Forever Glamorous

Chapter 20

TYSON BEGAN WORKING ON his cabinets. Aura was confused about everything. He tried explaining what he was doing, but she couldn't grasp it. He was frustrated rephrasing himself time and time again, but she refuted by saying he would probably be confused about what she did when she was doing makeup. He shut up after that.

Aura took videos of him on her phone and posted them on her socials under her private option. Only her trusted California friends would be able to see what she was up to. Tyson would sometimes catch her filming and make a funny face, and she would start laughing and tell him to keep working.

She was enjoying her time.

Grandma Ruby called for her when food was ready, but saw that she was spending time with Tyson, so she brought both of them food to share outside. Aura loved it and got to learn more about him as he spoke about what he went through growing up.

"School was tough at times. People are mean." He shook his head and took a bite of chicken. "But I left it behind me and did what I had to do to take care of Nana."

Aura took a swig of her lemonade. "Mrs. Smith seems to think you should be in college since she can fend for herself."

"Of course she does." Tyson chuckled, shaking his head. "She wants me to do something I can't do. I can't just leave her like that."

Aura pursed her lips and said nothing.

"You're on her side?" He asked after taking a look at her face.

"Tyson," she trailed off, not knowing how to say her opinion without insulting him. "I think that you can find the best of both worlds if you look close enough." She shrugged and picked at her food.

As a person who looked at a challenge dead in the eye and smirked at it, she saw Tyson's reasoning as excuses. He wasn't using his full potential. He danced around the idea but never did anything about it. He convinced himself he was not going to college for the degree he wanted for the greater good, but there had to be some underlying reason for not stepping out in faith.

"I've tried," he said. "It's too much money for me to go to college and support my Nana." He shook his head. "Lord knows I've looked at every architecture program in the state. I can't afford it."

Aura sighed but decided to put the topic to rest. If it were her, she'd be doing everything in her power to get the money for college. She'd look for financial aid, consider loans, and do her part to raise money. She knew damn well Tyson could do it if he actually stepped out of his shell, but there seemed to be something else he wasn't saying. She wasn't going to be prying if he wasn't comfortable talking about it. He was already being quite defensive.

Tyson finished his meal and helped her clean up before going back to work. Aura sat in one corner asking about random things, avoiding the college talk altogether. After a few minutes, his rigid posture loosened, which helped her breathe easier.

"What about you, Aura Chandler?" He broke the silence. "You haven't told me about your future aspirations. What are you doing with your life?" He looked up from one of the cabinets, covered in wood dust, and took off his mask for a second.

"I told you about my makeup already." She shrugged, playing with a blade of grass. "I'm building up my online portfolio, I guess."

The topic brought her sadness. She was so close to getting what she wanted, but that summer trip busted through the door like a tornado and took her away. The fact that she could've done a great makeup look on Lacey Redd haunted her, but what was worse was seeing Elaine Cavett get exactly what Aura wanted. It hurt, but she was trying everything in her to forget about it.