Wilting Flowers

     Life, it's like a freshly-budded flower. Beautiful and bright. Everyone stops by and hovers over the wonder, the youth, nobody cares when the flower starts to wilt, old and damaged. Nobody cares  when you're at your low, and that's where Aurelia Kerensa Barrett was. Her low. She felt as if everything was falling in place around her, her friends getting married and having kids, her family always seeming happier when she saw them. Everything was perfect on the outside, where everyone could see. On the inside, she felt like she was a broken mirror, one bad look and she could shatter, permanently.

     Either nobody noticed, or nobody cared. Only one person ever cared about her in her whole life. Asher Caddel, a boy with strawberry blonde hair, tan skin, freckles dotted lightly around his nose, and green eyes speckled with gold that could be compared to that of the sun shining through the thick foliage in the forest. She would always remember him, the one person who made her feel special.

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     "Miss. Barrett!" Her teacher had shouted, Kerensa cringing at her raised voice. She slowly turned, sulking back towards the dull classroom that she hated so much. Her teacher, Mrs. Moreno despised her, and she had no clue why.

     Putting on a sickly sweet smile, she went up to her teacher. "Yes, Mrs. Moreno?"

     Mrs. Moreno motioned to a student beside her, a young boy probably her age, maybe a bit younger with messed up hair and nervous green eyes, darting from one side of the room to the other. "This is Asher, Asher Caddel," The boy waved slightly, "He's a transfer student from Ohio, and you're going to show him around." Kerensa opened her mouth to protest when she interrupted, "Think of it as a bit of extra credit." She paused, she needed this extra credit. If she didn't get an A, her parents would be furious. She nodded shortly, not meeting her teacher's sharp gaze. "Great!" She clapped her hands together, "Since your next period is a free period, you can go ahead and get started!" She ushered them out the door, before closing it behind them leaving two immensely awkward teenagers.

     Asher turned to her, flashing her a grin, "Well that was an interesting experience. Sorry you had to do this, though it can't be too bad can it? This school doesn't seem too big." She mumbled an, 'I guess', before showing him to all of his classes, only occasionally talking. It was a very quick tour, as, like Asher had said, it wasn't a big school, they only had about fifty students per grade. When they went to split up to go to their next class, Asher stopped her. "I didn't catch your name earlier,"

     "Aurelia Kerensa Barett, though call me Kerensa, all my friends do."

     He grinned at her once again, "So we're friends?" She stilled for a moment, not being able to respond before he changed the topic, "Well, I hope I'll see you again Kerensa." She shrugged, her face flushed with embarrassment.

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     At first she had disliked him, all throughout her middle school years she had avoided him, he was annoying and always tried to befriend her. Though, eventually, he managed to get under her skin and evoke a smile out of her. That was just the first of many to come. After many years, somehow they kept ending up in the same classes even in high school, they became incredibly close. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she liked him, he didn't pressure and judge her like everyone else. He understood her, and she understood him, maybe that's why they were such good friends.

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