Ready to see my best friend, I hurry over to her. "Hey!" I chime.
"Hey, fighting with Cash again?" she asks me.
Lyland looks my way and flashes his big goofy smile. His hand flaps exaggeratedly as a greeting. While Teegan manages a meer nod in my direction.
"Eh, a friendly disagreement," I answer her. My legs bring me closer to Ly with little thought. I smile and wave at him, "Hey LyLy!"
"Friendly?" Cleo asks duberously. "You and Cash being friendly? Yeah I'm so sure that's what was going on." She pauses for a second then looks me up and down questionably. "What are you wearing?" She could have meant that as an insult or compliment, but I couldn't really tell which one it was.
"New clothes," I shrug. Insecurity tugs at my chest, as I begin to feel smaller. It didn't matter if she liked them, but at the same time it did. Personally I liked them, so if she didn't I would try my best not to care. I eye her uneasily.
After a second she squeals, "I love it! And your hair and makeup! Aura you look so pretty!" I let out a sigh of relief at her approval.
"Aura always looks pretty," Ly adds causally. We all turn to look at him, which causes him to blush slightly. His smile was shy and sweet. Something tells me he didn't mean to say that outloud.
A soft giggle plays at my lips. "Thank you, Ly."
He instantly flashes me another one of his giant toothy grins. His smiles were bright and feminine, which somehow worked with his now masculine and defined features. A goofy smile forms on my face in response to seeing his smile. He had that power. To make people smile no matter what was going on. "Anytime Lenny," he winks playfully.
"Lenny" Cleo questions. My heart flutters at him using the nickname he had for me when we were little. He was the only one who ever called me that.
"It's an inside thing," Lyland and I answer at the same time. I blush like a maniac, but Lyland just looks plain happy like he always does. I'd kill for half his composure. Well not actually kill, you know what I mean.
After a second of awkardness that seems to last forever, a voice cuts through from behind me. "Well, well, well." I spin around immediantly recognizing the voice. The Braxton twins and Raiden stand feet away from us.
"All the friend are back together," Islyn says.
"Well except for Jane," Ivory adds. The twins shoot me a dirty look.
"We haven't all been friends in years," Lyland shrugs. Considering that was the most conflict I had heard in Ly's voice before, it was slightly off putting.
"You can blame the murderer for that," Ivory spits, still giving me the stink eye.
"Okay, what?" I ask in shock. She was refering to me as a murderer?
"You killed Jane. For all we know you could be the one that killed our dad too," Ivy explains with sas. The group of us look at her in confusion.
"I didn't kill Jane, she was my best friend," I defend.
"Oh no, Cleo better watch her back then huh?"
"And not to mention, how would I have managed to kill you're dad, The Emperor? I wouldn't stand a chance against one of the most powerful warlocks in existance," I continue ignoring her last comment.
"Then explain why you were the only other person in The Forgotten Forest with her?" Izzy finally joins her sister in the interogation.
In shock, I look at Lyland. He's the only other person that knows Jane is still alive. I couldn't do much to defend myself without exposing that fact, which would do more harm then good.
"Aura did not kill Jane. You guys can't honestly believe that," Lyland defends me. His voice was deep and the softness he always speaks with disappeared.
"Wait, is that why you guys randomly dropped me after Jane died?"
"I mean you being a murderer would be enough, but no," Ivy answers.
"We dropped you because you changes. You were mean," Izzy adds softly. Izzy was being oddly sweeter than usual. She was always in her sisters shadow, but usually she was cruel and confident too. Whatever was up with her made me feel uncomfortable.
"I was mean?" I ask in genuine curiousity. In none of my memories was I ever mean to the twins first, they always started it. Then again my mind had been tampered with, so who really knows.
"Ask your sweet boytoy, Lyly, if you were mean to him," Ivy teases.
I turn to Ly in confusion. Slowly I walk a few steps towards him. My face scurnches up in confusion and concern. "Was I mean to you, Ly?" Please say no, please say no.
"You were, but it's okay Aura," he consoles. Leave it to Lyland to try and make me feel better about being mean to him.
Without sparing a thought, I close the gap between us, hugging him tightly. "No, it's not okay. You're the last person I would ever want to be mean to." I look up at him apologetically.
He gives me a small smile, but I can see the slightest hint of sadness to it. Something that would only be noticable to someone who knew Lyland forever.
I hug him tighter. "I'm so sorry Lyly," I whisper to him. His arms wrap around me tightly, as he squishes me into a suffocating bear hug. "I promise it's absolutely okay, silly." His voice was back to normal, soft, calming, and cheerful.
This was a moment I secretly wanted to last forever. Right now it was just the two of us, no one else existed. Just me and him. My head burried in his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around me was probably the closest I will ever get to heaven.
Lyland probably gave the best hugs out of anyone I had ever met. They were warm ad comfy. His hugs seem to completely surround you. You will instantly feel the safest you have ever felt.
I have no clue how else to explain it other than a steaming hot cup of hot chocolate on the coldest day of the year. That first sip that warms your lips and instantly makes you feel completely at peace. It was better that actually.
Needless to say, I was so lost in his arms that it took me longer than it probably should have to pull away. I'm sure everyone noticed, Lyland definitetly had to have. Though he acted just as comfortable with that as he was with anything.
As soon as I go to pull back, he goes right back to squeezing me tight. It seemed like now he was the one not ready to let go. We hugged for so long that I almost felt scared to let go. I knew the moment I did I would notice how awkward everything had just gotten.
When he let go, I shyly look around. Instantly I regret it, as there were definitely eyes on us. Cleo was beaming, the twins expressions were unreadable, and Cash who was across the gym looks extremely displeased.
How had Cash even noticed? I mentally groan. He was on the far side of the gym, using some machine. It was as if he was watching me, which made me uncomfortable. Not to mention, now that we locked eyes, I could almost feel how unhappy he was.
"Aww, Aura, something you want to tell us?" Izzy taughts me. I snap my eyes to her in frustration, but also greatfulness. I would much rather be in a stare down with her than with Cash.
"Yeah, actually," I say sternly. Taking a confident stride in her direction, never dropping eye contact with her. "I'm sorry if I was ever mean to you two." I flash a small semi-fake smile towards them, "Your turn for a big hug!" I gleam. I reach my arms out as if waiting for a hug. Secretly I pray they pick up on the sarcasm, because there was no chance of me actually hugging either of them. They both step back wearily, and I let out a small giggle, dropping my hands down to my side.
"I still think you killed Jane," Ivory snaps.
"It's okay," Izzy says at the same time. Ivy looks at her sister in shock and anger. She lets out a small scream of frustration, grabiing Raiden'ts arm as she turns away.
"Sorry," Raiden mouths to me, following his girlfreind away.
"Long story short, Iz, I don't really remember much from back then. I guess it was part of the 'therapy' they gave me," I explain, making quotations around the word therapy. "But I am sorry if I was mean to you or started this whole fued."
Teegan walks off at that obviously bored of the girl talk. Suprisingly walking over to Cash, who probably didn't like him considering Teegan hung out with Cash's little sister.
"Makes sense. Maybe we could be friends again? Cleo talks pretty highly of you," Izzy asks shyly. Last I remembered Cleo and the entirety of the Lupine's disliked the Braxsons. Now Raiden was dating one, and Cleo was getting close to the other. What have I missed?
"Yeah of course," I reply, hoping to sound sincere. I didn't want to be rude, but picking back up where we left off wasn't exactly something I wanted to do.
"Yay!" Izzy replies. The cheer in her softer voice gave away just how much she had been around Cleo.
"Hey Iz and are gonna go do something, we'll see you later," Cleo says as she pulls Izzy away.
"Did my best friend just ditch me for Islynd Braxson? She couldn't even stand her not that long ago," I ask Lyland in confusion.
"I think there's more to the story than that," he says with a hearty chuckle. "Remember, shes trying to get us to have alone time too. I mean you did tell her you liked me, so she's just being a good friend." He grins ear to eat and rubs my head as if I'm a dog.
"Hey!" I complain, "I actually spent time doing my hair and you're messing it up." I push his hand away.
"Here, I'll help," Cash says sneaking up behind me. I jump, making him tug my hair harder than he meant too. He ended up pulling out the ponytail holder that had been keeping it together.
"Gee, thanks Cashew. I really wanted to get hurt," I grumble.
"You're welcome," Cash smirks.
"You look better with your hair down," Ly adds. His hands glide through my hair softly, taking it completely down. My unruly hair flops onto my shoulders in response. "That's more you."
"Flirting with Aura now are we? You're late night visit with my sister not go your way?" Cash asks darkly.
That confirms it, I think to myself. Lyland was here last night alone with Cleo. The vision I had seen was right. I'd think it would be weird to hang out with the best friend of the girl you say you like all alone, but that's just my personal opinion.
Cleo had been hanging out with Izzy and Ly instead of me a lot more recently. Maybe I had been so caught up in everything else, I hadn't noticed Cleo had changed. Maybe Ly had changed too.
"Is me hanging out with my friends any of your business?" Lyland asks, smile still intact. Notibly though his smile was more sinister than usually, almost resembling Cash's smirk in a way.
Instantly, this situation makes me feel unnerved. Lyland vs Cash was a fight I was not ready to witness. I clear my thoat. "Yeah this," I gesture between the two of them, "isn't happening." Attempting to step away, Cash graps my arms and tugs me back. My back slams against his chest in response to the force.
"What's not happening?" he teases.
As fast as I can manage, even using some of my abilities I put some distance inbetween both of them and myself. "I'm not sitting here listening to a male catfight. Cash you flirt with everyone. Lyland, he's protecive of his sister so annoying as it is, he's gonna make it his business. The end."
"This isn't about Cleo, Lenny," Lyland says with a small smile shaking his head at me.
I sigh, "Then it's extra not happening if its about me. Cash I already told you that you can't protect me from my own emotions, so drop it." I shoot him an annoyed look.
"I can try," he responds staring directly into my eyes. "Besides you may not see it, but Lyland is not the bubblegum princess that you seem to think he is." Cash's voice was serious and full of some deep emotion that I couldn't quite grasp.
"Bubblegum Princess?" Lyland laughs hysterically. "No wonder you two fight all the time. You're a simpleton. Besides Aurilyn knows me way better than you do."
"Stop! Both of you shut up," I complain. "You're both getting on my nerves." I storm off like any mature person would do.