My Way To You 268 Dirty Laundry

Lucius lost his smile, his lips pursed making a straight line. They turned white as he applied pressure. He stared down Ariana as he quietly contemplated her words. "I have never heard of that saying. It's very insightful but you said you were adopted. Now you're saying you have forgiven your mother? Who exactly is your mother?" Lucius asked cautiously.

"Do I not look like my mother? I have been told countless times and by numerous people that I am practically the spitting image of my mother! So there should be no doubt to who she is." Ariana said with a huff. Lucius started to blush. He had not seen her mother so he couldn't refute her but it still left a giant hole in her story. "So your mother adopted you?" Lucius asked suspiciously. Ariana screamed on the inside. Some students were starting to trickle in and she didn't want others to overhear their conversation.

She gave Lucius a sweet smile then it hit her. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing after all. She quickly changed her smile to one that showed sorrow as her eyes reflected heart felt pain. Lucius looked at Ariana and felt his heart stop. "She didn't want me in her life at first.... My dad, my dad is someone I have never met and my mother gave up so much for me but.... But in the end we just couldn't be together so I was thrown away. Put up for adoption. My adoptive family didn't even want me but they kept me for cheep labour.... After some time my (adoptive) mother found me." Ariana explained. She looked at Lucius and could see that his heart was hurting.

Her cla.s.smates were still trickling in and the ones who were already settled in were doing their best to listen in. Ariana could see everything coming together perfectly so just need to provide more truths. So with a wicked smile hiding under her mask she continued. "My (adoptive) mother took me home and now we're a family.... I can't speak for my (adoptive) mother but from what she's told me, regret is an awful thing. We can't change the past or dwell in it, we must make new memories with each other instead. Making as many as we can each and every day so we can make up for the mistakes we make in our moments of weakness."

The eavesdropping cla.s.smates started to whisper furiously. Lucius caught some of their words, abandoned, useless, dirty, unwanted. He started to frown as he knitted his brows. "Why are you telling me this? Are you not afraid I will spread this around the Academy? Are you not afraid to tarnish your reputation? Will you not offer me something for my silence instead?" Lucius asked.

Ariana shrugged her indifference. "Why would I care? My mom aired out our dirty laundry already. She wouldn't care if I actually explained our situation. Besides I have more to lose then everyy else since I've already been abandoned once. If I can show my value to my mother and grandmother then I can guarantee my spot within the family and never worry about being tossed aside again."

"Your family is something else." Lucius stated with a disdainful look. "All families have their fair share of problems why should mine be any different?" Ariana asked innocently. More cla.s.smates started to pile in. Lucius saw an opportunity, he just hoped Ariana would catch his hint and play along. "So would you want revenge on your family for what they did to you? There is no way you don't hate your family for all the bad they put you through. If it was me I would resent my family and live how I wanted too." Lucius asked with a loud voice.

Ariana gave Lucius a confused look. Lucius wanted to facepalm himself, he tried to send Ariana a message with his eyes but she was missing everything. "For what?" She asked. "For throwing you away like trash." Lucius said with a high pitched voice. "Oh." Ariana sighed and then shook her head no.

"You have it all wrong. I love my family, if anything were to happen to them because someone was seeking revenge on my behalf, well I would go after the perpetrator and make them wish they were never been born." Ariana said calmly but her smile sent chills down Lucius's back. "Excuse me?" A tiny voice called out from behind Ariana. 

Ariana's facial features softened. She then turned away from Lucius. "I'm sorry! Am I in your way?" Ariana asked as she stepped to the side. A mousy looking girl with big round gla.s.ses looked at Ariana and shook her head no. "No! I'm sorry! So sorry! I didn't mean you were in my way.... I just wanted to know what business you have with Lucius." The mousy girl asked. 

Ariana gave the girl a smile and she couldn't help but remember a very familiar person back home. She placed her hand on the girls head and petted it affectionately. "Nothing back I promise." Ariana replied happily. "Are you sure?" The mousy girl asked. "You're too cute to lie too!" Ariana exclaimed. The mousy girl blushed a deep red then peeked at Lucius. "I was asking why no one wants to talk to me other then my roommates. Apparently I'm too perfect." 

The mousy girl looked back at Ariana with her mouth slightly slacked. Ariana giggled then removed her hand from the mousy girl's head. She put her hands behind her back and blushed slightly at the girl. "You see my past is not pretty. Down right disgusting but I wouldn't change it. It would me changing me and I'm not ready for that. So I was getting pointers on how to be approachable from Lucius. Right Lucius?" Ariana asked as she turned back to see his face.

Lucius's mouth had gone dry. He had seen so many sides of Ariana. She was quick witted, resourceful, courageous and a high level of inner strength.  He couldn't help but smile back. He was already captivated by her physical strength but now he wanted to know more, she was far too interesting.

"That's right so let me be the first in our cla.s.s to shake your hand in friendship." Lucius announced just as the cla.s.s filled up. Lucius stood up and extended his hand. Ariana looked at the hand and then the girl.