Without You: Book 1 of the Changing Hearts Series (24 page)

She just got the usual dirty looks. But today she seemed to be in a really good mood, which meant Ariana was going to be in a bad one.
 

She wondered what exactly Lucas had seen in her besides the big boobs. That had to be it. Just the boobs. She rolled her eyes again and tried not to gag. She focused on the reading they were supposed to be doing instead.
 

“Okay. Let’s get into small groups and discuss,” the teacher said. Everyone started shifting their desks to get with their buddies, but the teacher spoke up again. “You know what? Let’s switch it up. We’ve been in the same, stagnant groups all semester. Let’s count off to five starting on this side of the room.” Everyone groaned as he pointed to the side where Wendy was. They moved their desks back.

“One.”

“Two.”

The numbers reached Wendy. “Three,” Wendy said with another eye roll. They kept going until it was Ariana’s turn at the other side.
 

“Damn,” she whispered under breath as the counting approached her. “Three,” she said during her turn.

“Okay. Let’s move,” the teacher said, explaining where each group should meet and walked around as students moved to their spots.
 

She grabbed her binder, reading packet, and pencil and headed to the same place Wendy was headed.
 

Wendy looked her up and down as she approached. Ariana didn’t break her stare. Wendy finally looked away as she reached a desk and sat down. Ariana did the same.
 

There were three other students already there. One was one of Wendy’s friends. This is going to be interesting, she thought.
 

She looked at her packet, trying to find something to talk about for when the teacher came around. A guy in their group, Sam, began talking right away. Meanwhile, Wendy was already whispering with her friend.
 

“I give them another month. Maybe,” she heard her say quietly. “And if he doesn’t ditch her before she leaves, let’s just say I don’t think they’ll last long anyway.” Wendy glanced at her.
 

Ariana’s jaw was tight and her hand squeezed her packet in her palm as she forced herself not to say something.
 

She knew they had to be talking about her and Lucas.
 

“I hear she hasn’t put out either. So it’s just a matter of time.” Wendy glanced at her again. Her friend was smiling.
 

“What are you talking about?” she asked, not caring that the group was listening. She didn’t break her stare away from Wendy.
 

“None of your business, sweetie,” Wendy replied.
 

“I know you were talking about me. If you’re as tough as you think you are, why don’t you admit it?” The whole group was quiet now. Their half of the class started oohing. The teacher was on the other side of the room in an animated discussion with one of the groups.
 

Wendy looked around briefly before bringing her gaze back to her. She leaned forward. She wasn’t in Ariana’s face, but it sure felt like it. “Lucas is going to come back to me. Just watch. You’re a distraction and nothing else. Do you really think he’s going to wait for you when I’m going to be right here?”
 

Now the entire class was “oohing.”
 

Ariana felt herself turn red. But she wasn’t sure if it was out of embarrassment or anger. Maybe both.
 

She had no idea what to say to that, so she went with her impulses. There was no way she going to get pushed around by her. Before she knew it, she was out of her chair and in front of Wendy.
 

Wendy stood up too, the sound of her chair scraping the tile floor echoing throughout the room

Before she could do anything else, she heard the teacher yell, “Stop this instant. Get out of my class. Both of you. Now.”

Tears flooded Ariana’s eyes as she fully realized what was going on.
 

She had gone through this last semester with Wendy. The principal had given her another chance and just given her ISS, but she remembered his warning about this kind of thing happening again. What if she got ISS again? Or got suspended this time? The deal had been not to get into trouble again or it would go on her record.

UGA would not be happy this kind of thing on her record. What if they changed their mind about her?
 

She closed the classroom door behind her and went to the opposite side of the door that Wendy was at.
 

She leaned back on the wall and closed her eyes, careful not to let any tears escape.
 

She crossed her arms across her chest and waited for the teacher to come out.
 

A minute of complete silence went by, and he was still inside the room.
 

She glanced at Wendy, who was on her phone.
 

She shook her head and stared in front of her.

“What is your problem?” she asked before she could stop herself. She looked at Wendy when she didn’t immediately reply. She went on. “Can’t you see that Lucas and I are happy? What kind of person are you that you’re going to try to break us up?”

Before she could even take a breath after she was done talking, Wendy was already facing her. “He was mine first. He loves me, and I know we’re going to be together again. It’s just a matter of time,” she said, dragging out her last three words.
 

Some short guy Ariana didn’t know walked by with his student agenda in hand and stared until he disappeared around the corner.
 

“Don’t you think that if he loved you, he would actually be with you?” Ariana said, almost laughing. Wendy had to be completely ridiculous, she thought.

“How do you know he isn’t?”
 

At that moment, the door opened and the teacher came out with two yellow slips. He handed them each one.

“Principal’s office. Now. And if you two decide to cause another spectacle on your way there, rest assured that you will not walk at graduation.”

Ariana nodded and began walking. She heard the classroom door shut behind her. She tried to focus on taking steps forward instead of the fact that Wendy was right behind her.

###

“Another fight?” Jimmy asked at the end of the day. They were in the parking lot, leaning against their cars. Lucas had his arm around her.
 

“Did you get expelled? Because that’s what I heard,” Mayra said.
 

She shook her head. “Since it was really just an argument, the principal gave us ISS again. Two days this time.” She looked up at Lucas, who was staring at the ground.

“But that’s like almost all of our last week,” Mayra said, her hands on her hips.
 

“I know. It means I can’t skip on Senior Skip Day,” she said.
 

“But that’s like the best part of freakin’ senior year,” Mayra complained. Jimmy laughed.
 

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll skip with you.”

She bumped her hip into his but smiled.
 

Ariana kept her arms crossed. How had her life come to this?
 

She looked up at Lucas again. He was being way too quiet.
 

Mayra suddenly grabbed Jimmy by the arm. “Come on. Let’s go for a walk.”

Even though Mayra was supposed to ride the bus because she was still grounded, she was cheating today since her mom was at work. She realized there was no way for her to find out she was still riding with Ariana and Jimmy. Unless Ariana’s parents caught them. It was a risk they were willing to take, although Ariana had hesitated at first.
 

Now that Mayra and Jimmy were temporarily gone, she turned around so she was facing Lucas.

“What’s going through your head?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. I just don’t know why you would let her get to you like that.”

“Well, I couldn’t let her think she can treat me like that,” she said. “You should hear the things she says.”

“I know. But you could have handled it better. Ignored her, I don’t know.”

Ariana kept her mouth closed instead of talking, but she spoke up as another question popped into her head. “Do you still talk to her?”

Lucas looked her in the eye. “Of course not. That’s in the past. I have no reason to talk to her.”

Ariana nodded. “She is so crazy. She thinks she’s going to get back together with you.”

“That is the last thing I would do. After we broke up, and she broke up with me, I got over it. But then she kept insisting we get back together. But I knew it was just not a good idea.”

“Don’t get offended or anything, but why would you go out with her in the first place? She’s…you know how she is. Always involved in drama.”

Lucas seemed to be staring off into space as he talked. “She wasn’t always like that. She used to be different. That’s why we eventually broke up. She began caring more about being popular and all that crap. It turned her into a different person.”

Ariana thought about that.
 

She hugged Lucas, and he squeezed her back. “This is all going to be over soon, and we’re going to miss it,” he said. “But I’m happy because it means I’ll get to spend more time with you, even if it means we’re that much closer to you leaving.”

A few minutes later, he said, “I wonder what your parents are going to say this time.”

She sighed. “I can’t tell them. I’m not gonna risk getting grounded or something and not be able to see you.”

Lucas nodded but didn’t say anything.

###

“Come on,” Jimmy begged. “Let me drive. Just five minutes.”

Ariana sighed and looked at him for a second. He was still supposedly grounded for another week. But their parents had agreed to let them go get something to eat and come right back since it was Friday night. As in they had to get something to go.
 

“Ugh. Fine.” She pulled over into a gas station. “I need to get gas anyway. But you pump.”

“Deal.” She pulled into a spot and got out only to go the passenger side. She handed Jimmy a twenty her parents had given her for gas. He headed inside to pay.
 

Ariana closed the door behind her and lay back with her eyes closed. A minute later, she heard the beeps as Jimmy pushed the necessary buttons so he could get gas.
 

“So where we going?” Jimmy said, fastening his seat belt. Ariana did the same and sat up.
 

She shrugged. “I just want some fries. Maybe a smoothie.”

“Burgers it is.” Jimmy pulled out of the gas station and went a couple miles down the road to the local burger place.
 

Fifteen minutes later, they were headed home.
 

“So how are things with Lucas?” Jimmy asked with both hands on the wheel.
 

“Good,” Ariana said. “How are things with Mayra?”

“Eh, could be better,” he replied.
 

“Told you to tell Mom and Dad,” she said. She kept her eyes on the road too. It was finally getting dark.
 

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied, making a turn. “I could say the same thing about you and the whole fiasco at school.”

Oops, she thought.

There were a few minutes of silence.
 

“Ready for graduation?” he said. “Less than a week left.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said. She felt a pit in her stomach.

“Scared?” Jimmy asked with a quick look. “

“Yeah,” she said. “It’s really hitting me that I’m moving away. By myself. In a new place. That is damn scary.”

“We’ll come and visit, though. And you will too. I can’t wait until I’m in college,” he said.
 

“I bet. If you get a scholarship and play for a school, you’ll always be on the road, meeting new people.”

Jimmy nodded. “Just gotta keep it up. And not get injured in the next two years.”

“Yeah, no pressure,” Ariana said with a smile.

“Hey, did you ever hear from Carlos anymore?”

Ariana looked out the window, the smile gone from her face. “No. Why?”

“Just wondering. Making sure he never bothered you anymore.”

They were on their street now.
 

“Nope. Don’t really want to see or talk to him after…everything. He just wasn’t good for me.”

“Got that right.”

As they turned the corner and came into view of their house, Jimmy turned off the headlights and slowed down in front of Mayra’s house.

“What are you going?” Ariana said staring at Jimmy.
 

“Five minutes. I promise. I’ll be right back,” he said, taking off his seat belt.

“If mom and dad fi—” she began.

“They won’t. Please. I need to see her really quick.”

She sighed. “Okay. Three minutes.”

Jimmy smiled and ran up Maya’s driveway.

###

A few minutes later, she texted Mayra.
 

What was that about?
 

Ariana waited for it to send before putting her phone down on the kitchen table and getting her food out of the bag.
 

A couple of minutes later, her phone buzzed.
 

He missed me :)
 

Ariana smiled and finished eating. Then she went to her room, passing Jimmy in the living room. He was eating and watching a movie in there.
 

“More studying?” Jimmy asked.

“Not tonight. When are you gonna start studying for finals?” she asked without stopping. She’d study tomorrow night or Sunday. Whenever the senioritis ebbed off a bit.

“Eh,” he replied.

Jimmy’s senioritis had started two years early.

She went to her room and shut the door. She called Mayra as she lay down on her bed.
 

“Hey, what are you guys up to over there?” Mayra asked.
 

“Jimmy’s watching a movie, and I’m in my room hanging out,” she replied.

“God, I’m so glad my mom didn’t take my phone or I’d be going nuts by myself over here. After so many hours of cable, you just feel like puking everywhere.”