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[i][color=00eddd]Some people stand in the darkness,[/color] [color=teal]Afraid to step into the light.[/color]
[color=teal]Some people need to have somebody[/color] [color=00eddd]on the edge of surrenders inside.[/color]

[color=00eddd]Don’t you worry,[/color] [color=teal]it’s gonna be alright[/color]
[color=teal]‘cause I’m always ready[/color] [color=00eddd]I won’t let you outta my sight.[/color][/i]
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[indent][indent]Ariel offered no parting words to her father, nor did he offer any to her. Simply getting up and walking out of the office as calmly as she could, she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets to keep them from shaking. While Chamberlain had dismissed them to lunch, Ariel didn’t feel any sort of hunger. What she felt was nearly indescribable. It was the feeling she always got around her father. Her stomach tied in a knot, her palms sweaty, a lump in her throat, and her mind racing. No doubt she would have to deal with his anger about having to come to the school later. 

Instead of heading towards the lunchroom, Ariel made a beeline for double doors at the end of the hall that led to the outside. Fresh air. That was what she needed right now. Soon Kavi was right behind her as he had pushed open the door for her.

[color=teal]“Well, thank fuck that’s over,”[/color] he stated, breathing out one single breath of relief. [color=teal]“If only our fathers knew we had resolved it yesterday. Maybe they could have saved themselves a trip.”[/color]

[Color=00eddd]”Trillian Grey never listens to anyone but himself,”[/color] she said, her voice hostile. [Color=00eddd]”I could have told him not to come a thousand times and he still would. Because that's what he does. That's [i]Trillian.[/i][/color]

Kavi laughed as they made it outside the front office. [color=teal]“If you forgive me for saying this,”[/color] he paused, looking at Ariel, [color=teal]“I really wanted to punch the fuck out of his face.”[/color] He admitted with only a little shame, if not because he was Ariel’s father and while he didn’t like Trillian one bit, he did like Ariel a great deal.

Oh, the bittersweet irony. How many times over the years had Ariel laid in her bed wishing someone would come and punch her father square in his face. But for some odd reason that she couldn’t really figure out, Ariel didn’t want Kavi to do that. [color=00eddd]”I wouldn’t advise that Kavi,”[/color] she said as she stopped walking, looking him in the eye.  

It took Kavi a short moment to see that Ariel had stopped. [color=teal]“What? You don’t think I could take him?”[/color] He joked, a smile on his face.

[Color=00eddd]”No. Because he'd h-”[/color] [i]Because he'd hurt you like he did me.[/i] [color=00eddd]”Because has the type of guy to press charges. He'd have so many lawyers on your ass it isn't funny. He has to many connections in this town. The man can get away with just about anything he wants.”[/color]

As he stood there, Kavi was starting to think those rumors that Nikki told him about were more than just rumors. The way she spoke about Trillian wasn’t how a daughter should speak about her own father. He didn’t know what, but he knew one thing: there was something Ariel wasn’t telling him and he intended to find out what it was, but he knew he had to tread carefully. There was no telling what her reaction could be if he was too blunt about it.

Taking another short moment, he just let out a small breath, sighing more to himself. [color=teal]“Even men with connections get brought down. Just look at what happened with Harvey Weinstein. A big powerful man in Hollywood and he was brought to his knees in the eyes of the public,”[/color] Kavi reminded her. [color=teal]“And if he tries to come at me, well, then I’ll just have to come at him harder.”[/color] Always the confident one, Kavi showed no fear when it came to what may or may not happen to him at the hands of Trillian Grey.

[color=00eddd]”Kavi. You don’t understand. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve seen my father wiggle out of the most stickiest of situations? How many times he’s slipped a couple of hundreds into someone else's hand? And as if he didn’t have financial influence over people, he has his mind games.”[/color] She took a deep breath, her mind racing. 

Ariel knew what she said didn’t really make any sense to Kavi. But she couldn’t just outright tell him one of her biggest secrets, could she? 

[color=00eddd]”The point is - you aren’t hitting my father. There’s no reason for you to. What you have seen back there was just him being his normal self. He’s known to be an asshole sometimes.”[/color]

[color=teal]“Do you know who you’re talking to? I mean, everyone says how much of a douchebag I can be. My broken nose is the consequence of it.”[/color] Kavi pointed to his nose, smiling to prove his point. [color=teal]“Besides, I don’t like the way he treats you. He had no problem belittling you in front of not only my father but the fucking principal of our school. Even if I were to face assault charges, it would be worth it just to know I got a good shot in.”[/color]

[color=00eddd]”I just really don’t want to see you get hurt, okay? While you know how to pack a punch, so does he. You might be a douche, he might be a douche. You can throw fists, so can he. But when it comes down to it at the end of the day, you will never be the monster he is.”[/color] It took her a moment to realize what she had said, her face getting hot. 

Something was up, Kavi could see it. The way she was talking about her father and just how worried she seemed about how her father might hurt him caused the teen to raise an eyebrow not out of suspicion but curiosity and concern. [color=teal]“Ariel, is everything okay?”[/color] He asked, a hand on her shoulder for comfort. [color=teal]“I’m here for you, I hope you know that. We’re friends now or whatever you wanna call it.”[/color] He smiled at her. [color=teal]“Or if you don’t want to, we don’t have to. We can just go somewhere and hang out. Either way, I’m here for you.”[/color]

Ariel took a deep breath. Was Kavi the best person to trust with this? Perhaps not, but Ariel could think of a lot worse people to tell her secret to. She bit down on her bottom lip before speaking. [Color=00eddd]”Remember that one time I broke my arm at soccer practice when I was eight, but I didn't play soccer, but no one questioned it? Or that time I broke two of my ribs when I was thirteen practicing a new dance move that I showed you I had perfected just two days before? All of those random wrist sprains or all of the bruises that just come and go? Remember how I flipped out on you for no reason when you suddenly grabbed my arm at Santiago's party?”[/color] She was going to say more but had to stop, her voice getting thick. She felt her face getting hot, and he vision blurring as her eyes filled with tears. Was Kavi going to solve the puzzle, or was she going to have to outright say it?

[color=teal]“It must’ve been difficult for you to keep this a secret for so long.”[/color] He finally spoke, looking at her and taking her hands into his, squeezing them only enough so she would know that he wasn’t going anywhere. [color=teal]“I’m here for you, Ariel. I’m not going anywhere. If you want to get the hell out of here, I’ll get us an Uber to meet us around the corner and we can ditch the rest of the day. Or we can go to the cafeteria and I’ll buy you as many slices of extra cheese pizza with cheese-stuffed garlic knots. Or whatever you need, I’m going to be right next to you. You’re not alone, Ariel.”[/color]

Ariel had to take deep uneven breaths now as she tried to calm her nerves. Kavi didn’t take off back through the doors and charge after her father. Rather the tears coming down were a product of having this weight removed off her shoulders or because she was scared of what to come, she didn’t know. She removed one of her hands from Kavi’s grasp, clasping it over her mouth to keep from being to loud - something that didn’t come without practice. She couldn’t help it. Before Ariel even realized what she was doing, the young woman had her face buried in Kavis chest. 

[color=#00eddd]”I… d-don’t feel l-like eating right n-n-now,”[/color] she managed. 

Kavi reacted as he only knew how: he wrapped his arms around Ariel and embraced her tight. He heard the sounds of her whimper become muffled into his school uniform and he ran a hand up and down the back of her head, patting her black hair softly. As they sat on a bench that was a bit away from the cafeteria but still outside in the sunshine, Kavi continued to comfort her. 

[color=teal]“Just let it all out,”[/color] he said softly, [color=teal]“I’m not going anywhere.”[/color][/indent][/indent][/color]