that dad had brought me when I didn't go downstairs was still on my desk untouched. I wasn't hungry and I most definitely didn't want to have family time at the dinner table.

For starters, Tyler would be making fun of me, dad would be telling him to "be nice" to me, and my mom would be a constant reminder of "I told you so" without actually saying anything.

If looks could kill...

It wasn't until three months ago when I told my parents that I've been in a relationship with Jonah for two years. My parents weren't too fond of him, they still aren't, especially mom. Dad eventually warmed up to him but the same couldn't be said about her.

Jonah didn't continue with his studies and the moment he got offered a high-paying job, he took it. Of course, there was a catch. He had to move seven hours away from me. Mom always said that he wanted me for our money, not because of love.

Never once did I doubt his feelings for me no matter how many crazy ideas she jammed in my head.

I really wasn't sure how we were going to make our long-distance relationship work. My time was managed by an agenda so there's absolutely no way to tell when we'll see each other again.

In fact, my plate is so full that I was even willing to quit on us right after he told me the news.

He wasn't.

        ♡⃛ ────────────⠀♡⃛

—Last Night—

"Jonah!" I knocked on the front door. "Are you still here?"

Looking inside the crystal center of the door, a figure started to approach. We said our final goodbyes two hours ago, but I just needed to see him one last time. I needed to feel him, talk to him, tell him how much he meant to me again.

I'm in no way clingy, never was and never will be. He's been the only person I've ever been close with. The number of years we've been dating are two but our friendship started when I was eleven. We started off as best friends until he asked me to be his girlfriend. I didn't give in from the beginning because I was so sure that this was going to ruin our friendship.

Plus.

He was icky and had boy cooties.

Whatever that was in my eleven-year-old brain.

So far this has been great. It's great having a boyfriend and best friend as one, but now with him leaving, I wasn't so confident that it would last. I'm usually a very optimistic person who was always trying to see the bright things in life. This wasn't it though. My life was really going to change, not drastically, but he'll just be a change that I would have to get used to.

Jonah gave me a mischievous grin as he opened the door. "I'm not even gone yet and you're already missing me."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually going to miss the cocky side of you," I say wearily.

"It's okay. I know that I'm a catch," he gloated.

"I thought that you'd be on the road all ready. How come you're still here?"

"Aren't you glad to see me for the last and final time?" He winked then gave me a crooked smile. "And to answer your question, Marcus was caught up in traffic. He'll be here in a few."

"So, does that mean I could stay for a little bit?" I asked nervously.

He cupped my face and planted a soft kiss on my lips. "Does that answer your question?"

I blushed as he took my hand and led me inside his home.

Marcus is a friend of Jonah's who lives in San Francisco. They'll be living together until he's able to save up for his own place. To be honest, I don't think he's a fan of mine. I've only met him twice but just by his dark brown eyes glancing deep into my soul, it was enough to make that assumption.

About a month ago, I heard Jonah on a phone with him. I was coming back from the kitchen and happened to overhear their conversation. To keep it short, he was asking him to break up with me. That I was just a "spoiled brat" and a "little girl" who didn't know what I wanted in life. To a certain point, he was correct. Jonah's three years older than me, he's twenty.  I've known him for about six years and knew he wasn't going to take advantage of that. Plus, our age difference wasn't even that bad at all.

"Come here," Jonah gave me a grin as he pulled me onto his lap.

"You know," he went one. "I'm going to miss your kisses."

"Oh are you?" I grinned. "That's all you're going to miss?"

Putting both of his hands on my hips he says, "And I guess I'll miss you a little too."

"What are you going to do about it?" I flirted.

"A bit brave tonight, aren't you?"

"Only for you," I whispered.

Standing up from the bed while holding me from my bottom, he gently placed me onto the bed. Closing the space between us, he placed soft kisses on my neck. I wasn't usually this bold but when it came to him, I wanted to give him my all. We've never had sex from these two years of dating but we almost did.

Two years ago, during his eighteenth birthday party, I got drunk and somehow ended up on his bed the next morning. According to him, I had way "too much to drink" and was "a lot flirtier" than usual. Because my parents would've murdered me, he texted them saying that "I" was staying at a friend's house. Anyone would've called bullsh*t on that. I didn't have any friends besides him. All I remember was that there was a lot of kissing involved but that's about it. He stopped me before I went further because he didn't want it to happen drunkenly.

...:...

...:...

...:...

Before anything could happen, a honk was heard coming from the outside.

"Sh*t," he muttered under his breath.

"You have to go," my saddened voice came through.

"I'm afraid so," he frowned as he got off the bed and handed me the shirt that he managed to only take off from me.

Helping him take the few suitcases outside, Marcus was already standing by the front door. I haven't seen him in almost a year and didn't really know his thoughts of me.

"It's nice to see you again man," Jonah gave him a hug.

As Marcus moved out of place, I noticed this really pretty girl inside the car. She was in the back seat. Jonah noticed her as well because as soon as he caught a glimpse at his car, an eye roll was seen coming from him.

"What's she doing here?" Jonah chided.

"Oh, Bethany?" He said in thought.

"I don't see anyone else but her," Jonah retorted.

"It's a seven-hour car ride and I didn't want to feel lonely on the road. So I asked her to come along."

"Plus, she'll be living with us soon," Marcus revealed.

"What was that!?" Jonah frustratedly asked.

"I said that Beth is going to be living with us!" He called out.

That Bethany girl, she's the girl that Marcus has been trying to have Jonah date. Guess I didn't need to figure out his final thoughts of me. He was still trying to play Cupid in which I wasn't involved.

"Can I talk with you for a quick second?" I asked Jonah awkwardly.

"No can do. We have to get going," answered Marcus. "You can leave now by the way. He's capable of being by himself."

"Give us a minute." Jonah crossed his arms in irritation.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes while walking towards the car.

There was this sick feeling in my stomach. Knowing that she would be living under the same roof as Jonah worried me. She was an extremely beautiful girl and probably attracted many with her looks. I could just hope that our relationship didn't have to end because of her.

"Jo—"

"Before you can say anything," he interrupted. "I know what you're thinking."

"I heard you and Marcus on the phone a few months ago. I know she's the girl that he's been trying to set you up with," I added, looking at the floor sadly.

"Nothing will ever happen with Bethany, I can promise you that. I already made it clear to him that I wasn't interested. He only brought her to get under your skin."

"I love you," Jonah smiled. "Please, have a little trust in me. I will never do anything to jeopardize our relationship."

"You're right," I sighed. "I'm sorry for sounding like I didn't trust you."

"Don't apologize, babe." He pulled me into a hug.

"Hey Jonah," I said while hugging him back.

"Hmm."

"I love you too."

That was my first time saying it back. He's told me multiple times but I could never say it back. I wasn't sure if it was the right decision because he was leaving or because all my emotions let them out, but saying it felt a bit weird. Don't get me wrong, I do love him. Well, at least I think I do.

"I have to go now," he gave me a quick peck on my forehead. "I love you. Don't you ever forget that?"

With that, he was off to his friend's car.

Waiting on his doorstep until they left, I couldn't help but notice Bethany giving Jonah a kiss on the cheek. He didn't do anything in regard to that, he just looked my way and mouthed "trust me".

I could only wonder for how much longer there would be ay trust.

Or us.

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To Be Continued...

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Author's Note:

Thanks for reading <3

I'll see you in chapter 3 when it's out.

\~ With love, Cynthia M.

...♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥♡♥...

...Ariana Ximena Castillo ...

"Was signing me up for school really necessary?"  I complained while getting my bread out of the toaster. "I told you, I'm fine with working with you at the bakery."

"Dios mío Ana (Goodness Ana)," mom said in frustration. "How many more times do I have to explain that—"

"Getting your education is important," I interjected.

"Remember those fine words." Mom chuckled.

"But school ain't for me," I said for like the 100 times, giving her an eye roll.

"Y teníamos que ser primas (And we had to be cousins)," Tamara said while entering the kitchen.

"What?" I questioned.

"School is pointless," Tamara responded.

Mom shook her head. "You're no help."

"Yet you spent seven years in college just to get your law degree," I shot back.

"Let me finish," Tamara sighed.

"Elaborate then," I said in thought.

"School is pointless," she reiterated. "Yes, I'm now a lawyer who's helping your mom out with the bakery. Remember what I had to do in order to get here."

"She had a sh*t attitude in high school," mom says. "However, she pulled through."

"That's right," Tamara concurred.  "At first I was contemplating if college was a good idea. My parents didn't have the opportunity to go because of financial struggles. Once I applied, they were so happy for me although they'd said that they've supported whatever my decision was."

"It will all be worth it once you have your degree," she ranted on.

"Why don't you call me?"

Tamara showed confusion. "Huh?"

"Once you're finally done paying off all that student debt for we can celebrate." I let out a proud smirk. "That's if you're not retired by then."

"B*tch!" Tamara crossed her arms in anger. "You know that student debt is a highly sensitive topic for me."

I yawned. "Sorry, not sorry."

She gave me the death stare as my mom just stood there irritated. It was way too early to be chastised by Tamara. I just wanted to go to school in peace (never thought I'd ever say that) and not in actual pieces.

"Uh fine!" I expressed exhaustion. "No more complaining from today and onwards."

"Mom raised an eyebrow at me. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

We all exchanged a few chuckles and giggles

At this point, we were all joking.

"All right," Tamara said while closing up her coffee mug. "It's time for me to go."

"Drive safe," mom advised her.

"See ya." I gave her a little wave.

Tamara's living with us for the meantime until her house gets modernized. Her wife, Hanna, was also staying with us but was currently abroad for a business meeting. Their home was set to be ready by the end of the month and honestly, I was getting used to having them around.

Although she is about seven years older than me, we still get along pretty well. The same goes for Hanna. They are my favorite "crackhead couple" as I like to call them. You would think that just because one is a lawyer and the other a businesswoman they would take everything serious and their life would be full of ugly cries at three a.m because they regret their career choice.

It's anything but that. I always admired the way they were able to keep their work-life away front their personal one. Holy cr*p, I feel like my life is complicated enough. I could only imagine the type of work they had to do and all those sleepless nights they pulled off in order to get to where they're at in life now.

"You know, the phone is meant to be answered."

Mom signaled her head to my nonstop ringtone.

"I'd rather not." I shrugged.

"What if Xavier is calling to apologize?" She suggested.

"You mean to tell me that I'm a disgrace and dishonor to the family all over again?" I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, dad's not looking for any form of reconciliation here. Y si soy sincera, no me nace en el corazón hablar con el o Danny (And if I'm straightforward, I don't find it in my heart to talk to neither him nor Danny)."

"Have you had the chance to speak to your father?" Mom asked while setting her coffee mug on the kitchen island.

"Nope. I don't intend to. If he wants to say sorry, he'll do it of his own will and not out of force. Same goes for Daniel. I'm not going to force him to stay in contact with me because we are siblings. It was made pretty clear two days ago that they wanted nothing to do with me."

"Once again, I'm so sorry hun." She came forward to give me a hug. "Know that I love you no matter who you are, okay? You will always be my baby girl."

Hugging her back, I say, "It's not your fault ma. If anything, I'm sorry to have put you in that position with dad."

"Don't worry about me." She gave me a kiss on my forehead. "You asked me to keep that secret of yours and I gladly complied. Just know that I'm very proud of you for standing up to Danny and your father. That was very brave of you Ana."

"Thanks for being supportive rather than hating me," I said sadly.

Mom put her hand on my cheek as I placed my hand over it. "I could never hate you."

"Now..." She made her way to where her mug was resting on the kitchen island. "Get your a*s to school."

I shook my head in annoyance. "You just ruined the moment."

...♡⃛ ──────────── ♡⃛...

—Glarrisson High School—

H*ll to the f*cking no!

There was no way in h*ll that I was going to a school filled with these snoopy kids.

Slowly driving my car around the student lot in hope of a parking space, a car was backing out from a spot. Putting my left blinker to warn the cars around me to know that the spot was mine, this black BMW hit on the accelerator and stole my space as soon as the car backed out.

Not hitting on the brake soon enough, they hit the car from the front. They wanted a spot and the car ended up having more than a spot in the bumper.

Karma is a b*tch I tell you!

Thankfully someone else was backing out right across. That would give me the opportunity to get off and give them a laugh.

Pulling on a handle in the bottom of my seat to open the back trunk, two girls exited the now bumper-less BMW. Looking at them through the side mirrors, one of the girls with blonde hair who was wearing a vibrant pink fluffy sweater in almost one-hundred degree weather, slammed the drivers' door, and clicked her way to the front of the car with her big a*s heals, also pink and hideous.

Grabbing my backpack out of the trunk, the two girls were giving me angry glances from behind.

Turning around, finally acknowledging their ugly faces, I gave them a smirk and headed towards school.

I usually never stayed quiet. I always had something to say. Mom would be disappointed if I got in a fight on my first day of school. If only heading to class was true though. The two girls ended up screaming something that made me react. My blood was already boiling at the fact that I had to be here and already these two b*tches wanted to start problems?

Count me in!

"Hey, you!" Screamed one of the girls. "Girl with the ugly shoes. I mean really, they are so two seasons ago."

"My name's Ariana but whatever toots your horn...if it's even working to begin with," I laughed uncontrollably. "What do you want?"

"We just got this car like two days ago!" one of the girls angrily mentioned.

"Congrats?" I replied.

The pink sweater girl continued yelling. "Because of you, my car was destroyed!"

"I don't remember being the one trying to steal a parking space," I snapped back. "Do you even have your license? That little stunt you pulled there isn't even seen by beginners."

"You have to pay for it," said the girl next to pinkie.

"Are y'all being serious?"

...

"You are seriously telling me to pay for something that I didn't cause?!" I was fumed. "Just learn how to f*cking drive properly."

"I'm sure you have enough cash to pay for it. You said it yourself, I'm a girl with the two seasons ago shoes," I went on. "Now if you'll both excuse me and my ugly shoes are going somewhere else other than here."

Seems like New Jersey was following me everywhere I go. Every time I got into a fight, mom would always call and tell me that violence wasn't the answer. I beg to differ. Of course, it was. Punching Ross in the balls stopped him from taking my lunch in the fourth grade.

I bet they were the "Queen Bee's" from school. There was no doubt about that. I feel like every school has at least one or two of those. Lord knows I needed a little more spice in my life and put these two idiots in my way. I was probably at the top of their list, to be honest.

...♡⃛ ──────────── ♡⃛...

The first class I had was English, taught by some dude named Mr.Hall. It was probably the worst class ever. Also, fun news. The girl next to pinkie was in my class. She apparently went by the name of Peyton.

The only thing, or person rather, who made it less torturing was my partner, Adalyn. She's the first person that I encountered who's actually really kind. I guess the fact that we were both new to California was an instant click.

Adalyn came from Nottingham, England, and is living with her stepfamily which she didn't sound too happy about. I wanted to ask more questions but knew that I needed to have my boundaries.

Whatever it was, I hope she knows that I'll listen.

... ♡⃛ ──────────── ♡⃛...

—Last Period—

I was finally walking into my last and final class, theatre and drama. Like if I needed more drama in my life but whatever. Not my choice of schedule.

Walking my way past these loud a*s classmates of mine, I sat down at the far end from the back. I hated making an entrance but these people seemed to think that I was Beyoncé or something (God, I wish). Welp, it's just for today, I hope.

"Class we seem to have a new student with us," the teacher announces once everyone had settled down.

No, is she actually doing this "tell us something about yourself" cr*p?

"Ariana, is it?"

"Correct," I simply nodded.

"I'm Ms. Pierce, the drama and theatre teacher. Why don't you come up here and tell us something about yourself."

Mother of—

Sighing as I stood up from my seat, I made my way to the front. This lady was actually going to waste precious class time to introduce a loser like me? Not like these people were a bit interested in what I had to say anyway.

"Hello," I waved, obviously faking my excitement. "It's honestly so great to meet y'all. As you already know, I'm Ariana Ximena Castillo but go as Ari for short. I moved here from New Jersey about three days ago and I'm really, really looking forward to spending the year with all of you."

God, I hated myself for that.

"At least someone's excited about learning something in this class." Ms. Pierce gave everyone else a frustrating head shake.

"Super!" I exclaimed. "May I go take my seat now?"

"Actually, I like your enthusiasm so much that I want you sitting up front."

Sarcasm was written all over her voice.

Okay, Ms. Pierce was definitely not stupid and was able to hear the sh*t load of lies flying out my mouth.

"No, it's okay," I insisted. "I'm able to show my excitement from the back as well."

"Ms. Castillo." My angry teacher shot me a glance.

"I'll go grab my things," I gulped as I rushed for my items.

"Good choice kid." She giggled. "Ms. Bellamy, would you be a dear and please raise your hand. She'll be your partner for the rest of the year."

Looking at a hand go up in the air, I made my way to whoever this Bellamy chick was. As I took a seat next to her, I threw my backpack on the table, making her iced coffee tip over.

Great, now I had three people that hated me, counting the other two girls put together.

"I'm so sorry," I said while quickly reaching for napkins.

Taking out a few napkins from my backpack from the crunch wrap supreme I had for breakfast, I went ahead and wiped the table. Gladly, my fellow classmates were too busy talking to one another instead of witnessing whatever had happened here.

"Don't worry about it. Accidents happen," the Bellamy girl responded.

"Just try to be less clumsy next time," she said with a low giggle.

Giving her a thoughtful look, I seemed to be getting lost in her ocean blue eyes. Gosh, they were so mesmerizing. Even her small giggle was adorable.

Admiring her medium-lengthened ash-blond hair and then going down to her dazzling blue eyes, I then realized that she'd been talking to me this whole time.

"Erm hello? Are you all right?" She hollowed at me, waking her hand in my face. "You seemed to have spaced out."

Before I could have an opportunity to respond, Ms. Pierce quieted down the classroom. Apparently, they thought that this place was Six Flags. Keep in mind that these were seventeen, almost eighteen-year-olds who were screaming inside the classroom.

"Everyone quiet!" Ms. Pierce screamed out.

D*mn, my eardrums we're definitely damaged for good.

"Now that I finally caught your attention, we can finally start the class," she continued on. "As many of you already know, I usually give projects right after we finish a topic. Since Romeo and Juliet took only a week to finish, you will start on your first-trimester assignment."

"God, not another project," Bellamy muttered in a low whisper. "As if the one Mr. Hall gave us isn't enough."

"Your task is to act out a scene coming from this star-crossed story," she said while lifting up the Romeo and Juliet book. "You will each be in a group of three but some of you will only be paired up with one person due to the number of students not being even."

"Can we work with whoever we want?" Inquired a student sitting in the back of me.

"No. Your partner will be the person sitting next to you," she explained. "Now Ariana, I understand that you're new here. The story is very short. If you need to look at the notes we took about four days ago, ask your partner. I bet she'll be glad to pass them to you."

"That's true," Bellamy spoke in a shy tone.

"Great. Then it's settled. Your project is due three weeks from now. I recommend that you use this time to plan everything out. And please don't forget to look at the sheet of paper that I'll pass in a few minutes. It has the number of lines and minutes that you'll have to include."

Taking a deep breath, I finally faced her again.

"So, when should we start?" I asked in an unbothered tone. "And whose our third partner?"

"How does Wednesday sound to you? My debate club required participants to attend meetings on Mondays and Fridays, sometimes Tuesdays," she responded. "As for the third partner, Santiago isn't here today. I'll send him a text later."

Santiago was the person who sat in front of Bellamy from the three individual tables in our group.

"Yeah, sounds good."

"For the meantime..." She took out a book and notebook from her backpack. "I want you to finish this reading by Wednesday before we meet. My notes are there just in case you need them."

"Are you always this bossy?" I jested.

"Get used to it." She tittered.

There it was.

That freaking giggle.

"Anyways, want to do it at mine or should we do it at yours?"

"Nope sorry." I nodded my head. "I don't think we're in that "doing it" sort of phase yet."

"Very funny Ariana," she remarked, then chuckled a few moments after.

"Bellamy, call me Ari, " I emphasized. "Ariana is too formal for me."

"Okay, Ari." She rubbed her neck timidly. "My name's—"

The bell rang, meaning it was finally time to leave this h*ll hole.

"Okay class, hope you and your team members were able to see eye to eye. We'll have time to work on it during the last fifteen minutes of class tomorrow!" Announced Ms. Pierce.

"I'll see you around." Summer gave me a quick wave as she exited the class.

Watching her as she left the class, the question lingered around my head. There was something about her that intrigued me. I don't know what it was. Was it her blue eyes or the very light freckles on her face? Whatever it was, she had definitely caught my eye.

I wasn't sure if she was batting for the same team as me.

Most likely not.

Better question, what would Jade think about all this? I still had feelings that I couldn't quite understand for her.

Then again, I couldn't help this feeling telling me that Bellamy had felt an instant click too.

Time will only tell I guess.

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To Be Continued...