Ariana changed into the clothes Jeffery had given her and organized herself before emerging from the bathroom. "Thanks," she forced a smile.
"Look, I'm really sorry..."
"Let's just get to work. Has the teacher given us our topic to present?" Ariana asked. She didn't feel like talking about what happened earlier to anyone.
"Yeah," Jeffery answered.
"Let's get to work then."
The next day, Ariana grabbed some books from her locker while the students giggled. Some laughed, some whispered about her, but she didn't care anymore. She heard someone clearing her throat and knew who it was. Ariana sighed, locked her locker, and was attempting to leave when Casey grabbed her wrist.
"Are you walking out on me?" Casey asked.
"Is it because of what happened yesterday? Don't take it to heart, darling; it was a harmless prank," Sofia stated.
Ariana had had enough. "Did you forget to brush your teeth before coming to school? Your breath is disgusting!" Ariana pretended to be sick, covering her nose and running past them. The students who were watching the drama laughed.
"What are you laughing at?!" Casey glared at some girls she saw laughing and left the hallway followed by her minions.
Ariana felt proud of herself; she was happy she had stood up for herself. That day in class, Casey gave her a death stare, but she didn't care.
The next week, Casey tried to bully Ariana, but Ariana made jokes about Casey, which made her furious, but Ariana couldn't care less. She was giving them a taste of their own medicine.
On a Friday, Ariana decided to go for a swim at school, seeking some fresh air and an escape from everything. She changed into her swimsuit and dived into the pool, enjoying herself. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Jeffery strolling with a book in his hands.
"This is the last place I thought I'd find you," he said, squatting at the edge of the pool. Ariana smiled.
"You're really good; why don't you join the swimming team?"
"Nah, I just swim for fun. What's that in your hand?"
"I was hoping we could go to the library to do a little research about our seminar presentation..."
Ariana realized they had work to do. "Totally forgot. Pass me the towel," she said and swam to the edge of the pool. Jeff passed her the towel, and she had a playful grin on her face. She splashed water on him.
"I am so sorry," she feigned innocence. Jeff chuckled. "You're going down." He splashed water on Ariana, and they started playing around in the pool.
"Okay, okay, stop," Ariana chuckled. "Let's go to the library; I don't want to be late for work," she said.
"Sure," Jeff agreed.
They dried themselves and headed to the school's library to do their research.