Chapter 6 Unexpected Help

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.