Chapter 6- The Eye Roll That Sealed Her Fate
Kiara's mouth fell open, stunned by what had just happened.
Ricky was already massaging his temples, clearly exasperated.
"I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to spill the smoothie on you," Kiara apologized sincerely, glancing at Kimberly's stained dress.
"Are you blind?!" Kimberly shrieked, her voice sharp with spite.
"It wasn't intentional," Kiara said calmly. "I didn't even see you."
"Exactly! You're blind!" Kimberly snapped. "If you can't see, get glasses. Or is that too expensive for you to afford, lowlife?"
Kiara's brows furrowed. "Okay, I made a mistake-but that doesn't give you the right to insult me."
Kimberly scoffed. "What? Did I lie? You are a lowlife. A bloody one!"
"Watch your mouth, Kimberly," Kiara said firmly. "Besides, it was both our faults. We didn't see each other."
"Oh, so now you're blaming me too?!" Kimberly's voice escalated. She raised her hand to slap Kiara-but Kiara caught her wrist mid-air.
By now, phones were already out. Students had started recording.
Oma desperately tried to get through the crowd. She was the one who called Kiara over in the first place.
Aurora noticed and exchanged a knowing glance with her.
Tiffany and Amelia arrived, drawn by the commotion and flashing phones.
"Kimberly," Amelia said, stepping toward her.
Tiffany just sat down nonchalantly, sipping her soda.
Leonard was watching the scene unfold, bored but attentive.
"There better be a fight soon," Ricky muttered. "Been a while since I saw boobs bouncing around here."
"A normal person would've just cleaned the smoothie. It wasn't even that much," Kiara snapped. "Don't make me regret apologizing."
She flung Kimberly's hand aside.
"Do you even know how much this dress cost?" Amelia jumped in.
"Do you know how hard my palm will feel on your face if you keep talking?" Kiara shot back.
"Lapdog," she sneered, making Amelia gasp.
Kimberly, fuming, turned to Amelia. "Get me a tissue. Now."
Amelia hesitated, eyes darting between Kiara and Kimberly.
"I said get me a tissue!" Kimberly shouted, fanning herself and staring down at her dress in disgust.
"Go on, lapdog. Fetch it," Kiara said dryly.
Tiffany smirked from her seat.
"Go on..." Kiara taunted.
"Amy!" Kimberly snapped.
But Amelia shook her head slowly and stepped back. "I'm done with this."
"Amy!"
"Shut up and help yourself for once in your damn life!" Amelia exploded, turning and storming out of the cafeteria.
?? "WOOOO!!"
Tiffany chuckled.
"What the-" Kimberly began.
She took a deep breath, grabbed a juice can from the canteen, and walked back to Kiara.
But Kiara was quicker. She snatched the juice from her and emptied it over Kimberly's head.
?? "WHOAAA!!"
Oma stood up. Ivy did too.
Kimberly screamed, soaked and humiliated.
?? "Embarrassment!"
?? "Serves her right!"
?? "Diva energy!!"
"I tried to be fair," Kiara said coldly. "But you just had to be stupid. Don't cross the line with me again. Brat."
She walked off, and Oma followed quickly.
Ivy snapped a photo of a soaked Kimberly.
"I hate to say it, but you actually look prettier wet," Ivy quipped.
Kimberly screamed again, breathing heavily. "I'm telling Daddy about this."
Ivy turned to Aurora with a mock-gentleman pose. "I wanna say 'let's go,' but you might take it as an order. So... shall we, mademoiselle?"
Aurora sighed but followed them out.
---
OUTSIDE THE CAFETERIA
"I'm so sorry, Kiara," Oma said.
"It's okay. Don't feel guilty," Kiara replied, taking a deep breath.
Ivy appeared. "I knew I'd find you here."
"Where's Auri?" Oma asked.
"She was right behind me," Ivy said, turning around in confusion. "Anyway, Kiara, I love what you did. The school blog is on fire."
"Whatever. Isn't the game starting soon?" Kiara asked, brushing it off.
"Oh my gosh! I totally forgot!" Oma gasped.
"Let's go," Ivy said.
"And Aurora?" Oma asked again.
"She was seriously right behind me!" Ivy insisted.
"She's disappearing again..." Oma muttered.
---
EMPTY CLASSROOM
Aurora stepped into the nearest empty classroom, breath shaky.
The attention, the stares, the gossip, the guys-it was all too much.
That feeling again...
Like she's forgetting something.
Something important.
Every time it happens, her head hurts-badly.
Right now, she wants a cigarette.
Yeah, she smokes. And right now, she badly needs it.
She turned to leave, only for someone else to walk in-the same guy she's been having silent battles with since her first day.
Leonard.
He strolled in like he didn't even see her and sat on a desk, pulling out a cigarette.
Worst place to be with only one exit.
Aurora moved to leave, but Ricky blocked her path.
"Wait, newbie. Aurora, right?"
She tried to walk past again.
"Hey, don't be like that. Just stay a little," Ricky said with a grin. "It's your fault for catching my attention-with that feisty beauty."
"Out of my way," she snapped.
A month ago, she would've broken his nose by now. Or worse.
Leonard still wasn't looking. Just smoked silently.
"Come on-"
Oma stormed in. "What the heck is going on here?!"
"Auri!" She rushed over and shoved Ricky aside.
"Rude," Ricky muttered.
"You've started disappearing again," Oma scolded Aurora. "And what are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the game?"
"I was just talking to your friend," Ricky replied, winking.
"Weren't you making out with that Indian girl five minutes ago?" Oma shot back.
"Geez, you're impossible. Get out!" Oma snapped.
Ricky laughed and backed off. "Fine, fine. And you?" he asked Leonard.
Leonard dropped the cigarette, stepped on it, and left without a word.
Then he left too.
Oma turned to Aurora.
"You okay?"
Aurora didn't respond. Just stared ahead, blank.
"Auri? Auri?"
It was happening again.
"Auri!" Oma tapped her hard, and Aurora blinked.
"Just breathe, okay? You almost had an episode," Oma said gently.
Aurora exhaled shakily. "They better not make me do something crazy."
"You're fine," Oma assured her. "Come on. Let's go."
BASKETBALL COURT -
The court is massive and packed with students buzzing with excitement.
Girls are chattering, snapping selfies, and flooding the space with energy.
Everyone's scrambling for seats-Aurora and Oma are among them.
Luckily, Oma spots Ivy and Kiara.
Kiara sipped on a smoothie, totally immersed in TikTok, her headphones on. That girl is addicted to smoothies.
Ivy and Aurora sat between Kiara and Oma.
"I won't even bother asking where you went. I already know you won't tell me," Ivy said without looking at Aurora, who simply smirked.
She gets her.
And true to form, Aurora didn't answer.
Just then, Asha and Alayah approached.
"Hey girls, mind if we join you?" Asha asked cheerfully.
"No," Ivy snapped.
"You don't own the seats," Alayah shot back.
"Well, sweetie, they're taken. So bounce," Ivy replied coldly.
"Geez," Asha muttered, and Alayah rolled her eyes as they walked off.
"The audacity," Ivy scoffed.
"Jealous," Oma teased.
"What was that?" Ivy turned to her.
"Nothing," Oma said with an innocent smile.
Aurora pulled a lollipop from her bag, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.
Tiffany and Amelia walked past. Kiara smirked when she saw Amelia, waving mockingly. Amelia returned the favor-with the middle finger.
Oma glanced up at the huge LED screen, a nostalgic smile forming.
How she missed seeing Mason's face on it...
The game was about to start, and the girls were buzzing-eager to see the boys in their sleeveless jerseys.
CROWD Oh my gosh!!! Ahhhhhh!!! I can't wait to see Perry! And Leo! Where's my damn phone?!
The LED screen came to life, and a voice echoed from the loudspeakers:
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
"Welcome, Elite students!
!" the female voice boomed, and the crowd roared in response.
"As always, we kick off the first day of resumption with a basketball game!
Returning students know the drill, and to our new students-welcome to ALL ELITES COLLEGE!
Today's match: your favorite teams-THE ULTIMATE GAMERS VS THE PLAYAS! "
CROWD
Whoaaaaa!!!
"Okay, that's the dumbest team name I've ever heard," Oma muttered.
"It's Perry's team. What do you expect?" Ivy said.
ANNOUNCER (V.O.)
"Here we go! Make some noise for them!"
CROWD
Woooooo!!!!
The LED screen flashed:
THE ULTIMATE GAMERS VS THE PLAYAS
As the teams came out, the screams intensified.
First came Perry, the captain of The Playas.
CROWD
PERRY!!!
Perry, baby!!!
The rest of the team followed, causing even more chaos.
"If this is how they act for Perry, what happens when Leo's team comes out?" Oma asked.
Just then, The Ultimate Gamers emerged.
Aurora stayed calm, sucking her lollipop, unfazed.
Leonard, the captain, stepped out first-and the stadium nearly erupted.
That man was unreal.
Black hair, ocean-blue eyes, kissable pink lips...
His sleeveless jersey revealed tattoos down his left arm.
A brow ring, lip ring, studs in his ears. Even his headband couldn't hold back those messy bangs.
He was art. Dangerous art.
CROWD
We get to see that for free?!
Ahhh!!
LEO!!!!
RICKY!!!
MASON!!!
UGs forever!!!
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable."
"Seriously, Leo's the hottest thing I've ever seen," Kiara said.
Oma, meanwhile, couldn't take her eyes off Mason.
Tiffany beamed at the sight of Leonard. Amelia bit her lip. Asha and Alayah were practically drooling.
"Can't believe I'm hooking up with that hottie tonight," Asha grinned.
Leonard's eyes scanned the crowd and locked instantly on Aurora.
Girls looked around, trying to figure out who he was staring at.
He hated this attention-fake girls screaming his name.
They disgusted him.
The game began-and it got intense, fast.
"Should we bet?" Ivy asked.
"Nah, no point. We know who's gonna win," Oma replied.
"The Playas almost won last time. It was a tie," Ivy reminded her.
"Yeah, and Leo nearly murdered someone," Kiara said.
"Let's just watch," Oma said.
Leonard played rough. Like a beast.
The Playas wore blue. The Gamers, red.
Before long, the score was neck and neck-21 to 21.
But the UGs pulled ahead.
Then the Playas equalized again.
Time ticked down-29 to 29.
Then Perry's team scored. The crowd went wild.
"They better not win. Leonard's gonna kill someone," Oma whispered.
With 90 seconds left, Leonard had the ball.
"Come on!" Kiara cheered.
What happened next could only be appreciated in slow motion.
The ball passed from Leonard, to Ricky, then Mason-and in a flash, it was in.
CROWD
WHOA!!!!
Thirty seconds to go.
If The Playas scored, chaos would erupt.
A player from Perry's team snatched the ball and hurled it.
Almost in-but Leonard intercepted it and tossed it to Ricky.
Score.
CROWD
AAAAHHH!!!!
Last minute goal!
UGs for life!!!
The court exploded in cheers, yells, and celebration.
"Yay!!" Asha squealed, jumping-her backside putting on a show for the guys behind her.
"Gosh, I almost died," Oma said.
Then-Perry stormed toward Leonard.
Gasps erupted.
Leonard saw it coming. He let the hit land.
He wanted an excuse.
He retaliated-one punch, then another. Blood spilled from Perry's mouth.
When Perry tried again, Leonard caught his hand and delivered three brutal hits: cheek, nose, stomach.
Blood streamed from his nose.
"Don't mess with me," Leonard said, ice in his voice.
His gaze flicked back to Aurora, who had that damn lollipop in her mouth again.
She met his stare-and rolled her eyes.
He smirked darkly.
That was her mistake.
He walked off with his team.
"Well... that was a rollercoaster," Oma said.
"This already feels like the longest day ever," Aurora mumbled.
"That's your fifth lollipop," Ivy said.
"She's addicted," Oma teased.
"Like I am with smoothies. Ugh, now every time I think of smoothies, I'll remember Kimberly," Kiara groaned.
Aurora exhaled sharply.
Leonard better stay the hell away from her.
---
HENDERSON MANSION - EVENING
Kimberly stormed around the house like a tornado.
She'd left college after the match, fuming.
In her room, she screamed and hurled a shoe at the mirror.
Glass shattered everywhere.
A maid entered, timidly.
"You asked for wine, Miss Kim-"
Kimberly flung a shard at her, slicing her hand.
The tray dropped. The maid screamed.
"Useless!!" Kimberly barked.
"Clean this room in ten minutes!" She kicked the maid and stormed downstairs.
---
8:00 PM - CEMETERY
A pair of black sneakers moved slowly through the grass toward a grave marked:
GINNY MARSEILLE
Long hair trailed beneath a black hoodie. Quiet sobs filled the night.
She stumbled but didn't fall.
Kneeling in front of the grave, she pulled back her hood-Aurora.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Ginny..." she sobbed, running her hands over the grave's inscription.
A car screeched to a halt. A man rushed toward her.
"Auri! Auri!!"
He wrapped her in his arms.
"I knew you'd come here," he said, voice cracking.
"Dad... she tried to save me..." she sobbed.
"I know. Let's go. You're not safe here." He picked her up gently.
"Ginny..."
"Shh, relax. I've got you," he whispered, hurrying to the car.
---
RAVEN MANSION - LIVING ROOM - LATER
"What were you thinking?! Going there alone?!" Gemma shouted, tears in her eyes.
Aurora sat numbly on the couch.
"What if you had an episode? What if history repeated itself?!"
A single tear slid down Aurora's cheek.
Gemma broke down, crying harder.
"Love, calm down. She's home now," Melvin tried soothing her.
"What if we hadn't found her?!"
Gemma rushed to Aurora.
"Sweetheart, what happened to Ginny wasn't your fault. Please... don't blame yourself. Don't put yourself in danger again."
Aurora said nothing, stood up, and walked upstairs-numb.
"Honey... what if she..."
"She won't," Melvin said firmly. "We won't let that happen."
"Why my daughter?" Gemma cried. "Why her..."
---
THE NEXT DAY - SCHOOL HALLWAY
Aurora walked through the hall, last night's events still haunting her.
Her phone rang from inside her bag.
As she dug for it, she turned a corner-
And slammed straight into someone.
Her books scattered.
She bent to pick them up-exhausted, numb.
Until she looked up.
And saw him.
Leonard.
Her rage surged back to life like a spark on gasoline.
TBC...
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THIS CHAPTER TOOK ME PRECIOUS HOURS AND SLEEP. SO KINDLY APPRECIATE.
?? ?? ??