Aurora (#1)

f o u r t e e n

After strolling around for about half an hour I found a small café which I noticed was not quite empty as a few early risers in suits came in for their morning fix. This quaint little café provided a small yet interesting library at the back. It had a homely feel to it as its vintage decor was bright and welcoming.

I bought the cheapest item on the menu, which happened to be a mini cookie, and selected a book from the shelf before settling into a big comfy chair. The sign beside the bookshelf read, ‘Feel free to exchange books as you please. Take one, but replace it with one of your own after’. It was a nice system and worked pretty well as I saw a woman place a book from her bag on to the shelf.

I spent the next two hours engrossed in my book, enjoying the smell of expensive coffee and freshly made pretzels while the chatter of business deals and new plans filled my ears. Since everyone was interested in their own lives they didn't bother me, so I didn't have to entertain someone in a conversation, all the while I was free to eavesdrop on theirs. I hadn't touched my cookie the whole time I was there so before I left, I wrapped it in a tissue and dropped it in my bag. I took a slightly different route back to school but still walked at a leisurely pace. I allowed myself to enjoy the area, breathe in the New York air, familiarising myself with the names of streets and small landmarks, immerse myself in the Upper East Side culture.

As I rounded the corner of the school I saw a couple making out against the school wall. I was going to ignore it when I saw a familiar mop of brown hair. "Ben?" I called.

The couple sprang apart and Ben turned to me. "Don't tell anyone." He glared at me.

"Uh... I wasn't going to." I told him, my eyes flicking to his partner. "You going to introduce us?" I grinned at him.

The pair of them looked flustered but Ben's partner spoke first, "My name's Duke." He reached out to shake my hand. He grinned at me when I returned his handshake. "I don't go to school as you can tell." He added.

"I noticed."

"Rori, you have to promise not to tell anyone." Ben begged.

"Don't worry your secret is safe with me, but you know you'll have to tell Christian someday."

"I know, I just don't know how he'll take it. He's kind of unpredictable."

"Oh I know." I snorted.

"Are you okay by the way? I saw Christian carrying you out of school yesterday. He didn't say much, except that you had fainted." He asked, concerned, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah I'm fine now." I gave him a small smile. "I'm going to go now." I jerked my thumb in the general direction I was walking. He nodded but didn't say anything else. I wanted to question him about his intentions about our ‘date’ if he already had a boyfriend, but I didn’t want to have to confront him just then.

The first bell of the morning rang just as I stepped through the doors and for the first time this week my head was clear. I had put all my worries and doubts to the back of my head and focused on enjoying my day. I strode to my locker and picked up the books for the morning before making my way to English after homeroom. Jess was sitting in her usual place at the back of the room.

"Jess!" I called out. She looked up from her phone and grinned at me.

"You okay?" she asked when I approached my desk.

"Yeah, sorry about yesterday. There was a lot on my mind, I just wanted to be alone." I admitted to my friend.

"Hey it's okay I get it. Though I can't say the same for Christian." She said, a mischievous glint in her eyes shone at me.