Philophobia

| chapter 2 |

"Hi sweetie, how was practice?" My mom greets me as soon as I enter the house.

I set my bag down and slip off my sneakers, I could smell the delicious roasted chicken dinner she was preparing. Every part of my body was aching, and I couldn't help but groan when I tried to sit at the counter.

My brother turns and looks at me like I'm insane, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Connor watch your language. Rough practice today, Em?" My dad asks, busying himself by watching the news and relaxing in his recliner like he does every day.

"You could say that again. Coach had us sprinting for over an hour. I don't think I have feet anymore." I laugh and my dad chuckles.

My mother walks away and comes back in with a shoe box. Confused, I look at her wild facial expression and I can tell she is excited to show me something.

"Look at what I ordered for you!" She slides the box across the counter, and I catch it.

Quickly, I open the box and rip the tissue paper out, throwing it at my brother's face. He gets back at me by punching me in the shoulder. I look at him and prepare to slap him, but instead the items inside the box caught my eye. A pair of glittery rose gold heels sat inside, and I immediately fell in love with them.

With a gasp, I say, "Mom, they match my dress perfectly."

"I know. As soon as I saw them, I knew they'd be perfect for you. The heel isn't too high, so they won't be uncomfortable. And listen, I know you weren't sure if you were going to go to prom but-" I cut her off and hug her tight.

"Thanks mom. Ramon and I actually talked and agreed that we could go together." I smile and try the shoes on. They fit just as well as Cinderella's slipper.

"This girl stuff really makes me want to BARF! Let me know when dinner's ready." My brother fake gags and runs upstairs with a box of Oreos. 

"I'll never understand how skinny that boy is when he eats so much shit." My mom shakes her head, but I was too busy to notice because I couldn't stop admiring my shoes.

Prom might actually not be so bad this year.

Later that night, I found myself lounging out on my bed in my thoughts once again. Why has Aaron decided to come back after all of this time? We didn't share any classes together and I never responded to anything he'd post on social media. I lay there, reminiscing memories of the past.

"What is the powerhouse of the cell?" My teacher asks, I immediately raise my hand.

"Mitochondria." I say with confidence and my teacher smiles, confirming that I am correct.

With all this drama going on with Bianca, it felt nice to be distracted with schoolwork. I begin taking my notes while our teacher presents us a PowerPoint. All of a sudden, I felt my chair move backwards, as if someone was dragging it towards them. Confused, I turn around and see Aaron smirking at me. Even in the dark, his eyes could light up the room with their devious sparkle.

I roll my eyes playfully and scoot my chair back to its original position. Within seconds, instead of my chair moving, Aaron moved his desk so it was up against the back of my chair. I held my giggle in and turned towards him.

"What are you trying to do?" I smile at his silly actions.

"Trying to get your attention, missy." He sticks his tongue out at me and I finally laugh.

"Aaron, leave Ms. Saunders alone. Some of us are trying to learn something today, unlike you." The teacher scolds him and I smile secretly to myself.