Onbekend(68)

“I don’t think so,” Arianna replied, as they stepped into the crowded hallway, filled with students leaving for the day. “I think I have to go to a formal dinner at nine. You and Tish should come over now before they take me away. Who knows when they’ll let me back again?”

“We do need to catch up, especially about the two cute boys that follow you around like puppy dogs,” Mary Ellen replied, winking at her friend and giving a little play bark. Arianna blushed. There was really no easy way to explain Devin and Turner without telling her everything about her time at her grandfather’s house.

“Arianna,” a male voice yelled from behind as Arianna and Mary Ellen walked to their lockers. Both stopped in surprise to find Chris Sherwood pushing his way through the crowd of students while yelling Arianna’s name. Arianna had never talked to the captain of the basketball team before.

Mary Ellen giggled at the shock in Arianna face.

“Are you guys coming to our game tonight?” he asked, finally making it close enough to them to talk in a normal voice without shouting.

“I don’t know. I just got back from a trip. I don’t know what my aunt and uncle will say,” Arianna replied.

“Well, we would love to have you there,” he said, as more team members joined him. “What about the dark haired guy that was with you today? Does he play?” Chris looked around for Turner.

“He had to leave a little early,” Arianna explained.

“Talk to your aunt and uncle,” Chris added, turning to the person who was yelling his name down the hall. “We definitely would win if you were there.” Chris grinned and weaved his way back through the students.

“Uh huh,” Mary Ellen replied, watching him walk away with a dreamy expression on her face.





TWENTY-TWO




Arianna sat in silence as Molina drove the three girls back to her aunt and uncle’s diner. She listened to her friends talk about boys, mainly, and being invited to the basketball game by the captain of the team. Everything seemed so normal; it was like the last week had never happened. As her friends ran upstairs, Arianna went to the kitchen to get snacks.

“Lou?” Arianna asked cautiously, smelling the distinct smell of night humans all over the kitchen.

“Little one,” Arianna heard Lou’s hearty voice deep within the kitchen. Arianna weaved between everyone set on their tasks, preparing for the evening rush. The middle-aged man with the long, dark ponytail and mustache was at his normal position in the middle of the chaos. “You couldn’t survive without me, could ya’ now?”

Arianna felt her hesitation melt away as a smile crept over her face. So much had changed, but everything in the kitchen was the same. Captain Lou reached down and gave Arianna a bear hug.

“I was contemplating moving, but I figured, what would Dean and Lilly do without me? Are they at least feeding you right at Lord Randolph’s?” he asked.

Arianna nodded. In more ways than one, she wanted to say, but remained silent. It was still too awkward to discuss her new life with everyone that was so familiar with her old life. The kitchen staff must have all known who she was all along, but she just didn’t want the old familiar feelings to change.

“Chili cheese fries then?” Lou asked. “Mary Ellen and Tish are with you, right?”

“Yep,” Arianna replied, remembering her friends. She hadn’t even found a way to tell them what was going on, and they were waiting upstairs to bombard her with questions.

“We’ll have those ready in a minute.” Lou smiled and patted Arianna’s head as he had done since she was a small child. Only Lou could get away with still treating her like a kid. Arianna looked one more time around the kitchen. Her better senses could pick up the subtle differences in the people shifting from one work station to another. As much as she wanted everything to stay the same, it was now different.

“You better get up to the girls,” Lou commented as Arianna paused.

“But,” Arianna didn’t know how to explain her dilemma to Lou.

“Everything is back to normal now, right?” Lou asked. He always read Arianna’s expressions perfectly.

“If you don’t count the people that now constantly follow me around. How do I explain them to my friends?”

“It’s probably easier than you think. You like to overanalyze everything. Do you honestly think Mary Ellen and Tish will ever see you as anything other than their best friend?” Lou began to push Arianna towards the staircase.

“But,” Arianna wanted to complain more.

“They know more than you think,” Lou added, as they reached the door.