Arabella flinched a little bit when she felt something fall around her shoulders. Part of her thought that it would be Ethan and that scared her. She didn't want to see him. She couldn't see him. Arabella didn't know what she would do if it was him. Beyond that, Arabella wasn't sure that she wanted to see anyone at all. The last thing that she wanted was to see someone who would just make her feel like crap or ask her a bunch of questions. She didn't really want to someone she didn't trust see her cry. Arabella brushed her tears off of her cheeks before she looked up and glanced at the person who sat down beside her. It was Hunter. "Hi, Hunter" She said in a low voice. There was a moment of silence before she turned towards him and leaned over, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
Hunter took a deep breath and lifted his arm up, gently placing it on her shoulder. He tightened his coat around her a little. "Hi, Arabella." He said quietly. He wasn't sure what to do, honestly. He didn't know what to say to make her feel better or to make any of this a good thing, but he was willing to be with her. Sit next to her. She could cry on his shoulder or she could yell at him or she could hit him. He just wanted her to feel better. That was the priority. He sighed a little and put his arm around her, softly rubbing her shoulder. "I'm sorry."
Arabella sniffled a little bit, taking a deep breath. She felt calm around Hunter and she felt like she could trust him, in a way. Arabella closed her eyes for a moment, just enjoying the feeling of Hunter's arm around her. Finally, she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, too. Danny told me about you and Marina" She said softly, not looking up at him but keeping her head on his shoulder. Arabella genuinely felt bad for Hunter. He was such a great guy and he deserved to be happy in love, even if it wasn't with her. She was worried that he was really hurting over his breakup.
"Oh." Hunter murmured. He wasn't even sure if anyone had really noticed much about him and Marina breaking up. She was spending a lot of time with Kyle and he had just gone back to normal, for the most part. "Don't worry about me." He said with a sigh. "I'm tough. I can take it." He said quietly, giving her a small squeeze. "I didn't mean to say that you're not tough. I mean...you're tough. I'm just..." He stammered, putting on his thinking face for a second. "I mean, you're plenty tough. My toughness level is..." He sighed again with red cheeks of embarrassment. "I'll just...stop talking. Sorry."
Arabella looked up at him, giggling softly for the first time in what felt like a long time. She pulled away from him a little bit but not in a, needing to get away from him, kind of way. She just wanted to be able to look at him better. When she saw the little thinking face that he had on for a moment, she smiled. "What was that look on your face for?" She asked him, brushing the rest of her tears away with the back of her hand.
"Just...thinking. Thinking if I can somehow stop being a dork." He said with a small smile, looking over at her. They locked eyes for a moment and Hunter blushed. He turned his eyes toward the ground. "Stop being a dork around such a pretty girl, at least." He said under his breath. He quickly ran a hand through his hair and looked up at her before seeing another tear roll down her cheek. He gently grabbed the collar of his jacket and wiped the tear off her cheek. The jacket slipped from his fingers and he found himself running the back of his fingers across her cheek. Immediately, he blushed and took his hand back and put both hands in his lap, staring down at the ground. "Sorry."
Arabella blushed a little bit and she glanced down at the ground. Her stomach did a happy little flip when Hunter's hand brushed against her skin. There was a moment of silence and Arabella desperately wanted to fill it. She didn't want things to be awkward or difficult between her and Hunter. She might have had feelings for him and she might still have feelings for him, but that didn't matter, really. She just wanted to have him in her life. "I think that it's a pretty great thinking face. A lot of expression" she told him in a simple voice with a little nod.
"My uh...mom used to do a face when I was crying and it would always cheer me up." Hunter said with a nod. "My thinking face is that face." He said with a shrug. He hadn't really told anyone about that. He didn't talk about his mother. He just didn't. But he trusted Arabella and he just...he was comfortable with her. "So, do you have a thinking face? I'm sure you do and I would like to see it now. So...show me." He said with a laugh, turning to her and looking her right in the face.
Arabella looked at him, locking eyes with him and she burst out into giggles, shaking her head. "I'm not going to do anything with you looking at me like that. You're just making me laugh" She smacked his leg and covered her face with her hands in a playful way. It felt odd, enjoying herself like that. After a week of hiding in her cabin and feeling like crap, letting go and laughing felt almost unnatural. But it was good and she was glad that Hunter was there.
Hunter's smile grew a little bigger and he angled his head to look around her hands. She turned her head, so he couldn't see and he kept moving his head, so she could see it. He laughed a little and then grabbed her wrists gently, yanking her hands away. "Come on. Let's see it, Arabella. I showed you mine." He said with another laugh.
Arabella looked up at him, trying really hard to be serious. She was able to calm down long enough to look up at him with her thinking face, which was almost like a tiny little pout but with a bit of biting on her bottom lip, but then she giggled again and she closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to take her wrists out of his hands to cover her eyes. "See! You're making me laugh!" She accused, taking deep breaths.
"What?" He said through his laughs. "I'm not even doing anything!" He held her wrists for another second and then blushed, shaking himself a little. He looked at her again and stretched his face a little. He tried to look calm, but as soon as he looked at her, a smile started spreading across his lips and it made Arabella giggle again. "Sorry. Sorry. Okay. Try it again." He said, letting go of her wrists and stretching his mouth again. "How about we close our eyes and then on three we both do our thinking faces? Agreeable?" He said with a grin.
Arabella cleared her throat and nodded, putting her serious face on. She pushed her hair behind her ears and adjusted herself so that she was sitting more comfortably and facing Hunter. "Okay. Close your eyes" She said and she quickly shut her eyes. There was a brief moment of silence before Arabella said "Are your eyes closed?" Getting a little chuckle from Hunter. "Okay then...on three. One..." she started to count down and as she did, she started focusing on being serious and finding her thinking face which was, in all honesty, causing her to have her thinking face on.
At this point, they were each straddling the log and facing each other. Hunter started with his eyes closed, but soon opened them. He watched as Arabella twisted and contorted her face. He wasn't completely sure what she was doing, but he loved every minute of it. It was adorable how she'd try something and then make this face like she was chastising herself for doing it. It was in this time that Hunter started to slide toward her on the log a little bit, his eyes not moving from her face. "Two..." He said quietly, moving a little bit closer.
"Three" Arabella bit her lip and she opened her eyes. She tried to keep her thinking face on but she was a little shocked to see how close Hunter was to her. She wasn't complaining, really. But it was a little shocking to open up her eyes and find herself face-to-face with Hunter. She was so close, she could see the flecks of a lighter brown in his eyes. Arabella didn't really know what to say to him so she did the only thing that felt right, she leaned a bit closer to him, biting her bottom lip.
Hunter licked his lips a little and blushed. "Hey, Arabella?" He said quietly. "Would it be okay if I kissed you, right now?" He asked, his heart pounding. He wasn't sure how she would react and he was almost shaking until she bit her lip and nodded softly. "I think I'll be ready this time. And you'll even know who it is you're kissing." He chuckled softly and moved closer, leaning in to kiss her.
Arabella pulled away, looking at him with a confused face. "What do you mean?" she asked him in a low voice. Nervously, she twisted a piece of hair around her finger and she looked away from a quick moment before looking back at Hunter. She scooted back, putting a bit of distance between them. "When you say this time...?" She was afraid of what he would say to her and she was afraid that he was about to lie to her like everyone else did.
Hunter stared at Arabella for a second, not sure what to say. "I...Oh, gods..." He said, rubbing his eyes. "Arabella, I know that you've been lied to, but I need you trust me when I say this." He went to move a little closer to her, but she scooted away again. "No, listen. I'm the guy who saved you. Both of those times." He could see her face fall and she stood. He stood with her. "No, listen! It was right here!" He said, pointing to the ground. "It was raining. I gave you my shield to fight. My arm was bleeding and you bandaged it and then you kissed me. Please, Arabella. You have to believe me." He said, reaching out to her.
Arabella turned away from him, her head spinning. How could this be happening? It wasn't fair. Hunter was her friend and she thought that she could trust him. At this point, however, how could she trust anyone anymore? Especially after so many people had lied to her. Arabella moved away from him as he reached out to her and she shook her head. "No, I don't believe you. I can't believe you." She took a breath and looked up at him. "I trusted you, Hunter. I trusted you more than anyone and now you're going to use this to get with me? No. No" She folded her arms across her chest and starting to walk away from him.
"No! Oh, my gods." Hunter said, rubbing his face. "Arabella, I promise you that I'm telling you the truth. You can trust me. The first time! It was...umm...It was two children of Athena! You fell and I knocked them out and helped you up. Then I told you to charmspeak them if they woke up." She hugged her arms to her chest and continued to walk back toward camp. "The second time!" He said, hurrying and catching up to her. "You were running and I pulled you up into a tree. I told you about Brett and how he's lying to you. Arabella, I promise you. It's been me this whole time! I'm the one who saved you." He said, moving in front of her and looking her in the eye.
"I think that you're full of it" Arabella snapped and she walked around him, heading out of the woods. She paused for a moment then turned around to look at him. "Even if you were telling the truth, why would you wait so long to tell me? Decided to wait until two guys broke my heart?" She said in a low voice. Arabella couldn't believe this. She had her heart broken and now she was losing a friend. A friend that she had feelings for. A friend who made her stomach do flip flops and her heart race. "Just...forget it, Hunter. Leave me alone" she muttered, her voice defeated, then she turned and kept walking.
"Because, I figured this would happen!" He shouted after her. He followed for a few steps and stopped. "Because I was a complete stranger and then after that I was a scrawny little child of Hermes!" He ran and caught up to her one more time before she would be in her cabin. "I thought that now that I wasn't a nerdy little stick person Hermes kid that you'd believe me. That maybe I would be worthy of someone like you." She stomped up to the door of her cabin. "I guess, in the end, all I have to say is that I'm sorry. For a lot of things, honestly, but most of all, for putting you through so much pain. I'm sorry." He stared at the back of her head, hoping and praying that she would turn around and believe him. She didn't. "I'll leave you alone. Good night, Arabella."
"You were never a nerdy little stick person to me, Hunter" Arabella finally said after a moment, her voice full of hurt and disappointment. She looked over her shoulder at him for a brief second before turning back into her cabin and closing the door behind her. As soon as she was inside, she glanced around and when she saw that she was alone in her cabin, Arabella walked over and collapsed on her bed. She let the tears fall and her fingers searched for her teddy bear. This was just..too much.
Chapter 57: Hunter
Saturday, July 20
News of Arabella and Ethan's break up spread fairly quickly throughout camp. It was the next day when Hunter heard it, officially from the however-many-hand source that was Jake. Hunter honestly wasn't sure how to feel. He was glad that she had finally broken up with Ethan, but he felt bad that he might have caused it. The accidental disguise bust that occurred during capture the flag seemed to be the final cannonball in the hall of their relationship. It's almost ironic that it happened to be because of a bottle rocket.
Now, as he walked to lunch all by himself, for what seemed like a long time, he found himself missing her again. Missing her blonde hair and the small giggle she gave at any little awkward thing that Hunter did. He had been able to push it down by hanging out with Marina.
But they were broken up.
Friday, July 12
"Hunter, it's over." Jake said, throwing his tray down onto the Hermes table. "Ethan. Arabella. They're through." Hunter's eyes widened and his stomach tightened at the news.
"Do you know why?"
"Well, hmm....let me think, genius. Because she found out he'd been lying to her!" Hunter punched him in the shoulder.
"I know that!" He said, rolling his eyes. "I meant, do you know how she finally found out? Was it capture the flag last week?"
"I mean, what else could it be? I mean, it's probable that this is a few things that she's noticed, building up to this. It's only been a couple weeks since we saw them leaving the woods, remember?"
"Hunter!" Hunter looked up and saw Marina rushing toward him, looking a little nervous. Hunter waved at her for a moment and finished off his food.
"I was just about to-"
"Shh. I need to talk to you." She said, as he stood up. "Without Jake."
"Yeah. Of course." Hunter said with a nod. He waved quickly at Jake and then followed Marina out of the dining hall. They just sort of walked for a few minutes. Hunter figured it was just to get away from camp, and soon enough they were entering into the woods. He looked over at Marina and it didn't look like she had any intention of stopping. They entered a clearing and he grabbed her arm gently.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry." She said at the look on his face.
"Marina, tell me what's wrong. Come on. Let's sit." He said as he sat down on a fallen tree and lowered her down next to him. She took a deep breath and rubbed her face a moment.
"I did it." She said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to. And I didn't even realize that I did when I did it, but I did."
"Well...okay? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Right. Sorry. Okay. Arabella came into the cabin and she asked me to fix her necklace and while I was working on it, she found your old shield. I guess, it was the one that you gave to her to...whack all the people with. And she must have recognized it because she asked whose shield it was and I said yours and now I just feel really bad because I kind of said that I wouldn't tell her and I did." Hunter looked down at the ground, just thinking through what she had said.
"Well, Marina...That's..." He said quietly before looking over at her. "That's okay. I mean, how could you have known that she would recognize a shield that she used for 5 minutes in the rain in the dark?" He said with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it." He added in a mumble. She looked a little relieved, but now there was a silence between them. It seemed like they were both thinking about things, but Hunter wasn't sure what Marina would be thinking about past the shield.
Hunter just couldn't get his mind off of Arabella. Even with Marina sitting right there. Now that she was single again, anything could happen. He was sure that he had feelings for her and considering how he thought he had gotten rid of them, but it was only a day into the summer when they were back, it didn't seem like they were going anywhere. He needed to go find her. Partially because of his feelings for her, but also because of how fast news cuts through the camp. There's probably already someone lined up to give lying to her another shot and Hunter wasn't really sure if she would see through it this time.
He needed to do one thing first. And it wasn't easy.
"Marina?" He said quietly. She looked over at him in surprise. Hunter took a deep breath. "The past few months have been amazing and I will always be there for you as a close friend and someone that you can trust, but I just...I just think that we should break up." He said, looking down at the log between them. "It has nothing to do with you. You've been a MUCH better girlfriend than I have been a boyfriend, but I just feel really confused right now and I don't-"
"Okay." Hunter looked up at her and she was smiling. Hunter couldn't help, but smile back a little, despite the situation. "Be honest with me, though. Is it about Arabella?" Hunter's smile faded a little and he looked down at the log again. "No, Hunter, listen. As soon as you told me that you used to have feelings for her, I had a feeling that this relationship had a zero hour."
"I'm really sorry." Hunter said with a sigh. "I hate that this ended this way."
"What you'd rather have us yelling and screaming and crying and hating each other forever?"
"Well, no. Of course not."
"Good, because I like having you as a friend." She said, nudging him with her elbow. "And, speaking of things that one would tell to a friend-"
"Who spoke of that?"
"Kyle kissed me." Hunter looked up at her in surprise and thought for a second.
"Huh."
"Wow. You're such a fantastic friend. Just brimming with wisdom."
"No, I'm just glad that you didn't have a boyfriend or anything. Because that would make it really awkward." He said with a laugh. Marina pushed him off the end of the log and laughed too.
"Yeah. I mean, that could have been bad."
Saturday, July 20
After lunch, Hunter went back to his cabin. He had tried to find Arabella that day, but the rumor weed said that she was avoiding everyone. Past that, he didn't know how he would react when he finally did talk to her. He knew that she really had invested a lot in Ethan and now she found out that he had lied to her.
It had been a week and now he needed to talk to her. He couldn't stand the idea of missing his chance again. He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on and walked outside toward the fire. He hoped that he could find her there. What he didn't expect to see was Arabella sneaking past everyone toward the woods. Hunter watched her enter past the trees and then took off after her. He followed her from a distance, just seeing where she was going. It didn't take him long to realize that she was headed to where he had saved her. He watched her stand in the small clearing for a moment before lowering herself down on a log. He could see her shoulders shake a little and she grabbed her knees to her chest and put her head down.
As he watched, he sighed a little. He watched her for a moment before running his hand through his hair. He made his thinking face for a few moments before starting to walk towards her. He quietly slipped off his jacket and when he got to her he placed it around her shoulders and sat down next to her. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he should say anything. All he wanted to do at that moment was comfort his friend, no matter how he felt about her.
News of Arabella and Ethan's break up spread fairly quickly throughout camp. It was the next day when Hunter heard it, officially from the however-many-hand source that was Jake. Hunter honestly wasn't sure how to feel. He was glad that she had finally broken up with Ethan, but he felt bad that he might have caused it. The accidental disguise bust that occurred during capture the flag seemed to be the final cannonball in the hall of their relationship. It's almost ironic that it happened to be because of a bottle rocket.
Now, as he walked to lunch all by himself, for what seemed like a long time, he found himself missing her again. Missing her blonde hair and the small giggle she gave at any little awkward thing that Hunter did. He had been able to push it down by hanging out with Marina.
But they were broken up.
Friday, July 12
"Hunter, it's over." Jake said, throwing his tray down onto the Hermes table. "Ethan. Arabella. They're through." Hunter's eyes widened and his stomach tightened at the news.
"Do you know why?"
"Well, hmm....let me think, genius. Because she found out he'd been lying to her!" Hunter punched him in the shoulder.
"I know that!" He said, rolling his eyes. "I meant, do you know how she finally found out? Was it capture the flag last week?"
"I mean, what else could it be? I mean, it's probable that this is a few things that she's noticed, building up to this. It's only been a couple weeks since we saw them leaving the woods, remember?"
"Hunter!" Hunter looked up and saw Marina rushing toward him, looking a little nervous. Hunter waved at her for a moment and finished off his food.
"I was just about to-"
"Shh. I need to talk to you." She said, as he stood up. "Without Jake."
"Yeah. Of course." Hunter said with a nod. He waved quickly at Jake and then followed Marina out of the dining hall. They just sort of walked for a few minutes. Hunter figured it was just to get away from camp, and soon enough they were entering into the woods. He looked over at Marina and it didn't look like she had any intention of stopping. They entered a clearing and he grabbed her arm gently.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry." She said at the look on his face.
"Marina, tell me what's wrong. Come on. Let's sit." He said as he sat down on a fallen tree and lowered her down next to him. She took a deep breath and rubbed her face a moment.
"I did it." She said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to. And I didn't even realize that I did when I did it, but I did."
"Well...okay? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Right. Sorry. Okay. Arabella came into the cabin and she asked me to fix her necklace and while I was working on it, she found your old shield. I guess, it was the one that you gave to her to...whack all the people with. And she must have recognized it because she asked whose shield it was and I said yours and now I just feel really bad because I kind of said that I wouldn't tell her and I did." Hunter looked down at the ground, just thinking through what she had said.
"Well, Marina...That's..." He said quietly before looking over at her. "That's okay. I mean, how could you have known that she would recognize a shield that she used for 5 minutes in the rain in the dark?" He said with a chuckle. "Don't worry about it." He added in a mumble. She looked a little relieved, but now there was a silence between them. It seemed like they were both thinking about things, but Hunter wasn't sure what Marina would be thinking about past the shield.
Hunter just couldn't get his mind off of Arabella. Even with Marina sitting right there. Now that she was single again, anything could happen. He was sure that he had feelings for her and considering how he thought he had gotten rid of them, but it was only a day into the summer when they were back, it didn't seem like they were going anywhere. He needed to go find her. Partially because of his feelings for her, but also because of how fast news cuts through the camp. There's probably already someone lined up to give lying to her another shot and Hunter wasn't really sure if she would see through it this time.
He needed to do one thing first. And it wasn't easy.
"Marina?" He said quietly. She looked over at him in surprise. Hunter took a deep breath. "The past few months have been amazing and I will always be there for you as a close friend and someone that you can trust, but I just...I just think that we should break up." He said, looking down at the log between them. "It has nothing to do with you. You've been a MUCH better girlfriend than I have been a boyfriend, but I just feel really confused right now and I don't-"
"Okay." Hunter looked up at her and she was smiling. Hunter couldn't help, but smile back a little, despite the situation. "Be honest with me, though. Is it about Arabella?" Hunter's smile faded a little and he looked down at the log again. "No, Hunter, listen. As soon as you told me that you used to have feelings for her, I had a feeling that this relationship had a zero hour."
"I'm really sorry." Hunter said with a sigh. "I hate that this ended this way."
"What you'd rather have us yelling and screaming and crying and hating each other forever?"
"Well, no. Of course not."
"Good, because I like having you as a friend." She said, nudging him with her elbow. "And, speaking of things that one would tell to a friend-"
"Who spoke of that?"
"Kyle kissed me." Hunter looked up at her in surprise and thought for a second.
"Huh."
"Wow. You're such a fantastic friend. Just brimming with wisdom."
"No, I'm just glad that you didn't have a boyfriend or anything. Because that would make it really awkward." He said with a laugh. Marina pushed him off the end of the log and laughed too.
"Yeah. I mean, that could have been bad."
Saturday, July 20
After lunch, Hunter went back to his cabin. He had tried to find Arabella that day, but the rumor weed said that she was avoiding everyone. Past that, he didn't know how he would react when he finally did talk to her. He knew that she really had invested a lot in Ethan and now she found out that he had lied to her.
It had been a week and now he needed to talk to her. He couldn't stand the idea of missing his chance again. He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on and walked outside toward the fire. He hoped that he could find her there. What he didn't expect to see was Arabella sneaking past everyone toward the woods. Hunter watched her enter past the trees and then took off after her. He followed her from a distance, just seeing where she was going. It didn't take him long to realize that she was headed to where he had saved her. He watched her stand in the small clearing for a moment before lowering herself down on a log. He could see her shoulders shake a little and she grabbed her knees to her chest and put her head down.
As he watched, he sighed a little. He watched her for a moment before running his hand through his hair. He made his thinking face for a few moments before starting to walk towards her. He quietly slipped off his jacket and when he got to her he placed it around her shoulders and sat down next to her. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he should say anything. All he wanted to do at that moment was comfort his friend, no matter how he felt about her.
Chapter 56: Arabella
Saturday, July 20
Arabella groaned and she slid deeper under her blankets, curling up into a little ball around her teddy bear. It was mid-afternoon, at least, but Arabella didn't want to get out of her bed. She had been having trouble getting out of bed all week, to be honest. Somehow, she had managed to convince everyone around her to just leave her alone and she was thankful for that. Arabella didn't have the energy or the desire to really do anything.
It had been about a week since she had found out that the shield had been Hunter's. It had been a week since she had done anything really productive. It had been a week since she had broken up with Ethan. She had been playing that night over and over again in her head.
After walking out of the Hephaestus cabin with her necklace in her hand and ran back to her own cabin, Arabella was freaking out a little bit. Ethan didn't remember things from the night that he had supposedly saved her. The shield that Arabella had used was not Ethan's. What did this mean? Was Ethan lying to her? Arabella didn't know what she would do if he was lying to her. That would mean that their entire relationship had been a lie. She had been ready to give everything to him. She didn't think her heart could deal with the lie.
Arabella managed to pull herself together long enough to walk over to her bed. She was filled with a new determination. She had a mission now. Arabella dug around in her trunk until she found a sweater and she wrapped it around her shoulders. As quickly as she could, Arabella tied her hair back into a braid and she walked out of her cabin.
Nervously, her hands twisted around her wrist where her Barbie bracelet should have been. As Arabella walked towards the Ares cabin, her stomach twisted up into such massive knots, she thought she might be sick. What if he got angry? Arabella had seen him angry and it wasn't pretty. The last thing she wanted was to be on the other side of his anger. Before she knew it, Arabella was at the door to the Ares cabin and she was knocking on the door.
"Arabella. Hello. Again" A girl said with a bit of a sneer on her face when she opened the door. Arabella let out a little sigh and tried to keep her face calm.
"It's good to see you too, Scarlet." Arabella said and she cleared her throat, shoving her slightly shaking hands into her pockets. Scarlet was a beautiful girl with vibrant red hair and a personality to match. If she liked someone, she could be a great friend. If she didn't like someone, she would make their life hell. Scarlet didn't like Arabella and she made that clear. "Is-"
"Ethan here? Yes" Scarlet said in a cold tone and she turned away from Arabella, stepping into the cabin. "Ethan! Your blonde arm candy is here!"
"Would you shut up, Scarlet?" Ethan's voice said and Arabella listened as he rolled off of his bed and walked towards the door. Soon enough, he was standing in front of her and smiling down at her. "What's up?" He asked, leaning in to kiss her. Arabella let him kiss her but she didn't respond and she didn't lean into him.
"Ethan...can we talk somewhere? Alone?" Arabella asked him, glancing up at him for a quick moment to see if she could read his face but there was no emotion.
"Yeah, sure" Ethan said in a slightly cautious voice. Before he could take her hand or place his arms around her waist, Arabella turned and walked down towards the beach. It was late afternoon but the beach was pretty quiet. Most of the campers were up at their cabins, getting ready for supper. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Ethan asked her as they got to the sand. Arabella looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes in her flip flops a little bit, working some sand onto her pink toenails.
"Ethan, are you really the guy who saved me?" She asked him in a low voice.
"Of course"
"You're the guy that saved me all of those times last summer? Before Daniel threw that party?" Arabella looked up at him, trying to read his face again.
"Yes"
"So, you're the guy that saved me from hell hounds that very first time?" Arabella asked him, glancing up at him with big eyes.
"Yes, of course. What is all of this about?" Ethan asked her in a slightly exasperated voice.
"Why are you lying to me, Ethan?" Arabella looked up at him, looking to see if his face would betray him. Ethan looked down at her with a stunned expression, like he didn't really know how to react. There was no use in trying to deny it, really. She had caught him in a lie.
"Arabella, I-"
"No, Ethan. I don't want to hear it. I don't...I can't deal with anymore excuses or lies from you" Arabella snapped, folding her arms across her chest.
"Who told you all of this?" Ethan asked her after a few moments of silence.
"I figured it out myself." Arabella muttered. She paused for a moment then looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You're not even going to try to defend yourself?"
"Arabella, this is just...this is ridiculous. All of this happened so long ago and you're just over reacting" Ethan huffed, looking annoyed more than anything. When he told her that she was over reacting, Arabella could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears. How dare he? After all of the lies that he told how dare he tell her that she was over reacting.
"Over reacting? Ethan...you've been lying to me for over a year. I don't think that I could possibly over react!" Arabella snapped, raising her voice a little bit. Ethan seemed to take half a step back, like he was just trying to avoid her at all costs. "Ethan, I...I was ready to give everything to you. I trusted you and I loved you."
"So, what? Everything that we had over the past year is just...gone? Because you found out that I lied to you a year ago?" Ethan asked her.
"You've had so many opportunities to tell me the truth. We've talked about that. You've constantly lied to me over and over again." Arabella sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment but she flinched back when she could feel Ethan reach out a hand to her. "Ethan...did you really ever love me?" She asked him and glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "You know what, no...don't answer that" Arabella reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace that Ethan gave her. "Whatever we had...it's over. You fucked up" She said in a low voice and as she walked past him, she placed the necklace in his hand.
"Arabella!" He called back to her but she didn't turn around. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't go back to him and forgive him. Too many guys had hurt her at this point and she just couldn't deal with it anymore. Ignoring every single person who tried to talk to her, Arabella walked towards her cabin. She needed to be alone and she needed time to think.
A week later and Arabella was still in her cabin, still ignoring people and still trying to think. She had broken up with Ethan and she was feeling rather horrible about it. Not that she was regretting it, just that she still felt so angry about everything that happened.
She was angry at herself, too. Arabella was sick of sitting in her bed and she needed to do something. Without really knowing what she was doing or where she was going, Arabella stood up and she quickly changed her clothes, slipping into a pair of jeans. She let her hair down and walked out of the cabin. All around her, people were getting ready to go down to the fire but she didn't really want to go there. Quietly as she could, Arabella started walking into the woods. She didn't really know where she was going but when she got to the little circle of trees, she realized where her feet had taken her.
This was the spot where the mystery guy had saved her. It all happened a year ago and while so much had happened since then, it still felt like it only happened yesterday. Arabella let out a sigh and she sat down on a log, looking around. She felt like she was lost, in a way. She was alone and she didn't really know what to do with herself anymore.
Arabella let out a sigh, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her forehead on her knees. Why did this have to be so complicated?
Arabella groaned and she slid deeper under her blankets, curling up into a little ball around her teddy bear. It was mid-afternoon, at least, but Arabella didn't want to get out of her bed. She had been having trouble getting out of bed all week, to be honest. Somehow, she had managed to convince everyone around her to just leave her alone and she was thankful for that. Arabella didn't have the energy or the desire to really do anything.
It had been about a week since she had found out that the shield had been Hunter's. It had been a week since she had done anything really productive. It had been a week since she had broken up with Ethan. She had been playing that night over and over again in her head.
After walking out of the Hephaestus cabin with her necklace in her hand and ran back to her own cabin, Arabella was freaking out a little bit. Ethan didn't remember things from the night that he had supposedly saved her. The shield that Arabella had used was not Ethan's. What did this mean? Was Ethan lying to her? Arabella didn't know what she would do if he was lying to her. That would mean that their entire relationship had been a lie. She had been ready to give everything to him. She didn't think her heart could deal with the lie.
Arabella managed to pull herself together long enough to walk over to her bed. She was filled with a new determination. She had a mission now. Arabella dug around in her trunk until she found a sweater and she wrapped it around her shoulders. As quickly as she could, Arabella tied her hair back into a braid and she walked out of her cabin.
Nervously, her hands twisted around her wrist where her Barbie bracelet should have been. As Arabella walked towards the Ares cabin, her stomach twisted up into such massive knots, she thought she might be sick. What if he got angry? Arabella had seen him angry and it wasn't pretty. The last thing she wanted was to be on the other side of his anger. Before she knew it, Arabella was at the door to the Ares cabin and she was knocking on the door.
"Arabella. Hello. Again" A girl said with a bit of a sneer on her face when she opened the door. Arabella let out a little sigh and tried to keep her face calm.
"It's good to see you too, Scarlet." Arabella said and she cleared her throat, shoving her slightly shaking hands into her pockets. Scarlet was a beautiful girl with vibrant red hair and a personality to match. If she liked someone, she could be a great friend. If she didn't like someone, she would make their life hell. Scarlet didn't like Arabella and she made that clear. "Is-"
"Ethan here? Yes" Scarlet said in a cold tone and she turned away from Arabella, stepping into the cabin. "Ethan! Your blonde arm candy is here!"
"Would you shut up, Scarlet?" Ethan's voice said and Arabella listened as he rolled off of his bed and walked towards the door. Soon enough, he was standing in front of her and smiling down at her. "What's up?" He asked, leaning in to kiss her. Arabella let him kiss her but she didn't respond and she didn't lean into him.
"Ethan...can we talk somewhere? Alone?" Arabella asked him, glancing up at him for a quick moment to see if she could read his face but there was no emotion.
"Yeah, sure" Ethan said in a slightly cautious voice. Before he could take her hand or place his arms around her waist, Arabella turned and walked down towards the beach. It was late afternoon but the beach was pretty quiet. Most of the campers were up at their cabins, getting ready for supper. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Ethan asked her as they got to the sand. Arabella looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes in her flip flops a little bit, working some sand onto her pink toenails.
"Ethan, are you really the guy who saved me?" She asked him in a low voice.
"Of course"
"You're the guy that saved me all of those times last summer? Before Daniel threw that party?" Arabella looked up at him, trying to read his face again.
"Yes"
"So, you're the guy that saved me from hell hounds that very first time?" Arabella asked him, glancing up at him with big eyes.
"Yes, of course. What is all of this about?" Ethan asked her in a slightly exasperated voice.
"Why are you lying to me, Ethan?" Arabella looked up at him, looking to see if his face would betray him. Ethan looked down at her with a stunned expression, like he didn't really know how to react. There was no use in trying to deny it, really. She had caught him in a lie.
"Arabella, I-"
"No, Ethan. I don't want to hear it. I don't...I can't deal with anymore excuses or lies from you" Arabella snapped, folding her arms across her chest.
"Who told you all of this?" Ethan asked her after a few moments of silence.
"I figured it out myself." Arabella muttered. She paused for a moment then looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You're not even going to try to defend yourself?"
"Arabella, this is just...this is ridiculous. All of this happened so long ago and you're just over reacting" Ethan huffed, looking annoyed more than anything. When he told her that she was over reacting, Arabella could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears. How dare he? After all of the lies that he told how dare he tell her that she was over reacting.
"Over reacting? Ethan...you've been lying to me for over a year. I don't think that I could possibly over react!" Arabella snapped, raising her voice a little bit. Ethan seemed to take half a step back, like he was just trying to avoid her at all costs. "Ethan, I...I was ready to give everything to you. I trusted you and I loved you."
"So, what? Everything that we had over the past year is just...gone? Because you found out that I lied to you a year ago?" Ethan asked her.
"You've had so many opportunities to tell me the truth. We've talked about that. You've constantly lied to me over and over again." Arabella sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment but she flinched back when she could feel Ethan reach out a hand to her. "Ethan...did you really ever love me?" She asked him and glanced up at him through her eyelashes. "You know what, no...don't answer that" Arabella reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklace that Ethan gave her. "Whatever we had...it's over. You fucked up" She said in a low voice and as she walked past him, she placed the necklace in his hand.
"Arabella!" He called back to her but she didn't turn around. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't go back to him and forgive him. Too many guys had hurt her at this point and she just couldn't deal with it anymore. Ignoring every single person who tried to talk to her, Arabella walked towards her cabin. She needed to be alone and she needed time to think.
A week later and Arabella was still in her cabin, still ignoring people and still trying to think. She had broken up with Ethan and she was feeling rather horrible about it. Not that she was regretting it, just that she still felt so angry about everything that happened.
She was angry at herself, too. Arabella was sick of sitting in her bed and she needed to do something. Without really knowing what she was doing or where she was going, Arabella stood up and she quickly changed her clothes, slipping into a pair of jeans. She let her hair down and walked out of the cabin. All around her, people were getting ready to go down to the fire but she didn't really want to go there. Quietly as she could, Arabella started walking into the woods. She didn't really know where she was going but when she got to the little circle of trees, she realized where her feet had taken her.
This was the spot where the mystery guy had saved her. It all happened a year ago and while so much had happened since then, it still felt like it only happened yesterday. Arabella let out a sigh and she sat down on a log, looking around. She felt like she was lost, in a way. She was alone and she didn't really know what to do with herself anymore.
Arabella let out a sigh, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her forehead on her knees. Why did this have to be so complicated?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)