Torn Between Rivals

7.

i stepped into the house, the door creaking slightly as it swung shut behind me. the moment i was inside, i could feel the tension hanging in the air. mom was in the living room, pacing, her phone clutched in her hand like she'd been waiting for some kind of emergency call. dad stood near the doorway, arms crossed, his face tight with frustration.

"where the hell have you been?" mom demanded, her voice high-pitched and shaky. "we've been calling you for hours!"

"we were worried sick!" dad's voice cut in, louder, angrier. "you don't just disappear like that, aurora! you could've at least answered your damn phone."

i glanced down at my phone in my pocket, feeling the weight of their words. a dozen missed calls, messages, all piling up while i'd been at cj's. i knew i should've responded, but being there, away from everything, had felt like the only escape.

"i'm fine," i muttered, my voice low as i tried to avoid their stares. "i just needed to clear my head."

"that's not good enough," mom snapped, her hands trembling now. "you can't just walk out and not tell anyone where you're going. we thought something had happened to you!"

i could hear the fear in her voice, but the anger in dad's overshadowed everything else. "you're lucky we don't ground you for this," he said, stepping closer. "don't think you can pull a stunt like this again."

i didn't know what to say. part of me understood why they were mad, but the other part just wanted to scream. being here felt suffocating, and no matter how much they yelled, they didn't get it. they didn't know how trapped i felt.

just as i was about to snap back, oakley appeared from the hallway. he didn't say anything, didn't scold me like the others. instead, he just walked over, his face soft and concerned, and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. the tightness of his grip surprised me.

"i'm glad you're okay," he whispered, his voice muffled by my hoodie.

for a second, i froze, not used to this kind of reaction from him. oakley wasn't one for big emotional gestures, especially not in front of mom and dad. but in that moment, his hug was the only thing that made sense. he wasn't mad, wasn't shouting. he was just relieved.

slowly, i hugged him back, feeling the tension in my body start to ease. the chaos in the room faded, and for a few seconds, it was just me and oakley. no lectures, no guilt, just understanding.

when he finally pulled away, he gave me a small smile. "next time, just let me know where you're going, okay?"

i nodded, not trusting myself to speak. my throat felt tight, and i knew if i said anything, my voice would crack. oakley had always been the one to look out for me, even when the rest of the world felt like it was falling apart.

mom and dad were still tense, but seeing oakley hug me seemed to soften their anger a little. mom let out a long sigh, and dad, though still frowning, stepped back slightly, the fire in his eyes dimming.

"just... don't scare us like that again," mom said, her voice quieter now.

i nodded again, swallowing the lump in my throat. "i won't," i promised, though a part of me knew it might not be that simple.

as the house settled back into uneasy calm, oakley gave me another small nod, like he was letting me know he had my back, no matter what.

i heard the familiar sound of tiny footsteps racing toward me. before i could even set my bag down, ben came flying around the corner, his face lighting up like it always did when he saw me.

"aurora!" he yelled, his voice full of excitement. he skidded to a stop in front of me, practically bouncing on the spot. "where were you? i was waiting to show you something! look!" he thrust his arm out, holding up his Toy Story action figures-buzz lightyear and woody-one in each hand.