Behind The Smiles

Chapter 1

Emily's POV:

Every day is the same as others - wake up, go to school, get back from school, do homework and sleep. My life gets boring from time to time.

I always walk to school with my brother, Ethan. He's two years younger than me but acts like he's older. It's our little morning routine.

"Come on, Emily, we're gonna be late!" Ethan shouts from the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming, Ethan!" I holler back looking at my mirror to see if I look good, finally grabbing my backpack and pounding down to join him.

We walk for a while in easy silence as the early morning sun stretches out long shadows across the pavement. I take in what's familiar with our neighbourhood, feeling a strange comfort in all its monotony."So, did you do that biology assignment?" Ethan breaks the wrap on the quiet.

"Yeah, I did. You?"

"Almost. Just need to polish it up a bit," he says, kicking a pebble along the sidewalk. "You ever get tired of this, Em? Doing the same thing every day?"

I shrug, offering him a smile. "Not really. It's quite nice, you know? Predictable."

As we approach the school gates, we see River and Leah waiting for me. River has beachy blonde, straight hair down to her waist area and that kind of sun-kissed complexion you get from spending an entire day at the beach. Leah on the other hand, has super nice forest green eyes and short brown hair, and it just frames her face impeccably. They both attract attention everywhere they go, and it's no surprise that half the school is crushing on them.

"Emily! Ethan!" River waves vigorously.

"Hey, Riv, Leah," I reply, hugging them back.

"Ready for another thrilling day at Rosewood High?" River asks, grinning.

"Absolutely," I reply, forcing a smile. "As long as you're there to suffer with me."

We laugh and make our way inside, parting ways with Ethan as he heads to his class. River and Leah walk with me to my first class of the day. Despite their radiant beauty and confidence, they've always been there for me, and I can't imagine school without them.

"Emily, there's Elijah," Leah nudges me as we enter the classroom.

Elijah, my boyfriend, is already seated. But as I approach him, I can't help but feel a pang of confusion. Our relationship doesn't feel like what I imagined a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship should be. There's a disconnect that I can't quite place and I am sorry about it because I know that he loves me so much.

"Morning, Emily," Elijah says, his eyes lighting up as he sees me, giving me a quick kiss on my cheek.

"Morning, Eli," I reply, "Ready for class?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," he chuckles, pulling out a chair for me.

River, meanwhile, is dating Benjamin, Elijah's best friend. Their relationship seems so effortless, so natural. I can't help but feel a twinge of envy as I watch them together.The day passes in a blur of lectures and assignments. School feels like a never-ending cycle, but with River and Leah by my side, it's bearable. Still, I can't shake off my insecurities. Compared to my friends, I've always felt plain, and unremarkable. They have this aura about them that draws people in, while I just blend into the background.

When the final bell rings, I pack up my things and say goodbye to my friends. I usually walk home with Ethan, but today he has soccer practice. So, I start the journey alone, enjoying the quiet for once.

As I turn the corner onto my street, I see a familiar figure leaning against a tree. My heart skips a beat. It's Aaron, my childhood friend and first love. He moved away years ago, but even though he always visits me, every day. Instinctively, I glance at the window of a parked car to check my reflection, quickly smoothing down my hair.

"Aaron?" I call out, my voice trembling slightly.

"Hey, Emily," he replies, straightening up and giving me his famous smirk.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, walking up to him.

"Just... visiting, as always" he says, looking around. "I missed this place. Missed you."

My heart flutters and I feel butterflies in my stomach. I can't help but blush at his words.

We fall into step together, memories of our shared past flooding back. Talking to Aaron feels like stepping into a time capsule, where everything is both familiar and foreign at the same time.

"How have you been?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I've been alright," he replies. "How about you? How's life treating you?"

I hesitate, not wanting to unload everything on him. "Same old, same old. You know how it is."  Then a question bumped into my mind, " Aaron, can I ask you"

"Yes, my star" he replies warmly, Aaron always calls me by that nickname.

5 years ago

I was sitting on the rooftop of my house with Aaron next to me. The stars are above us, spread like some blanket of shining diamonds. 

Lying back on a blanket, Aaron and I feel the coolness of the summer night brush against our skin as we gaze upwards into the night sky. I look up at the stars and feel that deep longing inside me. 

"Aaron," I say, my voice so low it's barely above a whisper, "I want to be a star. Not just because they're beautiful; they light up the dark. I want to be the light of someone, to let them know they're not alone in their darkness." Aaron turns to me; his eyes are soft with understanding.

 "You already are my star, Emily. You light up everything around me. You always have." The way how he looks at me saying this words makes me feel like I'm glowing like I'm a real star in his eyes.

Present

" Does your parents know that you came here, not because I don't want you. But it's strange that school ends at 3 pm and you live far away from me but still, I find you 10min after school ends time next to my house waiting for me" I ask

" Do not worry about me, Emily" he replies me with a little laugh," Did you forget that I'm still the smartest boy in the school with straight A's all education life".

I giggled, " Yes, how can I forget".

As we reach my house, I realize how much I've missed him. "Do you want to come in?" I ask, hopeful.

"Maybe another time," he says. "But I'll be around. Let's catch up soon, okay?"

"Okay," I nod, watching him walk away.

Before I closed the door behind me, I found my mom behind me." Who are you talking to?" she asked me with curiosity.

"Just my friend" She looked outside the house with a strange look on her face. It's not that my mom doesn't know Aaron. On the contrary, she'll be asking me a ton of questions about him that I don't have the energy for.

I close the door behind me, go up to my room and lean on my bed, thinking about what happened now. I feel a strange mix of emotions. Seeing Aaron again has stirred something inside me, something I can't quite put into words. But for now, I'll just have to wait and see where this unexpected reunion leads.

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Heeeey, so that's the first chapter of the book

I wish that you enjoyed it, and tell me how do you feel about Aaron mmmmmmmmmm