Chasing Sunlight

Kiran

The school was cold and smelled of fresh rain, something I should have expected entering a school in the early morning of August in Oregon. The walls were gray-painted bricks and the floor was cold concrete, making my shoes tap with every step. It felt like I was walking into a prison, not a high school.

Through the doors and to the right side, there were a few people gathered in a circle on the cold ground and against the wall. One of the students had a guitar with him but wasn't playing. My first class is off to the left of the school's entrance, so I wasn't able to do any more than glance at the group of people, even though my curiosity was piqued.

I haven't pulled out my guitar in forever. It was just a hobby of mine that I picked up years ago when my dad convinced me it was a sure way to win a girl's heart – to serenade her. My passion wasn't in music, though, I chose to devote my time and energy to MMA- Kickboxing, more specifically.

I was always short-tempered and getting into trouble, so my mom encouraged me to pick up sports as a way to take out my aggression in a healthier way.

One night, while watching TV and scrolling through the channels, I came across a kickboxing match and my eyes lit up. I turned to my parents and told them, "I want to do that." And I did. Two days later I began my training, and five years after that, I'm one of the top fighters in LA. At least, I was, until my parents split up and my mom and I moved up North.

We got here a couple of months ago, and the first thing I wanted to do was look for a new gym. The guy's at Pete's Gym were like brothers to me, they even had a going away party for me when I broke the news that I was moving. We agreed to stay in touch with each other, of course, but it sucks leaving them.

You're probably wondering why I moved up North with my mom when it seems like I have it pretty good in LA, right? Well, my mom has always been the one to understand and support my dreams in MMA, and dad, well, dad is a cheating narcissist who had that black eye coming to him a mile away.

I had my own demons to leave behind as well, though, so I had my own selfish reasons for getting out of the city and starting fresh.

I got expelled from my old school in LA after beating up a fellow student, and no one ever looked at me the same after that, including my dad. Mom sided with me on the matter, and that seemed to be the final straw in my parent's marriage.

I could have beaten up every guy in the state of California and it still wouldn't ease the anger, frustration, and pain that comes after finding your girlfriend in bed with someone else. I couldn't stand being there after that, knowing she's nearby; the one person to take down Kiran Black, even if it was only emotionally. Your emotional state is extremely important when fighting, and after everything with Nat, my head wasn't in the game anymore, and my parent's divorce was a perfect excuse to get away from everything.

So, here I am, a seventeen-year-old kickboxer with great potential and a broken heart, looking for a fresh start in a new state, with a new school and no friends.

Fuck. What was I thinking?

*

Aurora

I awoke this morning with a smile on my face, excited to start my junior year of high school at Glenrose High. I learned a few days ago that I share a homeroom with my two best friends Jen and Dani, and I was eager to see them and begin the new school year.

The girls and I made a plan for after graduation: we're going to explore the country as we drive our way to New York where we would all get an apartment together that is equal distance to each of our desired colleges; Jen wants to go to Columbia, Dani to the Fashion Institute of Technology, and I am striving for Juilliard.

I'm not even sure if there is an apartment that is equal distance from those three schools, but no worries, we have time to figure out the details.

My boyfriend, Gabe, is on the school's football team, and he's hoping to get a scholarship somewhere, even though his family is pretty much swimming in cash and could probably buy a college if they wanted to – but college is the one thing that Gabe wants to earn instead of buy, and I fully support him.

We started dating towards the end of our sophomore year. I had been in one of the school's drama departments productions that he had attended, and he invited me and my friends to a party at his house that weekend. One thing led to another, and we are now going on 6 months of dating.

My parents work as elementary school teachers, which means that they are rarely home, and when they are home, they're distracted getting tomorrow's lesson laid out or they're so frustrated about how mischievous their students are that I don't dare even step near them. They're like ticking time bombs on those days and I choose to be away from the blast.

Dad teaches science, and mom is an art teacher. She was the one who named me Aurora because it means dawn, which is her favorite time of day, and her favorite thing to paint.

People interpret my name differently; some say that my name means first light or new beginnings, and they think that I'm this big ray of sunshine or something. Others think of me as the Disney character. It doesn't help that I'm also a singer and love sleep, so I like being compared to the Disney princess more and find it to be more appropriate.

I'm not a gloomy person by any means, but when everyone thinks of you as this ray of sunshine, some high expectations come along with that, and I don't like to disappoint people.

Why do I have to be a ray of sunshine for everyone? When do I get to just be Aurora Williams: human being?

_______________

Authors Note:

To anyone familiar with my previous work, I will go ahead and tell you that this is nothing like what I've done before. I've written this book to challenge myself as a writer.

Also, there are some rape scenes that may trigger some readers, so keep that in mind before you begin reading.

The book is yet to be edited so some slight adjustments will be made in the future for redundancies and things of the like. Please bear with me for the time being.

KIRAN

I gripped onto the strap of my backpack that was swung over my shoulder and made my way to the first class of the day. English. You'd think having English be your first language would make it easy to pass. Not true.

Walking in, I saw the typical sight for a high school class: by the windows were a group of girls who were sitting on top of their desks and gossiping, near the front of the class were the kids who would be labeled nerds, arranging their papers and books precisely to their needs, and in the back of the classroom was the one guy who always has his feet on his desk with his arms crossed and his hat over his face, taking a nap.

I decided to take a seat at the desk next to the sleeping guy since there was less chance of him trying to talk to me and ask the inevitable question of, "Hey, you're the new guy, right?" I still need to get my anger issues under control until I start mingling and trying to make friends here.

I wish I had found a gym before starting school, I feel like there's a ball of rage building in my core and it's about to explode out of me at any point. I need to be careful who I talk to until I get this heat under control.

I got some looks as I walked in and the first couple minutes after taking my seat, just curious glances and mumbling questions about who I was and why I seemed so reserved. I expected it, so I paid it no mind and didn't let it bother me.

Looking at the clock, I saw it was 7:10 AM – Class doesn't start for another five minutes. I leaned back in my chair and returned the favor of the stares and curious looks around the room, taking in my new peers.

One of the girls by the window who was smiling with her friends caught my eye and I couldn't help but glance at her a few times. Her friends were sitting atop their desks, but she was standing next to them with her hand on one of the girl's shoulders as they giggled about something.

Her hair was the richest blonde and she had a cute, friendly smile, but I didn't get to see her eye color as she was looking at her friends and away from me. I took note of the headphones that were around her neck. Was she a part of the group of people I saw when I first walked in?

If I stare at her any longer it's going to be weird, so I decided to take out my cellphone from my jeans pocket and saw a text from my mom there.

MOM: Did you get to school okay?

KIRAN: Nope, I'm dead in a ditch.

I have a dark sense of humor, but my mom is used to it – she's the one I get it from, after all. I'm nothing like my dad and thank God for the fact. A narcissistic maniac who's driven by power and money. Mom on the other hand, though she has a morbid sense of humor, like me, is rather kind and a good soul. I like to think I'm more like my mom than my dad.

My soul is the very essence of my last name. Black. My soul is black, my hair is black, my clothes are black, my mind is dark, everything about me seems to live up to my last name – except for my skin color.

I have a buddy from Pete's Gym who's black, but his last name is White. It always confused outsiders when he and I would spar and we had people hollering our names at us. We thought it was funny. The confusion on their faces never got old.

KIRAN: I'm fine, mom. Now let me endure my torture without interruption.

MOM: Have a good day!

I looked up at the clock and saw the time was now 7:13 AM. You've got to be kidding me. I put my arms and my head on the desk in front of me and closed my eyes for two seconds, then I got called out by the teacher.

"Mr. Black, Mr. Peters, please, pay attention."

I looked over at the guy next to me and saw him swing his feet down from the desk with a sigh. He saw me and nodded his head once in greeting.

The sun was finally beginning to warm the school a tad. I exhaled with some relief, then turned my attention back to the teacher at the front of the room as she was writing on the board.

I let my gaze wander and saw the group of girls including the pretty blonde begin to take their seats as soon as the teacher called them out as well, "Ladies, please," she said to them. "And Ms. Williams," she extended her hand, "The headphones, please."

"Sorry, Mrs. Joy," she took the headphones from around her neck and handed them to the teacher.

Her name is Mrs. Joy? Pfft. That's comical.

*

Aurora

The first day of school is always rough when you're the new kid, but luckily for me, it was my third year at this high school, and I already had friends and general knowledge of the school, so everything came fairly easy to me to get around to my new classes.

The first class of the day was English. I walked in and found my best friends Jen and Dani at their seats near the windows and smiled.

"Aurora!" They both said at the same time and opened their arms for a group hug.

"Happy junior year, ladies," I said with a smile.

"Here, here," Dani lifted her coffee cup, and we all did an invisible 'cheers,' followed by giggling.

Dani always has a coffee with her. It's like she was sponsored by Starbucks or something – she always has one in hand because she's not a morning person. Jen, on the other hand, always has her phone in hand and is looking at online posts. She lives for celebrity gossip. I, personally, always have a pair of headphones with me. For someone who wants to be on a Broadway stage someday, music is like air to me.

There was a new guy in school today who came into class and caught our attention. His hair, shirt, and backpack were all black, even his jeans were a dark wash.

"Why is the new guy dressed so dark? He's almost scary," whispered Jen on my left.

"Black must be his favorite color." I shrugged, "At least it's a good color on him."

"Oh, Aurora," she drawled out and rolled her eyes, "always seeing the good in people."

"What? All I said was it's a good color on him, I said nothing about his character."

"Mhmm," said Dani, "I'll bet my next cup of coffee that the next time you look at him, you're going to say that he seems like a decent guy."

"Wha-" I started and Dani cut me off.

"-Look at him and tell me he looks shady."

Jen had her eyebrows raised as she looked back and forth and me and Dani. I moved my eyes over to the new guy.

"I'm not gonna lie, I get a good vibe from him."

The girls groaned in defeat. I can't believe these two, making it seem like a bad thing to see the good in people.

"Mr. Black, Mr. Peters, please, pay attention." Our teacher hollered toward the back of the room.

She was getting the lesson ready on the whiteboard, and Mrs. Joy has a reputation for being strict, so you don't want to be caught sleeping in her class.

Daniel Peters is always getting in trouble for sleeping during the first period. I've known the guy since elementary school, and he's never been a morning guy. I chuckled when he got called out again.

"So the new kid's name is Black," murmured Dani, "Hm. Appropriate."

The sound of her voice made me believe that she was smiling, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the new guy. He looked up and towards the teacher, and I got to see his eyes were somewhat green, possibly hazel.

Hazel eyes are my favorite, they're the color that Dani has, and she always catches me staring at her and she teases me, saying, 'you're staring into my soul again, Aurora.'

We laugh about it, but I find the hazel color to be fascinating. Someone with hazel eyes could have any color possible. Green and blue, green and brown, green and gold, and then they change depending on what you're wearing! It sounds fun to me, to have hazel eyes. While I love my blue orbs, a part of me envies those who have multiple colors in their eyes.

"Ladies, please," Mrs. Joy said with raised brows at us and we took our seats just as the first bell rang. "And Ms. Williams," I looked up and she took a step closer to me with her hand outstretched, "The headphones, please."

Oh, dammit. I need to remember to put these in my backpack so they don't get confiscated. Still, I don't want to get in trouble with this teacher. "Sorry, Mrs. Joy," I said innocently as I handed over my white Beats by Dre.

KIRAN

At my old school, we walked around like we owned the place. Girls drooled over me and my buddies – I guess you could say we were popular, but we were one of the many popular groups at that school – the "tough guy" group, I guess since we were all fighters.

I did the classic new kid move and sat at the corner of the cafeteria closest to the exit with a small amount of food. I needed to have an easy escape should someone try to approach me and somehow trigger my anger and I can't hold my tongue, causing me to need a quick getaway. I don't want to make a bad first impression because I'm here to try to better myself, and I know my sarcastic personality can come across as rude sometimes.

I definitely wouldn't describe myself as shy or meek by any means, but I'm not the most sociable person when I'm out of my comfort zone, and I am entirely out of my zone right now.

No one will ever get me like the guys in LA. Those fuckers have been through everything with me for the last five years. I'm only in high school for two more years, there's no way that I could make any friends here who compare to my fighting brothers in that time.

The only person here who has piqued my interest at all is the pretty blonde with headphones who is currently heading towards my table here in the cafeteria. I buried my face in my phone so she would think I was invested in something, which I was – I had loads of texts from my LA buddies wondering how my first day is going, but this little thing seems to be persistent.

She sat across from me and had a smile on her face. I wondered if her cheeks ever hurt – nearly every time I looked at her, she was smiling about something.

Her fingers were entwined and she placed her forearms on the table before she spoke. "Kiran, right?"

"Yep," I replied rather curtly to her.

"What brought you to Glenrose High?"

"A car."

She smirked and I daresay she almost chuckled, "Funny."

Anything someone says when I don't feel like talking, I shoot back a one-liner that usually gets them to shut up.

I only lifted my eyebrows at the girl in response to her, hoping she could take a hint and head back to her friends in the middle of the cafeteria.

People who choose the middle table of the cafeteria are the worst. They're the attention whores of the school who want all eyes on them, giving everyone an equal amount of space between them because they claim they don't want anyone to, "feel like an outcast" or some shit like that that makes them feel humble.

That table is always the perfect mark for a food fight. The boys and I used to do that to the kids in the cafeteria now and then if we were feeling rowdy. The memory made the corner of my lips twitch.

I noticed the girl across from me still smirking at me. Does she ever not smile?

"I was right," she said finally.

"About?"

"Your eye color," I lifted my brows at her. Were people guessing my eye color from afar?

"You guessed my eye color?"

"Yes."

"Well... I hope you placed good money on it."

She chuckled again.

Looking past her shoulder, I noticed a pair of eyes on us. He had thin brunette hair and a chin that made me want to punch him for some reason. I really need to get these urges under control.

"I think you're being summoned back," I nudged with my head towards the guy in the blue and gold letterman jacket.

She looked over her shoulder and the guy who was staring waved at her. She waved back and turned back to me, her smile broadened, "That's Gabe."

I hummed in response to her, not wanting to give her my initial response of a snarky, 'I don't care.'

A couple of moments of awkward silence passed and I decided to give in to the conversation, "Is he your boyfriend? He seems insistent on you heading back over to him," I eyed the guy named Gabe once more over her shoulder, he had his hand high in the air and was waving obnoxiously now.

"Yes, he is," she blushed slightly, "We've been together almost six months now."

Again, the urge to respond with 'I don't care' came up and I hummed again in response to her. I think humming is going to be my new go-to response when I have something snarky to say.

She looked at me like she was waiting for a verbal response, so I amused her, "Congratulations," with raised brows, "He seems eager, so you should get back."

"I should, yeah," she exhaled with another glance over her shoulder at him.

The guy didn't have the same kind of perky vibe as she did, and honestly, I wasn't a fan of the vibe he was giving off. Maybe it's because she's so annoyingly happy that everyone else seems like Eeyore compared to her, but a part of me couldn't help but assume that he wasn't a good guy.

She still didn't leave, and instead mentioned to me, "There's a party this weekend to celebrate the beginning of the year-"

"That's something you people do here?" I interrupted her with my unfiltered thought with raised eyebrows and an amused grin.

"It is," her smile broadened again, "You should come."

"I don't know the town well enough to find my way home after partying and getting drunk."

She giggled, "We don't drink at these parties."

My eyebrows furrowed. A party without drinking? "What the hell do you guys do, then?"

"We talk, we dance, we play games," I burst into laughter after hearing that, but not loud enough to draw any unwanted attention to myself.

"That sounds awful!"

She leaned over the table closer to me and whispered, "I'm lying," with a mischievous look. My eyebrows rose and my laughter died.

She motioned with her chin behind me, where I saw the principal of the school nearby and within earshot of us. I nodded in understanding.

She straightened her posture and said, "I would apologize for lying, but I don't feel the need to apologize for making you smile."

I raised a brow at her. Is she flirting with me? Didn't she just say that guy was her boyfriend?

She then stood up and took a step closer to me, extending her hand for me to shake, she introduced herself, "Aurora Williams."

I took her hand and shook it, "Kiran Black."

"Pleasure," she smiled, "Oh, and welcome to Glenrose High." She turned on her heels and finally walked away, back to her table.

I watched her retreating figure and hated to admit to myself that I was slightly admiring the girl. She's annoyingly perky, but she's easy on the eyes.

Once she was back at her table, the guy named Gabe put his arm around her and smirked, then glanced over at me and gave me a look. I raised a brow. What the hell was that? I didn't ask her to come over here. If anything, I was trying to get her to leave me alone.

This guy better not push me – I have a feeling he and I are going to have some issues.

I stood up and slung my bag over my shoulder before heading out and toward my locker. I should figure out where my next class is before the bell rings, anyway.

I looked at the paper in hand and read it, 'Chemistry, C118, Mr. Hammond.' Easy enough, the first floor of the C wing – all I need to do is figure out where the C wing is in this monster of a school.

I pulled out my phone and decided to text one of my buddies who asked how it was going.

KIRAN: Bro, the girls at this school seem thirsty AF.

MIKE: Get it, dude!

I rolled my eyes and continued walking. I may be wrong about her flirting with me, maybe she's just one of those people whose kindness comes across in a flirtatious way? Either way, I won't steal another guy's girl.