The start of a new semester smells better than its end. Aris loves this smell. It doesn't just feel fresh; it feels cleaner. The school hallways don't yet smell like a monkey house, but by the end of the day, it probably will. People here have no dignity.
She walks into her first period calmly. Everyone knows she'll be late, and they won't mind. In some classes, she's the class clown. Outside of that, she's a well-respected senior because she's kind. Basically, she's popular for her kindness and sense of humor. This reputation is easy for her to keep, with few downsides—like when she takes jokes too far, which gets her in trouble. But now she knows where to draw the line.
She salutes her teacher as soon as he acknowledges her. "Hello, sir! How are you today?" she says in a playful tone. "Nice timing, Aris. I think you might be a bit early," he replies, smiling. He's a cool teacher and doesn't mind her antics.
Aris glances at her watch and responds, "Oh? Right! Sorry about that! I'll just come back two hours later." She turns as if to leave again, still in character. Her teacher then laughs along with the rest of the class, who had been holding in their laughter.
It's that easy to make people laugh.
She giggles as she plops down in her seat. She's sitting at the back next to her best friend, Scarlett Sanders.
Scarlett is buried in her chemistry book, completely unaware of the earlier commotion. Aris notices Scarlett wearing earbuds, which means she didn't hear a thing.
Aris gently taps Scarlett's shoulder. Scarlett jumps like she's just woken up. Aris laughs—she's the only one who can make her laugh genuinely.
"What the hell?" Scarlett says as she takes out her earbuds. "When did you get here?"
"Chill, I just arrived," Aris replies with a grin. "No way you were so focused that you didn't notice me. Everyone else did."
"Was it because you made an entrance again?" Scarlett asks, rolling her eyes. Aris nods, feeling slightly guilty. Scarlett doesn't really like it when Aris makes a scene. She gets it; nobody would want to be friends with someone who disrupts class. But there's one thing Aris has never told Scarlett—the real reason behind her jokes and antics. Nobody has ever asked, and she doesn't want anyone to.
Not everything needs to be shared.
---
When the last bell rings, Aris is the first to jump up, but she has a habit of waiting for others to leave before she does. She isn't sure why she does this, but everyone sees it as a kind gesture. She has learned to accept this as kindness, though a part of her thinks there might be a deeper reason. Who knows? Maybe there is. But for now, she goes with it.
As the final student leaves, she throws her bag over one shoulder and turns to step out when a junior approaches her, grinning. Aris smiles back. She knows what this is about in a second. "No, Amy, don't tell me—" she begins.
"Yes, I'm telling you! You're the one who told me I should go for it!" Amy exclaims.
"True, but I didn't think you'd actually listen! So, did he say yes or not?"
"He… DID!" Amy bursts out, beaming. "Oh my god, that's amazing!" Aris replies.
"I know, right?! I thought I heard him wrong! Anyway, I've got to go. Bye!" Amy says cheerfully as she skips away. " Okay, take care!" Aris calls after her.
Aris lets out a sigh of relief. Dealing with kids like Amy can be tough sometimes. Even if Amy is impatient, Aris still likes her as her favorite junior. She is better than the rest of the juniors. And, apparently, Aris is Amy's favorite senior. In fact, she seems to be everyone's favorite senior. Sometimes, Aris wonders if she'd like herself if she were a junior. The honest answer is yes, of course. The deeper answer? Never. She doesn't know why. Actually, she does. But she just doesn't like to think about the reasons. She tries to avoid overthinking it, as those thoughts frustrate her. Why do those thoughts frustrate her?
"Oh, hey, Airs!"
Aris turns to see her friends gathered in a huddle as they walk toward her. Ugh, not again. She just dealt with one impatient junior, and now she has to deal with her friends. Not that she minds, she loves her friends. And Amy. It's just that they can be annoying sometimes.
"Oh, hey, guys!" Aris replies, smiling. "What's going on?"
"Well, we were looking for you. We're heading to the beach," Flora Jones says from the middle of the group.
Aris doesn't like it when Flora states things like this—like everyone has to agree.
"The beach on the first day of our last semester here?" Aris scoffs, pretending it's the worst idea ever.
"Ugh, trust us, Aris! You're so hard to convince. It'll be fun, okay?" Ashley Miller says, rolling her eyes as she nudges Aris toward the exit of Ironwood High.
"Somehow, I can never trust your definition of fun," Aris replies. "Also, where are Rose and Scarlett? Aren't they coming too?"
"Oh, they said they'd go on their own. We'll meet up there separately."
"Alright then, I'll go on my own, too. I have things to do."
"No way! Just because we're letting them skip out on the together ride, that doesn't mean we're letting you get away with it, too. You are the fun!" Margaret Abbott insists, cutting down any chance Aris had of simply relaxing. No matter how nicely she tries to tell her friends no, they don't get it. And because Aris always puts others first, they see her as a kind and loyal person, someone who wouldn't say no to their happiness.
Do people ever stop to think why she acts this way? Do they see it as true kindness? Does she do it because she wants their praise? Even she doesn't know why she behaves this way. Why is she kind and humble?
Why is she so kind to others but not to them?
Actually, who are "they," anyway?
Before she could think too much about it, she realized she had been swept into Margaret's car, wedged in the middle of the backseat. When did that happen? If she moved, wouldn't she have noticed, wouldn't she have felt it?
"What the heck?" Aris exclaims, surprised rather than angry. "When did you all teleport me here?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? You came here on your own!" Margaret says, grinning as she starts to drive.
"What? No! When?" Aris asks, genuinely confused but still smiling. Does she ever stop smiling?
"Oh my god, Mar, she actually doesn't remember. Can you believe it?" Ashley exclaims from the front seat as she puts on sunscreen. Aris has always admired Ashley's unique skin tone. Doesn't having a brown friend mean she's not racist?
The car bursts into laughter. Aris doesn't laugh. She smiles. Wait, why are they laughing again? What was the joke? Whatever, the joke is finished, so there's no point in trying to understand and join in.
Ugh, stop losing track of things, Aris.
Aris looks around the car. There are Margaret and Ashley in the front, and Flora, Stella Acosta, and herself in the back. Wait, when did Stella come with them? Aris probably didn't notice her because of her height, shorter than the rest of the girls in their class. She used to get bullied for that long ago, right? Before Aris let her join her friend group? Some people told Aris that she was like the wind, picking up flowers from the ground the way she picks up people and brings them joy. That's a compliment tho, right? Yes, it has to be.
What would that comment have meant if it wasn't a compliment?