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 beginning to think she'll never find her way back, her ex-best fr...
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I looked new. I looked amazing.
After Edel and I got home, the house was still quiet, and we decided to do something I never thought I'd have the courage to try again—dye my hair. A fresh start, I suppose. So now, here I was, sitting in front of my mirror, running a brush through my long, freshly dyed brunette hair. It felt like a new version of me, one that was ready for whatever was coming next.
It was the first of September, the start of the school year, and I was officially a sixth-year student. The final stretch. For the first time in a long while, everything seemed to be falling into place. My life, though still dotted with some of the usual chaos, felt strangely perfect. At least for now.
I grabbed my school bag off the bed and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. John was out dropping Ollie at school, so the house was quieter than usual. Only Shannon, Johnny, Tadhg, Sean, and Edel were around, and we had a solid forty-five minutes before we had to head out the door.
"Morning," I greeted them with a smile as I slid into the seat across from Shannon. Her eyes immediately widened in surprise.
"When did you do your hair? You look amazing!" she exclaimed, leaning forward to get a closer look, her hand reaching out to touch the freshly dyed strands.
"When you were out shopping," I replied, grinning. "Pretty nice, right?"
"You look amazing, Rory," Shannon said, still admiring my new look as she leaned back in her chair.
Johnny, who had been quietly sipping his coffee, glanced over and nodded in agreement. "You really do. You and Shan look more alike now," he added, a small smile tugging at his lips as Shannon laughed.
"Morning, Seany!" I called out to my little brother, who was happily munching away on a plate of pancakes. He paused mid-bite and waved excitedly with syrup-covered fingers.
"Aura!" he squealed through a mouthful of food, his face lighting up.
Just then, Tadhg shuffled into the kitchen, looking like he had rolled straight out of bed, his hair sticking out in every direction. He slumped into a chair, groaning dramatically. "I look fucking terrible," he muttered, rubbing his face like it would somehow smooth away the exhaustion.
I grinned and shot him a teasing look. "Aw, my little Tadhg's all grown up!" I exclaimed, trying not to laugh.
He rolled his eyes, groaning even louder. "Don't say that!" he whined, slumping lower in his chair like he could disappear from the embarrassment.
Shannon giggled from across the table. "Leave him alone, he's a hormonal teenager."
Tadhg shot her a glare, but even he couldn't help the small smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.
The clock on the wall ticked away as we sat there, the comfortable hum of a new morning routines filling the space. As much as I loved these moments,a small part of me couldn't help but feel a little on edge. School was starting, and with it, all the usual drama that came with being in sixth year. But for now, sitting at the kitchen table with everyone, everything felt just right. The calm before the storm.
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Walking into school, the familiar morning buzz filled the air—chatter, laughter, lockers slamming. My eyes immediately locked onto Gibsie, standing near the entrance as Hughie arm casually slung around Katie's shoulder, while Gibsie animatedly spoke to Patrick and Hughie. The sight made me smile.
On the other side of the corridor, Shannon was deep in conversation with Claire and Lizzie, clearly in the middle of some gossip. I briefly thought about joining them, but my feet had a mind of their own and steered me straight towards Gibsie. My boyfriend. God, it still felt so surreal to call him that. I bit my lip to stifle a grin at the thought—my boyfriend.Every time I said it, it made my heart do this little somersault.
Katie noticed me approaching from behind, and her eyes twinkled in amusement. I brought a finger to my lips in a silent "shh,". I reached for the strap of his school bag and gave it a playful tug, pulling him back just enough to catch him off guard.
Gibsie spun around in surprise, eyes wide for a split second before they softened the moment he realized it was me. "Jesus, Aurora!" he exclaimed, bringing his hand to his chest as if I'd given him a heart attack. Then, as his gaze traveled up, his eyes widened again, this time for a different reason. "Your hair!"
A grin spread across his face as he took a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine. Gently, he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering for a moment as if memorizing the softness of it. The hallway seemed to blur around us, the noise fading as if we were the only two people there. His gaze flickered to my lips, and then without any hesitation, he leaned in, brushing his lips against mine. It was soft, warm, and way too brief.
Pulling back slightly, Gibsie's voice dropped to that lower, teasing tone that always sent a shiver down my spine. "I love it," he murmured, his fingers still lightly tracing the curve of my jaw.
I couldn't help but blush, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "You do?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, but it was more like I was teasing him back.
His grin widened as he leaned in again, this time pressing a longer, slower kiss to my lips. The kind of kiss that made my knees feel a little weak. He pulled back, just enough to murmur against my lips, "Yeah, but I might love this even more." And then his lips were on mine again, a little firmer this time, like he didn't care that we were standing in the middle of the school hallway.
I could hear someone—probably Patrick—making gagging sounds behind us, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Not when Gibsie was kissing me like this, his hand now resting on the small of my back, pulling me closer. When he finally pulled away, his forehead rested against mine, his breath coming out in soft puffs. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and he looked at me like I was the only person in the world.
"You've got to stop doing that," I whispered, my heart still racing.
"Doing what?" he asked innocently, but the smirk on his face betrayed him.
"Kissing me like that in public," I replied, biting my lip to stop from grinning like an idiot.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why? Does it bother you?" His voice was laced with mock concern, though his lips were twitching with suppressed laughter.
"No," I admitted, a laugh escaping before I could stop it. "It's just that you're going to give the entire school a heart attack."
He laughed, the sound warm and infectious, and then kissed me on the forehead. "Let them get used to it," he said, pulling me closer again. "Because I'm not stopping anytime soon."
Behind us, Katie rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. Hughie dramatically groaned, "God, you two are so gross."
"Shut up, Hugh," Gibsie called over his shoulder, not even bothering to let go of me as he laughed.
As I stood there, wrapped up in him, I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face.
