The Eleventh Gifted (The Gifted Fanfiction)

Chapter 33

The ice-cold breeze from. the air conditioner kept the room at a low temperature. It was quiet inside, just like how it had always been.

Aria could be found inside her bathroom, in front of the sink and the mirror, drying her hair. She just finished taking a bath after a long tiring day. After drying her long wavy hair, she let it down but still made sure it was presentable. She took the pouch resting in front of her and started applying a thin layer of makeup for the night.

Aria had a date. A date with her family.

Her parents had heard of what had happened, hence why they told her to come out for dinner. It was her father who called her just an hour ago.

"I heard what happened," Aria's father said in a worried tone at the other line of the call.

She was back in her room, resting after she woke up from fainting. The school nurse suggested it was better for her to rest in her room so she wouldn't have to walk toward their dormitory after waking up in the infirmary.

"I'm fine, dad, really."

"How many times have you fainted just half this year alone? I'm afraid it's not fine, sweetheart."

"But I am fine. I swear you don't have to worry too much."

"I am your father. You can't expect me not to worry after learning what happened." He tsked. "I was sceptical about this program in the first place. But Supot said he can take care of you."

There was a short silence between the two.

With a pounding heart and biting her lower lip, she asked, "Are you... Are you planning to transfer me out again?"

Her father sighed on the other line. "Maybe."

Her heart sunk to her stomach as her eyes began to water. She didn't want to, yet, she did. Aria didn't want to leave her friends behind. For the past months, they had kept each other close, even prevented Namtarn from going. They had formed a strong bond already so she couldn't bear to be away from them. But with everything that happened between her and Wave pushed her to agree with her father. After all, her health had been at risk on multiple occasions.

"Let's not talk about that now, shall we? I will reserve a table for us in a restaurant. Be ready in an hour. You need to destress, my dear."

A small smile crept upon her face. Her father had always been the one to make her feel better ever since she was a child. Her mother and older sister would, too, but her father was different. He always spoiled her. He would always hit the bullseye, always knowing how he could make her feel better.

"Okay, I will."

"What about the mall with Carol after dinner?"

Carol, her older sister. Her parents were fond of music, hence their nicknames.

"I would love to, dad. But there are classes tomorrow."

"And? Come on, sweetheart. Just for tonight, don't think about school, eh?"

Aria finally agreed to her father's wishes. That was why after ending the call with I love yous, she took a bath and started dressing up.

After applying lipstick, she checked herself in the mirror. Aria looked great, as if the trouble she went through that morning didn't happen at all.

Aria took her makeup pouch and threw it in her drawer at the table beside her bed. Inside her closet, she took a handbag and a pair of shoes perfect for the occasion.

After looking at the mirror one last time, she exited her room, turning off every appliance opened.

As she closed the door to her room, her cellphone rang. Someone texted her. She looked at it and saw her father's message.

"We're waiting in front of your school," the text message said.

She put her cellphone in her handbag and started walking down. Her eyes were fixated on the bag, that she didn't notice a person watching her. That went on until Aria looked up and met his gaze.

It was Wave.

Her expression went blank. The usual glow he always saw in her eyes was gone. They were just complete darkness that no light could shine upon. That broke him. Especially when he saw her ears without the earphones he gave her but a different one; her old one.

Without any word uttered, Aria walked past him. But Wave wouldn't let it happen.

Before she could walk away, he got a hold of her wrist. Aria stopped in her tracks but didn't look back. Her eyes were staring at nowhere, still void of her usual joyful self.

Her heart was pounding hard, no doubt about that. But she was such a good actress that no one would suspect she was nervous.

"Where are you going?" he asked, strangely... jealous?

That made Aria's heart skip a beat. He sounded as if the morning didn't happen. As if nothing had happened. That made her scoff inside.

"It's none of your business." Her voice was icy cold. Wave would need another layer of a jacket just to keep himself warm. Aria tried to wriggle her wrist free, but even if he would go frozen because of her coldness, Wave wouldn't let go.

How the tables had turned.

"I'm not your friend, correct? So get off me. I have a date to catch."

That wasn't the Aria Wave knew. That girl was different. She was... cold, uncaring. But the Aria he knew was sweet and bright. Was that what he did?

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I acted that way. I just- I just hate the feeling of being below someone. And I'm scared that... that you're being too close to me. That's why I did that."

There was a brief silence first before Aria spoke. That might be the last time she could talk to him; it was better to say everything than leave it in her mind until the day she died. "Do you know that they had been calling and thinking of you as a jerk? But I believed that maybe if I treat you the other way around, that if I became kind to you, I can prove to them that you're not what they think you are. But what you did back there just crushed all my hard work."

"You don't have to prove them anything-"

"I didn't do that just to prove a point!" she snapped. "I did that so they won't call you a jerk anymore! Because, Wave, every time they're saying that, I'm hurting." The tears Aria had been trying to hold back started falling out of her eyes. "My heart aches every time I hear them calling you that. For unknown reasons, it just hurts!"

It didn't matter anymore if anyone could hear them. Aria just wanted to let her heart out.

Little did she know, her breaking shouts also broke him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But please, give me a second chance. Let me help you prove to them that I'm not what they think I am."

But Aria shook her head, a bitter smile plastered on her face as she started wiping away the tears. Just thank goodness her makeup was waterproof, there was no need to explain or redo it again. She just needed to come up with an excuse for why her eyes and nose were swollen.

"I don't know." It was almost a whisper. But Wave heard it anyway. And he heard his heart just drop. "I don't know if I should just believe in you being a hopeless jerk just like what everyone is saying. Or still, believe on that small hope inside me that you're actually not what they think you are."

Wave immediately dropped her hand and turned around to embrace her. The tears were dropping from his eyes, but they didn't matter to him right then. The only person who believed in him was starting to slip away from his grasp.

He buried his head on her shoulder and whispered his plea. "Please, please Aria. Keep believing in me, will you?"

But Aria had enough. "I'm sorry." She broke the hug and walked away, wiping the tears falling from her eyes.

°°°

A/N: Merry Christmas?😂

Originally posted: 12.25.21