Chapter 1: Home

"Darn it! I lost the bet again. I can't believe a whole Barcelona lost!" Matt blasted angrily, hitting the counter with his fist before drinking some of his beer.

"Yeah bro, I still can't believe it either. How could they lose such a match? It was only by one score but still, Barcelona really needs to step up their game," Clarke said taking a sip from his bottle of beer.

"I know right. I can't believe they missed that penalty," I said sipping my bottle of soda.

I had just arrived in the city and went straight to the bar I knew I was bound to meet my two male best friends at. As expected, they were seated at the counter, chatting and drinking. I quietly sat next to Clarke and couldn't help eavesdropping on their conversation.

I chipped in my opinion about their topic of discussion and finally gained their attention.

"I know! Goodness!" Matt exclaimed in frustration. "They really messed up pretty bad this time," he added without even looking at me.

I couldn't tell if he noticed that it wasn't Clarke who spoke or if the frustration had clouded his mind and ears. Clarke, on the other hand, just kept staring at me as though I looked familiar. After a few seconds, I turned to look at him. His eyes widened in shock and as though a pin in his seat had just pricked him, he shot out of the chair with his lips apart and his eyes squinted.

"Woah! Bro! What's..." Matt was saying when he felt his friend flinch out of his seat. His words got stuck in his throat when he finally laid his eyes on me.

"Ariana?!" they both blurted out in unison. "Is that really you?" Matt asked still staring.

"Yes guys, it's me. Good to see you again," I said with a shy smile as I rose to my feet, putting my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. I honestly wasn't sure how they were feeling since I had left without any proper explanation and had not kept in touch, even when they tried to reach out.

"Good..." Matt was saying as he was approaching to give me a hug but Clarke prevented him, glaring at me.

Of course, he had the right to be mad. He had been the first friend I had made in college and really took care of me like I was his kid sister. Clarke was my senior by three years and Scott's mate. It was actually thanks to him that Scott realized he had feelings for me. He became the brother I never had and was clearly disappointed in me for leaving like that.

"What brings you here?" he asked coldly with his arms folded across his chest and a lifted brow.

"Clarke, I know you all are mad at me...and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. I messed up, big time...and failed you as a friend and most especially a sister," I said and bowed my head, trying hard to suck in my tears but it was so difficult seeing the disappointment in his eyes. "I know no excuse I'll give would be good enough but...guys I'm so sorry," a drop of my tears ran down my cheek as I looked up at them.

Immediately, Clarke gave me a huge hug, one I had missed and longed for for years. "It's okay kiddo. You know I hate seeing you cry," he said and wiped that naughty tear away, hugging me again. "Gosh, I missed you so much. You had us so worried. We..."

"Okay, okay, enough," Matt said pulling him away from me. "It's my turn now." He also hugged me so tight that I thought I was gonna pass out.

"Need... to breathe," I stuttered trying to push him away. Typical Matt.

"Enough, you're gonna kill her," Clarke said hastily pulling him away.

"Yeah, I wonder why you're being so affectionate with another woman," I heard a familiar female voice say from behind me. I was frozen. If they forgave me so easily, she definitely won't.

"Isa, babe, we've been waiting for you," Matt said affectionately as he by-passed me to meet her. My head shot up so my hazel brown eyes met with Clarke's blue ones.

He nodded with a chuckle at the shock written all over my face. "Yhup they're together now, finally," he said to me.

For so long, Matt had had the biggest crush on his best friend Scott's sister, Isabella, who was my best friend. Isa, on the other hand, also had feelings for him but didn't realize it.

The smile on Clarke's face slowly faded away after he realized the sad expression on my face. I bit my lower lip knowing what was going to happen next. The couple behind me had gone silent which meant that it was time, time to face my first best friend who had been a true sister to me.

I heard her soft footsteps until they stopped next to me. This time, the tears were already formed in my eyes but I wasn't ready to let them go. Truth is, it had been so long since I shed tears and it made me feel so uncomfortable and weak.

I tilted to look directly at her and couldn't help but smile when my eyes met with her piercing crystal blue ones. She looked even prettier than before and the pictures of her that I had seen recently were good but didn't do justice to her. She still had her long brunette hair but had dyed the lower part blonde. Back in those days, we used to have our hair done in the same way. We didn't look alike but our way of dressing similarly always made us look like sisters. That's how close we were.

Isabella stared at me for awhile without any emotion on her face. After sometime, she turned to look at the guys with her arms folded across her chest. "So what did she say she needs?"

"Belle..." I tried to speak but she cut me without sparing me a glance.

"Because that seems like the only reason such a person would return after so long," she said coldly and finally spared me a glance.

"Isa please calm down and let's sit so we can all talk this out...." Clarke tried to help.

"Why? So we can listen to the pity speech she had been preparing for only God knows how long and watch her crocodile tears roll down her cheeks? Nah, I think I'll pass. Besides, how can you side with her after everything she put us through...put you through?! Have you forgotten how we worried thinking she was dead?! How we had a private investigator search for her in that city only to find her on a date with another guy?! Have you forgotten all that?! Huh?!" she asked sounding disappointed and extremely angry. "We were so sure that something had probably happened to her because she couldn't possibly do that to us. That's what we thought and we were so wrong. All that time that we spent in agitation and fear was all for nothing because she didn't even care. She was simply having fun while we were wallowing in agony for her."

"Wait, what?!" I asked in a stunned whispery tone, almost sure they wouldn't hear. However, they all did and looked at me with sad expressions while  she glared at me with disgust.

"I haven't forgotten but she's back and she's sorry..." he tried to defend.

"Sorry? Are you sure she's sorry or she's rather needy? Maybe that guy she was with back there hurt her and now she's lonely," she said and shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing.

"Isa," Matt called trying to calm her down.

"What?" she asked innocently. "I'm probably right after all and...wait, did you just call me by my name?! Really?!" she asked sounding quite sad and annoyed.

"Hun, it's..." Matt tried to speak but she didn't let him.

"So you're upset with me because I'm not listening to this traitor?!" Isa asked in shock and confusion.

I started to feel really really bad at that point. The last thing I wanted at that moment was to cause a fight amongst my friends.  I decided that it was probably time for me to get going in order to avoid causing any more problems between them.

"I think I need to go now. I..."

"You think?!" Isa blurted glaring at me with a lifted brow.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll see you around," I said and grabbed my phone before attempting to head out.

"Wait, no, this needs to be settled," Clarke chipped in holding me back by the arm.

"Mission impossible bro," she said to him and looked away.

"Maybe some other time," I said to him in a soft tone and tried to step out. Again he stopped me but this time, he simply wiped the tears that I didn't even realize had fallen. He gave me his card and told me to call him the moment I got home. He then gave me a big hug.

"At least let me give you a ride," he insisted but I rejected politely because I came with my own ride.

"Thanks a lot Clarke," I said, trying to hold back my tears before saying goodbye to him.

"Good bye Matt," I said and he responded sadly with a wave.

"Good bye Isa," I said but she didn't even look my way. She had really changed. The Isabelle I knew back then only acted this way to people who tried to mess around with her or her loved ones and now.... I'm in that spot. She hated me and I couldn't blame her for that.