The Psycho Is Innocent | ꪜ

Chapter 2: Larson Styles

Present

         ARIEL WATCHED IN disinterest as he ambled his way into the cafeteria. He stood tall before the doubled doors, brown eyes flickering around the cafeteria as he searched for a familiar red-haired girl. Much like Ariel, a variety of eyes assaulted him from afar, surveying him; flashing him that pitiful look of sympathy which Ariel had been receiving ten folds. This was the one person she expected to have been bombarded with attention seeing as he's Tobias' best friend. Not her. Why her?

When he finally caught sight of her indulged in a ham and cheese sandwich, a small smile slipped on his lips. He sauntered towards her table, dodging the stares that shot through his head, scrutinizing him. In sync, he and Evelyn both approached the table and they acknowledged one another with a nod of the head before both slumping down opposite Ariel who never tore her gaze away from her food. "Hey," Parker breathed out, brushing his black curls away from his eyes before tapping Ariel's shoulder.

She gazed upwards, frowning as she stared back blankly. "Hi," she mumbled with a mouthful of food. "How ya holding up?" He inquired, his hand still lingering on her shoulder as he gave it a comforting squeeze. Her hand fell on top his, "I'm good, I guess, I just wish people would stop staring, they're giving me the urge to poke their eyes out." Parker chuckled softly, his mouth falling into a sympathetic smile, "what about you?" Ariel asked almost dismissively as if the question was mere courtesy.

"I'm not okay. . ." He grumbled as he pursed his lips in a thin line, eyes flickering to the table across the cafeteria where the other baseball players sat minding their own business as they humoured themselves with outdated 'yo mama' jokes. "They act like nothing ever happened. Like their former captain of almost four years isn't rotting in jail."

          He clenched the edge of the table tightly, his pearly white teeth grinding against one another as he seethed underneath his breath. Detecting the shift in atmosphere, Ariel's disinterested gaze lifted towards Parker. She cocked her head to the side, assessing the expression on his face. "Parker," she drawled out, tearing his attention away from the table. When she had his full attention she smiled, "I don't think anyone wants to remember nor discuss the reasoning behind Tobias' arrest."

She agreed with him though—to an extent—unlike other students who would either mumble about it or shoot them sympathetic glances, the baseball team acted like it never happened at all. She brushed it off, initially thinking it was their way of coping until she caught one of his teammates vandalizing Tobias' locker with spraypaint that spelt out the words bloody murderer.

         Ariel always had a crippling suspicion that Tobias' teammates envied him. He was handsome, popular, intelligent and was on the verge of receiving a full-ride scholarship to University, who wouldn't be jealous?

"I'm starting to hate those bastards," Parker's voice dripped with resentment, and before Ariel could reply, a shrilling voice—at least to Ariel's ears—spoke up behind her, "don't we all?" They asked rhetorically. Ariel's eyes narrowed at the sight of the familiar cheerleader standing clad in her cheer outfit, sneakers gliding against the tiled floor anxiously. As if she needed any more reasons to get annoyed today, Lewis Chandler decided to grace her with her presence.

          "Think of Lewis like a thorn on a rose stem. Sure, it may appear as if that's where it belongs but once it's plucked, the beauty of the rose comes out, does it not? When you get the chance to pluck her out of your mind, you'll see the beauty in finally having no choice but to move on from the past, Ariel."

          At the time, she hated Tobias more and more every day. Not because he was annoying, or persistent. But because in all his bluntness lied the truth. Ariel hated when other people were right and she wasn't.