Twinkling in the Dark | ✔︎

Chapter 25

Aurora's POV

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was white, crisp light filtering in through the shutters. The brightness strained my eyes, making me shut them immediately. I heard a deep chuckling beside me. My heart fell in my chest as I snapped my head over to be met with Xander's silver eyes.

He sent me a comforting smile, he knew precisely why I had panicked for a split second.

I scrunched my nose. "You're weird."

"You're weirder," he said with a laugh and sat up, the morning light accentuating his defined arms and I could practically see a bit of his abs through his tee shirt as he stretched. "C'mon, we have class soon. You could just use one of my shirts if you want."

I puckered my lips as I strained my neck to look up at him. He rolled his eyes jokingly before giving me a quick peck on my nose.

"You tease!" I yelled and threw a pillow at his back as he made his way across his room to his bathroom with a change of clothes while he let out a deep chuckle.

"Aurora White, I've waited since the beginning of track season for you! You're more of a tease!" I heard him reply behind the bathroom door.

Yeah, I could get used to this.

***

"Since hydrochloric acid is the most acidic, it's a number one on the scale and therefore the least basic."

The class mumbled in understanding as the real teacher's pets, who were always seated at the front, rose their hands to ask questions.

The regional track meet was after school today, and it would decide if we would be going to state, although it was unlikely we would. Nerves were pulling at every single one of my cells. But not for regionals, for something else.

I caught Xander's eye across the room. He thought I was nervous for regionals, but in all actuality, my jitters have been for facing Cooper once this period was over. Truth was, I didn't plan on sitting with our friends, and I knew Xander wouldn't be too keen on that idea since he didn't know about Cooper and Olivia. I kept procrastinating when to tell him since I forgot to explain I was in his dorm because of them occupying mine.

The bell rang, signaling this class finally over as students swarmed through the halls, desperate to get to their claimed lunch tables.

The track meet officially started in two hours, but it was an hour away, so we'd be taking the school bus. Cooper and I always sat together on bus trips, but it seemed a little iffy now.

"Excited for regionals?" I heard a familiarly deep voice say from behind my locker door.

I chuckled as I put away my books and slammed my locker shut to face Xander. "Not really." 

He was new to the team so he had enough optimism, but everybody else knew we wouldn't make it to state. It was almost a tradition to be good enough for regionals but not for state.

"Why not?" He asked as we made our way outside into the school's parking lot where the team was meeting to get on the bus.

"We haven't gone to states in over a year. It'd be a shock to everyone if we did this time."

"Oh c'mon, gem! Have a little hope," he said as he lazily slung an arm around my shoulder as we threw our bags in the compartment on the bus, along with our team. He turned to Joey and Brett who were conversing together next to us. "Shouldn't we all be optimistic this time!"