❝Within the fortress of anger, shielding all it touches, art emerges as a sanctuary for our reality. However, unlike anger, art chooses not to conceal but to reveal, unraveling the tapestry of emotions, ensuring that no sentiment remains hidden or untouched.❞
▂
Aurelia sits at the counter in the small kitchen space. Her phone is pressed against her ear and the purple gel pen is resting on her bottom lip. She waits for the call, trying to drown out the terrible background music. It has been twenty minutes since the man on the other end told her to hold. Twenty hold minutes of the same song being played over and over again. Her arm grows tired as she waits, causing her to pull her phone from her ear and just deciding to end the call. She lets out a long sigh before scratching out the retail job number and location on her notepad.
"I got thirty minutes before my next phone interview," she murmurs to herself as she reaches for her mug filled halfway with tea. "Thirty minutes to apply for more campus jobs."
Aurelia slowly begins to search the campus website, looking through the open positions available. She didn't need the money, but it would be irresponsible of her to spend the money in her savings account for little trinkets and other things when it could be saved for something important. Her parents made sure she was comfortable with money during her college days, but they didn't want her to rely on their money.
"You never ask for money," her father said as he chopped onions to put in the soup he was making. Her mother was on her way from the hospital, since she was done with the important patients already, and her father wanted to cook since it would be the first time, after a while, since they all sat down at the expensive dinner table to eat. Aurelia was sitting at the kitchen island serving as verbal support, since her father never really taught her the ways around the kitchen.
"But since You're moving out and to another state in less than a month, I think we should have that conversation." He continued before he began to chop the other half of the onion.
Aurelia picked up half of the carrot that he chopped and bit into it. "What conversation?"
"The money conversation." Her father swiped the onions into the medium sized pot and wiped his hand after with the towel that was hanging over his shoulder.
"Your mother and I saved up a little over thirty thousand in your college funds. The school you're going to attend in a month, tuition is no joke, but the money should help you get by for your first two years." Her father began to explain. "But you need to look for jobs earlier on, because who's to say that this art thing is going to help with financial stability?"
That day, she thought it was a no-brainer that she would need to find a job, but her father seemed troubled. Like, he wanted to tell her something but couldn't find the right words.
"I know. I know I need back plans just in case my art does get me nowhere." She told him with a smile, so he wouldn't feel guilty for saying what was on his mind. "That's why I'm also taking art history, and with my degree, I can always become an art teacher. A teacher just like you, pops."
She remembered her father smiling before he wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her into a tight hug. "I don't know why I'm so worried. You're all grown up, and it's clear you have it all figured out. I'm proud of you sweetheart."
"You and mom don't have to worry anymore," she told him as she pulled from the huh. "You, mom, and my friends all supported me up to this point. I can handle the rest on my own."
Aurelia smiles to herself at the heartfelt memory with her father. She didn't think that memory would pop up at a stressful time, such as this moment right now, but she embraced it. Allowing it to consume her heart so she could feel a little less stress. Her parents made sure to embed the idea of saving the money they give her for emergencies. So, she's looking for a job to make money on the side so she can spend on whatever she wants.
As she sits there, comfortable in the silence of the home, the empty home. The home where two are supposed to share, but it seemingly became her home. That didn't last though. The front door knob twists with the lock, before the sound of the door unlocking causes her to focus on who's coming in. She honestly didn't need to look to know that Jackie is the one coming through the door.
Jackie hasn't been at home since the party she threw. Aurelia also hasn't spoken or seen her since then either. Not around campus or even at the local markets. She knows the girl is to be avoiding her, but now that she's here, there isn't anywhere for her to run off to, unless she runs out the doors again.
Aurelia watches Jackie stumble into the house with multiple bags of snacks and clothes. As they make eye contact, Jackie rolls her eyes and puts everything on the couch not too far from the front door. She's dressed in a familiar hoodie, a hoodie that she only really sees Aiden in. It's obvious that she spent all that time away at her boyfriend's place. At least she can push the worry out of her mind. Jackie wasn't very deserving of her sympathy.
"Oh," she says, crossing her arms. "You're still here."
"Unfortunately, I am." Aurelia turns around to look at her laptop again, scrolling through the website, trying to find something that's at least part time.
Jackie begins to look through the bags, pulling out three party size bags of different flavors of potato chips. "Why are you? Didn't you say you were going to the housing board or something? Why aren't you gone?"
Aurelia turns around in the stool, pulling her attention away from her task, crossing her arms this time. "I don't want to be here just as much as you don't want me here. But, unfortunately, we're going to have to deal with each other until I get some help from Elijah to get a new place."
Jackie walks over to the kitchen, putting a large two liter lemonade on the counter. She laughs, full on laugh, at Aurelia. As if what she had just said was the funniest thing she had ever heard in her life. What did she find funny? The idea of tolerating each other until she goes? Or was it because she mentioned Elijah would help?
"Elijah?" She repeats with a snooty tone.
So that's why she laughed.
"Elijah agreed to help you? And what you're giving up in return? Huh? You don't even look like the type that can handle someone like him." Jackie grins. "That's probably why he's interested. You're not giving him what he wants. Typical."
"What are you talking about?" Aurelia glares at her. "Sorry that there are genuine people here to help me with any catch."
Jackie shakes her head, crossing her arms as she laughs at her. "First you hang out with Andrew, and now you're receiving help from Elijah? You must be sleeping with them both. People are talking around the campus, you know."
Aurelia rolls her eyes and turns to look at her laptop screen, not caring what the girl had to say anymore.
"You can ignore me all you want," Jackie says, putting the lemonade bottles in the refrigerator. "But word of advice, sweetie, getting involved with those two isn't a good idea. Especially when one is well off with a famous brother and the other is a hardcore ex-junkie who used to sell what he used."
She hears a lot about Elijah in the art department, but she hardly hears anything about Andrew unless she's around Jackie and her friends. Aurelia knows that hearing stuff like this from Jackie is irrelevant, she prefers to hear something like this from the person that it's about. Now that she thought about it, she hasn't text or called Andrew since he left her in that library. That thought alone made her hold her head from embarrassment. What if he thought she didn't want to be friends, or even talk? Did she even want to associate herself with him?
"Did you not hear what I just said?"
Aurelia looks up and sighs. "I don't care about what you just said. Why should I listen to anything you have to say when you clearly don't like them? Everything you are saying right now could be lies, and you already proved to me twice that you aren't very trustworthy."
"If you didn't try to get with my boyfriend, I wouldn't be like this!"
Slamming her laptop close, she glares at the girl across the counter, trying not to raise her voice, but the girl was making it very hard. She has never been this upset with anyone, not since high school at some boy who claimed he just liked her that's why he picked her. At that time Sabrina and Cameron weren't close friends like they are now.
Aurelia was a freshman, she had just got told that her artwork is too amateurish to even be considered to put up in an art gallery. She was already in a very down mood, and the boy that just wouldn't leave her alone, no matter how many times she told him to stop, she blew up at him. He never looked so regretful before, but when she was done yelling at him, she took that art piece that took her months to finish and smashed it. Causing a huge scene in the cafeteria. That was when she finally poured everything out to Sabrina and Cameron, the two who have been by her side, but she just wasn't really comfortable to open up to them.
Here she is now, the same anger taking over her calm demeanor. "For the last time, I never tried to get with your boyfriend! For anything, Aiden has been flirting with me despite me turning him down constantly!"
Aurelia did it. She raised her voice, something she didn't want to do, but she did and she wasn't done. "You're so worried about me, someone who outright turned him down in your face multiple times, who you should be worried about is Genesis! Your best friend, the girl who has been getting at your boyfriend before I even showed up!"
Jackie's face drops, and she shakes her head. "No, he said it was a one time thing, you're lying."
"That night, at Tony's party, I was literally there to tell you that, but then you blew up at me! Made accusations about me wanting to be with Aiden, and then threatened me." Aurelia isn't holding her voice back at all. "He told me to show up at the party, telling me to let what I heard go, and not to tell you, but I didn't want to keep it to myself. I was there to tell you everything, everything! This is what I get for trying to give you the benefit of doubt! I did nothing wrong, and that's why I want to leave. I tried so hard to compromise with your lifestyle and all you've shown me is disrespect and nothing else!"
Jackie stands there, shock covering her face. She grabs her purse and pulls her phone out of her bag, dialing someone's number. Aurelia sits there panting softly after yelling at Jackie, she pushes her shaking hands between her thighs trying to calm down. As she tries to calm herself down, she flinches as Jackie screams.
"Aiden fuck you! You lying piece a shit! Tell Genesis if I see her I'm going to beat her ass!"
Aurelia starts to gather her things, to get away from her screaming because it isn't helping her calm down at all.
"Yes! Yes Aurelia told me the fucking truth! You liar!" Jackie walks away, stomping towards the door. "We're fucking done! Don't call me back!"
Jackie slams her phone on the floor screaming out before she falls to the floor in front of the door. With her laptop and other things in her arms, she stares at Jackie, watching her cry to herself while slamming her fist on her thigh over and over again.
"I hate you..." she mumbles as she hugs herself, leaning against the door.
Aurelia's alarm for her interview begins to go off, snapping her out of her thoughts. She was about to comfort her. Jackie. The one who doesn't deserve anything from her. Turning around, she walks up the stairs and closes the bedroom door, and collects her thoughts. After five minutes, she finally gets her interview phone call.
"Aurelia Mitchell?"
Aurelia clears her throat, trying to sound cheerful. "Yes. That's me."
"I'm Tasha Greene, the owner of the cafe you sent your application for, and after looking over your application, we think you'll be great for the job. How soon can you start?"
Aurelia's eyes widens as she hears the news, making her clear her throat again. "Wait, I thought this was an interview?"
"It was supposed to be an interview, but another one of our staff members just put their two weeks in, so we need a part-timer now. When I looked through the application, you are the only one who applied to be a part timer." Tasha explains nicely, her cheerfulness making her feel a lot more cheerful.
"In that case," Aurelia smiles. "How soon do you want me to start?"
Tasha hums on the other end, "Next week Wednesday at three? How does that sound?"
"Perfect!" Aurelia declares. "Is there a specific uniform you want me to wear?"
Tasha tells her to wear all black before they finish the call up. After yelling at Jackie and finally getting hired, things are starting to look up. All she needs now is a way out of this house. Aurelia couldn't hear Jackie crying, so she assumed she left, but that was until she hears a car and Aiden's voice outside.
"Jackie!" he calls out, before Aurelia could hear banging on the front door. "Jackie out this fucking door!"
"Go away! I hate you!"
Aurelia shakes her head, she wasn't about to sit here and listen to this, she couldn't. Looking around, she picks her headphones up and puts them over her ears.
"If you don't open this door, I'm going to kick this door down!" Aiden threatens loudly, and after five seconds, she could hear the muffle sound of shuffling before Jackie's voice is loud again.
"Don't touch me, again! You lied and told me that Aurelia was being delusional that she was making passes at you, but the truth is you just wanted to shut her up because you fucked Genesis! AGAIN!"
Sighing, Aurelia turns her music on and drowns them out. She was in bliss. She got a job and she finally let everything off her chest. This is comfortable for her-
The bedroom door slams open, causing Aurelia to flinch as Aiden approaches her with Jackie standing behind him, pulling his arm. Aiden snatches her headphones off her head and throws them across the room.
"Aiden stop!" Jackie screams, but he pushes her and points his finger in her face.
"Stay out of mine and my girlfriend's business, bitch! I let it slide once, but this time you're really starting to piss me off."
Aurelia is scared and she's sure it shows on her face.
"Aiden stop it! We aren't together anymore! Leave her alone-" Jackie screams as Aiden backhands her.
Hyperventilating. Aurelia is hyperventilating as he glares at her. Threatening her with his eyes and words. His attention wasn't even on her, but she was scared, shaking, wanting nothing more but to get out of this situation. One she didn't put herself in. One she tried so desperately to get out of before it got to this point. IS the universe punishing her for not trying harder to get away from this? Or was the universe telling her, she shouldn't have picked a different school.
Shaking, Aurelia thought of the only thing she could do, call the police. She uses the emergency call button on her phone, only for it to be snatched out of her hand and tossed with her headphones.
"I'm only going to tell you this once." Aiden leans down in her face. "You're on my bad side now, so you piss me off again... let's just hope you don't."
Aiden grabs Jackie's wrist and drags her out of the room. She could hear Jackie trying to fight him off, but the moment Aurelia hears the door slam close, she lets out the breath she was holding, and begins to cry. She is scared. She didn't want to be at the house anymore.
Stumbling over to her phone, she dials Elijah's number, crying silently. She doesn't know why she called him. All she knows is that she wanted to get out of the house. Aurelia didn't feel safe anymore, and he is the only one that can help her with the one thing she desperately wanted. A new place. A place away from Jackie and her friends. A place where she could comfortably attend her dream school without feeling like she has to look over her shoulders, or fear that something may happen to her in her sleep.
"Hello, pretty-"
"Help me..." Aurelia utters through heaves, trying to calm down, but she couldn't, not while fear is taking over her entire body.
"Aurelia? Help you?" He panics. "What do you mean? Where are you?"
Aurelia breaths in and out rapidly. "Home."
That's all it took. Elijah tells her to stay on the phone, his voice. His soothing voice, helping her calm down.
"That's it, baby, deep breaths." He says softly, she could hear the sound of a car door on his end, so she knew he was on his way.
As she slowly calms down, she begins to come from what she just endured. Who she just called and who she's waiting for. Aurelia shakes her head, hugging herself, questioning if she made the right decision coming this far, alone. She started to question if her dream was really worth it.
▱