Chapter 1: Lucky Charm
1471 Words
Aria's pov:
Rain poured heavily as Daniel tried to concentrate on the road.
"So? Dinner again tomorrow, same time, same place?" He asked, glancing at me with a hopeful look in his eyes, dimples popping out.
I rolled my eyes in frustration, "Daniel, that will make it the second time in a row you're inviting me to dinner. Surely you have better things to do with your evenings."
"Besides staring at your beautiful face?" He teased. "Nah."
I bit my lip to hide my blush and tucked my skirt under my lap. I was wearing my favourite dress. A little white dress that flared at the waist and didn't make my butt look too fat.
Daniel Fernandez was the resident hottie at the University I go to. With his handsome badboy looks, expensive clothes and sports car, he was a walking, breathing chic magnet.
And one thing about chic magnets? They're a lot of trouble.
He always has the attention of other girls. Pretty, popular, powerful girls that are not above fighting dirty just to become his flavour of the week. Daniel was the kind of guy to grow bored easily and never keep a girlfriend for more than a few weeks.
He had his eyes set on me now and I bet the only reason he pursues me is because he likes the chase. He'll soon get bored and move on the next attraction.
As much as I liked Daniel's attention, I knew I couldn't give in and fall for him. I was a hopeless romantic in the truest sense. I still saved my first kiss and my virginity for 'the one.' Who that 'one' was, I didn't know yet, but I'd know when I see him. Deep down, I'll feel the spark. I just know it.
Daniel sure as hell wasn't the one, and while I enjoyed his benefits; free rides, free meals, party invites, his attention and that swoon worthy smile, it would take more than that to steal my heart.
He frowned at my response, "what will it take for you to be my girl, Aria?"
My stomach tingled. He sounded sincere, but I'd heard enough rumours about him to know that he would pull any string to get any girl he wanted.
I looked away, deep in thoughts.
Suddenly, he swerved to the right to avoid an incoming car barrelling towards us.
I calmed my breath as he cursed and reduced his speed.
"It'll take you to focus on the road, first of all," I giggled as he slowed to a stop in front of my shabby apartment building.
"I'm serious, Aria. I want you, I want you so bad, you're all I can think of."
The hungry, desperate look in his eyes made me pause. I'd never had a man look at me like that before.
I swallowed, "I'll see you around, Daniel."
He dropped his head on the steering wheel as I reached for my bag in the backseat. He probably won't want anything to do with me tomorrow, but this was fun while it lasted.
Suddenly, his head snapped up as I began to open the door. He grabbed my wrist and... Wait, did he just sniff the air?!
"Full moon," he whispered, his voice thoughtful and deep.
"Daniel, what the hell!"
He looked at me with a strange look in his eyes, serious for once, for the first time since I met him.
"W- what's going on?" I asked, a bit scared now.
Outside, it was still raining heavily, lightening flashed in the sky.
He only smiled at me and took off a locket from his neck before placing it in my palm. "Take this with you."
"What's this?" I looked at the locket, puzzled. It was a silver chain with a locket that encased a glowing flower.
"Wolfsbane," he grinned, his thumb rubbing the top of my palm. "Cultured and cultivated by my grandma. It's a goodluck charm, I want you to wear it."
His easygoing smile was back, but he wasn't making any sense.
Still, I clenched the locket in my fist and slipped it in the pocket of my dress, taking his word for it. "Sure, Dan."
"Be careful tonight, Aria. I'll call you in the morning," he said as I shouldered my bag and opened the door.
"Looking forward to it, dad," I joked, slamming the door close.
His response was a loud honk and before I knew it, he was revving out of my neighbourhood.
I smiled to myself and walked back to my apartment, shielding myself from the rain with my beat up backpack.
I opened the door to the apartment I shared with my dad and walked in.
My mother died when I was still too little to remember. Between a dead mother and an alcoholic deadbeat for a father, I didn't exactly have a fairytale childhood. As if that wasn't enough, he was addicted to gambling. Or maybe he was okay before she died and only turned to these vices to help him cope until he became a distorted version of what a father was meant to be.
All I know is that, my dad has been an alcoholic and in debt since the day I could remember.
He was a deadbeat, but he was the only constant in my life and in his own way, I knew he loved me and I loved him too... At least, when he wasn't hugging a bottle of beer or choking on his own vomit.
Some days, it was easy to remember that he loved me. Whenever he got lucky with a bet, he would took me out, buy me things, kiss my forehead and call me his little princess.
Some days, it was harder to remember. He would hit me, kick me, throttle me and assault me verbally. Anything I do was not enough to escape his tirades.
And the days in between... he pretended like I didn't exist.
The older I got, the worse he got. And the worse he got, the more the last two scenarios became more and more frequent... until it was all I remembered of him.
As always, the smell of cigarettes, beer, musk and dried vomit assaulted my senses and I fought the urge to throw up my lunch the moment I stepped into our apartment.
"Daddd!" I yelled out like I usually did anytime I returned from school, "I'M homeee!"
I kicked dried beer cans as I walked in, pausing by the door to take off my shoes. I dropped my bag on the couch.
It was dark and quiet and I went to the kitchen to make dinner, realizing that he wasn't home.
I had just finished reheating left over pasta when the door barged open violently. Heavy footsteps were coming from the living room and I went over there to find out what the racket was about.
My father, in his dirty favorite suit he thought made him look more respectable, tattered greying hair and scrubby beard was tearing apart the living room, looking for God knows what.
"Dad, I made dinner," I informed him, holding up a tray of food and glass of water but he suddenly rose to his feet and barrelled towards me, slapping the tray from my hand.
I shrieked as the food splattered to the ground and looked into his wild, livid eyes.
"Do you think I f*****g care about food right now?!" He yelled at me. "In the next one hour, I'll probably be dead meat at his hands and all you can think about is food, you stupid, selfish girl!"
He suddenly grabbed my hand and shook me roughly, his fingers digging into my skin. "Where is it!" He bellowed, his eyes red with anger, "where did you keep it?!"
Tears dropped from my eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about, dad, please let me go!" I screamed back.
He huffed and suddenly shoved me away from him, lumbering over to something else that caught his eyes and I inhaled sharply as my butt slammed on the floor, sharp pain flaring up my spine.
I looked at my father as he reached for my bag and tore it open, pouring out the contents of my bag and taking whatever loose change he could find.
I shot to my feet as he found my stash of almost two hundred dollars I keep rolled up in a corner of my bag to be deposited in the bank at the end of the week. It was part of the money I was saving for my college tuition.
"Dad, no, you can't take that, it's for–" my words were cut short as he slapped me hard across the face, seething lividly at me.
"I will do whatever the f**k I want!"
- Writer
