Limerence • Auli'i Cravalho (gxg)

the parent project [1] • requested

"Remind me, what's your problem with Y/N again?"

"Nothing." Auli'i tells her friend, Maura.

"You just gave her the biggest side eye when she walked past us. She did not even look at you."

Auli'i scoffs, shutting her locker. "How did this whole thing even start?"

"It's a long story." She huffs. "Clearly. Because she seems very nice."

"Nice? What're you judging that of off?"

"Uh...maybe the fact that she gets good grades, is punctual, respects the teachers and staff, tutors students who are having difficulties coping? Oh, and how she always invites me to sit with her at lunch whenever you're busy filming."

"Whatever, I don't wanna do this right now." Auli'i mumbles.

"Do what? Being mean to someone who's literally done nothing wrong? Then yeah, you'd better not want to do that right now."

"Why are you concerned about that? What is it with you and your need to get everyone to like you? If you like her, then just ask her out and leave me out of it."

Maura rolled her eyes, annoyed by Auli'i. She headed to Life Skills class first before Auli'i could catch up.

When she got there, their teacher Mrs. Caruso was writing on the board what the class' assignment was. The words, 'The Parent Project' stared at Auli'i in all caps. "Ms. Cravalho. You're late."

"Sorry." She apologises without evening looking at the teacher in the eye. She takes the last seat available- very unwillingly since it was one desk away from the teacher's.

"Now that everyone is present, we will begin with assigning your Parent Project partners. I trust you all have heard about this project one way or another. Now, we have twenty students in this class. Rows one and three, the people behind you are your partners. Rows two and four, your partners are right in front of you."

"Can we switch? I can't work with Y/N."

That stung a bit. Okay, a lot. You hated that she was avoiding you like the plague.

"No, Ms. Cravalho. The decisions are final."

"What decision? You didn't choose anything."

"Ms. Cravalho, unless you want to flunk this class, I trust you'd just do your best and work with what you've got and who you've got."

"Alright, fine."

"Good. Sit down." Ms. Caruso answered.

——

"So." Auli'i cleared her throat, "Looks like we have to work together."

"Yeah. Well, let's just do what we need to do and get it over with so we don't have to talk to each other again."

"Why don't you...do all the work for us so I don't have to talk to you? At all."

You scoffs, "Excuse me? If you want to pass this class, do your part and work for the grade yourself. I'm not letting you freeload."

Auli'i then looked at you as if her eyes were going to pop out from their sockets, "What?"

"I know you heard me." You tell her as calmly as you could, "What is your problem with me?"

"I don't know."

"Then why are you so nasty to me?" You ask, shutting the booklet containing the project brief, "I am not perfect but I try my best to be a good person. So, what have I done to you to have pissed you off so bad that you had to turn half the school against me?"

You see her gulp as her grip on a pencil loosens. The pencil falls onto her dining table with a clatter.

"Are you seriously telling me you don't know?"

"Yes."

"Freshman year. At Maura's Christmas party." She begins. "We went together. I asked you out to the party. You said, 'oh, cool. That would be fun.'"

"I remember, but why-"

"I asked you out." She emphasised. "Then at the party, I finally got the guts to pull you aside and talk to you. I told you I was bi and I liked you. But- you said that's okay, but you didn't like me the way I liked you."

You froze. Memories from that day came flooding back as she recounted the events. "I thought- it's fine. You're straight. And I just dropped that bomb on you."

You felt this ache in your throat as you swallowed the tears.

"Everything was fine. We talked sometime after and all was...fine. The next year, during summer- Maura had invited us and a few other girls over to her beach house for a sleepover. The moment I stepped into the house, I saw you making out. With Astrid."

Oh, shit.

"You spent the rest of our time at that beach house like that didn't happen." Her voice started to quiver.

"Auli'i, I'm- I'm so sorry." You managed to respond, croakily. "I never meant to hurt you."

——

Unedited. Published: Monday, 21 Aug 2023