Miracle (completed)

ll ♡

The rain danced on the roof as Uellie departed from Lakeview High School, accompanied by a strong gust of wind. Her phone was clutched in her hand as she listened to Amy Whinehouse's Valaire. After the weirdness her school day had brought she needed a distraction. Her walk home wasn't long, causing her to arrive to her place of comfort in no time. She unlocked her front door to be greeted with an empty house, just the way she liked it. Walking into her beige kitchen, Uellie made a quick snack because she was hungry. When she was finished she grabbed her book bag and headed to her room. After finishing her homework, the rest of the night was spent texting her friends and thinking of a particular pair of blue eyes.

March came quickly and during the next couple of weeks she'd become used to Aiden's presence in math class. He'd made it a habit of sitting next to her so she could help him. His understanding was surely increasing as well as their friendship and she was proud to be apart of his growth. The duo started to hang out in other places, including Uellie's home and the lunch room. Rumors were spreading quickly about the two. Aiden was oblivious to them, but Uellie was aware of her classmates talk. She did not like being the topic of conversation because she was use to fading in with the crowd. The school day was over and the pair were currently in the library working on a math project they'd chosen to do together.

"You're awfully quiet, what are you thinking about?" Aiden asks Uellie.

"Nothing really" she replies, continuing to guide the turquoise marker across the poster.

"come on, you can tell me, were practically best friends" he winks, adding a smirk to accompany his sentence.

she sighs deeply, considering the outcome of this situation.

"Does it bother you that I'm black?" She asks, unsure of her word choice. The question had been in her mind for a while now. Before her friendship with Aiden she'd never seen him be friendly with a person of color.

Uellie looked over at Aiden to see his body language change. His face wore an offended look and his shoulders were slouched. The question took him by shock; he was not prepared for the context of the inquiry.

"I'm not gonna say I am oblivious to the fact that you're black because that would be a lie." he paused trying to gather his words in a likely fashion

"It was something about you that drew me in, even when we were in primary school. That day before I approached you in math class I had read a Black lives Matter article on Twitter and it dawned upon me what your race is still going through this day in time. Then when we started to hang out and get to know each other and I noticed that we have more in common than we do different. I learned it was my duty as a white person to check and review my privilege. I get to live my life without fear and I understand people who look like you don't get to do that because racism is deeply implemented into the America. So no, you being black doesn't bother me. If anything it allows me to unlearn my biases and get to know a beautiful girl in the process."

When he was finishing with his speech he looked up capturing Uellie's glance. The silence in the library created a peaceful mood.

Uellie was lost for words. Her heart beated quickly in her chest and butterflies erupted in her stomach. She wasn't sure if those were from her minor crush on the handsome boy in front of her or her shock from his words.

He understood.  It felt nice to know that not all white people were the same, not all believed in stereotypes (although that doesn't always soften the blow of living in a country that hates you). Although, she knew before their conversation not everyone is the same but her life experiences clouded her judgement.

Replaying Aiden's words in her mind she felt an invisible weight lift off her shoulders. She could finally forgive.

"Please say something" Aiden pleaded in a insecure voice.

Taking a deep breath Uellie confessed her biggest secret. "My dad was killed by a white police officer when I was younger." She tried her best to fight the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. They fell anyway. The wet liquid ran down her cheeks as she cried. "I guess that's why I have a hard time trusting your race. I don't know much about the story but from what my mom tells me my dad was killed in a raid. A few officers knocked on our door one night looking for drugs, of course my parents were confused because they had never used drugs in their life. My dad was struggling against the police officers grasp and began getting rough with him him causing his demise. In the end, it turns out they had the wrong house, the black guy they were looking for lived down the street. 

Aiden was taken aback because he was not expecting her to say that, he was honored that she trusted him enough to tell him such a sacred secret. He watched as Uellie continued to cry until finally he had enough. Getting up to console her he rubbed her back gently as he pulled her into a embrace.

"Everything's going to be alright" He promised. Uellie felt content in the moment. Her head moved on his shoulder indicating she understood. Silence accompanied the two. 

Aiden knew from that moment on he would do everything in his power to look out for Uellie. Their bond was now stronger than ever. He didn't care about what his parents or others would think about them.

A short time later Uellie's tears had dried and she was feeling better. She lifted her head off of Aiden's shoulder and thanked him in a hushed voice. Aiden moved the tightly wrapped curl out of her face and kissed her cheek.

The gesture stunned her making the butterflies in her stomach return. Uellie knew then that she had always wanted to feel this way. Her feelings for Aiden had blossomed into something romantic and she was okay with that.

She smiled at Aiden and he smiled back. This was the start of something new.