章 6: Their Friendship

"Arianna, just because I covered up for you the last time doesn't mean you can take advantage of my...." Mimi, who had strode over to Arianna intending to give her a piece of her mind, halted in her tracks as soon as her eyes landed on her.

"Holy mother of God," Mimi cursed as soon as her gaze landed on Arianna's face. The girl might have covered her red eyes with makeup but Mimi was her best friend and could see through the disguise.

She grabbed Arianna and pulled her into the back room, away from the customer's eyes and the annoying boss.

"Did that witch and her daughter hurt you again?" Mimi asked in concern.

Arianna simply nodded. She was mentally and physically tired to say a word; remembering what happened this morning was like a sword piercing through her heart.

"Gosh," Mimi exhaled angrily through her nose and clasped her face in her palm, "How could they do that to this pretty face?"

Arianna smiled at her, feeling better. Mimi was her best friend and one of the few people who helped keep her sane throughout her ordeal.

They had met the first time her uncle took her to this city after her father's death. Arianna became withdrawn and quiet after her father's death and when her uncle put her in the new school, she talked to no one.

But her silence was short-lived. Hardly had she sat down, Mimi turned to her and introduced herself, displaying those perfect white teeth - that still gleamed till now. As expected, Arianna ignored her, expecting her to move along like the others she snubbed, but Mimi did the opposite. She went ahead to talk about herself, her hobbies and all, that if it wasn't for the teacher's presence, the girl would have talked on.

As soon as class was over, Arianna left the class without a word to Mimi but the girl persisted and followed after her, still talking. Her unappreciated discussion irritated Arianna so much, couldn't the annoying fly understand the fact she needed no one.

And then, Arianna pushed her.

Mimi staggered back, knocking into the lockers and drawing attention from the crowd of students in the hallway. Arianna hated their stare, she was not a circus, why were they staring at her that way?

Then she wanted to hide away from their stare. She didn't their pity! Their sympathy! The daughter of a mogul suddenly becomes an orphan! She didn't need their fake compassion! She had seen enough of that at her father's burial!

Arianna stood, attempting to hide away from their prying eyes when she received a hard shove causing her to fall to the ground on her bum. Then she looked, it was that girl again and the crowd was cheering her on. Something snapped inside of her at that moment. It was that girl's fault, the reason the crowd were pitying her.

Without warning and with great speed, Arianna tackled the annoying girl to the ground and they began to fight as the students cheered them on. They clawed at each other, grabbed and pulled on the hairs, and shouted at their faces until the teachers arrived and separated the both of them.

The both of them got detention which was quite a shame to Arianna since this was her first day at school. She'd probably be tagged a trouble maker from now on. None of them talked to each other at detention till it was time to go home and that was where the strange part began.

It wasn't hard for Arianna to find her uncle's place since she had been here a couple of times before her father died. So she trekked back home with that annoying girl who she had come to know as Mimi stalking her.

It was very annoying to Arianna because, with each step she took, Mimi took one as well; when she slows or increases her pace, Mimi does the same. It vexed her, the girl was taunting her.

"Why are you stalking me?!" She fired at last, unable to stand the girl anymore.

"So you can talk? I thought you were mute," Mimi smirked at her and that gesture infuriated Arianna the most.

Why was she happy? Was she laughing at her because she's an orphan?

Arianna's gaze hardened, "Follow me again and I'll break your leg," she threatened her.

However, Mimi snorted, "Who's following you? I live down the street and what do you mean you will break my leg? I purposely held back my strength earlier, so don't tempt me," She lifted her chin in a show of dominance.

Although Arianna was sure of her strength, she didn't want to test her luck either. Moreover, it would do her no good fighting on the street. So she ignored Mimi and went her way.

Arianna was surprised when Mimi eventually stopped by a bungalow that was just a few blocks away from her uncle's place. So the girl had not been bluffing as she thought.

Mimi turned to her one last as if expecting her to say goodbye or something. Was she crazy? Why would she say goodbye to that crazy girl?

"What are you looking at now?!" Arianna hollered, when in reality she was the one standing and staring at her. At once, Arianna left for her place while telling herself she did a good job by not waving goodbye.

That night was the first time her aunt laid a hand on her and the beginning of her misery. When her father had been alive, her aunt treated her so well - even more than her daughter Claudia - each time they visited. Who knew that was a pretense all along and she had only been sucking up to her father. Her aunt received report of her detention and took it upon herself to discipline her.

The next day, Arianna was ready to go to school with the painful whips from last night only to stumble upon Mimi outside her place and she had something in her hand.

"My mom heard about what happened and scolded me. She made me bake this as an apology. So can we be friends now?" was all Mimi said.

Just a scold? Mimi sneered inside. She received a serious whipping from her aunt. Arianna wanted to avenge herself and make Mimi feel her pain. What it felt like not to have a mother nor father. But then, the offer of friendship was alluring - she was tired of being lonely.

Fine, she would accept the friendship and in the long run, have her revenge, Arianna decided as she accepted the cake from Mimi. Hence, what started as a little revenge plan blossomed into a wonderful friendship to date.