~ Ariel's Outfit Above ~

Ariel's POV

For the past three months, Kian and I have been secretly hanging out almost every day before and after school, mostly at his house tho. I didn't want him to come to my house and risk him staying too long and being there when my dad got home. With the guys still bullying me at school, I didn't want Kian to know what was going on at my house between me and my dad.

Kian knowing would just make everything worse,

At home and at school.

"Hello. Earth to Ariel." I heard a voice call out, making me snap back into reality. I was at school standing in front of my locker with Julia hovering over me like usual as she waited for me so we could walk to lunch together.

"Sorry," I replied looking at her, my hand on my locker door ready to close it, "What did you say?" I asked closing my locker.

"I asked you when I get to meet your boyfriend." She repeated leaning her side against the locker. I sighed at her doing the same thing with my body. Julia had been suspecting for a month that I was seeing someone.

Every time she asked, I denied it.

"For the millionth time, I'm not dating anyone," I told her, keeping the truth a secret.

"Oh come on Ariel." She said crossing her arms in front of her chest, "It's not like I don't see you texting all the time when we're hanging out." She commented. I sighed at her and looked down shaking my head trying to come up with an excuse for me texting Kian.

"Julia-" I began to say as I flickered my eyes at her, but she cut me off by saying.

"Unless someone in your family is in the hospital, you shouldn't be texting that much." I stared at her with a blank face. She raised her eyebrow at me waiting for me to admit I had a boyfriend, but I couldn't

Kian and I were keeping us a secret.

For how much longer? I didn't know.

"Julia there's no boyfriend." I lied telling her calmly after a couple minutes of silence, "Promise."

"Okay." She sighed shrugging her shoulder. I smiled at her and she grinned back, "Ready to go to lunch?" She asked gesturing toward the hallway behind her. I nodded and we started walking to the lunch room.

Not even halfway there, I heard Julia's phone beep. I glanced at her as she pulled out her phone and looked at it. Almost immediately she stopped walking, smiling down at her phone. I sighed knowing who just texted her.

"Speaking of boyfriends," I commented letting out a little chuckle as I crossed my arms in front of my chest. I watched as she quickly texted Caleb back, "You ditching me?" I asked already knowing the answer was yes. Her eyes flickered as she smiled guiltily.

"Caleb asked me to meet-" She began, but I cut her off before she could even finish her sentence.

"Go," I told her, "I'll just sit with Adam and his friends," I said referring to who I was gonna sit with at lunch if she went to meet Caleb.

"Okay," She smiled, "Um I'll see you later in Bio." She said to me walking backward, then turned around running down the hallway we just walked down. I watched as she disappeared through the double doors at the end of the hall. Once she was out of sight, I turned back around and began walking to lunch again.

Now by myself.

I walked past a few classrooms before I spotted the cafeteria.

As I walked past the janitor's closet, I heard the door open and felt someone grab my arm pulling me into the closet. I screamed as they yanked me in, then closing the door. The light turned on and I saw Kian standing in front of me, smiling down at me.

"Kian!" I yelled smacking him in the arm, "You scared the crap out of me!" He just laughed at me, then kissed me. A moment or two later, he pulled away looking at me with a smile and sliding his hands down, wrapping his arms around my waist. I smiled back at him pulling my arms around his neck as he pulled me closer.

"I missed you over Christmas break." Kian finally said, "I wish I could have stayed here. been with you." He added, making me giggle.

"We texted the whole time you were in Hawaii." I reminded him, "We even Facetimed." I added.

"It's not the same as seeing your beautiful face in person." He replied making me giggle, my cheeks blushing, "So when can we exchange Christmas presents?" Kian asked.

"Kian, it's January 9th." I told him, "Christmas is long over." He just shrugged at me, then said.

"I don't care. I'm still wanna give you your Christmas present." I grinned at him, then he added, "I can come by to your place tonight to give it to you?" He said questioning. My smile quickly faded when he said that.

I didn't want him to come over to my house with my dad home!

"What about we get together before school tomorrow?" I asked. He raised his eyebrow at me, "I'm hanging out with Julia tonight," I added lying. Kian nodded understanding.

"Yeah. Sure."

"Great," I said grinning at him, slipping my hands off his shoulder. He glanced at my hands, then looked at me confused as I said explaining my action, "You should get to lunch before the guys start wondering where you are." Kian nodded agreeing, then a smile pierced through my lips and I kissed him on the check.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," I whispered, then quickly left the janitor's closet closing the door behind me and began walking down the hallway to the cafeteria.

* * * * *

Kian's POV

I watched curiously as Ariel quickly left the janitor's closet closing the door behind her, leaving me alone.

What the hell was that about? I thought to myself.

I just shrugged it off, then stood there in the dark for a moment before deciding it was probably safe to leave and opened the closet door. I slipped out and closed the door behind me, glancing down the hallway seeing Ariel walking to the lunch room and smiled to myself.

"Kian?"

I heard a familiar voice say and froze in place, then slowly turned around, facing-

"Connor," I spoke staring at one of my best friends. He stared back at me, then his eyebrow raised almost like he caught a little kid doing something bad, "Hi."

"Did I just see Ariel?" He questioned, crossing his arms in front of his chest and leaning back on his left foot.

"No," I answered a little too quickly, shaking my head. That just made Connor more suspicious, giving me a weird look as if to tell me that he didn't buy that I was saying, which was probably true. He stared at me for a moment, making me nervous.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." I replied, then glanced down the hallway toward the lunch room before turning back to him, "I gotta go." I quickly said, then spun around and speed walked down to the cafe, feeling Connor's eyes on the back the whole time.

I was an idiot for thinking Connor was that stupid.

I knew he saw me come out after Ariel, which means-

He knew about us.