Continued...
Fiery, indignant eyes met mine.
"Aria?!" I gasped.
"Rose?!" she shrieked, still rubbing her head. "What the hell was that for?!"
"I could have killed you!" I clutched my chest. "What are you even doing here?!"
We were both yelling like hyperactive children.
Aria groaned dramatically. "I told you I'd see you at home after you went to Aspen's office, remember?" She paused, waiting for the inevitable oh yeah! moment.
It didn't come.
She huffed. "Of course, you don't. I came straight here, and Jake let me in before he left. By the way, who the hell goes straight for the kill when someone breaks into their house?! That's a bit much, Ro, don't you think?" She shot me a disapproving look.
I shrugged. "Not if you hate them."
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she stepped closer. "Who are you talking about?"
"No one…" I backpedaled, voice a little too high-pitched.
Aria didn't look convinced, but before she could interrogate me, she winced and checked her head for bleeding.
It wasn't, thankfully.
"Oh, and Aria—" I leaned forward, waiting until I had her full attention. "You didn't tell me anything!" I yelled.
"Oops. My bad." She giggled, completely unfazed.
And that was Aria for you.
I sighed and grabbed an ice pack for her, handing it over. It was technically her fault for not warning me, but I had gone a little overboard with the whole attack thing.
We spent the rest of the evening curled up on the couch, munching on chips and watching The Notebook. Well, I watched it. Aria spent half the movie ugly-crying into a pile of tissues.
When the credits rolled, she let out a dramatic sniffle and stretched. "It's late, babe. I should get going before my mom kills me. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
I groaned as I untangled my legs, still half-asleep. "Fine. But please be on time tomorrow, Aria."
She laughed, giving me a quick hug before heading for the door. She didn't answer.
Which meant she'd definitely be late.
I sighed, already accepting my fate, when Aria gasped and spun around so fast she almost tripped over herself.
"Oh my God, I completely forgot to tell you!" she shrieked.
I blinked. "Tell me what?"
She grabbed my arms, practically vibrating with excitement. "Homecoming is next month! And you're going with me."
I frowned. "Aria, don't you think it's a bit early to decide if we're even going? Let alone who we're going with?"
Aria ignored me. "You have to go. No arguments."
I sighed. Aria had a long history of forcing me into events. She had literally traveled all the way to my old town to drag me to prom—twice.
"Besides," I tried, "I'm behind on lectures. I'll probably be too busy to—"
"Oh, Rosie, darling," Aria cooed, cutting me off with a sickly sweet smile that sent a shiver down my spine.
"I think you misunderstood me," she said, voice slow, calculated.
"I didn't say you can come with me." Her smile widened into something diabolical.
"I said you are coming with me."
…Well, shit.