AURORA
Six weeks passed, and Kiran and I had been spending more time together, especially at sundown when he joins me for my run. We talk and hang out, but at school, he chooses to keep a distance and refuses to have lunch with Gabe, Jen, and Dani, and me.The homecoming dance was only a couple of days away now. The students were losing their minds about it per usual and I only chuckled at them. Jen and Dani were especially freaking out about it.“I don’t have a date still!” Whined Jen at the table during lunch.“Aw, it’s okay, babe, you can be my date!” Offered Dani to her as she extended her hand from the other side of the table. Jen swatted her hand away and continued moping, putting her face on her palm.“I just want someone to ask me and be a gentleman and romantic about it, is that so much to ask?!”“I could set you up with someone from the team if youAURORA Dani, Jen, and I were all getting ready at my house for homecoming. It’s Saturday, and the girls came over early so we could come up with a “plan of action” on how to get ready – it was Jen’s idea. First came hair, then we would do each other’s makeup, then dress and heels. We found a deep purple dress for Dani to wear that stopped at her knees, the same length as Jen’s white bandage dress. Mine was gold sequins and floor-length – probably more appropriate for prom instead of homecoming, but I was so excited about the dress that I would have worn it to school if it had followed the dress code. The thought made me smile as Dani pinned my hair in place. Dani was in charge of hair, then Jen did makeup, and thanks to my lack of artistic talent, I was in charge of zippers and helping the girls into their heels. “Sing us a tune while we get ready, A,” Jen said with a smile. Apparently, I’m also in charge of entertainment. They know I never miss an op
AURORA While Dani and Jen were going through the photos of us with the balloon octopus, I had my eyes glued to Kiran and Courtney. I hated to admit that they made a good-looking couple, and they looked happy, smiling together as they mingled and danced. I loved seeing that Kiran was coming out of his shell more, I just wish that he had his arm around my waist instead of hers. ‘What are you thinking, Aurora?! Knock it off!’ I shook my head and turned and smiled at the girls, joining in their giggles at our photos. Gabe put his arm around my waist, the look on his face distant and somewhat impassive, “Come on, let’s dance.” I smiled and walked with him towards the center of the room where couples were dancing. There were no tables set up like there typically are for prom dances for people to rest their feet since this dance was held in the school gym, so we had to use the stands if we
AURORA I was getting some air outside and calming myself before going back in and finishing my conversation with Gabe. I held back the tears when I thought about what he said, but he isn’t being fair saying that I can’t be friends with any guys. Feeling steady finally, I turned to head back in when I saw Kiran leaving the gym. He stopped when he saw me a few feet from the door outside, “Hey,” he said with a faint grin. “Hey,” I grinned back. “You look amazing,” he said and motioned towards me. I looked down at myself and smiled, “Thank you… I needed that,” I tried to chuckle and averted my gaze from him when I saw the curiosity there. I didn’t want him to see that I was going through something right now. He didn’t move or say anything more, so I looked at him and asked simply, “Where’s Courtney?” He gave
KIRAN “Hey, what are you doing back so early?” Mom asked as she saw me come through the door just a couple of hours after leaving. I sighed, “I’m afraid my date thought that we were more than friends and I had to set her straight. After that, I figured I had no reason to stay, so I left.” “Oh,” she pouted, “I’m sorry, sweetie.” “It’s okay,” I chuckled, “I didn’t want to go in the first place. I’m just worried that I hurt her.” “Oh, honey,” she came and hugged me, “You’re such a good person.” “Okay, okay, enough pep talk,” I rolled my eyes and patted her back, “I’m going to go change.” Once changed into sweats, I came back out of my room to spend some time with my mom and she asked, “What about that girl you’ve been spending time
AURORA He was being so kind to me, even giving up his bed for me, or to let me into his home and let me cry on him no questions asked. I don’t know many people with whom I could really do that anymore. I questioned all of my relationships after tonight. I lost three people after what happened tonight, the closest people to me, too. My boyfriend is a cheater, and my best friends are secret-hiding backstabbers. I have never been so upset and disappointed in myself before. Wait… why am I upset with myself? I didn’t do anything wrong here, I was entirely in the dark about all of this. I noticed the looks they gave each other, sure, but the topic was never really brought up and I just thought of them as harmless looks of admiration. I never would have guessed that things would transpire the way they did. Stupid girl, Aurora. Kiran is right, and you need to stop being so nice and forgiving. These people betrayed me, they&r
AURORA “Good morning, dear,” a feminine voice came from down the hall on my left. I looked over and saw a middle-aged woman with the same dark hair and charming smile as Kiran and couldn’t help but smile back at her as I stood up, “Good morning, Mrs. Black.” “Oh, please, dear,” she waved her hand, “There is no Mrs. in this house, you can call me Brianna.” “Brianna,” I said and we smiled at each other, “I’m Aurora. Thank you so much for letting me stay the night. You and your son have been so good to me. I apologize for showing up unannounced and ruining your night.” “You didn’t ruin anything,” she insisted as she took a seat on the couch, I followed her lead, “I’m glad you feel comfortable enough with my son to come to him when you’re in need. And just know that whenever you need a place to escape to, you&
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
KIRAN Aurora laid down on the blanket with an exhale after dancing to her heart's desire and I decided to go to the opposite side of the blanket and lay down so that our heads were side by side. Aurora chuckled. “What are you laughing at?” “You,” she giggled, “You’re so close to me.” “Do you want me to move?” I could hear her smile as she responded after thinking about it, “No.” I nuzzled myself more into the blanket and got comfortable before we laid there in silence watching the clouds pass by in the sky, the crashing of waves filling the void of conversation. After a while, I broke the silence by asking her, "Why are you so nice?" Aurora chuckled, "What?" "Well, I mean... you're always smiling, happy, and kind... why?" She laughed some more about it but I remained silent as I awaited her answer.