Unproven Chapter Thirty Seven "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"

If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected, decide what to be and GO BE IT
-The Avett brothers

Recommend Reading Introduction to Unproven

DEFINITELY READ Prologue

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three

Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six

Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two Chapter Twenty Three Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Five Chapter Twenty Six Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Eight Chapter Twenty Nine Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty One Chapter Thirty Two Chapter Thirty Three

Chapter Thirty Four Chapter Thirty Five Chapter Thirty Six

Chapter Thirty Seven

Ary sat on the couch in Grayson’s den, turning her phone over and over in her hands.

“Whatcha doin’?” Amanda asked, plopping down beside her.

“Debating a phone call,” she gave Amanda a sideways look.

“To who…Oh no, don’t say Andie.”

Ary took a deep breath, “Yes Andie.”

“No Ary, you can’t…”

“Wrong, I can if I want. I’m just trying to decide if I want.”

“You don’t, wait don’t interrupt, hear me out. She called me the other day.”

Ary raised a brow.

“And Sonya is totally sticking to her lie and she believes her, completely. And furthermore she thinks you and I are brainwashed idiots, but I’m even more of an idiot because I’m not the one fucking him I’m just the one who wishes she was. Can you believe that?”

Ary winced, “Ouch.”

“Um yeah ouch, it’s so not true Ary, yes I think Grayson is awesome but he’s my friend, I do not think of him like that.”

Ary nodded slightly, “Yeah I know.”

“So after that I’m totally done with them both.”

Ary nodded again and sighed, putting her phone down on the lamp stand. Well that ends that debate, she thought. For now. She got up and stretched. “Where’s Grayson?” she yawned.

“Playing pool with Gary. Who by the way told us that he heard Sonya was now messing around with Jake Pearson. She seriously grosses me out.”

Ary glanced at her but refrained from comment.

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me that you don’t feel the same. I mean Jake Pearson? It’s bad enough that she’s blowing a new guy every week, but that loser?”

Ary froze then turned to face her. “Why is Jake a loser?”

Amanda blinked. “He just is.”

“Do you know who you sound like?”

Amanda’s brows furrowed.

“Brooke Simmons.”

Amanda made a noise of disbelief, “How can you say that?”

“How can I say that? Jake is a nice guy. A little awkward maybe, but really nice. And you seem to forget that until recently we were the losers. Geek patrol ring any bells?”

Amanda huffed, “Yeah, well we’re not the geek patrol anymore.”

“No? I still am. I might not dress like one, but at heart I’ll always be one.”

Amanda snorted, “Oh yeah right, easy thing to say when you’re Grayson Teller’s girlfriend. You could call yourself a bag of shit and suddenly it would be cool to be one.”

Ary gave her a look and headed toward the game room.

“You know you’re kind of being a bitch right now.” Amanda stated.

She stopped and faced her again. “Amanda. I love you. I do. But you need to take a second to think before you speak. I mean really think, turn the words over in your mind and decide if you really want them to come out of your mouth.”

Amanda stared at her, “Wow. Did I say bitch? I meant cunt.” She fast-walked past Ary into the room, stopping by the pool table, her arms crossed in front of her.

Ary sat on a stool on the other side of the table and ignored her.

Grayson took his shot and glanced up. His gaze bounced between them. “Something going on?”

Amanda snorted. “Um yeah, your girlfriend was about to make a big mistake and call that crotch we used to call a friend. And then after I told her what I told you earlier she started being a total bitch to me as if I’m the one who totally shit on her friendship.”

Ary stared at her in disbelief. She opened her mouth then shut again. Who was this girl? Had all her friends been supplanted by aliens in the last couple of weeks?
Grayson was looking at her, waiting to hear her side.

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” she muttered.

“What did you say?” Amanda demanded.

Grayson’s lip quirked, “I think she believes you’re possessed.”

“What? Me? I’m the one…”

“Amanda,” Ary said sweetly, “shove a sock in it.”

“UH! See, I told you she’s being a bitch to me!”

Ary started to giggle, she couldn’t help it.

“Okay, whatever Aryanne, I know you’re queen shit now and I’m just your lowly sidekick. I think I’ll call Dori, hang out with someone who appreciates my company.”

Ary’s giggles increased a hundredfold. There had to be some kind of weird juju going on when her first thought was ‘Poor Dori.’ Not that she didn’t like Dori, but until recently given the choice it would have been Amanda, no contest.

Amanda stormed out of the room and Ary’s giggles trailed off.

“Wanna tell me what that was about?” Grayson asked.

She gave him an exasperated look, “Oh God, I wish I knew. Have you by any chance noticed the difference in her speech lately? Let alone the content of it. I’m serious, I think all of my friends have experienced a hostile takeover.”

He smiled slightly. “Nah, they’re just becoming who they really are.”

She stared at him, “Don’t say that, okay? That’s a terrible thing to say.”

He sighed, “Ary, I thought you faced it.”

“Faced what?”

He studied her. “Shit. You didn’t, did you? You just decided to ignore it until it changed back to the way it used to be. Your friends have changed Ary, you had better accept that or you’re headed for another fall. It’s life. It’s what happens when people are given a chance to show their true colors. No more parents telling you how to act, or at least you're no longer listening to them, so you find someone else to mimic.”

Ary frowned, “So which is it, true colors or mimicking, because that seems different to me.”

He stared at her, “No, it’s all the same if you have no substance, your colors become whatever appeals to you the most at the moment.”

She started to argue then stopped. It was definitely true of Amanda, she realized. And Sonya too apparently. She thought about Andie and was relieved to find she couldn’t say that for sure. Yes she’d made a mistake, a really shitty one, but other than that….at some point Ary needed to talk to her.

“You see what I’m saying?” Grayson asked.

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, it’s certainly true of some people.”

His lip curved, “That’s a start. But until you realize it’s true of nearly all people you’re still vulnerable.”

She met his eyes and nodded mutely.

He dropped a kiss on her mouth and turned toward Gary. “Another game bro?”

Gary smiled, “Sure, as long as you don’t call me a mindless idiot.”

Grayson laughed, “I’d never say that to your face.”

“Yeah fuck you bro, your shot.”

Ary sat and watched them, her mind turning Grayson’s statement over and over. She wanted to hunt down Amanda and slap her repeatedly until she woke up but a part of her knew the only thing that would come of it was an exhausted arm. She didn’t buy Grayson’s theory a hundred percent, in fact the more she thought about it, the more she realized Amanda was still Amanda, she’d just chosen to let the ugliest sides of her nature take the forefront to fit in with the ‘cool kids’. So while he was right in a sense, he wasn’t entirely on the mark. And it didn’t really matter, did it? Because there was nothing she could do except continue being who she was and not let anyone or anything change that. And who am I? She wondered. Someone who loves her people and doesn’t give up on them. Because I’m not perfect either, so where do I get off judging anyone else? When she boiled everything down the only thing left was love. Love your creator, yourself, your neighbor. Your friends, your family, your man…She smiled slightly, glancing over at ‘her man’. Love them even when you don’t understand them. Grayson had said unconditional love didn’t exist, but he was wrong, because if just one person loved unconditionally then it existed.

She stood and walked out of the room making a stop in the den to grab her phone before heading down the backstairs and out the backdoor. She walked out into the yard and stared up at the sky for a moment. It was hazy but some stars were peeking through the gloom and she took a deep breath before punching in Andie’s number.

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