The bell rang, signaling the close of the school day. Brenda, chattering excitedly, turned to Arielle. "Why were you acting strange during English class? You were stuttering when Mr. Dave asked you to introduce yourself, and then you looked totally spaced out. That's not like you at all. Was it because of the new style you rocked today?" She rambled on, but paused when she noticed Arielle looking lost.
"Arielle? Arielle!" Brenda shook her lightly. "You good?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just zoned out for a minute," Arielle replied, shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts. "Where's Collin? Let's go home."
"I'm right behind you," Arielle heard Collin's voice as the trio headed out. As usual, they made their way to McDonald's, their post-first-day tradition.
Arielle couldn't ignore the attention she got all day—compliments, side comments, whispers. At first, it was uncomfortable, but eventually, she got used to it.
On their way to Brenda's car, Bowen called out to Arielle. "Hey, you looked really pretty today. What's the occasion?"
"Nothing much," she shrugged, "just the new Arielle."
"Oh, wow," Bowen laughed. He had always liked Arielle and even asked her out during their first year of high school, but she had turned him down. Hearing his compliment now made her uneasy, wondering if he'd try again. After all these years, she still couldn't bring herself to like him in that way. *Maybe it's just me,* she thought, brushing off the feeling.
As they arrived at Brenda's car, Brenda was quick with her pep talk. "Head high, shoulders back, chin up. Feel the vibe, babe!"
Arielle laughed. "Yeah, I feel it." They grabbed some ice cream and donuts before calling it a day.
Brenda dropped Collin off first, then Arielle. "Sleepover at my house this weekend," Brenda announced.
"I don't know, my mom might not agree," Arielle said.
"Remember, we don't do things the 'mom way," we do it the Arielle's way. Brenda reminded her, grinning.
"Right. Fine, your house it is."
"Bye, pumpkin!"
When Arielle got home, she was surprised to find her twin brothers, Jason and Jamie, waiting for her. "Surprise!" they shouted.
"Jason! Jamie!" Arielle ran to hug them. "How have you been, Jamie?" she asked, turning to her favorite of the two.
"Been good, baby sis," Jamie said, using the nickname they'd stuck with since childhood. Jamie was the more outgoing of the two, while Jason was quieter and kept to himself. Despite loving them both, Arielle was closer to Jamie he was practically another best friend, aside from Brenda.
After catching up briefly, Arielle headed to her room. She pulled out her diary, "Arielle's Heart," and began writing:
*Dear diary, something strange happened today. I couldn't keep my cool when I saw the new English teacher. My heart was pounding, and I was completely lost in his eyes. I didn't hear a single word of what he said. I think he noticed I was staring because he looked uncomfortable and averted his gaze. Brenda sensed something was off and asked me, but I couldn't tell her. What's wrong with me? I don't understand. What should I do?*
Exhausted from the day, she drifted off to sleep. An hour later, she was woken by a gentle knock on the door.
"Wakie, wakie," her father, Mr. Jones, called softly as he shook her awake.
Arielle sat up groggily and smiled. "Hi, Daddy. You're back."
"Yes, honey. How was your first day?"
"It was good. Everything went well," Arielle replied, trying to sound upbeat.
"Great. Come down for dinner. Your mom's making a feast to welcome your brothers."
"Okay, Papa." Arielle changed into some comfy clothes and headed downstairs.
Dinner was filled with laughter and warmth, even from Jason, who rarely spoke. Arielle felt an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude for her family.
Life felt good, but something in her heart was stirring, and she wasn't sure what it meant yet.
It was the weekend, and Arielle was excited about her sleepover at Brenda's house.
However,Mrs Jones wasn't keen on the idea. She wanted to spend some time with her daughter instead.
" Arielle , let's have a girl's day ", Mrs Jones suggested . Not today mom Arielle replied firmly .I already made plans with Brenda. It would be rude to cancel last minute. It's only 30 minutes until we're supposed to meet.
Hearing the conversation,Mr Jones stepped in ." Honey ,let her go. It's just one night and it's at Brenda's house, whom we know well. She's an adult now ", he whispered to his wife.
Reluctantly,Mrs Jones agreed to let Arielle go. " Thanks, Mom! Thanks, Dad! You're the best!" Arielle exclaimed, blowing kisses to her parents.
Jamie offered to drop her off, when they arrived they met Brenda waiting on the porch. They hugged each other happily. "Hi, Jamie!" Brenda greeted..
"Hello, Brenda. You two have fun!". he replied before driving off.
Once inside, Brenda shared her plans for the night. " I have so much planned out for our sleepover! First, we'll watch a two-hour
romance movie titled Forever with you'.
I can't wait . Arielle replied, feeling excited.
They settled in with popcorn, experiencing a whirlwind of emotions throughout the film laughing and crying together.
Arielle felt a strong connection to the female lead, who was navigating her first love with the wrong guy. Inspired,they searched online for signs that a guy is in love, and Arielle noted down ideas to use on Dave, hoping to see if he felt the same way.
Brenda then recounted how she lost her first kiss and described her ex- boyfriend as a great kisser, sharing the thrill of their intimate moments.
This made Arielle daydream about her own first kiss with Dave , who lips matched the description she had read online.
The night was filled with excitement, as Arielle couldn't wait to experience all of this with the guy her heart longed for.
Arielle and Brenda eventually drifted off to sleep peacefully, feeling content and happy from the night's activities.