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“Hello to you too,” a war around Staci She was pulled back into the solid embrace of her boyfriend AJ Half Japanese (on her ht frame ed up in the stocky shadow of AJ’s wrestler’s body Her alhtly before she relaxed into hi her mouth up to his for a kiss

Ari sighed and turned away fro her locker open with more force than she had intended

“Is so sheepishly at the glare Ari threw him over her shoulder

Staci shook her head “Nah, I think she’s just buest class in the history of classes”

“What’s there to be bummed about?” A new familiar voice entered the fray Ari craned her neck around her locker to srinned up at her, her blonde hair swinging against her chin as she jerked her gaze back and forth between her friends with the excitement of a puppy “We’re officially free in a few days and… druestured to AJ who supplied the request with his iraduation party!”

As her friends began talking enthusiastically about their plans for the 18th birthday party her dad, Derek, was letting her throw in their house at the end of the week, Ari tried to smile with sufficient aniraduation even It was more the promise of the future A future she wasn’t so sure about

“Oh, guys, I have to bring the stethoscope Moht me to the party… it’s aweso at the prospect of heading off to Dartmouth to do her pre- to John Hopkins, and Ari had no doubt that whatever Rachel wanted Rachel would eventually get

“They bought you a stethoscope already?” AJ snorted “Dude, you’re not even going to med school for another three years”

“Seven years of college You are so insane” Staci shuddered “I can’t even iine”

AJ shrugged “I don’t know Seven yearsmovies… sounds kind of fun”

Staci rolled her eyes at hi sounds like fun to you as long as it gets you off that farm”

Ari felt like sinking into the floor if only to disappear from this moment Her friends were so clear about who they were and what they wanted… it terrified her It lanced around at thee sweatshirts, roo what on earth happened to her that she didn’t knohat she wanted out of life like they did Staci and AJ were heading off to RISD together to study Fil nearly the whole three years they had been dating Ari shut her locker, trying not to have a panic attack Never before in her life had she suffered from anxiety but she’d had three attacks this last month She closed her eyes, her back to her friends When her dad suggested she studied Business at college Ari hadn’t argued What else was she going to do, right? Unlike her friends there wasn’t anything she’d ever felt particularly brilliant at or drawn to How could they possibly understand that? She needed someone to understand

She needed Charlie

“Hey,” Rachel said softly, her hand resting on her shoulder to tug her around gently Her blue eyes ith concern “You OK? You’ve been so quiet lately”

“I’m fine”

“Really?”

How could she not talk to Rachel about this? Rachel was her best friend But then…Rachel hadn’t always been her best friend

Growing up Charlie had been Ari’s closest friend Her faot her ninth birthday, and the ti after the lie she told when she was ten years old caused her dad and his girlfriend to break up There was also that tih she knehat it was, she had co lunch and Charlie had chased her into Vickers' Woods behind the interstate When she’d bawled out as happening he had silently taken her hand and walked her all the way to his house and stah had hugged her close and called the school and her dad to explain where she’d disappeared to and why The phone call was followed by a trip to the phar

Anything good, bad, se that had happened to her, Charlie was the one who had been there And then soe — happened to him and suddenly Charlie wasn’t really there to be there

“Are you worrying about Charlie again?” Rachel huffed

Ari threw her a 'don't start' look

“Let’s go to lunch,” AJ interrupted, dodging any conversation to do with Charlie He thought Charlie was a loser and hated that Ari ‘wasted’ so much time and anxiety over him

Steer at her friends and their attitude, Ari pulled away from them “I’ll catch up in a minute, save me a seat”

A frown appeared between Rachel’s s over there?”

Clenching her jaw, Ari turned her back on theing students in her path

“You need to give her a break about him,” she heard Staci say, but AJ’s response was ers

Bursting out of the front entrance, Ari inhaled a lungful of waresture could shake out all her worries with it Her eyes scanned the parking lot for Charlie but she couldn’t see him, which meant he was out behind the lot in the trees where the teachers couldn’t see If he wasn’t careful he was going to get kicked out He’d already been held back a year Not that he cared A rush of angry wasps awoke in her stomach as they always did when she was about to face him That hadn’t been the case in the past In the past, just the thought of hi her shoulders back, Ari started off across the lot with a deterht They hadn’t spoken in teeks which was officially the longest they had gone without speaking