[COMPLETED BUT WONT LET ME PRESS THE COMPLETED BUTTON AHAHHA]
Aurora Lockheart was once the sunshine girl-bright, kind, and full of life. But one night changed everything, leaving her a shadow of who she used to be.
A year later, just as she's be...
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Today was the day. I wasn't going to back out this time. The thought had been swirling in my head for weeks, but now, as I sat in Gibsie's car, my bag filled with papers on my lap, there was no turning back. Inside that bag was everything—years of secrets, things I hadn't told anyone, not even him. It was almost suffocating, the weight of those memories pressing down on me, but I couldn't hide anymore. After school, I was going to tell him everything.
Gibsie had picked me up like he always did, and we were on our way to school, Beyoncé playing softly in the background. I watched the world go by outside the window, trying to calm my nerves. My palms were sweating, and I could feel the knot in my stomach twisting tighter with every mile.
"You're awfully quiet this morning," Gibsie said, glancing over at me. "What's going on in that head of yours?"
I forced a smile, hoping it didn't look as fake as it felt. "Just... thinking, I guess."
He reached over, his fingers brushing against mine, his warmth grounding me for a moment. "Anything I should be worried about?"
I shook my head, but the knot in my stomach tightened further. "No... not exactly. But, uh... I need to talk to you later. After school. It's important."
The car slowed as we pulled into the school car park. He parked, then turned to me, his expression serious now. "You're sure you're okay?"
"Yeah," I lied, nodding quickly. "It's just... a lot of stuff I need to get off my chest." My heart was pounding, and I couldn't meet his eyes for more than a second. I was terrified of what he would think once he knew the truth.
Gibsie's frown deepened as he studied me, but he didn't push. He never pushed. Instead, he gave me a small smile, one that always seemed to put me at ease, no matter how bad things felt. "Alright, princess. We'll talk later. You know you can tell me anything, right?"
I nodded, though I wasn't sure if I believed that anymore. What I had to say wasn't just anything—it was everything. But I couldn't tell him now, not here in the car park with the morning crowd passing by, the world still spinning like it didn't know my life was about to fall apart.
He got out of the car and came around to open my door. "Come on, let's get through the day first. Then we'll talk. No matter what it is, I'm here."
I grabbed my bag, feeling the weight of it once more, and forced myself out of the car. We walked toward the school, his hand in mine, but the dread in my chest grew with every step.
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The morning passed by in a blur, my anxiety growing stronger as the hours ticked by. I could hardly focus on my classes, every minute feeling like I was closer to some inevitable catastrophe. My bag sat by my feet, stuffed with papers—Finley's scan photos, hospital records, and pieces of a past I had tried so hard to leave behind.
