Collateral Damage

Chapter 1

Boring. That was one word Aura used when asked about her life. Nothing interesting ever happened in the small town of Gettysburg because what can you get in a town with a population of only 2000. Growing up in the small community had sparked Aura's dream of travelling. She wanted out of Gettysburg, she wanted to see the world and Aura was certain that nothing could stop her. That was what she had though at a young age but looking back on it now, Aura would have called her younger self foolish and naive yet untainted.

For 17 years of her life Aura had built her own little empire that she knew like the back of her hand. It became her safe haven, a place where she was untouchable, unstoppable. Her empire was mighty, strong and what she taught was impenetrable. Parts of Aura's empire had collapsed before yet she had built those parts back up from the ground. However, when he walked into the room she had no knowledge that he would shake the very foundations of Aura's empire. As soon as he walked into the room, Aura's empire was being razed to the ground.

Their story starts on an average day with average weather in an average season. Nothing extraordinary had happened or was expected to. However, on the 12th of April Civile Bellum High School changed. Looking back on it, if people in the high school could turn back time and change that day, they would. If the 12th of April had gone any different then the people involved would have been saved all the pain that they had endured. The school and students would have saved themselves the pain. But if anything they built on that pain and moved forward - mostly. The 12th of April did happen though and that started the civil war that only left collateral damage behind.

Aura tapped the table impatiently as her history teacher drawled out the roll call. The hands on the white school clock moved agonisingly slowly because all Aura could think about was who she would sit next. They were starting a new topic on the American Civil War and so like every other new topic, the teacher had shuffled the seating plan. Aura could be sat next to anyone whether they be a popular or one from her group of friends. Aura sighed in anticipation as the teacher finally finished roll call and was now shuffling through his class notes.

"Ah, we start a new topic today on the American Civil War and you know what that means...... when I call out your name, I would like you to sit where I point you to," Mr Spear called in an overly cheerful voice.

Aura quickly tuned out her teacher who was calling out the different manes, only awaiting her own. As people were directed to the different tables of 4, Aura quickly eliminated who she couldn't sit next to and who she could be stuck with. Aura felt the boy who was sitting next to her hastily collect his belongings as he scampered to the table Mr Spear had pointed out to him.

"Aura, can you sit on the middle table with Adrian, Liam and Lily?" Mr Spears questioned rhetorically. aura didn't hesitate to move and sit net to Lily on the left side of the table. Just as a sigh of relief was about to escape her lips because she was sitting next to her friend, Mr Spear burst her bubble.

"Lily can you swap places with Adrian, so Adrian is sitting next to Aura and you are sitting next to Liam?" the words that rang out from Mr Spear Made Aura's blood freeze.

Mr Spear wanted her to sit next to 'Mr Popular' for the next 3 months of her life. Aura was never religious but just by knowing she would be sitting next to Adrian Carter made her want to start to pray for help. There was no denying that Adrain was handsome but his personality irked Aura to no end. Adrian was the the sort of person who lingered around the back of the school at lunch and liked to smoke weed with his friends. Adrian like to mess around in school and made it his life's mission to infuriate the teachers he didn't like.

Aura had first noticed Adrian outside of class the year before when he won the cross-country race. He had been awarded a medal and was posing for a picture with his friends when she really looked at him for the first time. Adrian had blue eyes that promised trouble with dark hair that looked naturally messy. Despite his pale complexion, he looked to be a healthy individual as shown by small muscles that could be seen. He was handsome but what had stopped Aura developing a crush that day, had been the cocky, arrogant smirk on his lips. That smirk had made hime look every bit the popular he was and had made Aura's feelings double back. She quickly forgot about him and carried on with her life of ignoring all populars and sticking to her group of friends.

Aura had forgotten him until the 12th of April where he was told to sit next to her. He hadn't seemed important to until that moment where she realised that she would have to sit next to him until the topic was over. All of a sudden, history class seemed like it would become hell. Praying to every saint she knew, Aura took a deep breath and carefully began assessing him out of the corner of her peripheral vision.

In the year since he stood on that podium not much had changed about hime. He still had a strong, chiseled jaw with captivating blue eyes. The only thing that had changed about Adrian was that he wasn't wearing a cocky smirk but had a mischievous tug of the lips on. Aura could've sworn something about his very presence was different. However, she quickly decided that she was reading in to him too much to not be considered creepy.

Aura quickly averted her eyes and mentally scolded herself for thinking something about Adrian had changed. He was still the roguish bad boy that would make her life hell as he did for friend Bree in their maths class. They still sat on different sides of No Man's Land. Nothing had changed.

Snapping herself out of her reverie, Aura began to copy out what Mr Spear had written on the board. She quickly became absorbed in the work and forgot about Adrian next to her until a voice shot through her concentration.

 "Can I borrow your rubber?"