7. A New Circle

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November is in full swing before I even realize it. The leaves are at their brightest color, and I realize that in a few weeks, there might even be snow on the ground. When I tell Aurora this on my way home, she explains how excited she is for winter. I, on the other hand, am not looking forward to walking through a few feet of snow on the way to school, even if it glistens in the sun so beautifully like Aurora says. She promises her company will be enough to keep us both warm when we start to walk home on days like those. I tell her I'll hold her up to that promise.

On the walk to school in the morning, my mind wanders to strange places. I think how odd it is that a month ago, I was preparing for a horrendous Homecoming dance, and that Aurora and I barely knew each other at that time. Aurora and I still do not do much besides walk home, but as much as I hate to admit it, it's refreshing talking to some new people at school. I've had my friends alongside me for almost the entirety of high school. There's nothing wrong them, but I gave up on making any more shortly into high school. Friendship had always been a bit of a chore for me. Luckily for me, Aurora decided that we would become friends as soon as she met me. Strange how some people are just able to choose that. But I suppose I haven't complained.

The school hallways feel more crowded this time of year. As exams and the end of the semester draw year, everyone is either sluggish or running through the halls trying to print before the bell rings. I'm starting to feel the stress of the season myself, even if I should be thrilled that Thanksgiving and my birthday are in a few weeks.

Unfortunately, the chaotic nature of November also means that the few friends I have are always occupied with tutoring, teacher conferences, club meetings, and any other activities during lunch. For the past few days, I've had at least one girl in my friend group sitting next to me, but today, I scramble through the lunchyard, checking my phone before I even dare to sit down.

Abigail has a meeting, Allison is doing tutoring, and Hazel has just texted that she has to meet with a teacher. My last chance is Juliet who still has not appeared in our normal lunch spot. My phone lights up, and I see that she has an essay she needs to get done by the end of lunch. Great. I'm on my own.

My leg twitches as I look out ahead of the crowded lunchyard. I have no problem sitting alone and getting some work done, but as is the nature of an all-girls, Catholic high school, everyone is encouraged to be nice to everyone, which means if I sit alone for two minutes, a freshman will come up and offer me a spot with her friends. A sweet Christian sentiment, but for a junior, I find the situation humiliating. I wonder why the administration came to the conclusion that any girl who sits alone must be depressed and that solitude must be combatted at all costs.

Not wanting to even risk being pitied, I figure I'll start making my way to the library and quietly sneak my lunch in a table in the back, where the librarian can't hear the crinkling of my plastic bags or the sound of my chewing. I quickly turn around, my skirt spinning, as I start to march toward the library. I barely manage two steps before I hear someone call my name.

"Callie!"

Oh no.

Slowly, I pivot, seeing Aurora sitting at her friend group's normal lunch table. She's waving, smiling, and now motioning me forward, not giving me many options. Perhaps she's just asking for help on a homework question, though judging by the fact her table is not filled and she seems eager for me to walk over, I guess differently.

"Um. Hi," I say, awkwardly clutching the straps of my backpack.

"Do you want to sit with us?" Aurora asks. "I noticed you looking around all disoriented."

"Oh. Um." It would be rude to say no, especially now that all of her friends are looking at me, awaiting my answer. But didn't I just get pitied just now? The exact circumstance I was trying to avoid? "Sure," I say. Admitting my defeat, I set my backpack down and sit next to Aurora awkwardly.

"This is Callie," Aurora says, gesturing to me. "She's a junior. We're in Calculus together."

"A junior in Calculus?!" one of her friends, who I believe is named Cassidy, exclaims.

"I know. She's very smart," Aurora teases.

Instead of thanking Aurora like a normal human being, my mind is still wracked around the idea that I'm being pitied, so I quickly say, "All my friends were busy at lunch today so I was heading to the library when you called me over."

"Well, now you don't have to go to the library," Aurora says. "And you get to meet these lovely people, if you didn't know them already."

"I'm Brooke," the girl across from Aurora says. I see this girl and Aurora together often. Brooke has dark skin, brown eyes, and short, curly black hair. She runs the service club with Aurora, I'm pretty sure, and judging by the cheerful aura she already gives off, I can see why she and Aurora get along.

"I'm Cassidy," the blonde sitting across from us says. My guesses were right. Cassidy is one of the richest girls at school, there's no doubt about it, especially when she drives up in her Porsche, yet she's so humble and kind that she becomes the kind of person you want to hate but can't because of how likeable she is.

"I'm Sonia," says an Indian girl sitting next to Brooke. I've seen her and Aurora studying together often, so I assume they have multiple classes together and that solidified their friendship, somewhat like ours.

"Hey, can I join today?" asks a voice that makes my skin crawl. Now I really regret not making a run for it once Aurora made eye contact with me.

"Of course!" Aurora exclaims.

Who but Isabella Sandoval, the sole person I have been trying to avoid for weeks on end, takes a seat to the right of Aurora, creating somewhat of a distance, but not enough to make me comfortable. Even if it's cold outside, I can feel myself already beginning to sweat with nerves.

"Hey, Callie. You sit here now?" Isabella asks, now noticing me.

"Oh, uh. No. Just today," I state. "My friends were busy at lunch."

"You can sit here anytime you like," Aurora promises. Noticing that Isabella and I already know each other on a name basis, she asks, "Do you two know each other?"

"We were in a Chemistry group last year," Isabella answers for me. I'm doing my best to avoid eye contact with her at this point. I don't say much after she sits down and begin eating my lunch, looking away every time Isabella speaks in the conversation. I don't join in much, just shrink and hide behind Aurora, and luckily, Isabella never calls me out directly in the conversation.

Isabella only lingers long enough to finish her lunch before heading off to the library. Everyone says their good-byes, though I mutter mine a bit more quietly. At one point, I make eye contact with her, but I look away before it lasts too long. Then, I'm back to eating my lunch, forgetting for a second that Isabella joining the table is not the only awkward problem I'm dealing with right now. I'm still sitting here eating lunch with Aurora's friends and barely conversing.

I clear my throat, asking Aurora, "Do you know Isabella well?"

"Oh, she's in my leadership class! She likes to sit with us every now and again," Aurora calmly tells me.

"Oh, of course you're in a leadership class," I tease.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" she exclaims.

"Nothing," I murmur, finishing up the remnants of my lunch. I realize the bell is about to ring in a few minutes. I have survived the awkward forty-five minutes of lunch hour. It's possibly my greatest achievement in all of high school.

"I didn't realize you were so shy," Aurora says as her friends break off into their own separate conversations.

"Huh?"

"Well, you didn't talk much the entire lunch period," Aurora says.

"It takes me a while to warm up to people. That's all," I grumble as I zip my lunchbox close.

"Do you want to walk home today?" Aurora asks, which takes me off guard. I thought we were only doing this charade two days a week, but her eyes are so eager, that I guess I can't resist.

"Um, if you want to," I say. "Do you want to go to the library first or...?"

"Let's just walk home. It's not a Calculus day after all," Aurora says as the bell rings. So she acknowledges it too. We're breaking tradition by doing this, but I didn't have anything planned, so I guess it can't hurt.

"Well. I'll see you after school," I say as I head off to class.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You can sit with us anytime you like, you know. You don't have to be desperate," Aurora tells me. 

"Oh. Thanks," I say before heading off. I don't have the heart to tell her that I mostly just plan on sitting with my friend group. I'm not one to really "sit around" as they say.

When I do run into my friends later in the day, I chew them out for ditching me, but I omit the fact that I sat with Aurora, simply stating I went and studied in the library instead. Thankfully, none of them seem to have anything else planned at lunch soon, which should save me from future awkward lunch sessions with Aurora and her friends.

I almost forget that I planned to walk home with Aurora until I see her waiting near my locker, scrolling on her phone.

"Oh. Sorry you had to wait," I say when I finally reach my locker.

Her red curls bounce as she stares up from her phone, and she gives me a soft smile. "It's okay. I don't mind."

After exchanging my books, I join her in walking out of the school's entrance together, out toward the neighborhood. I walk quietly with her for a few moments, watching the cars whizz out of the school parking lot after a long day.

"The leaves are getting even prettier," I say after a bit. I step on a fallen leaf for fun, grinning in satisfaction as it crumbles underneath my feet.

"You're right. November is the best time to see the leaves, I think," Aurora states, staring at the trees along with me. The silence that settles between us is comfortable, nothing like the awkward state I was in at lunch. I'm sure if Isabella Sandoval were here though, I'd be a complete mess.

Aurora steps on a particularly brittle leaf, and I smile at her.

"That was a good one," I say.

"I would've been so disappointed if it didn't break," Aurora says, giggling slightly. She takes a few more steps, then turns to look at me. "So, would you mind reading a short story I wrote?"

"Oh. You have one already?" I ask.

"I've written a lot already, but I wrote this one recently, and I just wanted some general feedback before I try submitting it anywhere. Would you be willing to read it?" Aurora asks.

"Are you sure you don't want any of your friends to read it instead?" I wonder. "Like I said, I'm smart, but English is not my best subject."

"I'm afraid they'll be too biased. I think you'll be more blunt with me, which is what I'm looking for. So...do you mind?" she asks.

"I guess not. How soon do you want feedback?"

"Whenever you can."

My feet come to a halt at the corner we usually part. Aurora slides part of her backpack off and begins fishing through her bag until she hands a stack of paper into my hands. As I grab onto it, I notice her fingers trembling. This must be a bigger deal for her than I thought.

"You can write on it if you want. I don't mind," Aurora says.

"I'll try to read it as soon as I can," I promise, sensing her restlessness.

"Thanks, Callie. I really appreciate it," Aurora says. The corners of her lips curl into a grin. The autumn wind has begun to pick up, and she tucks a stray curl behind her ear as she stands nervously, waiting for me to put the paper away into my bag.

"I'll see you later," I tell her.

"Bye. Have a good rest of your evening!"

"You too."

»»---------------------►

After dinner that night, I am quick to be excused. My mother seems interested to know why I'm not even planning to have a slice of her homemade apple pie when she knows it's my favorite, but I explain I have some additional homework to do and want to get to bed at a decent hour. The family doesn't argue much with me past that point. They're used to my organized, calculated behavior.

I sit at my desk, reading the pages illuminated by my lamp. I flip them slowly, taking my time with each one. It's good. Of course the story is good. It's better than anything I could ever write for sure. Though the story isn't that long to begin with, I manage to finish it in an embarrassingly short time.

As I flip the pages close, I lean back against my chair and stretch my arms behind my head. In all honesty, I don't know why Aurora has chosen me to proofread anything. Because, as I expected, her writing is impeccable, her story is interesting, and I think she has a shot of getting it published in the school journal at least.

But do I tell her tomorrow? Is that too soon? Should I wait until the next week to let her know I've read it? She appeared more nervous today than I've ever seen her, so maybe it's better I hand it back as soon as possible, but also what if she thinks I won't give good enough feedback so soon?

I let out a sigh, not sure how I got into this mess. For now, I try not to think about how or when I'll present my feedback to Aurora. My fingertips scan the white pages, and I start to read it over and over again, as each light in my family household goes out one by one.

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