Ariana tried to ignore them and focus on her conversation with Tony but she couldn't.
Tony seemed to be unfazed by the stares. He chatted with Ariana as if they were old friends, and slowly she found herself relaxing and enjoying the conversation.
As Tony and Ariana chatted, Ariana noticed that the other students in the canteen were staring at them. At first, she was a little self-conscious, but then she saw that their mouths were hanging open in shock as if they couldn't believe that Tony was talking to someone like her.
Seeing their reactions, Tony thought of having a little fun. He leaned in close to Ariana and whispered conspiratorially, "Psst, do you know why everyone's staring at us?"
"No," Ariana whispered back."But I think it's because you're the first person to sit and have lunch with me."
Tony put on a serious face and said, "It's because we're the coolest kids in school."
Ariana burst out laughing, "Is it we, or you are the cool kid here."
They both giggled as the other students continued to stare in disbelief.
"I think we just broke their brains, they look really confused," Michael said, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Yeah, I think we did," Ariana said, still laughing.
The other students began to whisper among themselves, trying to figure out what was so funny.
"What are they saying?" Clara asked her seatmates, really curious to know.
"I have no idea," They said, shrugging. "But they sure seem to be getting along."
The two of them continued to laugh until they were red in the face. Ariana couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun.
And the best part was that no one was teasing or bullying her about her acne. She felt like she could finally be herself around Tony.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.
"Oh no!" Ariana said, suddenly realizing that she had an English class next. "I have to go! My teacher is strict about being late."
"I better get to class too," Tony said, standing up. "It was nice to meet you. Maybe we can hang out again sometime."
"That would be nice," Ariana said, smiling as she gathered her things. "See you in class some other time !"
She waved goodbye to Tony and headed off to English class, a spring in her step.
As the days went on Ariana and Tony quickly became close friends.
They sat next to each other in class, shared lunches in the cafeteria, and even studied together. They bonded over their shared love of reading and music. They were paired together in class.
Ariana felt like she could truly be herself around Tony and he made her laugh like no one else could.
Soon, the other students began to see them as a pair. and some even joked that they were a couple. But Ariana and Tony knew they were just friends, and they were perfectly happy with that, or… could there be a slight change in it all? Who knows?
One day, as they were walking out of class together, Tony turned to Ariana smiling gleefully, and asked, "Would you like to go to the movies with me this weekend?"
Ariana felt her heart leap in her chest. She had never been asked out on a date before, and she didn't know how to respond.
She knew she liked Tony, but she felt insecure, she was scared that her acne would make her too unattractive for him.
"I-I'm not sure," she stammered, avoiding eye contact. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
Tony's face fell, and Ariana felt bad like she had just crushed his hopes.
"I understand," he said, his voice sounding a bit hurt. "We can just keep being friends."
"I'm sorry," Ariana said, feeling awful. "It's not that I don't want to go out with you. It's just that..." She trailed off, unsure how to explain her insecurity about her acne.
Tony waited patiently for her to finish, and when she didn't, he said, "It's okay, Ariana. We can talk about it when you're ready."
Ariana went home after, She felt like she was carrying a weight on her shoulders.
She felt bad for rejecting his invitation, but she was too scared to tell him the real reason why.
She had never been comfortable with her appearance, and the thought of going on a date made her feel even more insecure.
Later that night, as Ariana lay in bed, She couldn't stop thinking about the look on Tony's face when she turned him down. She wished she could explain herself, but she was too afraid. She felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
As the days passed, Ariana and Tony continued to act like they normally do, but there was an unspoken tension between them.
They no longer talked as much in class, and they didn't eat lunch together anymore. Ariana missed the way they were close, but she was too scared to make things right.
One day, as she was walking out of the school library, she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw Tong standing there, his hands in his pockets.
"Hey," his voice sounding a bit nervous. "Can we talk?"
Ariana hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. "Sure," trying to sound casual. "What's up?"
"I know something's been bothering you," Tony said, looking at her intently. "You've been quiet lately, and I think it has something to do with what I said the other day. I just want to know what's going on, so we can work it out."
Ariana felt her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she couldn't keep avoiding this conversation.
"I'm just worried that..." she began, before trailing off.
"You're worried that I won't like you if I see your acne up close?" Tony asked, finishing her sentence for her.
Ariana looked down at her feet, unable to meet his gaze. "I guess so," she said quietly. "I know it's stupid, but I just feel so insecure about it, I feel unattractive ..."
"It's not stupid, I get that it's a sensitive issue. But I just want you to know that I like you for who you are, acne or no acne. I don't care about your appearance. I just care about your personality."
Hearing what Tony said, Ariana looked up in his eyes, her eyes teary "Thanks," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "That means a lot to me."
"You're welcome," he said, giving her a warm smile. "And I hope you know that you can always talk to me about anything, no matter how big or small it is."
A small smile began to spread across Ariana's face. "I know, and I appreciate that."
They stood there for a moment, just smiling at each other until Ariana spoke up again.
"So, I know I turned down your invitation to the movies," she spoke, her voice quiet but steady. "But maybe we could go another time?"
His eyes lit up. "I'd like that," he had a grin spreading across his face. "How about this weekend?"
"That sounds great," Ariana said, feeling relieved that things were back to normal between them. "I'm looking forward to it."
As She turned to leave she felt a light touch on her hand.
Ariana turned to find Tony holding onto her wrist, his eyes full of emotion.
"Wait," he said, his voice soft and gentle. "Before you go, I just want to say..."
He paused as if he were searching for the right words. Ariana stood still, curiously waiting for him to continue.
"You're a really special person to me, Ariana," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I feel lucky to have you with me."
Ariana felt her heart flutter as he spoke.
His gaze was fixed on Ariana's eyes, his expression unreadable. Slowly, he leaned in closer, his breath soft on her cheek. Ariana's heart was racing, and she felt frozen in place. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she knew that it was something special.
"Ariana," he called her name, his voice barely audible. "I just wanted to say that..."
But before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden loud noise coming from the other side of the room making Ariana avert her gaze from him.
"Damn it!." Tony cursed under his breath, he felt a little anger surge into him for being distracted by the noise.
They turned to see what was going on and found a group of students making a ruckus.
But soon enough, as the noise died down, he found himself unable to look away from Ariana.
She was staring back at him, her eyes wide and her face flushed.
"Ariana," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "I just wanted to say that I..."
His words got caught in his throat again like a lump, and he hesitated for a moment.
Gathering all his courage, he finally said what had been on his mind, "I think I'm falling in love with you."
Ariana's eyes widened, shocked as her heart skipped a beat, her face flushed red and her stomach full of butterflies.
For a moment, there was silence between them. Then, slowly, Ariana reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
"I think I am also falling in love with you," she whispered, between her breaths, her voice barely audible.
Their lips met in a gentle kiss, and for a moment, the world around them faded away. All that mattered was the feeling of being together, of being in love.
They remained close, feeling the warmth radiating from their bodies, from the touch of their lips coming together, when the sound of the bell ringing brought them back to reality.
They finally pulled away from each other, their eyes still locked on each other.
As the bell continued to ring, they knew they had to for their next classes. He gave her a gentle, warm smile, turning to leave, Ariana reached out and took Tony's hand.
"We'll talk later today, okay?" she gave him a small smile.
"Yeah," Tony said, returning the smile. "I'll see you later."
They shared one last look before going their separate ways.
As they walked down the hallway, they both knew that their lives had been changed forever.