The Disorder (Book 1)

Chapter 20

Aubrey shot up from her bed, eyes wide as she took in her surroundings. She didn't find herself falling to her death; instead she saw the warm brown walls of her room.

Slowly she came back to reality, finding comfort in her familiar room, but at the same time exhilarated by her Dream. Letting out a sigh she flopped back into the warm green sheets, only to notice that she was still wearing the outfit she fashioned herself in the Dream realm.

She rolled over, groaning as she glanced at the small analog clock hanging on her wall. There were only fifteen minutes until class started.

"Crap!" She flung herself out of bed, scurrying around the room before she remembered that she was already wearing suitable clothes, Loki laughing at her all the while.

"Oh, shut up," she muttered as she continued to get ready.

Aubrey finished getting ready before Lola, who had been up for hours, and sprinted down the stairs to hug her mom and dad goodbye.

"I don't remember that outfit," Aubrey's mom said to her.

Aubrey shrugged, pretending to just now notice it. "Huh, I bet this is Donna's," she said. Donna was Aubrey's 'best friend;' They had known each other since she was very little, but they had recently started to grow apart. Donna became self-obsessed, rarely talking about anything but herself, and Aubrey became more secluded and grew more interested in stories than the real world. They were still friends, more out of convenience than anything. Donna talked Aubrey's ear off when a boy looked at her funny, and Donna was there to fill the empty seat next to Aubrey at lunch.

Aubrey's mom raised her eyebrows in disbelief, and Aubrey didn't blame her. Her outfit was nowhere near the style of Donna's floral skirts and sandals. Unsure of what else to say, she just gave her mom a cheeky grin and ran out the door.

* * *

"Guess who I texted last night?" Donna asked Aubrey when she arrived at school, just before the bell rang. The students were still waiting for the flighty English teacher, Mr. Higgins, to arrive, cherishing the precious moments before class began by sitting on the desks and chatting.

"Aslan?" Aubrey replied, her voice flat.

"No, silly! I texted Brandon!" She squealed.

"Mm-hm"

"And you know what he said?" She gushed, not giving Aubrey a chance to answer, "he told me..." And that's when Aubrey toned her out.

Gods, does she ever shut up? Loki asked her.

Trust me, Loki, I'm still waiting for the day when she does.

I know how you could shut her up.

Hm, and how's that?

"Can you believe that?" Donna said, interrupting her thoughts and turning to her, her glossy brown hair swinging perfectly over her shoulder.

"Oh, hm. Yeah, ridiculous." Aubrey muttered, avoiding Donna's grey-blue eyes.

"Aubrey! Are you even listening to me?" She said rather loudly. A few pairs of eyes looked in their direction.

"Sorry Don, I've just had an exhausting weekend, to say the least." Aubrey said, trying to avoid making a scene.

"What could be more exciting that having hottest guy in school ask you to the movies?" Her voice was growing louder by the second.

"Be quiet! People are staring..." She was staring to feel uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of her classmates. Unlike Donna, Aubrey never enjoyed the spotlight; in fact, she avoided it whenever possible.

Remind me again why you CHOOSE to hang around this fruitcake? Loki thought.

I don't need your commentary, Loki.

"So? Just tell us what was so important that you think you can ignore your best friend!" Donna shouted.

Everyone's eyes had turned to Aubrey at that moment, and Aubrey could feel the sweat dripping down her forehead. She felt like a caged animal. Her hands started to shake, and her breath grew shallow and quick.

"You okay?" She heard someone say.

Come on, you're fine. Just calm down, Loki thought.

Aubrey didn't reply.

Do I really need to take over? Oh Aubrey, and I thought you were better than this.

And suddenly, Aubrey was no longer in control of her body. She seemed to grow in size, her hair adopting a fiery red sheen, and her eyes were like burning emeralds. Now she watched from a distance as her hand swung out, smacking Donna across the cheek with all her strength. "Will you ever shut up, bitch?" The words came out of her mouth without Aubrey's consent.

The room was quiet as death, and, for once, Donna was at a loss for words, her pink lips in the shape of a perfect 'O'.

"Well, that escalated quickly," said the voice from earlier.

Loki laughed at the comment, which caused Aubrey to laugh. Eventually, after a few long, embarrassing seconds of hysterical laughter, she was able to snap out of her daze and sprinted out of the room, laughing and crying simultaneously, her classmate's eyes following her as she went.

In the hallway, Aubrey immediately bumped into her English teacher, scattering papers across the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear. Are you quite alright?" He asked, concern plain on his face.

She shook her head, collapsing to the floor, hugging herself as she cried, and the last thing she heard before she seized was Mr. Higgins exclaim, "oh my!"

A/N:

I was actually able to update pretty quickly this time so yay! What do y'all think of Aubrey's school life? Is it what you expected? What do you think about Donna? What do you think about their friendship? Please! Allow me to hear your thoughts by commenting, and let me know if you liked it by pressing the vote button!