Chapter 2

AURORA

The girls were all talking together, and I didn't even understand ten percent of what they really wanted to say. Clay looked at me and laughed at my misfortune, but then grimaced as he was dragged away by a group of boys. The boys bade me good morning in a somewhat disorganized chorus and led my friend away. I went back to paying attention to the girls, watching them as they chatted, talking about new students, parties and the weekend's events.

We continued down the corridors and, as I walked towards my locker, the group of girls chattered about the prom and how much they were looking forward to it. Of course, that topic would be the talk of the whole morning, but luckily the bell would soon ring and we would all have to go to our respective rooms, which was a great relief at the moment.

"Aurora!" I heard a familiar voice calling me, I turned to look at her and, as usual, she was completely over the top.

Who wears such thin heels at eight in the morning?

The brunette, the embodiment of the Latin American standard, crossed the short distance between us, and as she walked, her heels made an annoying noise against the floor. The other girls were silent, it was as if she was silencing everyone with her presence, after all, she was undoubtedly the most popular girl in the school. Most of the students were divided into three groups when it came to Sharon, the group of people who wanted to be her friend, those who envied her and those who tried to stay out of her way. I was part of the third group, Sharon knew how to be annoying when she wanted to be and the best way to avoid stress was to stay away from her.

"Good morning, darling," said Sharon, greeting me with kisses on the cheeks.

I always found her closeness strange, but I didn't blame her, she was a foreigner and it seemed that this was quite common in her country, even with people you weren't very close to.

I didn't hate her, in fact, I hardly knew her, but I felt a great dislike for the person Sharon had become. She was prejudiced and selfish, she made it clear to everyone what she thought about wealth and poverty, always putting herself at the center of everything because she had a fortune. But I didn't blame her, Sharon was a copy of her mother, and not just in appearance. Her hair was dark, wavy and long, her brown eyes were enchanting and she had very beautiful, striking features. However, her beauty wasn't enough to hide her elitist and haughty personality, which sometimes made me long for her.

"How are you, my dear?" She asked, looking at me visibly bothered by my sloppy appearance, giving me a smile that looked more like an expression of disapproval.

"I'm fine," I replied, as naturally as I could manage."And how are you?"

"Wonderful." His melodious voice sounded very excited. "Oh, I almost forgot." Sharon opened her pink Prada and took out a crimson envelope with white lace and a big gold "S" as a seal."I know there's still a long way to go," she continued, handing me the envelope, "but I thought I'd give it to you all at once, it's a long list and I don't want to forget anyone."I took the envelope and looked at it for a few moments."I want you to be there, my dear, the best will be there."Sharon looked like she was about to jump up and down with excitement, but she stopped herself."Speaking of the best, I want to talk to you later! I need a date for my own party."She grimaced."Dillam's throwing a tantrum again"her tone showed irritation and she sighed dramatically.

Sharon and Dillam were the typical status couple. From afar, you could tell that their relationship was toxic, for both of them, in fact. Few knew it, but Sharon gave up many things to be by her captain's side and maintain her social position in the Saint's Paul school hierarchy. I just didn't understand why, after all, high school would soon be nothing more than a fun or traumatic memory.

"Sure," I said, forcing a smile."We'll sort everything out before your party." I felt like running, my first class was about to start and my conversations with Sharon were never the healthiest."I have to go now," I said to the girl, trying not to sound too rude or rushed.

"See you later, sweetheart," she said, kissing my cheeks again, then turning away and heading towards a group of girls coming up behind me.

"Shit!"I grumbled as I looked at my watch and realized I was almost ten minutes late.

I ran to my locker, threw my things in and grabbed my math book. Then I ran back to the stairs, climbing them every two steps, almost falling along the way. I arrived at my classroom tired and out of breath, I was in a hurry, so I opened the door at once and not at all discreetly, just sticking my head inside and giving the teacher a smile.

Would Mr. Franklin appreciate my smile and not give me a long scolding, coupled with a few hours' detention for being late? I very much hoped so.

"May I come in?" I asked, receiving a stern look from the teacher.

Mr. Franklin must have been in his thirties, but he was undoubtedly incredibly handsome. He looked like one of those hunks who appear a lot in Hollywood movies. He was always dressed elegantly, his black suit usually hiding his muscles, but not completely. With a serious pose and a serene look, at least most of the time, he had slightly tanned skin, which revealed the activity he practiced at the weekends, surfing. Mr. Franklin was always very nice to everyone and never got too involved, but I'd be lying if I said I'd never helped a girl flirt with him. I'd be lying even more if I said that any of them got more than a look of derision from the handsome teacher.

He frowned, got up from his desk and stopped in front of the door, which was wide open. After a few torturous moments, the teacher made way for me to pass through, causing me to let out a breath and let out a sigh of relief. As I walked to my desk, I could feel the eyes of the class on me. This always happened when anyone was late, and I can tell you that it was not comfortable to have 32 pairs of eyes staring at me questioningly. I walked quickly to my seat, which was always on the left, with a privileged view of the window, from where I could see the field where the soccer team was training. As soon as I had settled in, the teacher walked over to the blackboard and started writing down the corrections to the exercises from the previous lesson, making me let out a long sigh.

It was going to be a long day.

It felt like time was dragging on, five minutes felt like an hour, an hour felt like two days. After a boring biology lesson, I was finally free. I didn't waste any time, I put my books in my bag and hurried out of the room, I didn't want to talk or play with anyone, all I wanted was my house and my bed.

"In a hurry, dummy?" Clay asked, appearing out of nowhere next to me in the hallway, using one of the "affectionate" nicknames he had given me.

"I need my bed," I grumbled, continuing to walk and leaving the school building next to my friend.

We continued without pause to the parking lot and soon I was throwing myself into the Jeep, settling into the back seat and stretching out my legs, resting my feet on the dashboard. This annoyed Clay most of the time, but I never let it go, especially since, being small, my legs fit perfectly there, making the position very comfortable.

"Let's go, your sister must be on the verge of a heart attack," said Clay, starting the car, stepping on the accelerator and pulling out of the parking lot, leaving our school behind."Let's face the beast."

It didn't take more than a few minutes for us to arrive at Claremonth High School. We found an extremely angry Evangeline standing on the curb, Clay stopped the car next to her, unlocking the doors. Eva got into the car still sulking, crossing her arms and glaring at us.

"I'm sorry, Eva," Clay said in a sly voice, making my sister roll her eyes, but I knew her heart was already softening.

Clay looked at me and gave a discreet chuckle, starting up the car again and speeding off towards my house, where we would probably have dinner together again.

Anyone could see the crush Evangeline had on Clay, a crush that now seemed like an abyss, and had lasted since she was thirteen years old. Today, at fifteen, Eva still didn't have the courage to declare her feelings. I didn't blame her for that, Clay was seventeen and my best friend, he'd practically watched her grow up and I wasn't sure if there was any reciprocity.

The drive home was completely silent.

Clay had his eyes on the road, he hated being disturbed while driving, he was too afraid of losing his attention and ending up in an accident. Eva had her headphones in, humming some song, and I was in a half"asleep state. When we finally parked in front of my house, I plucked up the courage to get up, grabbed my bag and got out of the car. I dragged myself inside, dropping my backpack in the living room and, looking around, I called out for my mother a few times, noticing that the house was empty. I walked into the kitchen and found the table set with some snacks, the plates neatly packed and arranged in the center, as only Mrs. Victoria did. I found a small note stuck to the plastic wrap that was wrapping some natural sandwiches.

"I have to leave urgently, I have a last-minute lecture this afternoon and I probably won't be home until after nine. Eat properly and don't make a mess. Mom."

I didn't feel hungry at all, Mondays were always terrible for me and I always ended up too tired. So I just went upstairs and went to my room, opening the door and taking off my shirt and pants and grabbing my towel, I needed a good shower before I could get some sleep.

It didn't take long and I was soon in bed, I had closed all the curtains, the room was cold and dark, the perfect climate to hibernate for a while. A few moments before I fell asleep for good, I felt a weight next to me on the bed, I opened my eyes just a little and saw Clay lying next to me, his eyes already closed. His hair was a little damp and he was only wearing shorts with drawings of sweets on them. After that, I fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was already dark. I looked at the clock on the table next to my bed and saw that it was after nine. Clay's legs were on top of me and he was drooling, cuddled up against a pillow, snoring very quietly. I got up carefully, yawning and stretching my body. I walked silently out of the room, down the stairs and stopped by the back door, seeing a scene that certainly deserved to be appreciated and that made me smile.

My parents were dancing together, very close, looking into each other's eyes and smiling broadly. They both moved delicately and lightly, their gazes conveying the same love I had always seen on their faces. They always looked like a couple of teenagers in love, only forty years apart and much prettier.

Mom and Dad were living proof that love could cross time and barriers, if both parties were willing to fight for it. They weren't the same, they had different thoughts and manias that constantly irritated each other, but they were always willing to improve and learn, both for themselves, for their marriage and for the love they cultivated every day. Victoria was 16 when she met Mr. Paul. According to her, it wasn't love at first sight, but something that was built, stone by stone, into a beautiful castle that needed repairing from time to time. My father insisted that he loved her from the first day he saw her. He always complained about how difficult it was to attract her attention, but he also made a point of repeating over and over again that all his attempts had been worthwhile.

I looked out at the garden again, and they were in the middle of a kiss, full of love and affection, but also intense and very fierce. I grimaced for a moment and pulled away, closing the curtains and tiptoeing out of there.

Seeing them so much in love just made me think how wonderful they were, not just as parents, but as people. I remember the first time I said that I wanted my parents to teach me how to help people like they did, I was only eight years old. My father burst into tears and my mother cracked a big smile, and since then they've both taught me to try to understand even the most complicated people. When I turned fourteen, I began to visit my mother's work more often, as I was too young to "learn about the obscenities that Mrs. Victoria called her profession", as she put it. Looking at myself today, I realize that I'm the perfect mix of Victoria and Paul, I learned to understand people from my parents and I'm very proud of that.

Their love inspires me every day.

I woke up as I do every day.

Eva was knocking on my bedroom door insistently. Why buy an alarm clock when I had such a punctual sister? There was no need at all. I breathed heavily and turned over, looking at my best friend who was sleeping heavily next to me in bed, while drooling on one of my pillows. I propped myself up on one elbow and poked him with my free hand, pushing his face.

"Clay Wake up!" I said, loud enough to make him grumble."Wake up, we're going to be late!"

I pushed him harder, throwing him over the edge of the big bed and, when the brunette tried to get up, he lost his balance and fell with a thud. I heard a few curses before I saw him get up and look at me with an unfriendly expression.

"You're a troublemaker, Aura!" he said, running his right hand through his hair and then yawning, scratching his eyes before walking to the closet."Couldn't you wake me up more gently?"

Clay didn't give me time to answer, so he grabbed his towel and some clothes, locked himself in the bathroom and stayed there for at least fifteen minutes. When he came out, he looked more presentable, his brown hair was damp and, although he was tidier, his face was still sleepy.

"Come on or your sister will kill us," he grumbled, leaving the room and leaving me lying there without the slightest desire to get up.

Let the day begin.

It wasn't long before we were back at the coffee table, I was still sleepy, but that soon changed after a hot, strong coffee. Minutes later we were on our way to school, Eva was quiet today, strangely quiet, but I didn't realize it until she left without saying goodbye. My sister went into the school without even talking to her classmates who were waiting at the door, but by then it was too late, I'd have to wait to find out what was happening to her when I came to pick her up.

When we arrived at the school, Clay was taken away from me again and I made my way as quickly as I could into the classroom building, going through the same morning routine. However, there was something different today. The girls were divided into groups, whispers and smiles were everywhere and, when I stepped into the locker aisle, the girls stared at me for a few moments before undoing their wheels and running to my locker. They seemed excited. Too excited.

"Have you seen him, Rora?" asked one of the girls, I couldn't remember her name.

"He's so beautiful," said three of them, in a chorus worthy of the school music group.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, girls." I admit I was having fun with all the fuss, I didn't know who had caused all the commotion, especially so close to the dance."Don't tell me we're being visited by Ian Somerhalder and I didn't hear about it!"

Most of the girls were smiling, it was nice to have such a relaxed moment that morning. However, slowly, the smiles died down and gave way to silly expressions, until Julliet, one of the cheerleaders nudged my shoulder, pointing to my back. I slowly turned around and understood the expressions I had been judging a moment ago.

My eyes were glued to a perfect, adolescent replica of Eros, the Greek god of passion, at least that's how I imagined him. Brown eyes that were a shade of honey, full, well"drawn lips with a smile bathed in malice, light, slightly tanned skin and black hair.

The stranger looked at the group of girls as if they were the butt of a joke.

"Good morning, girls, can someone help me find my locker?" he asked, his eyes roaming over everyone's faces, one by one, and his tone showed that he knew the effect he was having.

I felt a gentle push on my back, which was enough to throw me forward a few steps and make me almost fall into the boy's arms. I felt like I was in fifth grade.

"Do we have a volunteer?" asked the teenage Eros, with a mocking look.

At that moment his beauty didn't matter much to me, the shock of meeting him passed and I soon realized that he reminded me of someone, a person I struggled to forget every day. That's why my expression automatically tightened and I knitted my eyebrows together, sighing heavily.

"Unfortunately," I muttered, making him raise both eyebrows, looking surprised at my reaction."Come and please wipe that smile off your face before I leave you standing here."

The lockers were organized in alphabetical order. On the first floor were lockers A to F and the rest upstairs. I could hear his footsteps following mine, but I didn't look at him, even though he was annoying, he was still very handsome.

"What's your name?" I asked, turning my eyes to him, who had the same irritatingly handsome expression as someone who was making fun of me. "So we can find your locker."

"Dante."

It was strange how names had power. Dante was a strong, powerful name and it sounded extremely sexy coming out of his plump lips. It reminded me of the book "Dante's Inferno", that boy could certainly make someone's life hell with that smile.

"Good."I changed direction and, coming to a corridor near the stairs that led upstairs, I looked at the delicate metal plaques under the cupboards.

These plates indicated who the lockers belonged to, so it wasn't difficult to find his. In fact, he could have done it himself, he probably just asked for help to cause more disquiet. I mentally thanked him for finishing the task, which had practically been imposed on me.

I stopped in front of the cupboard and looked at it once more, indicating the sign and giving a brief, not very humorous smile.

"Here it is."I pointed to the cupboard, ready to turn my back and head for my office, but before I got far enough away, I felt warm, firm fingers grab my arm, making me knit my eyebrows together, confused by the sudden closeness."What do you…"

"Don't you think it's unfair to leave without introducing yourself? Where's the receptivity they talk so much about from the citizens of the state of Minnesota?" His tone was a little sarcastic and he seemed to be amused by my expression of confusion. "What's your name?"

"Aurora" I said, after a few seconds of digesting the strange situation.

Then, without waiting for an answer, I pulled my arm away and turned my back, walking towards my own locker.

I would definitely stay far away from this Dante guy.