Chapter 73 Aria
If there was one thing Silverpine High excelled at besides pretending it wasn’t crawling with secrets, it was being painfully predictable. Monday morning rolled in with the exact level of chaos I should’ve expected, whispers humming through the hallways, heads turning a little too quickly, and people pretending not to stare while very much staring.
And at the center of that whirlwind?
Sienna Williams.
Of course.
She made her grand entrance through the double doors like some freshly resurrected queen her glossed lips curved into a smile that was just wrong. It didn’t match the dark circles under her eyes but nobody cared about that. She was back, and the school ate it up.
Nora nudged me with her elbow. “I give it five minutes before she ruins someone’s life.”
“I’m surprised she waited this long,” I muttered, opening my locker.
Nora pursed her lips. “Aria she keeps looking at you.”
I didn’t need the warning. I’d already felt the weight of Sienna’s gaze dragging across the hallway toward me like a cold fingertip tracing my spine.
And she wasn’t alone. Tyler James, usually the human equivalent of a golden retriever, hovered near her like he was doing a job he didn’t want to be doing.
“Ariaaaa,” Max sang as he slid next to me, too dramatically and too loud, as usual. “I have news.”
I blinked. “Is this the kind that’ll ruin my day or only mildly damage it?”
“Both,” he said cheerfully. “So. Tyler. Is. Following. You.”
Nora groaned. “Oh my gosh, I knew it.”
I shut my locker door. “Because Sienna told him to.”
Max snapped his fingers. “Correct! Ten points to Aria for solving the obvious.”
“Why?” I asked. “I mean what does she want now?”
Max’s expression softened, his voice losing the joking edge. “She wants information. I don’t know what kind, but she asked Tyler about who you’re hanging out with after school. Who you text. And most importantly…” He paused dramatically. “If you’re dating anyone.”
“Tyler wouldn’t just do that,” Nora argued. “He’s—well, okay, he’s not the strongest-willed human alive, but he’s not malicious.”
“He’s also terrified of disappointing pretty girls with manipulative tendencies,” Max said dryly.
I peeked over toward Sienna. She was leaning against the trophy case, twirling a strand of hair as Tyler leaned in too close, nodding rapidly like he was being fed instructions.
Max stepped in front of me so I couldn’t look anymore. “Okay, don’t stare at them like you’re trying to shoot lasers out of your eyeballs. Subtlety, babe.”
“I’m not subtle,” I muttered.
“We know,” both Max and Nora said in unison.
I sighed loudly. This wasn’t normal even for Sienna. She didn’t ruin lives and I couldn’t believe my best friend was even capable of that. Last week’s decoding session with Sienna’s notebook had already cracked open a box I couldn’t close. Nothing in that notebook was harmless which meant whatever Sienna was doing now definitely wasn’t either.
I started walking down the hall. Max and Nora trailed behind me like anxious drones.
“Aria,” Nora whispered, “don’t do anything stupid.”
“Define stupid,” I said.
“Something Luca would do.”
“Oh.”
By the time I reached English, Tyler was already sitting in front of my seat with his notebook open.
“Morning,” he said, too brightly.
“Hi,” I replied, feeling Max’s warning echo in my skull.
Tyler didn’t look evil just uncomfortable. Like the words he wanted to say were being squeezed out of him.
“Sienna said you weren’t feeling well last week,” he said, too casually.
I tilted my head. “Oh, did she?”
“She’s just worried,” he insisted quickly. “I mean, she said she is. She just wants to understand what’s going on with you. And with everyone.”
I kept my voice light. “That’s sweet of her.”
He smiled. “Right?”
Poor guy. He really had no idea he was being used like a borrowed phone charger. Before he could ask anything else, Max burst through the classroom door and practically tackled me into my seat.
“Aria! Emergency!” he blurted.
Tyler jumped.
“What emergency?” I whispered.
Max didn’t even blink. “Your eyebrow pencil exploded in your bag.”
“That’s not real,” I said.
“Exactly,” he replied. “Neither is this conversation. Come on.”
He dragged me out into the hallway, Nora following like an exasperated babysitter. Once the door shut behind us, Max dropped the act.
“He was taking notes.” Max hissed. “I saw him look at you.”
“He’s scared,” I said softly. “Sienna must have something over him.”
“Or wants something from you,” Nora added. “That’s what scares me.”
My stomach tightened again. What did Sienna want? And why now? Why when hunters were suddenly showing up? Why when Luca was barely keeping himself safe? Why when I was already balancing secrets like a skyscraper made of toothpicks?
Max threw an arm around me, pulling me into his side. “Hey. We’ll keep an eye on both of them, okay?”
“You mean you’ll stalk Tyler in my honour?” I asked.
He grinned. “Absolutely. For you? Always.”
Nora nodded. “And I’ll handle Sienna.”
My eyes widened. “Nora—”
“Please. I’ve been waiting to verbally attack her for years. I’m doing this for me.”
I huffed a weak laugh. By lunch, things went from bad to “Are you kidding me, Sienna?”
Everyone knew the Williams family had influence and drama but influence didn’t explain why every table was buzzing about me.
“She’s acting different lately.”
“Did you see who she talks to now?”
“I heard she’s sneaking out.”
“Maybe she’s dating someone.”
“No way—Aria? She’s too boring for that.”
Max slammed his milk carton on the table. “I WILL punch a sophomore.”
“You can’t punch a sophomore,” Nora said calmly, eating her salad.
“Fine. A junior.”
I rubbed my forehead. “This is ridiculous.”
“It’s Sienna,” Nora corrected.
Max leaned in conspiratorially. “Tyler told Hailey, who told Brooke, who told literally everyone that you’ve been acting ‘suspicious.’”
I blinked. “Suspicious how?”
Max ticked off on his fingers. “You’ve been tired. You’ve been quiet. You miss random classes. You’re always texting someone and smiling at your phone.”
Nora made a dramatic gasp. “God forbid.”
I groaned into my hands. “This is a nightmare.”
Max nodded solemnly. “And it gets worse.”
“How could it possibly—”
“Sienna told people,” he continued, “that she thinks you’re hiding something.”
I froze.
“She’s fishing,” Nora said slowly. “She doesn’t know what you’re hiding. Hell! We don’t even know what she’s thinking.”
My chest tightened. If she kept pushing Tyler or others to spy and dig, eventually she’d find something she wasn’t ready for.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
Hiiii lovelies!! 💛✨
Okay FIRST OF ALL, Sienna really woke up and said “Let me be the villian today.” Like girl WHY. Why are you like this? Why must you terrorize ALL OF US?? 🤦♀️😂
This chapter is kinda the beginning of the “Sienna’s gets REAL messy” arc and y’all are NOT ready for where this goes. 👀🔥
Comment “MAX SQUAD” if you love him and “SIENNA NO” if you want her to back tf off 😭💕. Stay dramatic, and stay reading. 💛📚