Permanent in the Stars

2: Oliver

I recognized her immediately. Even with the shirt soaked in blood and the confused state she was in, Aurora has a hard face to forget.

Every Wednesday, her table for the environmental club is set up directly across from the Alpha Phi Alpha couch. With hockey, I don't have the time to join a frat, but I have a lot of friends who are members and since I have a break in between classes during club tabling, I kick it with them while I wait.

She never misses a day to advertise the club. For months, I've seen her there trying to reel people in and convince them to join. Some Wednesdays I'm tempted to go up and talk to her, but not because I'm interested in the club.

Aurora has dark brown hair with bleached highlights, sometimes the highlights have color (I've noticed blue at one point and purple at another). Most of the time she styles it in a half up half down fashion. She has piercing green eyes and usually dresses in skirts and cardigans. There's usually always one ear phone plugged in and I'm assuming she just always listens to music. I've noticed Aurora Bakker before today, but now I can put a name to the face. I've also noticed a friend of hers that comes up to the table and hangs around, we always lock eyes and I pull out the most charming smile I can. I've seen said friend at many hockey parties so there's a good chance I'll see her again.  Now maybe I can work up the courage to talk to the friend that always comes by and says hi to her.

"You can go home, I'm sure this isn't the ideal way to spend your Friday night," Aurora says. I had been on my way to a party, one that I desperately wanted to go to. I've been having such a shit week. Midterms kicked my ass and practice this morning sucked; the team just wasn't on the same wavelength today. It's nothing in comparison to the day Aurora's had though.

"I have nothing better to do. Really I don't mind waiting," I assure her. Looking at my watch, I read that the time is 3:30 am. The party is probably coming to an end anyways.  "Unless you want me to go." From her point of view, it might make her uncomfortable to have a stranger near her when she's vulnerable. It doesn't make it better that I'm also a man.

"No, you don't have to go if you don't want to. I guess I owe you a thanks. Not just for staying but also for calling 911 and stopping to help." She looks down at the hospital blanket, this whole time she hasn't been able to keep eye contact with anyone who talks to her. Looking at her from afar, I wouldn't have guessed that she was shy. Whenever she talks to people about the environmental club, she appears to be very sociable.

"You don't have to thank me, I was just doing what anyone would do." If I got into a deathly car accident, I'd want someone to stop and help.

"Not everyone would do it," she says, finally looking at me. "So thank you." Her eyes leave mine and she rests her head against the bed.

I feel an awkward silence on the horizon so I speak up again, "You go to Daxton, right?" I cringe at how stalker-like it sounds.

"I knew you looked familiar!" She straightens up, flinching with a face of pain when she does.

"Take it easy," I remind her.

When she repositions herself, she takes a controlled breath and says, "Yes, I do, go to Daxton that is."

"Environmental club?" I ask.

She's looking at me with a smile. Her hair is still half up, half down, but her strands very messily frames her face. A piece of the bleached highlight slightly covers her eye and I feel the urge to push it back. "I'm the president," she gloats. "Have you thought about joining?"

"Yes," I lie.

"You definitely should." All her shyness suddenly disappears. "We do a lot of great things. We go to the lakes and parks for clean ups, it drives me crazy that people still litter with the state our world is in. I know cleaning up one lake might not seem like a huge deal, but the club is all about leading by example. We spread the word about how to keep nature healthy and demonstrate how easily people can incorporate small things in their daily lives to keep the world from dying," she says in one breath.