Chapter 5: It's Never Simple, Never Easy

The rest of the week flew by remarkably quickly and it was the start of yet another weekend.

Aaron had kept his promise to Aria about arranging dinner and a movie when he called her the following day. They had agreed it would be this coming Friday night and he had kept his fingers crossed hoping that he wouldn't have to leave for a case on the last minute. By some miracle the week had mainly consisted of paperwork and consults which he was extremely grateful for.

That same Friday morning, Aria woke up with an uneasy feeling in her stomach, but shrugged it off. It's just nerves. She told herself. Tonight will be fine. You just have to get through this day in one piece. You can do this.

She showered, got dressed and grabbed her bag before making her way downstairs towards the kitchen. By the smell of it, breakfast was ready.

She entered the kitchen to find her grandpa, Eduardo, sitting at the kitchen counter, coffee cup in one hand and the morning paper in the other. Their housekeeper, Luciana, had the table set out with pancakes, cereal, fruit and juice. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Bella." He greeted.

"Good morning." She replied, then kissed him on the cheek and went over to do the same to Luciana.

"Smells good." She said to her with a smile then sat down next to her grandfather. Aria poured herself a glass of orange juice while Luciana placed a serving of fresh pancakes in front of her.

"Grazie, Luciana." She smiled.

"Sei benvenuto, mia cara." She replied then left the kitchen.

Aria was halfway through her breakfast when she suddenly felt a little queasy. She pushed her plate aside then downed the last of her orange juice.

"You okay, kiddo?" He asked. "You usually finish that and then ask for seconds."

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Prometto. I'm just not that hungry, I guess."

"You sure?" He asked. She nodded.

Aimee, then walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the coffee machine.

"Good morning." She said with a yawn.

"Morning." They both replied.

Aria got up from where she was sitting then grabbed her bag and car keys.

"I have to get going." She said. "I'm supposed to meet the guys for a quick rehearsal before class starts."

She quickly kissed her grandpa and mother on the cheek, said goodbye and was out the door before either of them could respond. Aimee leaned against the counter behind her and sighed. Ed looked up from his paper, sensing his daughter's irritation.

"I take it you two have talked?" He asked. Aimee rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding? She can't even stand to be in the same room as me for five minutes." She told him frustratingly.

"Well, at least she's not ignoring you anymore. That's a start." He told her encouragingly.

"I guess." She sighed. "I really need to fix this."

"Yes, you do." He told her.

She glanced at her watch. "I gotta get to work. My shift starts in 20 minutes." She grabbed her coffee then kissed her dad goodbye.

"Addio, mio amore." He replied.

*Beautiful.

*Thank you.

*You're welcome, my dear.

*I promise.

*Goodbye, my love.

Aria had only been at school for a couple of hours but she already felt drained.

"When is this day gonna end?" She asked tiredly as she walked through the hallway with her best friend, Danny. He glanced at her with an amused look.

"It's only second period." He told her as they reached her locker. She ran a hand through her hair then grabbed her book for the next class.

"That's great." She replied sarcastically.

He laughed then frowned. "Are you okay? You seem a little...off." He noticed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said while rubbing her forehead. "Just tired. This day can't end soon enough." She told him, then closed her locker.

As they continued walking, Aria listened to her best friend complain about some history assignment he had to hand in the next Monday. This of course, meant he, would be spending most of his free time, indoors. She was about to tease him, when a sudden dizzy spell hit her. She stopped walking and leaned against a nearby wall, letting her notebook fall to the floor. Her other hand went to her head and she closed her eyes, waiting for the nausea to pass.

Danny stopped walking when he noticed Aria was no longer next to him. He turned around and saw her leaning against the wall, looking as if she was about to pass out.

"Aria!" He called out as he ran towards her. He gently grabbed her arm to steady her as he moved them both to a nearby bench.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked concerned. She shook her head, then groaned as the movement made her feel worse.

"Nothing. I just felt a little dizzy. I'll be fine." She said while trying to stand up but stumbled slightly. Luckily, Danny was there to stop her from falling over.

"You're obviously not fine. Come on, I'm taking you to the nurses office." He told her.

"No, wait." She told him.

"Aria..." He started.

"Get Izzy for me, please." She said softly.

He frowned. "Why do want me to get..." He replied then was cut off as Aria got up and ran to the nearby restroom. He followed her, then stopped outside the door, pushing it slightly open. He winced as heard his best friend throw up. Danny was about to go in but the sign on the door reminded him that it was the girl's bathroom.

"That's why." He mumbled then took off to look for Izzy.

Danny had practically grabbed Izzy before she entered her next class.

"What the hell, Danny?" She asked annoyed.

"There's something wrong with Aria." He said then told her what happened as they rushed back to the bathroom.

Aria barely made it to the nearest cubicle when she threw up the breakfast she managed to eat. Her head was throbbing and it felt as if the room was spinning. She sat back slightly, trying to get her breathing under control when she heard the bathroom door open.

"Aria?" It was Izzy's voice.

"In here." She called out then unlocked the door.

Izzy rushed in and kneeled down beside her friend while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You look like crap." Izzy joked.

"Gee, thanks." Aria replied, dryly.

"Here. Drink this. It'll help." She said while handing Aria some water.

"Thanks." She said then took a small sip.

Izzy moved the hair covering Aria's forehead and felt how warm she was.

"God, Aria! You're burning up. You're definitely coming down with something." She said.

"No, no, I'm not. I can't be sick. Not today." She groaned.

Izzy frowned. "Not today? You got some hot date later tonight that I don't know about or something?" Izzy asked.

Aria sighed. Had she really just said that out loud?

"Or something." She mumbled but her friend had heard her. She felt another wave of nausea hit her.

"What's that supposed to me..." She started but was cut off as Aria proceeded to expel the remainder of her breakfast while Izzy held her hair and gently rubbed her back.

A few minutes later, Aria sat back against the side of the cubicle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Feel better?" Izzy asked her. She nodded. "Can I get you anything?"

Yeah. My dad would be nice. She thought then shook her head.

"No. Can you just give me a minute, please?"

"Sure." She smiled slightly. "I'll be right outside, okay? Danny's probably worried sick." She nodded.

"Thanks Iz." She said.

Get a grip, Aria. You cannot be sick right now. She thought to herself as she took a few deep breaths. She slowly got up from the cold floor and made her way to one of the basins. She glanced up at her reflection in the mirror, while leaning forward, bracing her hands on the sink.

Wow Marano, you really do look like crap. She thought as she noticed how pale she looked and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Surprisingly, the bathroom was empty which she was extremely grateful for.

She splashed some cool water on her heated face and rinsed out her mouth. She stood there for a few more minutes before making her way towards the door.

As she slowly opened the door, she found Danny and Izzy pacing the near empty hallway, waiting for her outside the bathroom. She smiled slightly at how protective her friends were and for a few seconds she forgot she was feeling sick.

They stopped pacing when they saw her leaning against the door frame.

"Hey guys." She smiled, hoping it would assure them that she was fine even though she felt like passing out.

But before she could hear their responses, another wave of dizziness hit her. She stumbled slightly, losing her grip on the door frame. Then everything went black.

Danny and Izzy watched in shock as Aria stumbled, losing her grip on the door frame and nearly falling to the ground.

"Aria!"

Danny's reflexes were quick and he managed to awkwardly grab her around the waist before she hit the ground. Izzy was at his side in a split second.

"Oh my God! ARIA! Aria, can you hear me?" She asked, slightly panicked, while gently slapping Aria's cheek.

"Danny, she's not waking up. Her pulse is racing and she's burning up." She told him after he gently laid her down and supported her head.

"Get help. I'll stay with her. She'll be okay, Izzy. Go." He told her as calmly as he could. She nodded and took off.

"I knew something was wrong." He said to himself while looking down at his unconscious best friend.

"And I know it's never simple, never easy, Never a clean break, No one here to save me, You're the only thing I know, like the back of my hand..." Taylor Swift - Breathe (ft. Colbie Caillat)