Chapter 7 Stop

     ARIANA'S POINT OF VIEW

I stared at his back in disbelief.

"Wait."He stopped but didn't turn around.

I hurried after him until I was standing beside him.

"Would it be too much to ask if you actually showed me where it is?"This time, he looked at me.

His expression remained as calm as ever, but I caught the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.

"I already pointed."

"I know," I admitted sheepishly, lifting the map.

"But considering I somehow ended up at the science building while trying to find the cafeteria, I don't think pointing is enough."

For a moment, he simply looked at me.Then he let out what might have been the smallest sigh in history before closing the novel tucked beneath his arm.

"Follow me."A grin spread across my face.

"Thank you."He didn't respond.He simply slipped the book beneath his arm and began walking and I quickly fell into step beside him.

For the first few minutes, neither of us spoke.The silence wasn't awkward exactly...

Just... quiet.I glanced sideways at him.

His attention remained fixed ahead, and despite walking through a crowded hallway, he somehow managed to avoid bumping into anyone.

Meanwhile, I'd nearly walked into two people already.My eyes drifted to the novel under his arm.

It looked thick enough to double as a weapon.I couldn't help wondering if he carried books everywhere.

Does he ever put that thing down?

"So..." I finally said.

"Do you always walk around carrying a novel?"

He looked down at the book as though he'd forgotten he was holding it.

"I guess."

"You guess?"

"I like reading."

"I noticed."Another silence settled between us.

Wow... getting a conversation out of him is harder than solving calculus.

Thankfully, he spoke first this time.

"What dorm were you assigned?"I reached into my backpack and pulled out the small slip Principal Harrison had given me.

"Dorm C."He glanced at it.

"Hm."

"What?"He looked ahead again.

"That's my dorm too."I blinked.

"You do?"He nodded.

"Dorm C."A smile immediately spread across my face.

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"That's actually great."He looked at me briefly.

"It is?"

"Of course."I laughed softly.

"At least I'll know one person there."He didn't answer.

But somehow.....His silence didn't feel as cold anymore.

"I guess," he said after a moment, 

"I'll probably end up showing you around."I smiled.

"I guess you're destined to."A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before disappearing so quickly I almost wondered if I'd imagined it.

Interesting.....Maybe he wasn't as emotionless as I'd first thought.

We continued walking through another corridor before heading down a flight of stairs.

Students passed us from every direction, some greeting Ethan with casual nods.

He acknowledged each one with a simple nod of his own before continuing.

"So..." I said.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."I laughed.

"I mean... another question."He gave a small nod.

"What do you want to know?"I looked around the bustling hallway.

"I'm new here."

"I know."I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"So... tell me about Silver High."

"What about it?"

"Anything."He thought for a second.

"The cafeteria serves edible food most days."I stared at him.

"That's your introduction?"

"It seemed important."I couldn't stop myself from chuckling.

For the first time since arriving at Silver High.....I actually laughed......a real one.

Ethan glanced at me.

"You laugh easily."The words caught me off guard.

My smile faded just a little.If only you knew.

"I used to," I said quietly.He didn't ask what I meant.

Instead, he simply kept walking, giving me the strange feeling that he understood some questions didn't need to be asked.

After a few moments, I spoke again.

"What about the students?"

"They're... students."I sighed.

"You're making this difficult."He looked almost apologetic.

"I'm not very good at conversations."

"I noticed that too."

This time...He actually smiled.

Encouraged, I continued.

"Who's the class captain?"

"Xander Winston."I wasn't surprised.

"Oh I see."

"He has been first in our grade since first year."

"Every year?"He nodded.

"No one has beaten him."I raised an eyebrow.

"So he's really that smart?"

"Yes."

I thought back to the hallway a few minutes ago.

The calm gray eyes,The effortless confidence.He certainly hadn't looked like someone who struggled academically.

"I see."A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

"Is he... friendly?"Ethan was quiet for a moment before answering.

"He's respected."That wasn't what I'd asked.

"But is he friendly?"He considered the question.

"...You'll have to decide that yourself."

Interesting....He had answered without really answering.Before I could ask anything else, a delicious smell drifted through the hallway.

I smelled food.....The cafeteria had to be close.Sure enough, a large building appeared ahead, with dozens of students walking in and out of its wide entrance.

Ethan pointed toward it.

"The cafeteria."Relief washed over me.

"I finally made it."He nodded once.

"From here, you should be able to find your way back using the map."

"I hope so."He started turning away.

"Wait."He stopped.

"Thank you."This time, I made sure to say it before he could disappear.

"I really mean it."For a second, he simply looked at me.Then he gave a small nod.

"You're welcome."Before I could say another word, a loud voice echoed across the courtyard.

My smile slowly disappeared as four older boys approached us, spreading out until they blocked the path.

The easy expression on Ethan's face vanished completely.He let out a tired sigh.

My grip tightened on my backpack strap as I looked from Ethan to the boys.

Something about the way they surrounded him made my stomach twist....This wasn't friendly,Not even close.

Students walked around them as though nothing unusual was happening. Some glanced in our direction for barely a second before looking away, while others simply kept walking without slowing down.

It was as if this was something they had seen countless times before.

The tallest boy shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled at Ethan.

"There you are," he said lazily.

"We've been looking all over for you."Ethan's expression didn't change.

"You found me."

"We did."The boy's smile widened.

"Congratulations."The sarcasm in Ethan's voice earned a few chuckles from the others.

One of them stepped closer until they were almost chest to chest.

"Still think you're funny?"

"I wasn't trying to be."His calmness surprised me.

The second boy folded his arms.

"Our captain's been waiting."Ethan sighed quietly.

"I already told him I wasn't interested."

"And he told us not to come back without you."For the first time, I noticed Ethan's fingers tighten slightly around the novel tucked beneath his arm.

"I have somewhere to be."

"No, you don't."

"Actually, I do."The tallest boy looked past Ethan and his eyes landed on me for the first time.

His eyebrows rose.

"Who's the kid?"

"I don't know," another laughed.

"Looks like Ethan adopted himself a little brother."The others burst into laughter.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.Seriously?

Do all the boys here share the same jokes?Ethan spoke before I could.

"He's new."

"Oh?"The boy smirked.

"You've already made a friend?"

"No."Ethan answered so quickly that I almost felt offended.

"He was lost."

"He still is."The boys laughed again and I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me..."Four pairs of eyes shifted toward me.Remembering myself, I lowered my voice.

"what's going on?"The tallest boy looked me up and down before grinning.

"Nothing you need to worry about, freshman."Freshman???

I guessed that was what they called first-year students, even though technically I was a transfer....He looked back at Ethan.

"Come on."

"We're wasting time."Ethan didn't move.

"I'm not going."The smile disappeared from the boy's face.For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.

The atmosphere around us suddenly felt heavier.Finally, the boy stepped forward.

"Wrong answer."Before I could react, he grabbed Ethan by the collar of his blazer.

Gasps rippled from a few nearby students.Still......No one stepped forward.

Ethan slowly removed the boy's hand from his collar.

"I don't want trouble."

"Too late."Another boy moved behind him,then another.They had surrounded him completely.

My heart began pounding.Something about this felt very wrong.Ethan looked at me over one of their shoulders.

For the first time since I'd met him...I saw emotion in his eyes.It wasn't fear.....It was resignation.He looked... tired.Like this had happened before.

He met my gaze for only a second before speaking quietly.

"Aiden."I straightened.

"Yeah?"

"The cafeteria is straight ahead."I frowned.

"Just keep walking."One of the boys laughed.

"Still worrying about someone else?"Ethan ignored him.His eyes remained on mine.

"Go eat."Confusion washed over me.

Something about the way he said it made me instantly realize.....He was in trouble.

One of the boys suddenly grabbed the back of Ethan's blazer.

"We've waited long enough."Another seized his arm.

"Move."They began dragging him away from the cafeteria.

Ethan didn't fight them.He simply looked back at me one last time.

"Don't follow us."His voice was calm.

I stood frozen.Students continued walking past me as if nothing had happened.

I looked toward the cafeteria then toward the direction Ethan had disappeared.

My stomach twisted, Just go eat..... you're not here to get into trouble... besides I barely knew him.

I wasn't here to get involved in other people's problems,I was here for Gerald.To find out what had really happened.

Getting dragged into fights on my first day wasn't part of the plan.I took one step toward the cafeteria then stopped and looked back again.

My conscience refused to let me walk away.With a frustrated sigh, I tightened my grip on my backpack straps.

"...Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?"Muttering under my breath, I turned away from the cafeteria and hurried after them.

I kept a safe distance between us as I followed them through the maze of buildings.

The farther we walked, the quieter the school became.

The sounds of students talking and laughing gradually faded until they were nothing more than a distant murmur carried by the wind.

We rounded another corner, then another.Soon, the neat pathways gave way to an area hidden behind the gymnasium, where towering trees blocked most of the afternoon sunlight. It was isolated.....far enough from the main buildings that no teacher would casually pass by.

So this was why no one had reacted.They all knew where Ethan was being taken and they all knew better than to interfere.

I slowed my pace, making sure they didn't notice me.

The four boys finally stopped in the middle of the secluded pathway.One of them shoved Ethan forward...... Immediately I hid at the side of the wall.

He stumbled a single step before regaining his balance.

"You know," the tallest boy said with an irritated sigh, 

"you really make things difficult."Ethan adjusted his blazer where they'd wrinkled it.

"I wasn't aware I had a choice."

"Oh, you do."The boy smiled.

"You can make this easy."

"And how do I do that?"

"Apologize."Ethan frowned.

"For what?"The smile vanished.

"For embarrassing Tony."Ethan let out a quiet breath.

"Because I asked a question in class."

"You corrected him."

"He was wrong."

"He doesn't like being wrong and you know it"

"That's unfortunate.....Is that why he sent his dogs???"The sentence had barely left Ethan's mouth before a fist slammed into his stomach.

A dull gasp escaped him as he doubled over slightly.My heart lurched.The boys laughed.

"I told you," one of them sneered.

"Still thinks he's smart."Ethan straightened slowly, one hand pressed against his abdomen.Another punch landed.This time across his jaw.

His head snapped to the side.Blood appeared at the corner of his lip.I instinctively took a step forward before stopping myself.

Should I......No.Maybe someone else would come,Someone had to...I glanced toward the empty pathway behind me.

But there was not a single person.

The tallest boy grabbed Ethan by the collar again.

"Tony warned you."

"He told you to stop making him look bad."

"I wasn't trying to."

"Liar."

"I'm not."Another punch,another shove.Ethan hit the ground on one knee.

None of them looked angry anymore.

They looked......Comfortable.

One boy kicked Ethan's discarded novel farther across the pavement.

It slid through a puddle before stopping against the trunk of a tree.

"Oops," he said with a grin.

"My bad."The others burst into laughter.

Ethan's eyes followed it for only a second before lowering again.He didn't even try to pick it up.

Something inside me twisted painfully,He wasn't defending himself,He wasn't begging either....He was simply... enduring it.

As though he'd already accepted this was how his day would end.

The tallest boy crouched in front of him.

"You know what your problem is?"Ethan remained silent.

"You never learn."He grabbed Ethan's chin roughly, forcing him to look up.

"No matter how many times this happens..."

"...you still refuse to stay in your place."Ethan pulled his face away from the boy's grip.

"My place isn't beneath you."The words were barely out of his mouth before another fist crashed into his cheek.

He lost his balance completely this time, falling hard onto the concrete.

A sharp crack echoed through the quiet pathway and I flinched.

The boys closed in around him.One grabbed the front of his blazer while another raised his fist again.

That was it,I couldn't watch anymore.....Before my brain had time to stop me...The word tore out of my throat.

"STOP!"My voice echoed across the empty pathway.

And immediately every single head turned toward me.