21

~ Aria ~

While he was waiting for the food, I went to the store for extra snacks. I went straight towards the back for drinks. Mmmm, beer or soda?? Beer should be fine. Ellie could use one after all this mess. “Do you need an escort, miss??” He asked as he rang up my items.

“I should be okay. My friend is just two steps away; if something happens, he will come. Thanks for the concern.”

“Okay. After what’s been going on, I always worry about my customers. Anyways, have a goodnight, miss.” He said as he waved goodbye. What a sweet guy; I should come back more often. When I exited the store, I felt a force push me around.

"Oof- I'm sorry I didn't watch where... I... go..."

My eyes magically met with this masked person. He was quite tall and covered with black clothing. What was strange to me, he didn't say a word. He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny object. The thing flashed into my eyes, making me realize it was a knife. In shock, I stepped back and ran.

~ Ellie ~

Flickering my eyes open, I stretched my body to wake up. I glanced around the room and noticed they were gone. Where did they go?? I called out their names to have someone answer back. It was Kevin’s partner sitting in the kitchen. What the hell was he doing here?? “Where did they go?” I asked.

“To get some pizza. They will be back. Don’t worry.” He said as he continued to read. Sighing, I got up and snatched my phone. I recently got a new phone with some changes for right now. But they should have asked me to go. I want some fresh air. They get on my nerves at times. I dialed Kevin’s number first, but it went straight to voicemail.

That’s strange. He always picks up the phone. I tried again.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Nothing, that’s when I started to worry. I called Aria, and she answered weirdly.

~ Aria ~

The stranger followed me. As I ran, my phone rang, and I smiled when Ellie’s name popped up. As soon as I got on the phone, I bolted. I ran for my life, and when I looked back, he vanished. Where in the hell did he go? I was shaking in total fear when I finally answered. "Aria! Why didn't you wake me up!" Ellie yelled over the phone.

Out of breath, I tried to collect my words and figure out where I was. "Ellie... Please save me... I think I'm being follo— ah!" a scream came from my mouth. This guy popped out from nowhere, which caused me to drop my phone. All you can hear is Ellie’s voice from the other end. Once that phone hit that ground— it shut off.

Damn it. I could not react enough until I got snatched and thrown to the ground. In my head, I knew this was my last day alive. I struggle to get up; a pipe smacks me in the face causing blood to splatter on the floor. That hurt like a bitch. I lay there in pain as I began to reach for my phone.

His leg went back and came forward, hitting me in the stomach. It was so forceful that a bone cracked somewhere. But it wasn't enough for him; he took it further by kicking me in the ribs. I groaned in intense pain. What made it worse, he crushed them with his foot. “Aria Da Vinci, a teacher who travels the world. Not just that, but she has a crush on her best friend’s boyfriend; how sweet.” He chuckled. He picked up the pipe and bashed my body with it repeatedly until a pizza box interrupted him.

"AY! ASSHOLE, MESS WITH SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!" Kevin said as he charged towards him. They began to wrestle. I blacked in and out; I witnessed Kevin kicking him to the ground. After that, everything was a blur.

~ Ellie ~

“ARIA!! Kevin!!” I screamed. I held Aria in my arms as tears fell. I looked over at Kevin, who was lying on the floor, out cold. "Ar-Aria... it's going to be okay... it's going to be okay..." I sobbed. Coughing, she clung to my arm tight and then smiled. It didn’t take long for the ambulance to arrive. I continued to brawl my eyes out while waiting in the waiting room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Evan come rushing towards me. He didn’t hesitate or anything— he went right for a hug. My head fell on his shoulders. I need this right now.

"Are you okay? What happened?" He said in a frightful tone. I tried to speak, but it was too incoherent. He couldn’t make out the words. Instead, he kept me in his arms. An hour passed by, and the doctor came out. “Kevin will be fine, just a minor concussion. He will be discharged tomorrow morning if possible. For your friend, she needs to stay for a couple of days to recover.” he said.

“Why? Is her injury that bad?” I asked.

“Aria suffers from broken ribs, her head suffers slight damage, and her face has been beaten. We will take good care of her. If you want to see her, this is the right time.”

Without hesitation, we got up and visited Aria’s room. The moment I laid eyes on her, more tears came out. Seeing my best friend almost beaten to death is heartbreaking. “Aria… I… I.” It was hard to get words out. My mind was on the thought that she could have been taken or, worse, dead. How and why did this happen? Placing my head on the bed, Evan comforts me by rubbing my back and telling me it’s okay.

It felt like days, but only minutes passed; I stared at my friend with puffy eyes and the most emotionless face ever. I got up to finally leave the room to see Kevin. Evan stayed behind to be with her a little more. Peeking my head in, Kevin was awake.

“Seeing you emotionless scares me. Come sit; everything will be fine.” He said as he patted the seat.

"Everything is not fucking fine, Kevin... what happened?"

“I don’t know. Everything was happening too fast. We were getting pizza then she went to get snacks from the convenience store, which is like two steps away. The next thing I knew was fighting with the stranger. I’m so sorry, babe. I should have gone with her.”

I shook my head and told him that Aria should have waited. She is just an independent girl who doesn’t know better. But I am grateful to him for finding her and saving her. I gave him a kiss on the lips for a job well done. Just like that, I began to walk away. Before heading out, I leaned against the doorframe. "What are we going to do? How did he know they would be there?" he asked. Ignoring his question, I went back to Aria's room.

I took Aria’s dirty clothes home. It’s going to be weird without those two around. Now Kevin’s partner has to watch over me until Kevin recovers. Seeing the house empty was uncomfortable. I tossed Aria’s stuff in the washer and went to my room. Somehow, I laid on a jacket as something sharp poked me. Ouch. What attacked me? I picked it up and examined it. My eyes couldn’t believe what I was seeing— a camera? Were we being watched this whole time?