her smile (aureliashipping/ash and lillie)

prologue

Lillie and Ash were complete opposites in some ways and similar in others.

Lillie was book smart and loved learning new things about the world and reading books and took great pleasure in having the highest grades in the class.

While Ash was still smart in his own right, he more enjoyed avoiding doing anything regarding homework and instead hang with his friends.

Lillie was quiet and soft-spoken, only speaking up in class if it was to answer a question. She was often seen in the library, her bangs tucked behind her ear, concentrating. She was mysterious to the other students in a way, as not a lot of them knew the girl that well.

Ash was an extrovert all the way, energetic and positive and almost always talking to somebody. He loved helping people and a radiating grin was nearly always stuck on his face.

They both had hearts of gold, though, in Lillie's case, many hadn't realised yet. Though quiet and reserved, she was willing to help anyone if they were having trouble with their studies, and couldn't ignore anyone who was in trouble. She just had a hard time conveying how she really felt.

They also both had a huge love for the world around them, despite its faults and shortcomings.

Ash first met Lillie when he was in the library, stressed due to the looming English essay on the horizon. No matter how much he thought and pondered, no matter how much he stared at the piece of paper in front of him, the only words he wrote so far were the title of the essay and the word the.

"Come on, think..." Ash mumbled, tapping his pencil on the table repeatedly.

That grabbed Lillie's attention, who was working on an essay of her own not so far away from Ash. She recognised him, he was in some of her classes.

Actually, it was impossible to not at least know of him, as he was a popular face around school. She often saw him talking loudly with what she assumed to be a friend, or helping someone with a dilemma. Lillie sometimes had an urge to go up and talk to him, because he just seemed that inviting and friendly.

But alas, Lillie never did.

Though she considered it a bit wrong of her, she craned her neck to read the title of what Ash was working on. Lillie deducted that it was about one of the books they were reading. She, in fact, was doing that very essay.

It was easy for Lillie, but it admittedly could be complicated, considering the level and detail you had to go in for the plot and characters.

"Um, I'm doing the exact same essay," Lillie spoke up, her voice wavering a bit. Ash's head flew up, a curious expression on his face.

"For when you have to write about the main character in the book, Mel, you can point out even with her innocent and carefree nature, she has much more of a backbone than she lets on." Lillie continued. "Her family life made her learn how to stand up for herself and to voice her opinion, considering her dad was against the magic she loves so much."

Lillie felt the heat rising to her cheeks as she realised how much she rambled on and when she saw Ash's surprised face. "Ah, sorry," She awkwardly apologised. "You probably don't want help from a complete stranger."

Ash, however, was extremely grateful for her help. His face quickly formed into a smile. "No, it's fine!" He reassured her. "I was just amazed at how good you are with words. It really helped, thank you. I may actually be able to get this done!" He joked with a smile.