Chapter 4

"What's got you so worked up?" Ariel asked as Aria pulled her from the class into the hall.

Aria didn't reply; she continued to tug Ariel down the hall towards the doors leading to the girl's bathroom. Once they were inside Aria looked up at Ariel, her eyes glistening with unshed tears while she stared at her best friend. 

They stood there staring at each other in silence, a silence that seemed to last an eternity until Aria spoke.

"I can't be near them Ariel" Aria's lip trembled and the tears rolled down her cheeks. Ariel looked at her friend, not understanding who she was talking about until it clicked.

"oh, hun" Ariel swooped Aria into a hug and held her trembling form, rubbing her back trying to soothe her until Arias's body stopped trembling.

Aria took a deep breath and pulled back from Ariel. "Colton will hurt me again if he finds out I'm talking to them" her voice wavered and a fresh set of tears formed in her eyes again, threatening to cascade down her cheeks like a river. 

"Colton done this to you?" Ariel asked while searching her friend's eyes. "Aria how long has he been doing this? Why did he do this? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Three questions came one after the other as Ariel stood staring at her best friend, waiting for her to answer.

"Yes, he's the one that's been punishing me Ariel. I don't know why he's listening to the rumours going around. He calls me a slut a whore " Aria started to tremble again wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

Ariel grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug when Aria flinched and let out a low hiss, Ariel pulled back looking at her, Aria sighed and lifted her T-shirt to reveal the purple bruises up and down her right side.

Ariel gasped her hand shot up to cover her mouth, Aria lowered her top just as the door to the girl's bathroom swung open, making both the girls jump their heads snapping to look at the door.

Cindy (Colton's girlfriend) sneered as she saw the girls in the bathroom. "What are you doing here?" She snapped at Aria.

Aria lowered her gaze to the floor not wanting to anger Cindy.

"Nothing, we were just using the restroom," she said but her voice was barely a whisper.

"We'll get the fuck out no one wants to use the same restroom as a pathetic excuse of a dragon that can't even shift yet, and goes around spreading her legs for every guy on campus!" Cindy snapped.

Aria stood there eyes trained on the floor, listening to her brother's girlfriend hate for her spew out of her mouth.

She bent down and gathered her bag with her eyes still trained on the floor and moved towards the door when Cindy blocked her way. 

"Why do you continue to torment your family with your disgusting self, do them all a mercy and disappear" she whispered to Aria.

Ariel, who had been watching in silence, grabbed her bag and linked her arm with Aria's, shoving Cindy out the way and moving to the door with Aria.

As they made their way out of the bathroom into the hall they could hear Cindy shouting from behind them.

"Your regret that you fucking bitch!"

Everyone that was in the hall turned to look at the bathroom and then to Aria and Ariel, who continued to walk down the hall towards the cafeteria.

Aria hadn't said a word and kept her gaze trained to the floor, Ariel held her head high and took long strides until they reached the doors of the cafeteria....