Aurora's P.O.V

My eyes closed on their own accord, and I braced myself for the impact, my heart pounding in my chest like a drumbeat. The screech of tires filled my ears, swallowing every other sound. My body locked up, frozen in place, as I waited for the inevitable.

But... nothing happened.

No sharp pain. No crushing weight. Just the distant hum of an engine rumbling to a stop.

I couldn't move. My muscles refused to cooperate as if my body was still convinced I was moments from being flattened. My breath came in shallow gasps, and my fingers curled into fists against the rough pavement beneath me. My brain screamed at me to open my eyes-to move-but I couldn't.

A second later, rough fingers grabbed the back of my collar and yanked me to my feet like I weighed nothing. I gasped, eyes snapping open in shock, and found myself face-to-face with none other than Caleb Blackburn.

His blue eyes, cold and cutting, locked onto mine as if I'd personally offended him by existing. His messy black hair fell just above his sharp jawline, and even with his expression twisted into irritation, there was no denying he was ridiculously good-looking. But it wasn't the kind of beauty that comforted you. No, there was something dangerous about it. Like a storm on the horizon-beautiful but destructive.

"Never stand in my way again," he said, his voice low and smooth, but edged with a threat that made my skin crawl. His hand released me with a shove, sending me stumbling backward.

I barely caught myself before falling again, but he was already turning back toward his car as if I wasn't worth another second of his time. The sleek black vehicle-expensive and clearly custom-hummed beneath his touch as he slid back into the driver's seat.

Without another glance in my direction, he drove through the gate and into the school's designated lot-his lot. Because, of course, he and his friends had their own place. Untouchable, like always.

I stood there, heart hammering in my chest, still too shaken to move.

Of course, it had to be him. Caleb Blackburn-the guy everyone knew not to mess with. And not just him. Where there was Caleb, the others weren't far behind. That group. The one everyone at school either admired or feared-sometimes both.

I should've known better than to freeze up like that. Should've been paying attention. Because people like him didn't stop for anyone.

I let out a shaky breath and dusted off my jeans, even though my hands were still trembling slightly. I needed to pull myself together. Freaking out over Caleb wasn't going to help anything. If anything, it only painted a bigger target on my back.

There was something about Caleb and his gang that made people... uncomfortable. A kind of aura that hung around them, like a thick fog of unpredictability. They didn't need to say anything, didn't need to do anything. All they had to do was walk into a room, and suddenly, the temperature dropped. Conversations stopped, eyes darted away, and everyone instinctively took a step back. It wasn't just fear-it was something deeper, something unspoken that everyone understood but never acknowledged. The need to please them. To be in their good graces, even if you knew deep down that they'd never notice.

It wasn't just Caleb who had this effect. Shane, with his blonde hair and mischievous grin, could silence a crowd with just a raised eyebrow. Mia-God, she was like a predator in a sea of prey, always with that knowing smile that made you feel like she could ruin you without breaking a sweat. Jade was the quiet one, but when he spoke, everyone listened. And then there was Caleb, the leader, who held everyone in his palm with just a look, a gesture, a word. He wasn't like the others in his gang-he wasn't flashy or loud-but his presence was enough to make anyone pause.

I couldn't explain it, but I knew this much: They were dangerous. All of them. They weren't just the kind of people you avoided for the usual reasons-because they were mean or bullies. No, they were the kind of people who made you feel small, insignificant like you didn't even belong in the same space as them. People looked at them like they were gods, or kings, or maybe something even worse. The entire school treated them with reverence. The whole thing was unsettling, like walking through a room full of people all pretending not to be scared.

And yet, even with all that, there was something... intriguing about them. Especially Caleb. His dark eyes always seemed to be studying you, as if he could read your soul in an instant and find all your secrets. He was undeniably attractive. The kind of handsome that wasn't just about the sharp jawline or the messy black hair-it was about how he carried himself, yet at the same time, like he could destroy you with a single glance. It made my heart race every time he passed by, even though I knew I should stay far away...that he was wayyyy above my league.

I couldn't even lie to myself. I'd thought about him more than I should have. Way more. I tried not to-tried not to let his presence invade my mind-but there was no stopping it.

But it didn't matter, did it?

Because everyone at school was convinced he was dating Caroline, the only person in that group who was both friendly and charming. And to be honest, they made a perfect match. Caroline was beautiful and popular, the kind of girl who could light up any room. She and Caleb were the ultimate power couple in the eyes of everyone. If you asked anyone, they'd tell you they were meant to be together, that Caleb only had eyes for her.

Not that I had any reason to believe that Caleb would be interested in someone like me. He barely acknowledged my existence, except to shove me out of his way. I was just another face in the crowd. Another girl to ignore.

And I couldn't ignore the way he looked at me, either. It was as if I was nothing more than an inconvenience. As if my mere presence irritated him. Maybe I was just imagining it, but every time he looked at me, it felt like I was a bug under a microscope, waiting for him to squish me.

Shaking my head, I pushed those thoughts aside and turned toward the school. I had no choice. I had to survive this day, like every other. Every day was a cycle of avoiding trouble, staying out of the way, and trying to blend in. A repetitive routine that felt like I was just moving through life on autopilot, trying to make it to the next day.

Aurora's P.O.V

The day dragged on. Each passing minute felt like an eternity as if the hours were stretching just to torture me. I couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate on anything. The bell couldn't ring fast enough for me to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the classroom. I was barely aware of the teacher's voice droning on about something I couldn't bring myself to care about. All I could think about was how long it was taking for the clock to reach lunch.

I had never been the best in academics, and I haven't exactly been enjoying my high school life. I don't have the motivation nor the time to devote myself to my studies.

I was only here because nobody would look at a high school dropout and think, "Ah, that's the one. She's definitely going places."

I wanted to stay in school for as long as the universe would allow, because graduating would get me a better job than a waitress working at a tiny diner for minimum wage. I was here because of duty; of the obligation to make life easier for my brother.

And so, I sat at the back of the class, by the window, drifting in and out of focus as the seconds tick by ever so slowly. The class wasn't very productive to begin with and my attention span refused to be cooperative today.

I just had to survive this class. And then the next, and the next and the next...until it was finally lunch time.

Because I didn't have a lot of money and was trying to save up each dollar I managed to scrape by, lunch time had never been in my favor. I couldn't buy the expensive cafeteria food other people did. I couldn't have the lunch I wanted to eat.

At least our school had a free lunch system for those in need, but that wasn't the best lunch available. If anything, it was the leftover scrapes from the cafeteria section that hardly filled my stomach. However, a beggar wasn't a chooser. And at that moment, I would take anything the lunch lady offered, even a stale slice of bread without any condiments.

I let out a sigh of relief as the bell rang; glad that half the day was already over and done with. Everybody raced to the cafeteria, while I stayed behind to slowly gather my belongings. The teacher left shortly after and only then did I finally open my tiny wallet to check inside.

I knew I didn't have much, but I unzipped my wallet to check what was left and pressed my lips together when I found about five dollars and a few cents at the bottom.

Having given another five to Riley, I needed this money to buy supplies for the house, whatever this could get me. At this point, a pack of instant noodles was enough to get us by for the couple days left till I got my paycheck. And hopefully, some gracious customer would leave a few dollars as tip for me so I could buy some eggs and milk.

I headed to the cafeteria, light on my feet to avoid attracting attention. The good thing about people not caring about my existence was that they didn't really notice me when I came to the lunch lady, standing at the side with my head bowed as I waited for her to notice me and give me my usual free meal.

It seemed to have done the trick, because she took one glance at me and scoffed, "Well, you're nothing if not consistent." She looked down at me angrily, so I tried my best not to meet her eyes, hoping that she didn't take that as an insult. "If you want your free meal, you gotta wait for it."

I nodded in silence, stepping back as the line moved forward. Even though my body protested, I felt my stomach grumble, demanding to be fed, I ignored it all and waited patiently for my lunch to arrive.

I watched as the lunch lady and her workers went around serving the students. The bell had just rung, so they were all pretty busy. Blue Hill was a public high school, so the cafeteria food wasn't exactly worth 5 Michelin stars, but they looked appetizing enough, especially the ones that the students paid to get. They've got everything a student would want to eat-burgers, fries, milkshakes, nachos, wings...

My stomach grumbled again, and I did my best to ignore the way it was starting to hurt, as I stood there awkwardly, waiting for my turn. I hadn't really had breakfast this morning. Just a slice of toast and some orange juice, because I knew Riley was a growing child and needed the nourishment more than I did.

Finally, the bustle slowed, and the lunch lady could finally hand me the tray of scraps she could afford to give me-a few crackers and a loaf of dry bread. "Thank you," I said, but she was no longer looking at me.

With a sigh, I turned around, hoping to find a quiet corner to finish my meal. Maybe there was an empty seat at the -

But I wasn't able to finish my thought, because as I turned around, I bumped into the worst person I could possibly butt heads with at this time. Mia Anderson.

My tray fell to the floor as a result of the collision, causing a loud clatter of a sound that drew a good few heads in this direction. I looked at the scene unfolding in horror, watching as everything fell to the floor in slow motion, the food splattering on the ground and on our bodies as Mia let out a blood-curdling shriek and jumped back with an agility that defined her status as the cheer captain.

It was a huge loss for my stomach, but for Mia, it was something else entirely...because much to my horror, Mai was now clutching her purse to her chest, examining it as if that was the most precious belonging she ever held...and maybe...it was.

Aurora's P.O.V

"Are you fucking blind?!" she lashed out, and the area within our vicinity quietened immediately. "Can you not what where you're going, you whore! Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"I-I'm sor..." I started to say, but the next instant, my head whipped to the side as pain exploded on my cheek, my head throbbed from the pain from earlier. I saw dark spots dancing in my vision for a split second before Mia's shrill voice cut through the haze.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, freak," she sneered, stepping closer to me. "You think your sorry is gonna take care of my LV bag?" She lifted her hand again and I flinched, thinking she was going for another hit, but she stopped mid-air, a smirk tilting up her lips as she looked me up from head to toe. "You know what? I don't want to get my hands dirty by touching you a second time. Pay me back the money you own me for ruining my designer bag. Twenty thousand dollars."

Shit!

Where was I going to get that kind of money?!

My eyes widened in horror as I looked at Mia to see if she was joking, but from the look on her face, I knew she wasn't. And she knew very well that I was incapable of paying such a sum, so she was enjoying this torment even more.

"What, you're not gonna do it?" she demanded. "Pay me back what you owe me for destroying my custom bag, freak!"

At this point, her voice was loud enough to silence the entire cafeteria, and now everyone was watching the drama unfold, glad that they weren't the one at the other end of Mia's wrath. I felt my palms grow damp with cold sweat, my heart thrashing against my ribcage as I looked around nervously, hoping that by some miracle...someone would feel pity for me and come to my rescue.

But no one did. And as I looked down at my shoes, biting my lower lip as I tried to come up with some excuse to get out of this situation, I felt her jab her finger into my shoulder, causing me to wince from the probing of her manicured nails.

"Hey," she spat, "look at me when I talk to you." When I didn't respond, she yanked me by the hair, forcing me to look up, even as I yelped in pain. "I said, look at me when I talk to you." She pushed my forehead with her forefinger, nudging me backward. "Are you deaf or just stupid?"

That earned her a couple laughs as I felt my entire world spinning around me. My eyes wandered around the room, and I saw that the only person who seemed to be uninterested in our situation was Caleb, who was eating his lunch in peace, as if nothing note-worthy was happening.

I met Mia's eye, deciding that I didn't have anything to lose anyway, so I told her the truth. "I...I don't have that kind o-of money."

"Oh! How interesting!" Mia scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "So how do you expect me to buy a new purse after you spilled your cheap food on it?"

I bit my lip once again, swallowing my words. Mia was one of the wealthiest girls in school, and she expected someone like me would be carrying around twenty grand in my pocket?

But no matter how incredulous that sounded, I didn't have the guts to say it to her face.

Slap!

My head whipped to the side once again, this time on a different cheek, and for a second, I just stared into space, unsure of what was going on.

"Since you can't pay me twenty grand, I'll reward you with twenty slaps." Mia spoke menacingly, stepping closer to me as my lips trembled from her menacing presence. "One slap shouldn't even be worth a thousand for a beggar like you, but what can I say? I need to think about my poor hands too."

"What-AHH!"

Slap!

This time, I couldn't stop the yelp that left my lips as she once again attacked my bruised cheek.

She raised her hand one more time, but before she could slap me, a hand shot out to grab Mia as they jerked her away, the force causing Mia to stumble backwards.

Mia looked at the woman who stood between us in astonishment, her expression telling me that she hadn't expected this at all. "Caroline?"

"That's enough, Mia," Caroline said gently; however there was something in her voice that made the hair on my nape stand on end. "She didn't do anything wrong; it was just an accident. Calm yourself and go get your lunch."

Mia looked at Caroline for a few more seconds and I didn't know what was going on between them because Caroline had her back to me, but whatever it was, it seemed like she had won this unspoken battle because ultimately, Mia lowered her eyes and scoffed.

Mia turned to me with a sneer, "You're lucky you got saved this time. But if you get in my way again, you won't be getting off so easily."

As Mia left, I saw Caroline turn to face me, but even before she could do that, I felt tears threatening to spill down and cheeks and I knew I couldn't let everyone in the cafeteria see me like this.

Without thinking twice, I turned on my heels and fled the place, my head hung as I passed people who laughed and pointed at me like I was a clown at a circus.

But none of that mattered to me at that moment. All I wanted to do was to get to the washroom before the tears spilled and only then will I be able to save myself this humiliation.

As I ran down the near empty hallways, all I could do was ask the same question that I had been asking myself since my mother died.

Why me?