AURORA
Gabe slung his arm over my shoulder and whispered into my ear, “Who were you talking to, babe?”“Just greeting the new kid.” I smiled at him and put a fry in my mouth. “He’s funny, I think we could be friends.”Gabe laughed, “You try to be friends with everyone, babe.”I tilted my head and said, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”“You’re just too nice sometimes." He pinched my cheek with a pout.I rolled my eyes at him and continued eating, letting my ears tune into the other conversations so that I didn’t have to hear another lecture from Gabe about being too nice.My third class of the day was Mr. Hammond's chemistry class, one of my favorite teachers. He makes chemistry fun and he jokes around a lot, he kind of reminds me of Bill Nye – the way that you kind of think of him as a goofy uncle figure.I walked in with a skip in my step, excited to see one of my favorite teachers, when I was pleasantly surprised to find the new kid Kiran already seated at the back corner table.Our eyes met and I didn’t even think before walking over to him, “Mind a partner? I figure you would want to partner with someone you already know instead of a stranger.”He leaned forward slightly and asked me, “Isn’t that how friends are made? Talking to people you don’t know yet?” There was a line between his brows as he slightly squinted his eyes while he asked.I like his sense of humor, it’s refreshing, and not a lot of people here are sarcastic in humor.I laughed, “Very true, in that case, I’ll just be right here in case you need an escape from whoever ends up sitting next to you “ I pointed to the table in front of him and sat down directly in front of him.More people began to enter the classroom. And I turned on the stool to talk to Kiran, “You know another way to make friends and meet people?” He lifted an eyebrow at me so I whispered, “Go to a party.”He rolled his eyes and inhaled deeply before looking down. “Why are you so hellbent on me going to this party? I don’t even know who’s throwing it.”“Gabe is.”He laughed again and I got to see him smile, I couldn’t help but smile back at him. He mumbled to himself, “Yeah, I’m definitely not going,” then he looked at me and whispered, “but thanks for the invite,” and tapped his hand twice on the table between us. What does he have against Gabe?“Hey now, Gabe is a good guy. Sure, he can be a little rough around the edges, but there’s good in there.”
He only stared at me blankly. I stared back, adjusting my posture during our staring contest, silently challenging him.“No.” He looked back down and began writing something in his notebook.I only smiled and shook my head. There were only a couple of seats left open in the classroom, one of them being next to Kiran. I had a feeling that he didn’t want to be at the table with the last remaining seat – it’s like being picked last for basketball in gym. It’s not a good feeling.A big, burly student in a letterman jacket came in and glanced around the classroom for an empty seat. I knew this guy from Gabe – his name is Jackson, and he slacks a lot in his classes. I knew that Kiran would be doing all the work and Jackson would take credit at the end of the day if they were to partner, and Kiran seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t appreciate that.“Last chance,” I said to Kiran while I played with the pencil between my fingers.I could see him clench his teeth and he practically snarled as he forced out, “Okay, fine.”I grabbed my bag and hurried back towards him, apologizing to the girl next to me as she mumbled with a frown on her brows, “Oh, come on!”I leaned down to her and whispered, “He’s your cousin, you can handle him,” referring to the incoming Jackson.She grumbled and I hurried to sit next to Kiran with a smile. I was pleased with myself but hoped I wasn’t acting smug at all.The seat that I had been in was now taken by the big jock Jackson, who folded his arms on the table before laying his head down. I peeked over at Kiran who was looking at him and slowly shaking his head.I leaned closer to him and whispered, “You’re welcome.”He gave me a look that said ‘knock it off.’ I guess I was acting smug. Dammit, Aurora, you know better than that! I mumbled a quick apology to him and took out my stuff for class and placed it on the table.I noticed in my peripheral vision that Kiran was looking at me, so I looked back at him and noticed a look of incredulity on his face.He dropped his head towards the table as he looked at me and asked, “Did you just apologize?”I shrugged, “I was acting smug, so yes, I did.”He smiled at me again, and I had to look away before he saw me blush. He has a charming smile.“Alright, class, let’s begin. My name is Mr. Hammond,” the teacher spoke up and wrote his name on the board for us, “Today we will begin our class by opening our books to page 32, and there we will find the difference between physical properties and chemical properties of matter – that is where we will begin.”Since Kiran was new, he didn’t have his own book, so I placed mine in the center of the desk for us to share. He whispered a thank you to me and I grinned at him in response.I really wanted him to come to Gabe’s party and meet some people – I really think he would get along with some of the people here! He was funny, in a dry humor kind of way, which I thought was refreshing, and I think a lot of other people will find it nice as well.There was one point in class where Kiran was turned away from me, and I took it as an opportunity to sneak a piece of paper inside his jacket pocket with the address of the party, time to arrive, and my cell number in case he gets lost."When do you get your headphones back?" He casually asked halfway through class and my heart skipped a beat thinking he caught me putting the note in his pocket."At the end of the day. Anything that gets confiscated here gets held for the rest of the day.""That sucks," he mumbled."No worries," I smiled, "I always have a backup," I pulled my jacket sleeve down slightly to show him the buds in my palm. He raised a brow at me so I unzipped my jacket to show him the wire that was threaded from my pocket and up through my sleeve to my hand so that every time I rest my head on my hand I can listen to my music. I rested my head on my hand with my ear near the buds so that I could hear the music and smirked at him."Clever.""Thank you."KIRAN The first day of school was over and I headed home. Mom and I only have one car, and since her work is only a few blocks from our apartment and my school is both further and starts earlier, we agreed that I should use the car to get to and from the school, then all other times it can be for moms use. I didn't want to be the new kid who gets dropped off by his mommy every single day - I would die of humiliation, especially since I have my own license, there was just no point in making my mom get up at 6 AM every day. Why should we both have to suffer? "How was your first day?" She asked before I could even shut the door. I shrugged and frowned as I said to her, "Take a guess." She pursed her lips and narrowed her brown eyes at me as she thought about it, "A typical first day for a new kid where you ignored everyone?" "Bingo!" I pointed at her and reached into my pocket to get the car keys out. I
KIRAN Mom gave me the car tonight to get to-and-from this party that she insisted I go to. She said it was a great opportunity to make friends and that the new kid never gets invited to things on their first day. I wanted to find a gym to work out at and work on my technique, but I am still yet to find a decent gym that I can do any kickboxing in. No place I've seen so far has a boxing ring or decent equipment for practicing. Pulling up to the address that Aurora gave me, everyone was parked in the grass out front of the house, or rather, mansion would be more appropriate, all scattered around. I decided to reduce the risk of anything happening to the car by parking across the street and by the sidewalk instead. There were scarce any neighbors here and every house had numerous acres of space - I'm sure no one will mind my parking here. I questioned before getting out of the car if I should really be here. I gripped the stee
AURORA Gabe was being rude, and I couldn't help feeling a tad bit embarrassed. I was incredibly grateful that Kiran was being as kind as to stop drinking so that he could help me get these kids home. Some of them would pass out and have to crash here at Gabe’s house, but there was a good number of people who know their limit and will ask for a ride home before they pass out, throw up, or both. "I'm sorry about him," I felt the need to apologize for Gabe’s behavior, "He's really a good guy." "Yeah, so you've said," he mumbled while watching Gabe’s retreating figure with distaste. "I really appreciate you not drinking to help me out, but really, there won't be that many who need to be taken home, and I'm sure I can handle it myself. So drink, have fun, mingle, meet," I was making big hand motions to the room we were in and saw Kiran smirking at me. I have to admit that my heart leaped when he had called me cute and I had to hide my face
KIRAN I was simply minding my own business and enjoying watching Aurora and her friends dance when a drunk redhead named Rebecca came over and began talking before she threw herself on me. As much as I tried to pull away from her kisses, my restraint just made her go harder, I eventually gave up and decided to push through it until she needed some oxygen. It was the sound of a big thud on the ground that shocked her away from me. It sounded like someone had fallen over the railing on the second floor of the house and collided with the ground on the first floor. We both looked over, along with everyone else in the room, and saw Aurora and Gabe standing together, Aurora's friends were nearby with widened eyes and looks of fear as they stared at the couple. Gabe's body was blocking Aurora's face, but I could see her blonde hair and grey cardigan. What did I miss? Whose ass do I need to kick? The redhead's pale lips moved into a grin as she looked
AURORA Stacy is usually the first girl to get shit faced at these parties, and I was slightly surprised to hear that Kiran had already taken one girl home because she was too far gone, but I was thankful that he was helping me out and I wasn't on my own dealing with them anymore. I won't ask him to do this every time, but it's refreshing having someone even offer their help in the first place. As much as I adore and love Jen and Dani, they're more partners than me, so I usually end up driving them home as well. Most of the time, I don't mind it, but something Kiran had said was ringing in my ears. He had asked, "When do you get to have your own fun?" I think Kiran's idea of fun was something along the lines of this party - drinking and just hanging out, letting loose without a worry in the world. My answer to that question: Never. I have always been the one to look out for other people. The only person who ever really looke
KIRAN Some people had come to talk to me and engage in casual conversation while Aurora was gone taking people home, but none of them I thought I could consider becoming a close friend. It was true that some people were nice and personable, but there were some ugly things at this party as well. I noticed that the girls who hung around the jocks were becoming intoxicated quicker than the rest of the partiers. Maybe these girls are just drinking more than others? No, I had kept an eye on the brunette in a red top and jeans and she had only one cup. What was going on? As Aurora left the house and the door behind her shut, one of the jocks who was hanging out casually by the front door came over to gave and his friends and pulled a baggie out of his letterman jacket. The guys all gathered around the glass table, one of them pulling out a credit card of sorts and splitting the contents of the package. Fucking hell, they're snorting coke behind Aurora's bac
AURORA It was the first Monday of the new school year, and the third period was about to start after lunch when I caught up with Kiran in our chemistry class. I was almost late for our first class this morning after getting distracted by my music and I didn't get the chance to talk to him then. "Hey," I grinned at him. "Hey," he said coolly. "So, I thought about what you said and I want to hang out tonight." Kiran looked confused for a moment and looked off into the distance as if he were trying to remember, "Did I ask you out?" I chuckled, "No, not like that. It's a clear day out, not a single cloud in the sky. I want to show you how I have fun." Curious, Kiran lifted a brow at me and analyzed my features before agreeing, "Okay." My last period of the day is as an office aid, and I usually spend that time catching up on homework, but today I decided to do a little digging while the principal was in the bathroom and fin
AURORA We pulled up to the parking lot of Kiran's apartment building and I parked the car in an empty spot that faces the building. We sat in silence for a while, unsure of what to say. I was expecting him to get out of the car as soon as it stopped, but he just sat there, tense. I noticed in the corner of my eye that he turned his head to me, so I turned mine to look back at him. The look on his face was quizzical and his lips were tense, so I asked, "What?" "You're always smiling, always the designated driver at parties, I'm sure you probably console every crying person you come across and give screaming kids hugs... not once have I seen you show a weakness." I lifted my eyebrows, "Thank you," a small grin appeared on my lips. "It's not a good thing, Aurora." My smile fell and he went on, "You can't keep trying to help people, who's helping you?" "You sound like Gabe," I chuckled weakly and looked straight ahe
AURORA "Because you want to." Such a simple answer to a heavy question. Four words, 16 letters, that hold so much truth that it could change my life forever. "We're going to be 18 soon," he began to reason, "The day that happens, we run away, we move to New York. You can focus on Broadway, and I've always wanted to fight at Madison Square Garden," he was smiling as he spoke, "I don't think either of us has much of a life here anymore... let's run away." My mouth was agape and my head was spinning. The thought of dropping everything and leaving with a guy that I've only known for a few months filled me with anxiety, fear, hope, and excitement. I've never done anything so crazy before - I've always been the goodie two shoes who always follows the rules, I'm not the kind of person to just run away with a guy I'm in love with. In love with. I smiled at my initial thought. When I thought about Gabe that d
AURORA My heart skipped a beat and my stomach dropped when I heard the knock on the door. I had been organizing things to donate before we moved while my parents were finishing up some things with their work before we packed up the house.My parents understood my uneasiness being back in the house, and I'm thankful for the move and how quickly they had gotten everything into motion. I see things differently now. I think differently. My mind has been rewired to assume that everyone meant me harm, that no one was who they claimed to be, and it was a horrifying revelation. When I saw it was Kiran, I was filled with relief more than anything, but I was also nervous to answer the door. I didn't know what he could be here to say that he hadn't said at the hospital or the night before Gabe's attack. Since I'm leaving, and I don't know if I'll ever see him again, I spilled everything to him. Every thought, emotion, feeling that I ever f
AURORA Sleep was impossible. I felt pain everywhere, and after a painful trip to the bathroom, I got to see all of the bruises that Gabe caused. My left eye was black, my bottom lip was busted, my cheek was red from him slapping me, and it is faintly visible where his hand was when he was choked me. I looked like I had been kidnapped and tortured for information. I learned that Gabe was on a separate floor than me and on the opposite side, which made me feel a little better, but they wouldn't tell me if he was awake or not - which was worrying. I found out this morning that my room faces East and I was able to watch the sunrise. I thought about Kiran a lot, especially then, but I tried to distract myself. My parents have forbidden me from seeing him several times now, and he even said that we don't belong together, so I am trying to put my own feelings to the side and respect their wishes. "Good morning, Ms. Wil
KIRAN "Mr. and Mrs. Williams," I greeted as they entered the waiting room where I had been sitting, "How is she?" They looked at each other and then Mrs. Williams said to me, "Kiran, Peter, and I would like to thank you for finding and bringing Aurora here, but we think you should leave." I swallowed, "Did she ask you to kick me out?" "No." "Yes." Her parents answered at the same time and Mrs. Williams looked at her husband in disbelief when he answered yes, all while keeping his eyes on Kiran with a strong and intimidating look. No matter if it was Aurora to ask me to leave or her parents, I'm clearly not welcomed here, so I nodded my head to them and left. Once outside the hospital and in the fresh, crisp air, I knew I wouldn't be able to go home and sit still, so I decided to walk to the gym - I had to get the car, anyway, so two birds with one stone. It was a forty-minute walk, and all the time I kept seeing
AURORA My eyelids were heavy and my body ached, the sound of a beeping heart monitor waking me up. Heart monitor. That means that someone found me and I'm not dead.I managed to open my eyes and saw everything blurry until I blinked a couple of times, then I noticed my hand felt heavy, so I looked down and saw a man's hand atop mine. My blood ran cold and I snatched it away as soon as possible, waking its owner. His forehead had been on the bed next to our hands, and he shook his black hair gently before he looked up at me, "Oh, hey, you're awake," he stood up and smiled that same smile that would always make me feel butterflies. Now, I barely felt anything. "Kiran?" I croaked out. My throat was dry and hurt like a bitch. "It's me, I'm here," he answered as he brought a straw for me to sip some water from to my lips, "I'm so sorry, Aurora. For everything." He tried to touch my face, but I quickly pulled away from him.
AURORA I got home as fast as possible and ran straight to my bedroom, crying into my pillow. I can't believe the things Kiran said to me. What about our dozens of times hanging out together? He didn't seem to have a problem with me then, so why now? Was it the kiss? Did I take it too far? Maybe it's the guys at the new gym? Maybe they're influencing him? I can't tell him to leave the gym when he quite literally just found it, that would be awful of me to do and it's not my place to do it. I should have stayed home after my nap and not gone out for a run - none of this would have happened if I hadn't been out and saw him. No! Stop blaming yourself, Aurora! He said awful things to you! Now anytime someone tells me my name is that of a Disney princess, all I'm going to hear is Kiran yelling, "You don't belong with me, you belong in some fucking Disney movie!" I frowned. I always thought that people loved Disney, I didn't
AURORA I rested my head back on the seat of my car and enjoyed the lingering feeling on my lips after kissing Kiran like my life depended on it. I laughed at myself for how bold I was with him, going so far as to straddle him on the couch. I giggled and hid my face in my hands, even though I was alone in my car. I drove home and went to my room to lay on the bed while listening to some music, eventually closing my eyes and drifting into a peaceful sleep to make up for last night's tossing and turning. When I woke up, I noticed the color of the sky beginning to turn orange and I shot up from my bed and headed downstairs and to my car. The only thing that would make this day better would be to run in the field towards the setting sun and get my exercise for the day. Checking my phone, I was slightly surprised to not have any messages from Kiran. I frowned then turned on the engine, heading to his place to see if he wanted to join me for my run like he u
KIRAN She looked over my shoulder at the door, exhaling shaky breaths until we heard my mom's muffled voice on the other side of the door. "Kiran, honey, did you bolt lock the door?" Aurora exhaled and closed her eyes in relief before getting off of me and sitting back on the couch. I got up and opened the door for my mom. She smiled at first and then looked worried, "Hey, Are you feeling okay? You're flushed," she put a hand on my face, "and you're warm." Stifled giggling came from the couch and mom and I both looked over to see Aurora hiding her face in a pillow. "Oh," my mom said with raised brows at her before looking back at me and looking me up and down with a mirky grin, "I just remembered that the car needs an oil change, so I'll just-" "No, it doesn't," I interrupted her and pulled her inside. "I should get home anyway," Aurora said as she got off the couch, "It was nice to see y
AURORAI had tossed and turned all night after taking a hot bath and scrubbing the hell out of my skin. Between my legs stung from Gabe's fingers and I was hoping the bath would help soothe my muscles, but it didn't work. The moment kept replaying in my mind every time I shut my eyes to the point where I was scared to close them. The fire of anger in Gabe's eyes as he hurt me would haunt me forever, I'm sure of it. I wore Kiran's shirt to bed, it was the only thing that could calm me down. My parents listened to what the principal said and they have forbidden me to see Kiran again. I tried to explain to them that Kiran was the good guy, but they agreed that if he got himself expelled, it just means he's a delinquent and I shouldn't be friends with him. I called them crazy and refused before heading back to my room and closing the door. I refuse to never see him again. End of discussion. Finally, after some hours, the memory of kis