Hard Boy ✔️

10

- Everybody Wants You; Johnny Orlando - 
- Hard Boy; Frawley - 

Aurora Holland

The first thing I noticed when I walked into my Ceramics class, was Elijah Layton sitting on top of one of the desks. His long legs were stretched out, the soles of his shoes resting flat on one of the blue plastic chairs.

He looked different than the last time I saw him, but then again he was plastered when I saw him last. His cheeks were still the same pink as last time, but a little less since he had no alcohol in his system and it wasn't humid in the building. His eyes were much brighter and less hooded and heavy, the light color of his irises sticking out from the doorway of the room.

His smile was the same, but that much was expected. He had a beautiful smile, and I watched as he unashamedly flirted with the girl sitting at the desk next to him.

The feeling of a body bumping into me caused my attention to be ripped away from the lanky boy, and I mumbled an apology as I stepped out of the doorway. I didn't know whether this class had assigned seating, and I was almost too afraid to both go up and ask or just sit down at a random desk.

I watched as people flooded in last minute before the final bell rang, finding their way to wherever they wanted to sit. There were no names on the desks, and I was struggling to build up the courage to ask the kind lady in the front of the room for help.

"Aurora!" The sudden sound of my name being called by a familiar British accent caused my head to snap right. My eyes were wide as they landed on Elijah.

He'd been in the middle of the room, seemingly the center of attention. When he called my name all eyes landed on me, and if it were possible my cheeks burned even hotter. He smiled at me with his beautiful goofy smile I'd seen so many times in the little amount of time I've known him, and I just watched in silence as he threw himself off of the desk. He turned to the girl he'd been flirting with, saying one last thing to her. Her cheeks reddened as she looked down to her lap, seemingly flustered with whatever it was that left his mouth.

Then again, if someone with an adorable accent said sweet things in my ear, I'd probably react the same way.

My eyes fluttered back to Elijah, who slipped his grey backpack from the ground in one smooth movement. He stalked his way back and forth through the occupied seats, sitting at a completely empty table near the back. His eyes traveled to me, patting the back of the seat next to him. "This seat's open!" He exclaimed as if it was nothing.

I looked around the room, already seeing people whispering. I don't know what was being said, and part of me was glad. I don't think with how sensitive I was that I could handle hearing the bad things being said about me, I'm sure they all know by now that I'm Paige Holland's shy and dorky cousin.

"You must be the new student, Aurora Holland." The woman at the front made her way to me, seeming to ignore Elijah's comment. "I would give you a professional greeting and tell you to sit wherever you want, but it looks like you've already managed to make yourself a friend."

Not exactly, I thought. Of course, I wasn't going to say that. Elijah was really kind to offer his seat next to me. And he's best friends with Carter Jackson, surely meaning he has a high popularity status at Riverway High.

I could see the looks of jealousy from a few girls cowering in the other back half of the classroom, but I kept my eyes on the older woman in front of me.

"It looks like I'll be seeing you quite a bit here, huh?" The woman then said, catching my attention again.

"Uh. I guess so," I mumbled, "Do you teach all the art classes?"