Alora Harper & Aiden Lewis met when they were in elementary school, and they never really saw each other again.
Until now.
_
a brother's best friend book.
started; 10/05/2023
ended: 00-00-0000
Updating every Wednesday.
'Wednesday's child is full of...
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6 years ago.
The door slammed behind me, rattling the walls and filling the quiet night with the echo of my father's last words. "You're useless, Alora! Just like her!" His voice clawed through my head, sharp and relentless, echoing the same insults over and over again.
I pressed my fingers to my wrist, wincing at the bruise his grip had left. My breath came in short bursts as I stumbled onto the porch, trying to shake the anger and shame twisting in my chest. My phone buzzed, it's light cutting through the dark, and I glanced at the screen.
"Amelia" It read— a friend I'd known for a while, though never too well. She was more of a friend-of-a-friend, someone Mirabella and I hung out with at school (Class projects) but rarely on our own.
I hesitated, nearly swiped the call away, but part of me just needed to hear a voice that didn't carry anger or judgment. "Hey, Alora!" she chirped when I picked up. "What are you up to tonight?" I hesitated, again, swallowing down everything that had happened inside. "Just.. staying in. Why?"
"No way, girl! you don't want to waste your night moping around," she said with a laugh. "There's a party tonight. Some of the seniors rented a house for the weekend, it's supposed to be insane. Just what you need, right? A little break?" The idea made me want to hang up; I knew she didn't understand, couldn't understand. Only Mirabella knew what home was like for me, and she would never suggest I go numb myself in a crowd of strangers.
She'd say something soft, careful, and remind me that I didn't need
to run away. "I don't know," I said, glancing back at the house, at the dark windows where I knew he was still pacing, still stewing in his anger. I'd only gotten away this time because as he got older it was harder and harder for him to get it up. And I was glad of it. "I don't know, Amelia. I'd rather stay home and slump." she said mockingly. "Come on!" she urged, her voice bright, as if she could peer pressure me. "Mirabella's going, right? I bet she'd say the same. She just wants you to have fun, if my best friend only ever stayed home like you, I would have dropped her already." I almost laughed at that—Mirabella would hate this idea, but Amelia didn't know that. Amelia didn't know that I'd spent too many nights hiding from bruises and words that cut deeper than anything she could say.
Though I considered her point, why would bubbly, sunshine Mirabella ever want to stay friends with me?
"Alright," I said, surprising myself. "I'll come."
_
The party felt like it was spinning around me, voices blending into a blurred hum. I couldn't shake the feeling of being out of place. Amelia had already drifted into the crowd, absorbed into the lights and music, leaving me alone to wander through a haze of strangers. The red cup in my hand was barely touched, the taste of something sour and bitter lingering in my tongue.
