BEACH

KIRAN

I enjoyed the silence on my walk home, nothing but the sound of the trees moving in the light breeze and the sound of distant cars heading to and from. I got thinking about the relationship that Aurora has with her parents and I have to admit that I pitied her slightly for their lack of connection.

I hadn’t thought much about it last night when she said she didn’t want to be alone, and suddenly I was wondering how much of her time out of school was spent alone in her house. It would explain why she tries to make friends with everyone she meets. She’s secretly lonely.

Eventually, one of the cars got closer to me and I looked over to see a familiar black Mazda approaching me and slowing down beside me. The window rolled down and I saw Aurora in the driver's seat looking over at me.

She had changed clothes and was in black leggings and a pink hoodie. She smiled at me and said, “Get in,” before leaning o