Chapter 8 : A Little Time Off

*** Ariana's POV***

"So, this Sunday, you will be an adult, young lady," Carol said to me in a joking tone. She was eyeing me with a curious gaze. She was up to something; I was sure of it.

"Yes, Carol," I said with a sigh. We walked together to her house after school. After what happened with Patty the last few days, I needed a break. I just wanted to pretend that no one at school existed.

"Do you think Alex misses me?" I asked Carol. I still had my eyes downcast, and my hands hooked around the straps of my backpack.

"Ariana, look. Guys, I don't know; they don't seem to think of stuff as we do. If Patty dumps him, he might miss you. But, she is his soulmate, Ariana. You cannot compete with that. She is the one he was meant to be with."

I sighed. I did not want to keep hearing that. Even though I knew I needed to listen to it. I couldn't expect anything to change between us.

"It just really hurts to see him all the time." So I finally said as we entered Carol's house.

She gestured me into the living room. It was furnished with taxidermy and hardwood furniture. Her dad still loved to hunt (mainly in wolf form). But, you could tell by the gun display on the wall next to a mounted bear's head that he also liked to hunt in human form. The fireplace was one of the fabulous stone fireplaces with pretty iron designs on the exterior. I always felt like her home felt like a warm den.

I sat down on the couch. She brought me a cool drink from the fridge. It was some sparkling raspberry-flavored mineral water. Carol's family was pretty rugged, and her mom didn't believe in sugar. So I started to drink it as Carol sat down beside me, sipping her can of water.

"Maybe you need to get him out of your head." She said to me.

"Well, of course," I answered her in a matter-of-fact tone. She was stating the obvious now. I glared at her.

She chuckled and took another sip of her water. "I think you need some big event. Maybe we can go to the ski lodge?" she said, her eyes getting excited.

I shook my head and looked inside my can as if something was hidden down there that would answer my questions.

"Why not?" she whined angrily. She had her lip puffed out like she was pouting. I knew she wasn't that upset, but she could be a drama queen sometimes.

"Because I think being out in the snow will make me think of last Christmas with Alex," I told her defensively.

"But, by that logic, we can't go anywhere because everything will make you think of him! If I asked you to go to the grocery store, you'd say no because Alex used to eat food!" She said to me with a pout.

"Don't be silly; I wouldn't think that," I said to her. But maybe she was right. It seemed like everything made me think of Alex.

"I got it!" she declared excitedly as if she was struck with a sudden stroke of genius. "We will throw a huge birthday party for you! Go all out. And, I'll bring some hot guys here. You'll be so busy you'll never have time to think about your old guy."

"No, Carol. The last thing I need is to hook up with a bunch of dumb boys," I answered in disgust.

"Oh, come on," she insisted, bringing her legs up underneath her, so she was kneeling on the couch. "All you need is a little someone special. And, even if you don't want some hot guy hanging on you all night, we can make it more of a girl's night. How about that? Makeup, gossip, and hair?"

"Oh my gosh, Carol," I moaned, leaning my head back on the back of the couch. "That sounds dumb."

"No!" she answered me determinedly. "What's stupid is moping around about something that will NEVER change. He found his soulmate, and it's not you! You need to get out there and find yours!"

I knew she was trying. I knew she was trying to be a good friend and all that, but sometimes I want to be alone. I knew, deep down inside, that she was right. So I needed to keep searching.

"Okay, fine," I relented.

"YES!" she hissed, clutching her fists in triumph. "You will not regret this, girl!"

"I already do," I said with a laugh, and she hit me with a pillow.

"Do you think you will invite Triton, maybe?" I asked her, unable to make eye contact.

"What?" she nearly shouted in my ear. "You cannot be serious! Why? Because of what happened today at school. I'll admit it's gallant of him. But, he's an enemy pack member."

"I know, I know," I said to her. "But, it's not the first time he saved me. He came to the woods last night and saved me from Patty and some of his pack members."

"No way!" she said in shock. She had the most exaggerated expressions.

"Yeah, seriously," I continued. "Patty has been after me ever since Alex and I broke up. And, Triton has intervened on my behalf every single time. That's gotta mean something."

"Yeah, it means he's a control freak!" she said dismissively. "I know it seems cool to have a boyfriend from the other pack. But, I know better, Ariana. I'm not trying to dampen your hopes or anything. No one wants you to have a good boyfriend more than I do. But, my parents have had so many struggles because of their marriage. I don't mean they regret it or anything, but it's super hard to pull off, girl. And, I don't want you to have that hardship."

"I know, thanks, Carol," I said, putting an end to that conversation.

The rest of the day we spent chilling at her house watching some old TV shows. That evening she took me home in her dad's pickup truck. My mom greeted us as we walked into the kitchen and offered Carol some tea.

"Oh, that's great. Thank you," she told my mom.

The two of them sat down at the table, and I decided to leave them alone. I had a feeling they were planning to discuss my party. I didn't want them to think I was listening even though I knew about it.

I could hear them discussing what kind of food I liked and how they wanted the place to look like. I thought it was super sweet of them. But, part of me still felt that I did not want to have so many people around. I was feeling unsure.

In my mind, I thought about what Carol told me about her parents and their relationship. I felt Triton was genuinely kind and, for some reason, felt protective of me. But, what was his motive? Maybe Carol was right. Perhaps I was wrong for wanting to know him more.

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