Aura

Chapter One

"Light it," I said as I passed Tayanna the fresh blunt. She lit it and pressed it against her lips taking in a long drag before exhaling and letting the smoke fall from her lips.

"Why do you have to go to stupid private school. Just come to Brooklyn Academy. I swear you are going to hate that Catholic school. I know a few people who go there." She took another drag pressing the blunt to her soft plump lips. Her skin was so vibrant and beautiful and she had a natural beauty about her without even trying."It's an all girls school... For starters. Like what?"

"I've always went to Catholic Schools. It's just what my mother would have wanted..." I trailed off and she looked at me at the mention of my mother.

"... Well whatever school you go to I'm just glad you are really staying. We are about to take over Brooklyn. Nobody is ready! And nothing can stop us! She exclaimed passing me the blunt. I took a drag as I pictured how the year would be. My heart still felt broken but I had to say I felt blessed at the fact that I had people. I had people who loved me and people who I could fall back on incase something ever happened to her. I just couldn't believe it did.

Tayanna was my best friend ever since my father first moved to New York. My first summer here I was 8 years old and Tayanna was 9. Both of our parents use to work during the day in the summer so we spent our time at daycare down the hall in our apartment complex. Ever since then we were inseparable.
Every summer for the past 9 years, all we ever did was hang out. My friends in California would get quite jealous when I would talk about her or post pictures because the vibe we shared was so vibrant and noticeable that nothing could top it.

"But how are you feeling though?" She asked addressing the elephant in the room as I took another pull of the weed.

"I miss her. It's been almost a month and I just can't seem to except the thought that she is never coming back Tay..." I pass the blunt to her and she took it between her pointer finger and thumb. She sighed, taking in what I said and I chose to make the topic lighter. "But hey, it's the last week before school starts. I just want to have fun. Get my mind off things."

"Pfffttt, well you came to the right person! Remember Johnny?" She asked.

"Lighstkin, tall, funny and birthmark by his neck?" I asked trying to recollect people from last summer.

"Yes him!" She smiled her perfectly straight teeth and flipped her long Brazilian weave to the back of her head. "He's having a little get together with some of my other friends. We should gooooooooo." She explained. Tayanna was a very friendly person, unlike me. I was usually quiet and more reserved. I picked that up from my mother. It took a lot to break my shell and even then you would never truly hear the full contents of what's on my mind.

"Where is it?" I asked. I knew it was somewhere deeper in Brooklyn. Tayanna had always clinged to people who didn't live a 100% privileged life. Although, she grew up in this expensive complex with her mother and father in the middle of Park Slope, she always made it her business to hang out in the rough parts of Brooklyn. She claimed that the realist people come from a background of struggle and she loved that. She was the kind of girl who didn't really have much female friends so she was constantly around guys. I was similar, except I didn't have much friends at all.

In California, I was one of those in between people. I wasn't extremely popular or known but people knew of me. I got occasional hi's and whassup from people but I didn't really have much interest in holding conversations. I usually stuck to my small group of friends who actually were well known. I just never felt a need to put myself out there in the way that they did. I always felt like being lowkey was just my thing... And it worked for me.