Hard Boy ✔️

33

- Issues; Julia Michaels -
- Little Things; One Direction -

Aurora Holland

My eyes landed on the wilting tulip sitting on my art desk. Out of all places, I'd decided to place it there. I'd stolen a vase from under the sink in the kitchen, filling it with water and spending what seemed like forever looking for the perfect place to set the flower Carter got me. I ended up choosing here, simply because this is where I spend most of my free time.

Not to mention, it was in the perfect spot to use it for inspiration. Call me a stupid lovesick puppy, but I couldn't stop interpreting tulips in my art. Specifically, this blue-painted one he'd gotten me. I don't know how he remembered that my favorite color was blue or that my favorite flower was tulips, simply because the last time it had come up was the day we met at Logan's party.

Carter has an amazing memory, despite what he says.

I pulled the dying flower from the vase, careful to not touch the petals. I sat it on my empty art desk before standing up, and making my way over to my closet. Reaching above the top shelf, I felt around until I felt the familiar paperback-covered book, pulling it down to reveal my journal.

It looked very used, despite the fact I'd barely used it since I've been here. One of my last entries was from my first week here, stating how I'd met all of Paige's friends and what happened in the gymnasium with James Hanneman. This was simply because that was how I usually got my feelings out, but now that I'm close friends with Katherine and I've been spending a lot more time with Carter, I've found myself not needing the journal as much.

Walking back over to my desk, I opened it to the next empty page. I looked up a few different ways to preserve flowers then they die, and I thought the scrapbooking idea was the cutest. Part of me wanted to frame it as another one of the ideas suggested, but I didn't due to the fear my mother would see it and go crazy when she found out it was from Carter.

She hasn't talked to me since the situation that night. She acts like I don't exist, and although if I think about it a lot it'll upset me, I know I'd much rather have this than she hurt me the way she usually did.

It's been a little over a week since the party, the one where I stupidly got drunk and made a fool of myself in front of everyone. Paige has been spamming me with apologies, and although I've been naive before I'm not stupid enough to know it's only because literally everyone's ignoring her.

Even Elijah, who doesn't usually treat people like that.

Nobody's talked to her, the only person I've seen with her out of our friend group is Logan. Logan's just that type of guy though, and I'm not surprised since the only reason she even knew the things she did was because of him telling her.

He's also been going out of his way to talk to me, but I don't let him. Maybe I'm still overreacting since it's over a week later, but it doesn't change the fact that he promised me he wouldn't say anything to anyone, especially Paige. Paige wouldn't have had the leverage over me that she did if she didn't know what Logan told her, so it just made what Logan did worse.

I know that Logan isn't the one that said the things Paige did, but he knew how important it was for her to not find out. For him to run and tell her anyway, and for me to find out through Carter really hurt. I really thought we were beginning to have a really good friendship.

The sound of knocking on my bedroom door caused me to look away from the art I was working on, glancing one last time at it before standing up from my seat. I wasn't supposed to have any company today, and if it was Paige, I would immediately slam the door in her face.