The following Friday night and all the girls of the Junior year division in their soft, silky nightgowns huddled in the Commons, passing around bowls of buttery popcorn and lemon cupcakes.
More than once, two girls surveyed the halls for any stealthy boys creeping around, attempting to spy on them all night.
Rory, not for any heroic reasons, had always been the other half of the pair. It gave her an excuse to use the baseball bat. Come out, bastards. She had thought deviously as they patrolled corridors and bombarded hallways. Perverts need justice, did they not? And unfortunately for them, Rory was a sadistic disciplinarian.
When they were certain the floor was clear for the fourth time, the party began. The teachers already knew of the sleepover so they were free to let loose.
Kiki, a brilliant Raven-haired girl whose father owned a gaming company, rented out a premium television set, stocked with new arrivals of video games.
Mariana, a girl who wore makeup everyday, made a makeshift station in one of the corners and did the girl's makeup.
Bhavani, a voluptuous cat-eyed girl, coordinated a dancing circle where other girls mimed her eccentric dancing.
Meanwhile, Rory hosted a must-play game held at every sleepover. It was an unspoken tradition amongst girls that usually ended in heartbreak, tears and broken bones. But absolutely nobody could resist the heat of truth or dare.
"Liana, it's your turn." Rory said once the beer bottle had stopped in from of the yellow-haired teenager. Quirking her eyebrows suggestively, Rory grinned. "Truth or dare?"
Liana giggled, searching everyone's leering faces for an answer and shrugged. "Dare."
Poor girl. Too bad for her, Rory was ruthless. "I dare you to . . . scream you're wearing a lingerie from the terrace that faces the boy's wing."
The girls erupted into laughter as Liana turned pink, until she broadened her shoulders and pranced out the room. "Brave one, she is." Rory admitted with big eyes before spinning the bottle again. "Ooh, it's Aspen. Truth or dare, love?"
"Dare." Aspen snapped immediately.
Rory beamed with pride. "I dare you to pour ice cold water down Jessica's back."
Aspen snickered evilly before darting to the refrigerator to grab a water bottle. It was more of indirect revenge. Rory despised Jessica. One day, during lunch, she caught her eyeing her, green gems of jealousy bored into the brat's brown eyes.
In exactly thirty seconds, a scream split through the air as Jessica jumped up, drenched and dripping, and started chasing Aspen around in circles. Aspen cackled throughout the chase.
Rory and the ring hollered and cheered her on until someone who had been lurking around their game finally decided to join them, plopping into an empty space.
"Can I join?" Lydia inquired, her statement for like an announcement than a question. Rory shrugged, brushing her off easily as she gave out more dares and poked tricky questions.
"Rory," Lydia spoke again. Rory rolled her eyes. Did she ever stop talking? "Don't you think you should let someone else to be the game master?"
"No, it's alright." A short girl piped up, two people down from Rory's left. "Rory's awesome."
Rory's hand flew up to her chest, touched. "Bless you child," Then, locking eyes with Lydia, her eyes froze to ice. "But I'll let go for now. Surely after I give you a truth or dare, right, Lydia?"
Lydia, falling for the challenge, flipped her long hair over her shoulder and nodded.
"I choose Truth."
"Which boy in this school do you have your eyes on?" Rory asked, her voice sharp.
Lydia stiffened but soon, she sighed and smiled confidently. That was not in Rory's agenda. Even the girls doubled over to catch her every word.
"Oh, I'm thinking . . . Noah Cobain."
While the girls burst into shrilly and hyper whispers, Rory turned to stone. Her eyes fluttered to Lydia's which glinted with bitter pleasure.
"Don't you think he's a bit too . . . regal?" countered Rory.
"Not at all." Lydia cooed innocently. "If anything, that is what I adore about him. He reminds me of a king, you know what I mean, Rory? His hair is like white gold and his eyes sparkle whenever he smiles. It happens a lot when I'm with him."
Rory scoffed cynically, folding her arms across her chest. Only for his looks? How pathetic. They actually talked to each other, too? Whatever.
"But I wouldn't expect you to understand," continued Lydia. Her eyes looked vengeful. "After all, you've always sparked me as an independent queen, Aurora."
Rory blinked. Lydia had found a chink in her silver armor, and the wound was bleeding fast.
The other girls agreed naively with the witch, their eyes turning glassy as they thought about Rory in muse.
"That's true," A tall girl with wild orange hair nodded. "I think Rory is just fine without a guy weighing her down."
"Too beautiful to be loved." Another one giggled.
Rory flashed artificial smiles, drinking in the lily-white comments like poison. If only they could realize the crone in their midst. And she sat directly across from Rory, victorious.
♚
"Daddy?"
"Princess, how is school going?"
Crouched outside the Commons door, Rory wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing her phone to her ear. It was almost midnight and the girls grew quiet, probably passing out on their fluffy blankets as she spoke. Of course her father would still be up. He was a heavy workaholic.
"It's good."
There was a small silence and Rory heard the shuffling of papers.
"Did you need anything? Do I need to send Godfrey?"
"No," Rory answered, breathing softly. "I just missed you, I guessed."
There was another moment of peace but this time her father couldn't convey the words. "I miss you too, Rory."
Quietly, Rory thought about how dark and still the manor must have been right now. Only the sound of her father's pen scribbling down white sheets in countless black letters and paragraphs. Rory guessed that the snowy moonlight shining into his office was the only comfort he had.
"How's Mom?"
"In Peru," Ezra Valentine answered with a deep chuckle. "Sent me a postcard about last week." And another silence. "Your mother looked happy."
"Yeah."
Rory had gotten the same postcard. On the back was an explosion of natural colors, green forestry, archaic ruins and coffee mountains. She could just imagine her mother now, blonde hair whipping in the wind, blue eyes behind a pair of local sunglasses. Carmen Valentine never liked being tied down to one place. Especially corporate rooms full of suits and heels. She was like a blitzing storm, free and tameless.
Though Rory could never understand how her father tolerated her restless spirit, she guessed that's why he truly loved her mother.
"You know, Aurora." Her father continued with a sigh. "She really wishes you'd talk to her more."
Rory didn't say a word. Missed calls, new emails, unopened messages . . . Rory had seen every single one of them from her ghost of a mother. Why should she care to answer her anyway? It wasn't as if she loved her or her father to actually be around them.
"She really loves you, Rory."
"Yeah - um, Dad, I'm kind of sleepy." rushed Rory. Then, she lit up in a smile. "Oh, wait. I forgot to tell you something. The Homecoming Ball is coming up soon."
Rory could hear the smile in her father's voice. "Is that so? I just know my babygirl will look stunning. Are you planning on going with anyone?"
"Maaaaaybe." Rory sang. And her father laughed once again.
Finally, Ezra Valentine sighed. It rippled to static in her ear. "Your father still has a lot of work to do. I'm sorry, princess. I love you, Aurora. Sleep well."
"I love you, too, Dad."
~ Vote, comment, share and list this story. Love you guys ❤️ ~
!! Next chapter will be posted next Friday, May 6th!!
And the call ended.