Chapter 7 Aria
“Tell me again why I agreed to this.”
Sienna glanced at me from the driver’s seat, one perfectly shaped eyebrow lifted as she pulled off the road toward the trail. “Because you said you did not want to be the new girl who never leaves her house.”
“No, I said I did not want to be the new girl who dies in the woods.”
She laughed, “It is just a bonfire night.”
The trees swallowed the road as we drove deeper. The headlights of the convertible cut through dust and the smell of smoke reached us before we arrived. By the time we parked behind a row of trucks, we could hear the bass from someone’s speakers thudding through the ground and firelight flickering between the burning wood.
Sienna killed the engine and turned to face me. Her smile softened, “If you get uncomfortable at any point, we'll leave.”
“I am not fragile,” I retorted.
She snorted. “No! You are new.”
We stepped out into cold air and noise all at once. Heat rolled from the fire ahead in waves. The clearing was already crowded. Students leaned against truck beds, their laughters loud and bright, passing bottles of what seemed to be… alcohol? Some of them weren't even up to the drinking age but what do you expect from a bunch of raucous teenagers.
We made our way through the throng with a few glances sliding our way. Sienna stayed close as we moved. Someone fed a new log into the fire and sparks ignited illuminating the faces of the students.
And I saw her.
Avery did not have to announce herself. With high heeled boots, a crop jacket, high waisted jeans, and hair falling down her back like it belonged on a billboard. She stood near the fire with two girls angled slightly toward her, like she was the axis that kept them standing.
Her eyes found me immediately.
They moved slow from my head to toe, assessing me. Then her lips curved into a mocking smile, “Guess the new girl isn’t afraid of bonfires.”
Her minions let out a noisy giggle. One of them, Lara, said, “Maybe she's tired of staying indoors, Avery.”
The crowd around them erupted into high pitched laughters. I felt my jaw tighten and my hands curling into fists.
Sienna placed a hand over my fists. “Don’t let them get under your skin, Aria.”
Then everyway quietened, barely and turned to see what happened rolling my eyes when I found why. They came in like they owned the ground with school jackets which read, Silverpine Wolves, unzipped showing their toned bodies and ripped muscles from the tight t-shirts they wore.
Ugh, great. The basketball jocks with Luca at the front. His long dark hair was flicked back and he was wearing a blue denim trousers paired with a white top that clung to his skin showing his broad shoulders and perfectly toned abs underneath.
He smiled at a girl nearby and I rolled my eyes again in disgust, praying they don't pop out of their sockets as the girl blushed, looking like she was about to faint. Her friends made fanning gestures at her as she tried to catch her breath. You'd think it was Justin Bieber smiling at her.
His eyes lifted and they locked on mine. It was intense and I wondered if I was being smoldered by the bonfire. We both held each other's gaze for a while not until Avery stepped into his path.
Her hand slid along his arm as if it had always belonged there. “You are late.”
His gaze shifted to her, unreadable. “Game ran long.”
Her eyes flicked past him to me. I could see the malice in them as she regarded me with a sneer.
Sienna tugged my sleeve. “Come on.”
I let her guide me away. The music grew louder on the far side of the clearing. I took a plastic cup someone offered me but did not drink it. Sienna downed the contents and grimaced slightly. We stood near the edge of the firelight and watched people dance and converse with loud hoots of laughter.
“I saw the way Luca looked at you,” Sienna started quietly, fiddling with her cup.
“It was nothing—” I start to reply but she cuts me off.
“Be careful of him, Aria,” she warns, “he’s nothing but trouble. And his family is quite mysterious plus you don't wanna make Avery your enemy.”
I scoff, “I don't get why people even like her.”
“She’s the queen bee and most popular girl in Silverpine High,” Sienna replied, “oh and the leader of the cheerleading group.”
I chuckle, “you’re basically saying she gets whatever she wants?”
Sienna raised her cup to her lips, “exactly what I’m saying.”
I turned when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. It was Luca.
Sienna turned to me when she saw him approaching. “I’m gonna go get another drink, be careful.”
“Hi,” Luca said when he reached me.
I regarded him with a look, “hey.”
We both fell quiet afterwards and turned to the fire. Luca stood close enough for me to observe his features. Up close, the details were sharper. He had a chiselled face with a sharp jawline spotting stubbles of chin hair. His lips were full, almost shaped like a cupid bow and the colour reminded me of pink roses.
His gaze dropped to the cup in my hand.
“You are not drinking.”
“Nope”
“What? Not old enough for drinking alcohol?” He regarded me with a teasing look.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re such a child. I'm 17 and the drinking age here is 16.”
“So you don't like it?”
“Yes”
He laughed then, low. I found it appalling that I liked the sound of his laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I narrowed my eyes at him
“You’re the first teen girl I’ve met who doesn't like beer.”
“What’s there to like? It doesn't even taste good plus I figured you've never left your small town so then, how would you meet girls who don’t drink.” I gave him a levelled stare.
“Touché,” He smirked and I just wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face.
He took the plastic cup from my hand and drank from it giving me a huge grin.
“You don’t even care if it's poison,” I said, annoyed at his attitude.
“Why? Are you planning on poisoning me?” He asked with a boyish grin, “besides, poison can't hurt me. Well, not all.”
I scoffed and faced the fire.
“You live next door,” he said.
Go figure. “Are you stalking me now?”
He chuckled, “You should keep your lights off at night.”
My stomach tightened, remembering last night. “Why?”
“Because Silverpine is different at night,” he simply replied.
Like I didn't know that. “How different?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Just different.”
Sienna was returning.
“I’m glad you didn't ignore me like you've been doing in our classes.” He said, preparing to leave.
“You’re a distraction,” I eyed him, annoyingly.
“A hot one, I hope,” He spread his arms wide, gesturing to himself.
I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
“See you tomorrow, Morgans.”
Luca moved back to where Avery stood. She watched the me with jaw tight, irritation flickering across her face before she smoothed it into something cold and practiced. Her gaze lingered on me a minute longer, warning threaded through it.
Sienna leaned closer. “We should not stay much longer.”
“Yeah,” I said, “we’ve got classes tomorrow.”