Chapter Three

Aria yawned as she slipped out of bed, the morning sun seeping through the half closed curtains. She ran her fingers through her messy hair before heading downstairs. Entering the kitchen, she went over to the fridge and opened it, pulling out a jug of milk. She was making herself a bowl of cereal.

She sat at the bar and started chowing down, scrolling through her phone. She realized it was 10:00am. She had a message from Marcus:

Be ready soon, I might pick you up early. My family is having a a little get together and they wanna meet you!

Aria groaned at the message. She was dreading meeting his family. He always said they were wild and crazy. Except for his little sister, who was only 12 years old. After she finished she cleaned her dirty dishes before heading upstairs to change.

She slipped off her pajamas before throwing on a light blue T-shirt and ripped jeans. She wasn't the girly type, so you'd barely ever see her in a dress or skirt. Plus, it was cold outside anyway.

After putting her hair up in a bun, she grabbed her phone from atop her bed. She texted Marcus quickly:

I'm ready whenever you are.

Slipping her phone in her back pocket, she headed downstairs to put on her shoes. It wasn't long when she received another message and heard a car horn outside. "Damn. Here already?" She chuckled as she stepped out of the house, locking the door behind her.

Marcus rolled down the window to his black mustang, waving Aria over. "My brother let me borrow his car." He said excitedly. He had his license but didn't have his own car. He, himself, couldn't afford one yet.

Aria rolled her eyes with a chuckle as she walked over to the passenger side, opening the door and hopping inside. "Marc, you really need to get a job and get your own car." She teased as they pulled out of the driveway.

"I know. But if you were in my shoes, you'd understand there's more important things at the moment." He said, keeping his eyes on the road. His family's house was a good distance away. About a 30 minute drive. They lived out in the woods near the mountains, away from civilization.

Shrugging, Aria sat back comfortably for the drive. She stared out the window, watching the scenery roll by. "Mom called last night-" she started, gaining her friends attention. "She'll be in the hospital for a while. She lost her job and won't be able to help me with rent. So now I must find a roommate."

Marcus frowned as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He felt bad for the girl, she had it worse then he did. "Well there's a few girls at school that may take up on that offer." He said, giving her a reassuring offer. "Hell, I wouldn't mind moving in." He teased as he turned the wheel, taking a left out of town.

"You already have a roommate." Aria chuckled as she glanced over at the boy. She couldn't help but wet her pale lips, noticing how tight his blue t-shirt was. Every muscle was noticeable. 'Man, when did his nerdy ass get so ripped!?'

Aria inwardly groaned at her dirty thoughts, shaking her head unnoticeably as she glanced back out the window. She never saw Marcus as more then just friends. She wasn't really looking for a relationship anyway. Her studies were more important right now.

After 20 more minutes of driving, the pair finally made it to the house. It was decent size. His family was pretty wealthy but didn't like to show it. At least, that's what he told her. She opened the car door and stepped outside, shutting it behind her. She awed at the scenery; trees on one side of the house as a lake was on the other. Behind the house stood the mountains. It was quiet and peaceful here, something she quite enjoyed.

"Wow. It's beautiful here." She said as she walked along side Marcus as they made their way towards the house. There was a small trail they had to follow, since the house sat atop a hill.

Marcus nodded as he glanced at her. "It is. Especially at night." He chuckled. "But tonight's a full moon so I'll have you home before 8:00."

Aria furrowed her eyebrows at that. "Why can't I stay past that?" She asked curiously, cashing Marcus to inwardly gulp. He regretted mentioning that.

Coming up with a small lie, he turned to her as they made it to the front door. "Well, my family loves to drink. So I rather you get home before they outdo themselves." He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't mention anything else and that was the only lie he could come up with.

Aria nodded at that, she believed him of course. She followed him as they entered the house. Shocked, Aria glanced around as she noticed inside was a lot bigger then outside. They had entered the living room which was modernly decorated. White walls and black furniture. A huge flat screen tv was hung on the wall opposite of the black leather couch, fake fur blankets covering the cushions for more comfort. Dozens of pictures hung on the wall, all of them seeming to be of friends and family. She noticed a few were of Marcus, even as a little kid.

"Mama!" Marcus called, startling Aria as she glanced around the room. "I want you to meet someone."

"Oh Marcus, I'm coming." Said a soft older voice. A short skinny women walked from around the corner, which Aria could assume she was coming from the kitchen. Her dark brown hair, similar to Marcus', was up in a messy bun. Her light brown eyes scanned the room before landing on Aria, a small smile playing on her red lipstick stained lips. She wore a cute little purple dress with a white apron strapped around her hips. "Who's this?" The women asked kindly.

Marcus wrapped his arm around Arias slim shoulders, bringing her into a side hug. "This is my best friend I've told you about, Aria."

"It is nice to finally meet you Mrs West." Aria sent to older women a smile. She was nervous, yes, but the kind atmosphere his mother brought with her helped ease the nerves.

The older women chuckled. "Just call me Sam, dear." She said as she motioned towards the kitchen. "Everyone's in the kitchen. The food is almost ready."

Marcus took Arias hand and led her around the corner to the kitchen. Which was pretty big as well. A bunch of his family stood, helping his mother put out the food. There was at least 20 or so there. "We have loads more of people in our family, but we're just having the main ones for our gathering." Marcus explained.

Once everyone noticed he was present, they all went over to give the boy a hug. Marcus introduced Aria to everyone as well, including his cute little sister. Whom fell in love with Aria immediately.

Marcus chuckled as his little sister wrapped her arms around Arias waist. "Looks like Emma has taken a liking to you." He smiled, glad his sister enjoys someone's company. Emma, an 11 year old, never really liked people. She was too shy to leave the house, especially alone. Her frail figure was one reason and another, well, her hair was pure white and her eyes were blue as the ocean. She was born that way, born different.

"She's such a sweetie." Aria smiled down at the girl, placing her hand on the girls back and hugging her gently. "It's so nice to finally meet you Emma, your big brother has told me so much about you."

Emma, with a small giggle, buried her face into Arias hip. "She's not much of a talker." Marcus sighed. "She'll say a few words here and there, but normally she keeps to herself."

Aria nodded as she gently ran her fingers through the girls hair. "That's alright, I don't mind." She said, causing the little girl to fully relax and feel comfortable around the newcomer.

Marcus watched the two with awe, huge smile on his face. But it immediately turned into a frown when a certain someone walked into the room. A certain black hair and mischievous blue eyes scanned the room until they landed on the newcomer.

Scoffing, he stalked up to the three. "Of course you'd bring an outsider." Derek snapped, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Idiot."

Aria snapped her head towards Derek, a scowl appearing on her face. "Why the hell is he here?"

Marcus nervously rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't know how to tell her but he had to. "Well-" he hesitated greatly. He was ashamed that Derek was family, and a little too close of family.

Derek rolled his eyes. "I'm his brother, 2nd oldest." He stated bluntly before heading deeper into the kitchen with the rest of the family.