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?

Aurora's P.O.V

I could feel the hot tears welling up in my eyes as I rushed down the hallway, my steps quick and frantic. The cruel laughter, the whispers, the looks-it was all too much. My chest tightened with a sense of suffocation as I finally pushed the bathroom door open and darted inside, locking it behind me.

The fluorescent lights above buzzed quietly, but all I could hear was the sound of my heart pounding in my ears and my breath, shallow and uneven. I stumbled to one of the stalls, slamming the door behind me as I crumpled to the floor. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, and I didn't even try.

Mia's words echoed in my head, over and over. I couldn't believe she'd slapped me in front of everyone just for an accident. And then, she had the nerve to demand twenty thousand dollars from me, as if I had that kind of money. As if I could just pull it out of thin air.

I buried my face in my hands, trying to stifle my sobs. I hated how weak I sounded, hated how I was letting them see me like this. But the truth was, I had nothing left to give. I didn't even have a way out.

If Caroline hadn't stepped in, Mia would've made me pay somehow-though I had no idea how. I barely made enough at my part-time job to cover Riley's and my meals. A hundred and seventy-four dollars a week-hardly enough to keep us going, let alone repay anyone. And I wasn't blind to the fact that, when my father showed up, he'd take whatever money I had saved. He'd come to the house, his face twisted with that familiar anger and demand for cash.

If I refused-or even hesitated-he'd make sure I felt the consequences. Beaten. Locked up. I'd learned the hard way that no amount of pleading could stop him.

I pulled my knees to my chest, my body shaking from the overwhelming weight of it all. The pain in my chest wasn't just from the hunger gnawing at me-it was the constant, suffocating pressure of living a life where nothing ever seemed to be in my control. Where my father's cruelty dictated everything I did, where Mia could destroy me without a second thought.

Suddenly, a knock at the stall door startled me, making me jump. My breath hitched, and I tensed, instinctively curling in on myself. I froze, not sure whether I should even answer. Who else would be here? Another person to bully me, perhaps? Maybe someone who had heard about what happened and wanted to make it worse?

Shit! Was it Mia? Did she come back to finish what she started?

I pressed myself further away from the wall, feeling weak and helpless as I looked around for a way to escape. Could I climb up into the next stall if I stood on top of the toilet?

But the knocking grew louder, making me feel even wearier. I stayed quiet, hoping to god that they would just leave me alone, but that didn't happen.

"Aurora?" That voice-it was familiar. Who was it? It sounded like someone I know. "It's Caroline." Oh... wait- what? "Can you please open the door?"

Caroline? Oh god, was she here to pick on me like all her other friends? Will she show her true colors and beat me up now that no one was watching?

"Please?" she asked again when I didn't respond. "I know you're in there; I just want to talk."

But why? Why would she want to talk to me of all people? Was it because she saved me? Did she want something from me in return now?

Oh...god...what did I get myself into?

"Please, Aurora! I promise you're safe. Just open the door...please."

Her voice sounded sincere, even a bit sad. So, against my better judgment, I found myself slowly turning the lock and pushing the door open. I walked out hesitantly, half expecting the hit to come as soon as I looked up. But much to my surprise, she held out her hand and in it was a packed sandwich.

I looked up at her in confusion.

"Here," she said, attempting a smile. "Uh, I saw that your lunch got ruined too, and you weren't able to eat anything, so I wanted you to have this."

I blinked. Was I hearing her right? I only stared at her outstretched hand, unsure if I was being pranked or not. She decided to take matters into her own hands and pushed the sandwich onto my palm.

"Take it," she said. "It's yours."

I felt my heart skip a beat, gratitude welling up inside me until tears blurred my eyes again.

What exactly was happening right now? Nobody has ever gone out of their way to make sure I was okay. This has never happened to me before!

Why now? Why her?

"Why..." I found myself asking. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Caroline tilted her head to the side, confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

I furrowed my brows, confused at her reaction as well. "I mean... everyone hates me. No one has ever come after me like this. So...why are you...?"

I trailed off, my ears picking up the sound of footsteps approaching the bathroom and I felt my heart speed up once again.

Just then, an oddly familiar voice sounded from outside, even though I couldn't see that person. "Caroline, are you finished? We're gonna be late."

Caleb...I'd know that voice even in my sleep!

"One second!" Caroline called back. Then she turned to me again, this time with a smile as she said, "Well, I don't know what you're going through, but you should hang in there, alright? Everything will get better, I promise. For now, I gotta go! Bye!"

I stared after her as she turned to leave, wondering what her cryptic message even meant. Everything was gonna get better? How? And how could she promise that?

When she opened the door to leave, I found Caleb leaning against the doorjamb, his presence instantly sucking all the space in the room.

Our eyes met for a fraction of a second, and I felt a jolt of electricity surge through my whole body. I wasn't sure what had just happened, but by the time I looked back at him once again, Caleb had already turned his eyes, and stretched out his hand to place it on the small of her back when Caroline walked up to him.

They looked... perfect. Like they belonged together. Caroline with her perfect blonde hair, her effortless grace, and Caleb with his quiet intensity, his natural confidence. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, but at the same time, I felt a strange sense of relief. Caroline hadn't dismissed me like I expected. She had shown me a small sliver of kindness. But Caleb's presence only reminded me of everything I wasn't.

"Bye, Aurora!" Caroline turned to wave, but all I could see was Caleb's hand on her waist as he steered her away from me, the weight of the sandwich in my hands suddenly unbearably heavy.