Keeping Her Afloat (Book 1)

~¶Fifty Three¶~

~Tantrum-throwing Children~

"I still can't believe your brother let you come to this party. I almost gave up on hopes that you would arrive but here you are." Christie noted as she scooted over in the SUV her father had allowed her take to the party. A driver was assigned to take them to and fro the venue. It was dark in the car and it made it impossible for her to see the dull smile Aurora offered her in response.

Despite the dim lighting, Aurora turned to her to reply as if she could see her. "It took a lot of convincing, you know. My brother can be a hard person when he wants to."

"I wouldn't have gotten mad if he declined you stepping out of the house. I mean, you did almost get drowned by some self obsessed snob if that guy didn't save you on time." She said as she produced a portable mirror from her purse to check if her lipstick wasn't smudged.

Aurora sighed, letting her head fall back against the headrest. She was barely listening to Christie. A lot of things were spinning a nest in her mind at the moment. If Nicolas hadn't allowed her leave the house, she would have gone bat shit crazy already. Her jaw was still hurting from the hard impact of her mother's slap on her cheek but it would have been much more painful if she wasn't allowed to attend the party. That would have meant spending the night alone, nursing a bruised cheek.

Although the slap was a deserved one for pushing her mother too hard, nothing less should have been expected from a girl who got abandoned on the night of her eleventh birthday by the same woman who hurt her. Indeed, Aurora felt no ounce of regret for the things she said and was determined not to easily accept her with open arms. Even if she came back to them, crawling on hot coals.

"Aurora."

The voice pulled her back from the abyss of her drowning thoughts. As she turned, she could map out the outline of Christie's face as the lights from outside peeked in. She realized the car was now steadily running on the highway and that she'd zoned out.

"What's wrong? You're unusually quiet. Did something happen?"

Aurora waved her off, placing a delicate hand on her hair incase she had ruined an hour of hardwork. "I'm fine. The stress from school is beginning to hit hard and my hormones are reacting. All of that has me going haywire."

"That was one smooth lie, Aurora. You can do better though." Aurora didn't need to look for her to know that Christie's eyes were squinted at her in disapproval. "Speak up."

"Don't worry about it, Christie. What do you have to say about it anyway?" She snapped out of nowhere, turning away from the girl. She felt like her private space was about to be violated. She hated the feeling of being cornered.

A brief silence followed her behavior before Christie took her hand in hers "It's okay if you don't want to speak up. Not everyone likes to appear vulnerable in front of certain people but I want you to know that I am not certain people. I am Christie and have no single right to judge you for whatever happened in the past. Again, it's fine if you don't want to speak up. Okay?"

Nothing much was exchanged between the girls except for side glances and gentle hand squeezes that spoke in length about reassurance and support from Christie. The silence lasted for two empty minutes when Aurora broke the spell. She narrated to the last detail all that happened, closing her eyes in sadness when she was through explaining.

"Wow, that's a whole lot on your mind. If you ask me, it's too much for a fifteen year old to bear. How did you survive carrying all that weight and didn't get crushed underneath?" Her tone was filled with amazement.

Aurora blushed at the adoration fused in her words. "I don't know how. All I do know is my brother and my dad keeps me going. Dolores too. She is like this big sister who can relate to everything I feel. I don't know how she does it but she's always at the right place when I need her."