"I put on makeup to express myself. I could care less about my so-called insecurities."
Aura Chandler was so sure she had her life figured out. After securing a photoshoot gig with up-and-coming musician Lacey Redd, she was convinced she would get d...
AURA STARED AT THE glass door with a frown. She wasn't sure what had happened, but there she was standing on the balcony on her own.
The wind blew across her face harsher than being left, so she gathered her wits and went inside. Clutching her purse to her body, she faced the daunting hallway, wondering what direction she needed to take to get out of there.
Tears stung her eyes, but she kept them at bay as she tiptoed around the darkened hallways. The clicks of her heels bounced on the walls as she crept through what seemed like the main hallway.
She chastised herself for not paying attention on the way there. But she was so enraptured in Zachary's essence, she forgot about her sense of direction.
Her heeled feet got her through a hallway, and stopped as she realized she had two paths to choose from. Nothing came from either hallway, not a single clue that the party was in that direction.
She stomped on her foot and pulled out her phone. She considered calling Zachary, but he wouldn't be able to help her wherever he was.
He left for a reason.
A door creaking open startled her. She jumped and hurried in the same direction. She panted as she came face to face with Callum Anderson.
"Hey," Callum greeted, gazing down her body. "Aura, right?"
For a second, the thought of being lost again didn't sound so bad. But she was desperate and wanted to get home to her family.
"Yes," she replied. "Can you help me? I got lost and I don't know my way to the entrance." She pressed a hand to her forehead as a small throb made her wince.
Callum smirked. "Of course. How can I let a gorgeous woman such as yourself all on her own?"
Her breath hitched as he took the liberty to place a hand on her lower back. Zachary's hand had been there minutes before, and now having his friend do the same made her pulse jump.
She bit down on her lip as Callum pointed in the other direction. When they took another turn, she frowned as he opened the door to the balcony she was just at with Zachary.
"Um, Callum, this isn't the entrance," she said.
He laughed, blocking the way out, so she had to go out. He closed the glass door behind him and stared at her like he wanted to devour her whole.
"I really need to get back," Aura tried. Callum didn't budge and walked towards her, trapping her in his personal space.
"Stop!" she yelled, pushing away at his chest.
"What? You don't want some?" He asked, motioning to himself. She grimaced and stabbed his shoe with her heel when he tried to touch her. He cried out, and she took the opportunity to flee from his trap.
"Get away from me!"
Callum snarled at her, but she was two steps ahead of him. She knew damn well she wouldn't be able to find the exit on her own, much less with Callum on her tail. She climbed over the railing and landed on the sand. She took off her heels, and ran away.
Callum's yells turned faint in her ears as the ocean waves drowned them out. Her heart almost burst out of her chest as she ran towards the light of the town. If anyone saw her, she probably looked like a maniac, running from the side of a rich beach club, holding onto her heels, hair a disarray, and her dress a wrinkled mess. But she couldn't care less.
She wanted to get to safety, and that wasn't at The Siren.
SHE STUMBLED INSIDE GRANDMA Ruby's house, panting uncontrollably. She stopped dead in her tracks when she found her father sitting on the couch with a book on his lap.
He looked up at her, frowning at her messy appearance.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
No words came out of her mouth as she tried to formulate a sentence. Her fingers messed with the hem of her dress, making her look much worse.
"You're covered in sand," he pointed out. "Aura, what happened?"
She let go of her heels hanging from her left hand and they clattered beside her. She didn't even move as she heaved by the door.
"Aura?"
"Zachary was great," she whispered. "Not his friends."
The limited words spoke volumes. Her father closed his book, and made his way towards her, opening his arms for her. Her tears finally fell down and she rushed into the security of her father's arms.
"Aura, I warned you. These people are snobby, selfish, and not good. You don't deserve to be around that. They take you in and use you for their own entertainment." She nodded, but wanted to disagree with a few pointers. Most of them aligned with her father's opinion on the rich side of town, but Zachary wasn't one of those.
"I ran out," she confessed into his chest. "Jumped out a balcony and ran."
"Oh, sweetheart," her father rubbed her shoulders. "You deserve better than that. Now go on, clean up and go to sleep. It's late."
Aura nodded once again, pulling away from his embrace and wiping away her tears. She reached for her discarded heels and trudged into her room, followed by her father, who made sure she was fine before he went over to sleep.
She gazed down at her phone, at the last call she had with Zachary, and stifled a sob. Her rich party dream had crashed, burned, and exploded before her eyes, and she wondered if perhaps she should've stayed for the barbecue instead.
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