I've known Reed Whitlock since Kindergarten. And from the moment he opened his mouth, I've hated him. We may have the same friends, but he is not one of mine, that is for sure.
But, the week before we start our senior year, something changes between...
"So if it'd make you stay, I wouldn't act so angry all the time, I wouldn't keep it all inside." Shake the Frost — Tyler Childers
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AFTER DROPPING Nana and Peyton home, I make my way towards the high school. The soft hum of the radio filling the silence as I think back on the nights events so far.
When Aurelia invited me to her family's barbecue today I honestly thought it was just a pity invite. But when I told Nana, she insisted we attend.
Peyton was just as excited, babbling like a crazed child about her new friend Adelaide.
I can't lie and say I didn't have fun, because I did. A lot of it.
Spending time with friends and the only family I care about, while also getting to know the other side of my new friend.
The side where she cares deeply for the people around her, the ones she holds closest to her heart.
When she started playing music and everyone started dancing, before Nana convinced me to start dancing with her, I just stood there. Staring at her face, which was filled with laughter and wonder.
In that moment Aurelia looked beautiful, in a way I had never seen before.
Sure, she had always been a pretty girl, but I didn't see it for what it was.
She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen, and that was a fact that was cemented even further in my brain since I saw her blue eyes spark against the fairy lights in her garden today.
I don't know what these newfound feelings of mine are for Aurelia, or what they mean. But I like how they make me feel. I like how I feel when she's around. Which is hard to grasp considering the last thirteen years of our relationship has been filled with animosity.
I don't whether she's feeling the same as I do, but it's not like I'm going to do anything about anytime soon. Especially considering how we only have a year of high school left before she heads off to college and I... do whatever I'm going to do.
I run into the parking lot outside the football field and bleachers, seeing how busy the place has already become even though the movie still doesn't start for another thirty minutes.
Getting out of my car I grab the essentials — my car keys, wallet, and an extra jacket I brought. The night time breeze is especially harsh tonight and I don't want to be getting a cold, readying myself for the first football game of the season in two days.
With that I head towards the field, my phone buzzing in my pocket. Moving still, I take out the device and read the message from Devon.
