“Yes mother.” I spoke into the phone, hearing my mom rant on.
“And your brother will be there.”
“Wait what? Be where?”
“Have you not been paying attention this whole time?” I heard her sigh into the phone. “We’re having a Sunday dinner, since all the kids are out of the house.” She said.
“Wait, so you’re celebrating me leaving?” I chuckled into the receiver.
“No, you can bring Ariel if you want, and any other friends.” She said in a mono-tone voice.
“Okay, mom will do. I have to go now.” I said as I heard a knock at the door.
“Alright sweetie, I’ll see you Sunday at noon.” I made a sound to let her know I had heard her and hung up the phone, walking to the door.
I took a look through a peephole and saw a familiar smiling face.
“Hey Alex.” I said as I swung the door open.
“Hi.” He waved at me, leaning in for a hug I didn’t expect.
I embraced it, nonetheless. Feeling comfortable around Alex was a privilege, and I wasn’t going to waste it.
“What’s up with you?” I asked, leading him into the apartment.
“Nothing, I was at Jack’s but he fell asleep on the couch.” I nodded my head as we sat down on the sofa.
“So you thought I’d be any more entertaining?” I chuckled at him.
“Well you’re definitely better than Jack over there, awake or not.” I hid my face in my hands to keep my blush out of sight.
“Why are you hiding?” He faced me, putting his hands over mine trying to pry them off my face.
“I’m not.” I said into my hands.
“Yes you are, let me see your face.” I peeked an eye through my fingers and looked at him.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because, I like it.” I blushed even deeper, but this time I moved my hands from my face. “Better.” He said softly, his face slowly moving closer to mine, making me nervous. “Are you okay with this?” He asked, his face not even an inch from mine.
I couldn’t say no, I mean he’s Alex. I barely know him, yet I feel like I can be anyone when he’s around. I can’t necessarily say ‘no i'm not get your perfect face away from me’.
All I could do was nod, which is what I did. I saw him smile slightly before his lips touched mine.
There weren’t those stereotypical sparks or anything, but it wasn’t a normal kiss.
Every other boy I’ve kissed, which adds up to be about two, were just plain. But Alex acted like he wasn’t going to be able to do it again, which I don’t know. Maybe he won’t be?
Right as he put his hand behind my head we heard a loud crash, causing us to jump apart, and me to scream.
“Well that lasted.” He joked as footsteps neared my front door.
“Can I come in!” We heard, instead of knocking.
“What’s the password!”
“I’m coming in anyway!” Jack suddenly burst through the door, smiling at us as he sat down. “What’s up?” He asked.
“Well your ass fell asleep so I came to see Leah.” Alex answered his question.
“And I just found out I have a family thing to go to Sunday. But I’m allowed to bring Ariel and ‘any other friends I might have’. A direct quote from my mom who knows I don’t have any other friends besides Ariel.” I laughed at myself .
“What about us?” Alex asked, nudging my shoulder with his. I looked over at him, wishing I hadn’t. His eyes stared directly into mine, a smirk playing at his lips.
“You guys don’t want to meet my family, trust me.” I said, still looking at Alex.
“Awh, Come on I wanna come!” Jack said, not noticing the air getting thicker in the room.
“Yeah, we wanna come!” Alex laughed, breaking eye contact to look at Jack.


-

ALEX POV

Her skin was soft, and her hair was smooth. She acted like porcelaine even though I know deep inside she’s steel. She smelled like spring, and tasted like mint.
And when we kissed, I swear I saw the stars. I wanted it to last as long as it could, but Jack interrupted. How do you act around a friend if you’ve just kissed them?
I just acted as though nothing happened, trying to keep from screaming. I want to get closer with her, i want to kiss her again,
I don’t know when but I swear i will.
She told Jack and I that we were allowed to go with her and Ariel to her mom’s on Sunday. So I might make a move then. An uncomfortable silence filled Leah’s livingroom just as suddenly as she agreed to let us come.
“Anyone up to go get some dinner? I’m buying?” Leah asked. Jack nodded and I did too, quietly hoping Jack would have said no.
“We’ll pay for ourselves, though.” I told her, she sighed but nodded anyway.
“I’ll call Ariel and Frank to see if they wanna come.” Leah smiled.

LEAH’s POVVV (point of view view view)

oki so in this chpter when we’re all at dinner u run into gerard and say he can sit with u and him and frankk arelike holy shit
its ariels pov so start it off with everyone wlking into the restaurant okay ill write leahs dialogue, franks and jacks and u write alex ariel and gerard oki i feel like it^^^^^^ shouldnt be spelled this way
oki starrt writing ill jump in with some dialogue fuck ok


ARIELS POVVVVVV-


We arrived at the restaurant later on that night.
“Welcome to Golden Corral,” a waitress, who looked to be about 23, said. She eyed Jack, smiling at him flirtatiously, before flicking her eyes over the rest of us. “How many?”
“There are five of us,” I said, half scowling at her.
She nodded and grabbed five dinner menus from the bin. “If you would follow me, please.”
We followed her to the back of the restaurant to a booth table big enough to sit eight people. Leah and Alex slid into the middle of the seat, Jack following Alex and Frank following Leah. I sat on the very end beside Jack. Our waitress dealt out all of our menus, winked at Jack, and dramatically flipped her long, brown hair over her shoulder. I proceeded to scowl once again, very annoyed that she’s trying to be flirty with him.
“What can I get you all to drink? We have Coke products, sweet tea, and due to the racing spectacle this weekend, we have alcoholic beverages,” She chirped, whipping out a pad of paper and a pen.
There was a chorus of different types of alcohol (shocker) from everyone else, that is until she got to me.
“I’ll just have a water,” I said, earning a snicker from the waitress.
“Someone must be a lightweight,” she replied.
“Excuse me?” I retorted, shooting her a death glare. She just deviously smiled at me before once again winking at Jack and walking off to fetch our drinks.
“Skank,” I muttered under my breath.
“Well, that was interesting to witness,” Frank said, laughing.
“Yeah, well, she seems like a bitch anyways.” I smiled, my eyes struggling to stay open. I ran my hand through my hair to cover up the sigh I released. It’s only been three days since the incident with Mikey and...I still haven’t told anyone. It’s really eating me alive and I should honestly tell Leah, but I don’t know how. She’ll probably laugh at me and tell me I’m seeing things again. I mean, I’ve always seen things my whole life and have had to take meds for it. Maybe it was all a hallucination. Whatever it was, I was losing sleep from it.
I looked up, my eyes connecting with hers over her menu. She knew something was up, but I’ve been stupid enough to lie and say it was all fine. I’m sorry, Leah.
A few seconds later, our slutbag waitress returned, once again starting with Frank and handing me my drink last. “What will we be having to eat, guys?”
Frank, Leah, Alex, and Jack all decided we should just go with the buffet option. I nodded, not really hungry.
“Of course! Just go on up and grab your plates! The salad bar is over there and everything else is in the middle. Desserts are on the far end of the main bar.”
We thanked her and she left us again.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving,” Alex said, pushing Leah and Frank out of the booth. Jack and I followed in suit. I split from him and Leah came up to my side.
“What’s the deal with the waitress?” Leah asked me.
“I don’t really know. She was just being annoying, I think,” I shrugged.
“You think she was being annoying?” She said as she led me to the salad bar.
“Am I the only one who was annoyed by her face and voice and general existence?” I questioned, grabbing a plate for the both of us.
“She was kinda snobby looking, I guess.” She replied, taking a plate from me.
“Yeah.”
“So what’s going on with you and Jack?”

“I, uh, nothing is going on between us.” I laughed. “Why would you ask?”
“Just because whenever the waitress looked at him, you would get all angry.”
“I just wasn’t okay with her being openly flirty while we were all together, it just bugged me, I guess,” I said, scooping salad onto my plate. She just shrugged her shoulders and walked towards Alex by the steaks.
I shook my head and went back to the booth, setting my salad down on the table. No one had returned from getting their food yet, so I decided now would be a good time to go to the bathroom. I headed back to the other side of the restaurant and through the door to the women’s restroom. I honestly didn’t have to piss, but I just needed a second by myself.
I walked into one of the stalls, closed the door behind me and locked it, then sat down. I closed my eyes and exhaled, deeply wishing I would have told Leah everything right then and there. It’s starting to hurt that all I’ve done the past three days is lie to everyone.
I sat there and pouted like a little bitch for about five more minutes before unlocking the stall and exiting the restroom.
As I was walking back tothe booth everyone had crowded back in, I caught sight of a person with fiery red hair. He was sitting by himself. I frowned, scanning him. He looks so familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it. I walked over to him.
“Excuse me, but do -” I asked. He turned around.
“Ariel?” He questioned.
“Gerard!” I exclaimed, shocked to see him by himself, “Do, do you wanna come sit with me and a few friends?”
“Yeah, sure,” He responded to my question, standing up. “It’s kinda boring when you’re alone.”
I led him back towards everyone else.
“Is everything okay?”
I jumped on instinct. “Christ, Jack! You scared me, man.” I said, avoiding his question.
“Sorry, why were you gone for so long?”
“She was probably pooping.” Leah joked.
Everyone around her laughed, and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing about it either.
“Sorry, all, I just needed a minute,” I replied. “Anyways, guys, this is Gerard. He’s a friend of mine and he was here alone, so do you guys mind him joining us?” I asked, sliding back in beside Jack. They all welcomed him and he sat down beside Frank on the end. I picked up my fork and stabbed the lettuce to its imminent death before shoving a forkful into my mouth.
“Are you okay now, though?” Jack asked, steering me back towards his question.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I smiled. He nodded before turning back to his conversation with the group.
“Anyways, I think it’d be cool!” Alex exclaimed, leaving me lost as fuck once again.
“Yeah, I’m down for it,” Leah nodded her head in agreement with them.
“Wait, what are we talking about?”
“Jack and Alex think it’d be a great idea to walk through the woods to some old and creepy graveyard tonight,” Frank said.
“Yeah, I don’t know about that,” I dragged out the first word.
“Why not? I’ll protect you.” Jack winked.
My face flushed as I recalled that one night Jack and I were out in the fields. “Hmmm.. I don’t know. You’re not that intimidating to anything lurking in the woods, you know,” I joked.
“What are you talking about? I’m the most intimidating person ever.” He flexed his ‘muscles’ at me.
“Yeah, okay, Barakat.” I laughed again. “I’m down. What about you Gerard? Care for a little scare?”
“What could go wrong?” He smirked, and everyone in the group cheered. We all finished our meals and waited for the whore of a waitress to give us our checks. Alex insisted on paying for everyone even though we had all agreed not to do that. Somehow Jack had gotten out of Alex’s insisted wish and ended up paying for himself, me, and Gerard.
“Look, I got the waitress’s phone number,” Jack said, closing the checkbook. I snarled, earning a laugh from Leah.

THIRD PERSON-

“Hi, I’m Frank.” He said, walking next to Gerard on the way to the graveyard.
“Gerard,” He replied.
“So how do you know Ariel?”
“She and I went to elementary and middle school together. We were really good friends back then,” Gerard said, looking over at Frank. “How about you?”
“I just met her tonight, through Leah, who I met through Jack.”
Gerard laughed. “Hmm, well as you know, I met everyone else tonight, too.”
Frank chuckled and smiled at Gerard, fascinated by his bright hair.
“YO GUYS DON’T FALL TOO FAR BEHIND, YOU MIGHT DIE!!” Alex yelled at them.
“Well, yelling in the darkness of the woods is surely not going to attract bears or some shit, Alex,” Gerard thought out loud.
“Don’t be mean.” Leah said to Alex, playfully slapping his arm.
“Mean? Me? Oh, Leah, you’ve got it all wrong,” Alex replied, returning a playful little push.
“Oh really?”
“Mhmm!”
“It that the graveyard up there?” Leah pointed ahead to a fence.
Alex nodded. “Yep, and I’m making you go first, Leah.”
“No way, make Jack go first.”
“I AINT NO PUSSY ASS BITCH!” Jack hollered, leaving his spot beside Ariel and running to the front of the group.
Leah slowed down from her spot beside Alex to accompany Ariel a few feet behind.
“Are you alright?” She asked Ariel.
“Can I tell you something without you thinking I’ve gone completely insane?” Ariel asked, looking up to Leah.
“Yeah, hang on.” Leah replied, “You guys go ahead, we’ll catch up!” She shouted to the rest of the group.
“Are you sure you won’t get scared!” Jack yelled, causing Leah to flip him off. “What’s up?” She turned back to Ariel.
Ariel fidgeted a little bit and exhaled. “Do you remember the other day when we were hanging out and I got super fucking defensive after something you had said and then claimed it was lack of sleep?”
“Yeah…?”
“I..uh..It wasn’t a lack of sleep…but a..” Ariel kept hesitating.
“Well what was it then?”
“I think I was kidnapped and tortured..but I’m not really sure...Leah, it was dark and there were creatures that you can’t even imagine, there’s no way they were in my head, and there was this...uh..person there. He said he knew me and I should know him but I have no fucking clue who it was and when I escaped the room it was as if it had immediately disappeared and I’m fucking going crazy aren’t I?” Leah stared blankly at her for a few seconds before finally replying.
“You’re not going crazy, have you talked to your mom about it?”
Ariel shook her head. “You’re the first person I’ve told.”
“Ariel, I’m not judging you or anything, but if you had been tortured you’d have marks or, or something. Did you notice anything?”
Ariel covered the scar on her arm. “Well, I mean, I was injected with something because I remember him pulling a needle from my arm but I don’t really remember. All I really noticed were tools you would see in a hospital scattered about and a tall man dressed in black..”
“You need to go see a professional again, Ariel. It’s getting bad again.”
“I...I don’t understand why it’s getting bad again.”
“Has anything weird happened? I mean besides this?”
“I had a fight with Mikey, but that’s it. Leah, you can’t tell anyone, okay!? I don’t want worried people running around.”
“Mikey?”
“Oh, yeah, my, uh, family friend.” Ariel fidgeted again and ran her hand through her hair. “Anyways, we should probably catch up. They’re probably wondering where we’re at.”
“Yeah, we should.” They started to walk toward the entrance to to graveyard, where everyone was waiting, “Ariel, tell me sooner next time, okay?”
“Sorry, Leah. I was just really scared.”
“Hurry up!” Frank yelled from the entrance before Leah could reply. She just smiled at Ariel and ran ahead to catch up.
Ariel, a huge wave of relief washing over her, jogged behind Leah to the entrance. She didn’t even react when she caught a glimpse of Mikey in the background, blending in with the trees. He wasn’t her top priority at the moment.
“It took you guys long enough,” Alex said, leaning against a fence post.
“Sorry, not sorry, Alex, we had to talk about periods and girl stuff,” Ariel responded.
“Ew no.” Jack squirmed and walked to Ariel’s side. She ignored Jack and spoke up to the group. “So who’s going first?”
“I will.” said Frank.
“I thought Jack wasn’t no ‘pussy ass bitch’,” Gerard commented, creating air quotes around what Jack had said.
“Well, I’m not but I mean if Frank wants to go be my guest.” Jack smiled as he dodged the bullet.
“Frank, it was nice knowing you,” Ariel said, pushing him to the gate that blocked everyone from the graveyard.
He opened the gate, the sudden screech of the rust making everyone jump slightly. He stepped in with one foot and screamed, flinging to the ground. Leah and Ariel screamed, jumping back. Frank laughed and pulled himself up, shaking his head as he walked further in.
“Bastard.” Leah muttered, hiding behind Alex as she entered.
“Scared yet, Aries?” Jack asked, using the nickname her father had given her.
“Not even close, Barakat,” She replied, nonchalantly, walking off to the side by herself.
“What about you?” Alex nudged Leah. She nodded and looked behind her, checking for god knows what.
“This is actually fucking creepy..” Gerard muttered beside Frank.
Frank laughed, not really fazed by the eeriness of the abandoned graveyard. He stepped over tombs that were older than everyone’s age combined. “Do you need someone to hold your hand, Gee?” Frank joked.
“I probably do, Frankie. You offering?” They both laughed. Frank and Gerard had only just met, but deep down, Gerard had already taken a liking to Frank. He wasn’t joking when he asked if Frank was offering.
“Yo, guys, check this out!” Alex called. He and Leah were knelt down in the tall grass. Ariel, Jack, Gerard, and Frank abandoned what they were doing and meandered over to the other two. “Someone’s been looting graves throughout here.”
“No way, that’s sick! In an awful way..Why would you want to dig up people’s graves?” Ariel asked, scrunching up her nose at the sight. Jack looked at her, a smile playing on his lips. It was obvious that Jack has thing for Ariel, but it appeared that she was oblivious to it.
“People are buried with valuables and precious belongings. It seems someone is really desperate right now for some money.” Jack reached up and stretched his arms, his shirt lifting up to reveal part of his stomach. Ariel, who had knelt down beside him earlier, took a sharp intake of breath.
“Would it be stupid to ask if we all split up? Like groups of two? We can all explore and shit. I think it’d be rad,” Frank pitched an idea. Everyone agreed, and picked the person they were going to go with (I bet you can figure out who lmao).
“We’ll meet back here in an hour, around midnight, okay?” Alex said.
“Alrighty,” Gee and Frank said at the same time.
“On it,” Ariel said, stalking off from the rest of the group with Jack following her.
Soon enough, everyone had gone and Leah and Alex were the only two still at the torn up grave.






LEAH POV----

“Wanna walk?” Alex asked me, standing up from looking at the grave. I nodded took his hand to help myself stand up.
“Where to?” I asked him, suddenly nervous about being alone with him after what happened earlier today.
“I don’t know.” He replied, leading me out of the graveyard.
“Can we just sit somewhere?” He nodded and we sat down in the unmowed grass.
“So, how was your day?” Alex asked awkwardly.
“Was good.” I replied, sneaking a glance up at him. He’d caught me though, smiling and shuffled closer.
“That’s good, we all need to hang out more.” I agreed and involuntarily rested my head on his shoulder, causing him to lean his head on mine.
“I forgot to ask Ariel to come to my moms on Sunday, oops.” Alex laughed and ‘casually’ brought his arm over my shoulders. I could feel his nerves, and it was adorable. “Are you alright?” I asked him.
“What, what do you mean?” He asked.
“I mean you’re like, vibrating.” I laughed and poked his side.
“I’m fine, just a little cold.” Lies, I know he’s lying. Quit lying. I snaked my arm around his waist anyway and he pressed himself closer to me.
“Warmer?” I asked. He nodded and laid back in the grass, putting an arm behind his own head, gesturing for me to lay down too, which I did. I rested my head on his arm and threw my arm across this tummy, looking up at the stars.
“Do you know any of the constellations?” He whispered to me.
“No, you do?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He pointed a few out to me and laughed as I couldn’t see the image he was trying to show me.
“You’re mean.” I said to him, looking up so I could see his amused face.
“No I’m not.” He said softly. I nodded my head and quickly looked back at the stars, not wanting him to get any smart ideas.

Notes

IT HAS BEEN WAAYY TOO LONG.
anyways me and bae wrote this together .
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