Chapter 39

At least no one bothers me anymore. Ariel sat down for lunch with a bento box Jade had prepared before he left. Only a few of these left, though; I don't know when he had a chance to make them. She opened it to find seasoned rice with chicken and vegetables, a small brownie for dessert, and a spiced bean salad on the side.

"Oh, look, you have another fancy lunch." Andy sat down across from her. "But I couldn't help but notice Jade's been absent for a while. It was him making them, right?"

"Right." Ariel slowly ate, picking at her food as she thought about him.

"Judging by the look on your face, he's not coming back. He did say he was leaving... Any chance you want to share?" Andy rubbed his belly.

"Why are you here this time and not with your girlfriend? I refuse to play whatever little game you lot have going on this time."

"No game. The girls were curious about what happened to Jade, and I saw your fancy lunch."

"He left; that's all anyone here needs to know."

Andy nodded. "I'm sorry, by the way, for the way the girls act. For not stopping them. And for letting people make up all sorts of rumours over me eating your food."

Ariel nodded and kept eating. "Means you should stay away from other's food."

"But all I have is a sandwich again." He held up his brown paper bag.

"Which you should eat with your girlfriend."

"Actually, they're all hiding around the corner, wondering if they can sit with you."

Ariel froze. "Excuse me? I think I need to have my ears checked. Did you just say they were wondering if they could sit with me?"

"Yup, that's what I said."

"Why in the world would they want to? And after what they put me through, why would I want to sit with them? I'd rather not have to see them again; it's bad enough I have to deal with them in class still."

"Whoa!" Andy held up his hands. "I'm just the messenger. My best guess is they feel bad, and they're wondering about Jade. You might not expect it, but he gained a lot of respect and popularity in his short time here."

"That doesn't surprise me at all. Jade is awesome, and I doubt we'll ever meet someone like him again."

"So you're really not going to see him again?"

It's impossible. Ariel sighed and kept eating.

"Damn." Andy leant back and shook his head. "What's with the one-eighty? He was your protector, and now you're alone again?"

Ariel glared at him.

"Insensitive comment. I'm sorry. But he popped in out of nowhere and vanished just as fast. Can't help but speculate about him. Like, was he some sort of operative that only came in to stop the crazies— Ahem, I mean, the ones bullying you?"

"Did you just admit how horrible your girlfriend and friends are?"

"Yes? I can't control them—"

"But you also didn't try to help, like all the rest of these people. Look, Jade is gone, and he's not coming back." No matter how much I wish he would. "So, could you do me a favour and leave me alone? And while you're at it, can you stop mentioning Jade?" She gritted her teeth and stared at her food, worried she'd cry if she let it get to her too much. I thought I was done with the tears. I wish I was done with them.

Andy nodded. "You're right about that, and I don't blame you for your anger or resentment towards them. I would've loved some food, but I think I'll relay the message to them. I'll see you around, Ariel, and I'll try not to bother you too much." He tapped on the table and left.

Unable to help herself, she glanced over and saw the girls waiting for him. Jade is a mastermind if he got Janice to change her tune so much. Wonder if he used magic. She played with her necklaces and stared at the bindrune. What did he say these were again? Gebo and Eihwaz?

"Ego te semper amare." His words rang through her mind again. So far, she'd been too afraid to look it up, but she wanted to know. Every time she looked at the necklace, she thought about those words.

I have to know.

Ariel sat at her computer with a search engine open. I can do this. I should do this. Conner would say it's a part of the healing process, right? She typed in 'Ego te semper amare' and her hand hung in the air over enter. Maybe after supper.

She headed to the kitchen, opened the fridge door, and pulled out another one of Jade's pre-made meals. Homemade microwave meals. Way better than the frozen ones; it'll be hard to go back.

"Oh no, that looks like the last one."

Ariel jumped, nearly dropping the container as she turned to Conner. "Geez, when did you get here? I didn't hear you at all."

"While you were upstairs. A bit concerning, you didn't hear the front door."

"Aren't you early? And since when are you allowed to leave early?"

"Since I need to make sure I get to savour this food." He snatched the container from her, pulled the lid off, and popped it into the microwave. "I can't believe we're eating the last one already."

"I don't even know when he had the time to make all of this."

"While you were moping in your room, he kept himself busy."

"I thought he was busy with preparations to leave..."

"As if he wasn't thinking about you the whole time. Sorry."

Beep, beep, beep. The microwave went off.

Conner split the chicken pasta dish between the two of them and set the dishes on the table. "Thank you, Jade, for this meal. I'll miss your food."

Ariel sat down and nibbled on her food as Conner inhaled his.

"So, what were you up to that you didn't notice my arrival?" He licked his plate clean.

"Not much. On my computer."

Conner rolled his hand, motioning for her to continue.

"Debating on looking up what he said to me and about this necklace."

"So you didn't check?"

"Wasn't sure it'd help or make things worse. I'm not even sure I should continue to wear the necklaces he gave me."

"Are you ready to put them away? I mean, you could wear them forever or hide them away, never to be seen; it's your choice. If you are thinking of hiding them, maybe you should look up the meaning first."

"You think I should? What if it makes me want to cling to him more? Worse, what if it's not something good? What if he secretly hated me and was only nice because his shelter depended on it?"

"One, you'll always wonder, so might as well get it over with. Two, you can't be serious. There is no way that man hated you. Look at all he did! He's more useful than I am. I still can't believe I didn't know about the bullying this time." Conner shook his head. "Ariel, don't doubt how he felt about you; it's one thing you can be sure of. Or are you thinking it'd be easier if he hated you?"

Ariel swallowed hard and pushed her half-eaten plate towards him. "You can finish it; I'm not that hungry."

Conner raised an eyebrow. "This is his final meal to us; shouldn't you savour it?"

"As I said, I'm not hungry. I'd rather not put it back in the fridge, so you should finish it."

"Ariel," Conner called out to her in a stern voice as she stood. "I know you're still hurting, but starving yourself won't help any. And yes, I've noticed how much less you've been eating since he left."

"Are you sure it's not just that I was eating more while he was here? Besides, there's no point in forcing food down my throat when I'm not hungry; it probably wouldn't stay down. I'll eat when I feel hungry." She left, shoulders slouched as she headed for her room.

"Geez." Conner stabbed at his food. "How am I supposed to handle things at home when I know I'll be busy again soon?"