Chapter 4: Survival

Aurora’s P.O.V

The day dragged on. Each passing minute felt like an eternity as if the hours were stretching just to torture me. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t concentrate on anything. The bell couldn’t ring fast enough for me to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the classroom. I was barely aware of the teacher’s voice droning on about something I couldn’t bring myself to care about. All I could think about was how long it was taking for the clock to reach lunch.

I had never been the best in academics, and I haven’t exactly been enjoying my high school life. I don’t have the motivation nor the time to devote myself to my studies.

I was only here because nobody would look at a high school dropout and think, “Ah, that’s the one. She’s definitely going places.”

I wanted to stay in school for as long as the universe would allow, because graduating would get me a better job than a waitress working at a tiny diner for minimum wage. I was here because of duty; of the obligation to make life easier for my brother.

And so, I sat at the back of the class, by the window, drifting in and out of focus as the seconds tick by ever so slowly. The class wasn’t very productive to begin with and my attention span refused to be cooperative today.

I just had to survive this class. And then the next, and the next and the next…until it was finally lunch time.

Because I didn’t have a lot of money and was trying to save up each dollar I managed to scrape by, lunch time had never been in my favor. I couldn’t buy the expensive cafeteria food other people did. I couldn’t have the lunch I wanted to eat.

At least our school had a free lunch system for those in need, but that wasn’t the best lunch available. If anything, it was the leftover scrapes from the cafeteria section that hardly filled my stomach. However, a beggar wasn’t a chooser. And at that moment, I would take anything the lunch lady offered, even a stale slice of bread without any condiments.

I let out a sigh of relief as the bell rang; glad that half the day was already over and done with. Everybody raced to the cafeteria, while I stayed behind to slowly gather my belongings. The teacher left shortly after and only then did I finally open my tiny wallet to check inside.

I knew I didn’t have much, but I unzipped my wallet to check what was left and pressed my lips together when I found about five dollars and a few cents at the bottom.

Having given another five to Riley, I needed this money to buy supplies for the house, whatever this could get me. At this point, a pack of instant noodles was enough to get us by for the couple days left till I got my paycheck. And hopefully, some gracious customer would leave a few dollars as tip for me so I could buy some eggs and milk.

I headed to the cafeteria, light on my feet to avoid attracting attention. The good thing about people not caring about my existence was that they didn’t really notice me when I came to the lunch lady, standing at the side with my head bowed as I waited for her to notice me and give me my usual free meal.

It seemed to have done the trick, because she took one glance at me and scoffed, “Well, you’re nothing if not consistent.” She looked down at me angrily, so I tried my best not to meet her eyes, hoping that she didn’t take that as an insult. “If you want your free meal, you gotta wait for it.”

I nodded in silence, stepping back as the line moved forward. Even though my body protested, I felt my stomach grumble, demanding to be fed, I ignored it all and waited patiently for my lunch to arrive.

I watched as the lunch lady and her workers went around serving the students. The bell had just rung, so they were all pretty busy. Blue Hill was a public high school, so the cafeteria food wasn’t exactly worth 5 Michelin stars, but they looked appetizing enough, especially the ones that the students paid to get. They’ve got everything a student would want to eat—burgers, fries, milkshakes, nachos, wings…

My stomach grumbled again, and I did my best to ignore the way it was starting to hurt, as I stood there awkwardly, waiting for my turn. I hadn't really had breakfast this morning. Just a slice of toast and some orange juice, because I knew Riley was a growing child and needed the nourishment more than I did.

Finally, the bustle slowed, and the lunch lady could finally hand me the tray of scraps she could afford to give me—a few crackers and a loaf of dry bread. “Thank you,” I said, but she was no longer looking at me.

With a sigh, I turned around, hoping to find a quiet corner to finish my meal. Maybe there was an empty seat at the -

But I wasn’t able to finish my thought, because as I turned around, I bumped into the worst person I could possibly butt heads with at this time. Mia Anderson.

My tray fell to the floor as a result of the collision, causing a loud clatter of a sound that drew a good few heads in this direction. I looked at the scene unfolding in horror, watching as everything fell to the floor in slow motion, the food splattering on the ground and on our bodies as Mia let out a blood-curdling shriek and jumped back with an agility that defined her status as the cheer captain.

 It was a huge loss for my stomach, but for Mia, it was something else entirely…because much to my horror, Mai was now clutching her purse to her chest, examining it as if that was the most precious belonging she ever held…and maybe…it was.