Her legs appear to be feeling better as a result of the painkillers and ice pack. She has the foresight to pack additional clothes. When she awoke, she was surrounded by sweets and flowers. Students have left friendly messages wishing her well. Her attention is drawn to one note in particular.

"It breaks my heart to see my Ariel lying on the bed. Please take care of yourself. Eric will be unable to forgive himself if something awful happens to Ariel."

There's just one person in her life who calls her Ariel. So she couldn't help but giggle, her heart tingling at how much he cared for her. She shakes her head as she slowly rises from the bed.

"How are you now?" That almost frightened her. She touches her heart, glaring playfully at Fiona, the nurse.

"Oh, my God! Fiona!!! Do not scare me like that."

Fiona smiles at her. When she gazed at her physique, her expression became more anxious. Adrianna may be able to conceal the scars from others, but she cannot hide them from Fiona. She sees clearly through it. Adrianna is suffering so much at her age, which worries her. 

"It is almost time. I heard you have detention." Adrianna nodded, grabbing her belongings. "I'm glad people like you in here." Fiona's voice causes her to halt what she's doing. She turned to face her motherly figure in her life.

"Oh, Fiona. You understand why he changed. He was not like that before." Fiona sighed and nodded her head.

"I understand. I understand. Still, I can't stop worrying about you."

Adrianna walked to Fiona and hugged her. Fiona hugs her tightly. Adrianna couldn't help smiling. She adores that woman like her own mother. She reminds her of her mother. She feels grateful to this woman. 

"You know I adore you. Right?" Adrianna smiled as she pulled away from Fiona. Fiona pats her shoulder and nods. She looks at the table, where some candy is still lying on the desk.

"Why did you leave them on here?"

Adrianna smiles. "That is for you. Give them to Lucas and Laura." Fiona couldn't help laughing. Adrianna is the only girl who treats her as if she were family. Her kids also adore her. They will be pleased to learn that Adrianna offered them candy. She thought to herself.

"I will see you. Thank you for today." 

"Do take care of yourself."

Adrianna wondered who put the backpack there. It felt heavy with all of the candy from the students. She wonders what would happen if she was admitted to a hospital. These students are insane. She bumped across a few classmates on her route to detention.

"Good luck with your first detention."

"Are you okay now?"

"Glad to see you are doing well, Adrianna."

When she approached the detention room, a strong arm was placed over her shoulder. She looked up and saw Daniel's lovely smile. 

"Hey, Ariel."

Adrianna shoved him off of her and gave him an annoyed look. "Stop calling me Ariel." Daniel smirks at Adrianna.

"Why? I enjoy calling you Ariel. It gives the impression that we have something intriguing." He wiggles his brows playfully. She scrunched up her nose with disdain. Only he would make anything linked to something nasty.

"You disgust me."

"Oh, I love you too." Adrianna groans. She turned to reprimand Daniel as she smashed into someone's body. 

"Ow. Crap! Did I just hit a rock?" She almost shouted.

She overheard someone clearing their throat. Daniel began wheezing, grasping his stomach. That was when she knew who she had run into. She has no idea why she keeps running into this guy recently. It seems unbelievable. She felt bad for calling him out like that. After all, she owes him her being alive. She opens her mouth to apologize, when Cedric walks in, ignoring them.

"Please tell me he's not mad at me." She whispered.

Daniel leaned in. He rested his hand on her shoulders. "I think he is." He smirked as he noticed her face following Cedric into the detention room. She peers ahead, astonished.

"Are you going to wait there forever Miss Adrianna?" 

Mr. Yohan the detention teacher's voice rang out for her. She hurriedly entered, taking a seat in the center of the detention area.

She glances around the room and realizes it's nothing like she expected. The walls are adorned with student drawings. It's difficult to look away from this vibrant scene. Her jaw dropped when she realized that the two couples were too preoccupied licking each other's faces to care about anyone else in the room. What type of detention room is this? She couldn't help but speak aloud. Loud enough that others can hear.

"Welcome to hell, Ariel." 

She turned to face the voice that was staring at her with that silly smile. She glares at him. How can he make a joke at this time? She shakes her head, turning to welcome Mr. Yohan, their Korean teacher, who appears to vanish from where he was sitting before. She looked about in confusion. Daniel laughed loudly, capturing her attention.

"While you were staring at the detention room, he left. He only comes here to record our attendance." Cedric put his backpack over his shoulder while Daniel approached Adrianna. He dragged her up.

"Come on, Ariel. It is time to leave."

"But-"

"Trust me. Nobody cares what happens there. As long as you get back on time." She debated whether to trust them or remain with the couples in the back seats. The latter didn't seem like the best alternative, so she agreed to go with the first.

They all spotted the parking lot. She keeps staring around like a lost puppy, not knowing what to do. Daniel laughed and told her to get inside Cedric's car. She climbed into the back seat.

"How many times did you guys get detention?"

"Wrong question. That's like our homeroom." 

"Oh, God. Max is going to murder me if he finds out." She groans and hides her face between her hands.

"Max? Do you mean Maximilian?

"Yeah. My cousin."

"What?" Daniel shouts. Then silent fell. "You shithead, how come you didn't realize it was his house you went to yesterday?" Daniel hits the dashboard hard. Adrianna almost leaped out of the car. 

Cedric shook his head, staring at his foolish pal. Adrianna didn't say anything for the entire ride, and the guys assumed she'd fallen asleep, but to their surprise, she was reading a book. Daniel grew curious. He adores literature.

"What are you reading, Ariel?"

Adrianna did not seem to hear him. He furrows his brows. He felt sad. He assumed she was ignoring him.

"I think she's wearing headphones." 

Cedric parked near a restaurant. Adrianna didn't seem to be bothered by what was going on around her. Daniel dashed inside the restaurant, while Cedric stared at Adrianna from across the car. She appears so calm while she reads the book. She smiled the whole time. Then she abruptly began cursing beneath her breath. Cedric couldn't help but laugh. She looked up as if realizing they had stopped moving, to meet ocean-blue eyes. He then flashed her a smile. She became scarlet. No one has ever looked at her in the same way Cedric does. Her heart began racing quickly. It's almost difficult to breathe. He looks a lot better when he smiles.

"Why didn't you call me?" 

"You look peaceful the way you were." He offered her a hand, which she gratefully accepted. When she notices the familiar surroundings, they both enter the restaurant. She heard her name being called as she entered.

"Ari! Oh, my God! I miss you so much." A girl with blond hair dressed as a waiter approached Adrianna, hugging her to death.

Adrianna whimpered, "Evelyn, I can't breathe."

"Oops. I am sorry." Evelyn apologized, drawing away. She looks up and down at the person next to her. Her eyes widen as Daniel shouts out to them.

"Are you guys dating?" She inquired excitedly. Cedric looks at Adrianna, who stares at him for a moment before averting eye contact. The prospect of dating him seemed unreal, and she wondered what it would be like to date him.

"Hahaha, I guess not." Evelyn produced an uneasy laugh. "Let's go. It's on me today." She drags Adrianna near a table, with two guys following suit.

"So tell me, how do you know each other?"

"We were childhood friends with her sister." Evelyn nods to acknowledge Cedric's response. She thought something was odd about the way he said it. Daniel seemed unhappy all of a sudden. Evelyn's cheery smile also faded. Adrianna knew better than to push it any further, so she tried to change the subject instead. 

"What are you planning to order?" 

"I'd like to have a chocolate smoothie with extra cream and a double chicken hamburger. Plus chips." Adrianna informed Evelyn.

Daniel seemed amused by her taste and hunger. She consumes an excessive amount of food for a female. Cedric, on the other hand, glances at her blankly.

"Noted. How about you, two gentlemen? " Evelyn waited one minute and two seconds to hear Cedric's voice.

"I'll have the same." 

"Okay." Evelyn gave a knowing smirk. "You?" Daniel thought about it and nodded. "I will have the same except I want a Strawberry smoothie instead of Chocolate." Evelyn salutes and turns to collect their commands.

When the meal arrives, Daniel stops them from eating it all. Cedric raised his eyebrows at his friend. Daniel swatted his arm. This earns him a glare.

"What the fxxk! Dude, let me have my meal." He looks at his watch. They just had thirty minutes left to return. 

"We are running out of time."

"Okay. Okay. Here is the deal. Let's have—" As soon as he removed his hands. Cedric swiftly grabs his plate and takes a bite, leaving Daniel shocked. Adrianna did the same.

"Rico! You ruined my plans. What the heck?" He started whining like a child. Cedric rolled his eyes. Adrianna chuckles.

"We do not have time for that. Eat it fast or we'll be caught."

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Kyle in detention."

Adrianna stopped eating. Cedric noticed how uncomfortable she became hearing his name. Cedric threw Daniel a warning glance to quiet talking, but the moron did not appear to grasp. He kept chatting.

"The shxt head is the reason we are kept in detention today. How come he skipped it instead of coming?"

Cedric kicks him in the shin underneath the table. "Ow! "What the fxxk." Daniel began to complain."You know it's a good thing you are my best friend." Daniel gasped in terror. "Are you saying I'm stupid?" Adrianna relaxes when she sees them bickering.

"FYI, this is also known as skipping," Cedric told his angry friend.

"Do people say 'FYI'?" 

"Yes, I do. Now hurry up." Cedric smacked Daniel on the back of the head. He got up and dusted his jeans. "Time's up. I am leaving." He then turned and looked at Adrianna. "You coming Luv?" Daniel hasn't even started eating his lunch yet, while Cedric and Adrianna have eaten theirs.

"What the-" He looked at them, astounded. "Did you guys inhale your meals? How come you eat so quickly?" Cedric shook his head. "Are you stupid? You just call her a pig." Recognizing his error, he looks at Adrianna with puppy eyes. 

"Shit! I am sorry, Ariel. I did not mean to." Daniel began following Adrianna, who was strolling ahead of them to the parking lot while ignoring him. "Please do not ignore Eric. You know he loves you the most." As dramatic as it seems, Cedric wonders if he truly feels for Adrianna. He stares at his friend, who is sprinting after Adrianna.

"Do not worry. He is not serious about her." Evelyn pats his arm softly. He turned and asked how she knew. "Trust me. I understand you are his best friend. But he will never come between you two." She winked before proceeding to serve others. 

Little did they know that when Daniel has his eyes on her sister, she always had her eyes on Daniel. Cedric was too busy in love with his best friend's sister to notice that his girl best friend is having a crush on his guy best friend. What a twist of fate they had.
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Author's Note:

Hey! Hey! 

I'm back. Sorry that I couldn't update in a few days.

Stay safe and healthy.

Take care!

Claire!