Rei's Aesthetic^

1. Monday Week One

It was daunting; facing your fears. But it was something that often left us feeling better off in the end.

The faded brick of my high school looked the exact same as it did last time. A part of me liked that it was unchanged, stable. But the other part, the part that knew that going in would not make me feel better in the end, was angry that the world seemed to go on despite my personal plight. 

"Hey, if you don't wanna do it, no-one is gonna make you Reillyn," he squeezed my hand and I looked over at him. Noah. My best friend since the young age of five. There wasn't a moment since I'd met him that he hadn't been right by my side, supporting me; except the moments when I wouldn't allow him to. 

Bright forest green eyes met my murky green ones and somehow managed to infuse me with comfort from the one simple look. I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile as I tucked a long brown curl behind my ear and nodded, "I've got to go in at some point No-No, can't hide out forever."

With another reassuring squeeze and a smile at my childhood nickname for him, we both started towards the school. I don't really know what I was expecting but I liked the fact that no-one knew what had happened; that it was a secret between me and mine. 

Just as it appeared from the outside, my high school was unaltered, lockers slamming, girls gossiping, boys jumping around like they were drugged up on something. 

My perusal of the halls that somehow felt unfamiliar now was interrupted by a mass of platinum blonde hair that came barrelling towards me so hard and fast that Noah had to steady me with secure hands on my back to stop me from falling on my ass.

A squeal shot straight through my ear, "I've missed you so much Rei, I'm so glad you're here," she pulled away to shoot me a broad smile, "I'm so proud of you!" 

All I could manage was a half-smile as I hiked my bag further up my shoulder, "yeah, thanks Kinsey, I've missed you too." 

"The real question, Tin Can, is; did you miss me?" Noah winked excessively, making me roll my eyes and Kinsey blow out an annoyed breathe. Noah had been calling her that since middle school after she got annoyed at us once and drew faces on the metal part of tin cans and naming them as her 'real friends.'

"Don't call me that Noah, it's not frickin funny anymore"

"Fucking, Tin Can, just say fucking"

School books reminding me of where I was and what I had to do all day were slotted neatly into my locker as they began walking off to homeroom together. I smiled a little as they began their usual back and forth banter which was mainly just Noah teasing Kins and her getting increasingly mad; some things never changed.

"Hey, chica, how you doing?" Iliana, the third member of our group of five, asked me as she stopped at my locker. 

Lana had always been absolutely stunning from her olive skin to her long silky brown hair threaded with lighter highlights that always made her appear as though she had been kissed by the sun. 

"Yeah, I'm all good," I closed my locker and scanned the green which was sprinkled in her light hazel eyes, "I just want to get back to normal."

"That's true, and it's easier to just rip the band-aid off, si?" Her sexy Spanish accent was definitely something to be jealous of. She had the ability to swear and insult someone in a different language, leaving them none the wiser; definitely a superpower. 

On our way to homeroom, we caught up with the fifth member of our group, Tori. She was the complete opposite of me and Lana, very quiet and reserved, often with her head in a book or the clouds. She was completely convinced that nothing in the real world could ever be as exciting as what she reads in books. The more that I experienced the real world, the more I realized she was probably right; the world was a pretty dismal place. 

Checking our schedules we discovered that Lana and Tori had lessons one, two and three together whilst I had no classes with any of them. Lana found this hilarious, bitch, whilst Tori looked at me sympathetically. After deciding where to meet for lunch, Lana dragged Tori away with a funny as fuck comment about me having fun alone. I flipped her off and braced myself for what was shaping out to be an all-round crappy day.

— — — — — 

Lunch couldn't have come around sooner. Stomping over to my friends in the cafeteria, I slammed my bag on the table, dragging the chair out obnoxiously loudly.

"What's up with you, sunshine?" Noah's sarcasm made no improvements to my mood.

I cut him with a harsh glare, "shut up, Noah. One day back and I'm already sick of this place. I completely forgot how annoying the people in this school are."

"What happened?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I am so drained, what is with all the questions from everyone. I swear if people don't back off, I'm gonna lose my shit."

"Right," Kins gave me a pointed look, "because you are so calm right now."

Unhelpful bitch.

Noah winked at her as if to say he agreed whilst I just huffed out a breath of anger, ignored them and began eating my Nutella sandwich, enjoying the chocolatey goodness. 

"Anyway," Lana started, "Jasper says there is a fight at Staircase this weekend, you guys down?"

Jasper was Lana's completely handsome and rich boyfriend. His dad owned a chain of hotels so he was loaded. His rich ass frequented an underground fight club which doubled as a regular club upstairs (get it, Staircase). Did I mention he was rich? Filthy rich; I definitely wasn't jealous. 

"Hmmm, fit guys rolling around half-naked for a few hours," I pretended to contemplate it, "I am, of course, down. We can all meet at mine beforehand then Noah can drive us over?" 

"I mean, I'm not going to turn down shirtless guys fighting, am I?" Kins and I shared a smile and a high five before turning to Noah and raising a brow each in a manner that we had perfected over the years.

"No, I hate that place," he stated, "all you guys do is drool over the guys and eat popcorn, which I always end up paying for, it's bullshit," he exclaimed, "and why the fuck am I the one that has to drive?"

"Because as you pointed out, we are going there for us girls to have fun, plus you don't drink so," I wiggled my eyebrows, "designated driver."

When his face remained unimpressed, my lips turned into a pout, "come on Noah, you're a fighter," I play punched his arm, "it'll be fun." 

Noah shook his head but Kinsey and I were relentless so, in the end, he agreed. He had always appreciated boxing. He didn't fight actual matches or anything but he trained at a local boxing gym to let off some steam. 

"Um, I dunno guys, I have loads of homework and I don't really think it's my scene," Tori hated anything social, again don't blame her, people suck, but this was hot people.

Male people. 

Fighting. 

Shirtless. 

What were we talking about again?

Lana shrugged, "guess it's settled then, we're going. You too, bookworm," she gave Tori a pointed look, "it's Rei's first week back, we need to celebrate." 

"Technically, it's everyone's first week back after summer so...no need to celebrate," I specified, waving my half-eaten Nutella sandwich in their faces. 

Lana cringed at my sandwich (weirdo), "I know that, perra, I mean it's the first week where you've come out of the house," she interrupted me with a hand up before I could defend myself, "and I mean properly, not wearing stained joggers or sweatshirts with holes in them."

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at her whilst Tori just looked awkward because Lana called me a bitch in Spanish; I interpreted it as an endearment. I turned to her, "please Tor, it wouldn't be the same without you there, who would make sure we were back in time for curfew?"

Tori shuffled a little, "Okay Rei, but only if we are back before my curfew"

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[11/07/2021]  Edited ☑️

Thanks for choosing to read my story.

It's a slow start, I knowww, but it picks up (or at least I hope it does)

You probs don't care but I don't care that you don't sooooo fun fact, I am obsessed with music, and the song I am listening to right now is... I FOUND by AMBER RUN 

Also, I don't know how I feel about the suns^ ☀︎ they freak me out a little so they are gonna have to go 

Anywayyyyy, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the weird little record of my thoughts after, bye, for now, X X