♛ Chapter 10- Aurora's POV ♛

"So, I've been hearing that a certain golden girl will be asked out today," Olivia smirked as she nudged me with her shoulder as we walked to the lunch tables outside, her voice barely audible over the usual rustling noise of students gossiping. Our group had decided to sit outside since the weather was starting to cool, and because the annoying freshman were beginning to sit inside.

"He's not gonna ask me, Liv," I rolled my eyes as we stepped outside, the chilled autumn air surrounded us. The usual gossiping girls were perched on the blue tables, a football being thrown over by hyper football players.

Olivia scoffed before we plopped down in the blue table, joining the rest of our friends. "Yeah, he will."

"No, he won't-"

"What're you two arguing about?" Michael interrupted, leaning forward.

"Let me guess," Xander started, "It's about Tommy asking her out later?"

"How did you guys know about it except me?" I looked at the group.

"Well, Tommy doesn't really ask anybody out, so having the golden boy ask out the golden girl is a bit unusual," Cooper replied, leaning forward on the blue table.

Sabrina laughed before pausing to take a sip of her Sprite. "Please! If that little boy thinks that Aurora's going to actually accept, he's delusional."

"Don't forget that time he basically asked Aurora on a date to dinner, and she actually went!" Cooper added to the conversation falling into a fit of laughter. 

"I bet 20 bucks that she says yes," Michael said before smacking a twenty dollar bill down on the table.

"Well, I think she's gonna reject him," Xander smirked at Michael before pulling out two ten dollar bills and smacking it down next to Michael's money.

"Are you guys seriously betting on me?" I exclaimed. "He probably won't even ask me out!"

"I still can't believe that you keep denying the fact that he likes you," Cooper smiled and shook his head. "God, you're so oblivious that you make Olivia look smart."

"Shut up, Cooper," Olivia snapped and narrowed her eyes at him, taking offense to his joke which was unlike her. "You don't even know the first thing about relationships, let alone something other than humping and dumping."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Cooper challenged her.

Olivia, not able to formulate a response, picked up her tray and strode back inside the school.

"Liv!" Cooper shouted as he sprung out of his chair to catch up with her, leaving me, Sabrina, Xander, and Michael. I knew how Olivia was. She needed time to cool off, thus me not chasing after her.

"What the hell was that about?" Michael snorted, bringing up Sabrina's can of Sprite to his mouth.

"All I know is that their sexual tension is almost as bad as yours," Sabrina said as she turned to me and Xander.

"Shut up, Sab," Xander grumbled before taking a bite out of the brownie on my plate.

Michael opened his mouth, probably to include another one of his innuendoes but was interrupted by a familiar voice behind me.

"Aurora?" came Tommy's voice. Xander tensed beside me, but it wasn't noticeable unless you actually paid attention.

I turned around to look up at a standing Tommy. Suddenly, the table went silent, everybody full of anticipation since this was probably the most eventful thing that's happened this week at our small school.

"Yes?" I looked at him expectantly. Maybe, if luck is on my side today, he'd chicken out and not ask me out.

It wasn't that I hated him, it's just that he was only my friend. Nothing more. That's all I can imagine him to ever be.

Tommy looked around at my friends at the table warily while I noticed his group of friends from his baseball team and also Brett and Joey from our track team among them, watching him.

"I was wondering if you'd wanna go, um, out?" He rubbed his neck, a boyish grin across his face.

Before I could formulate an answer, Michael's hyena laugh interrupted. "Where's out?" Michael widened his eyes with laughter spewing out of his lips, relaxing the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Dude, that's not how you ask out a girl!"

Michael and Tommy didn't know each other, only adding onto Tommy's embarrassment.

"Well," Tommy shook off Michael's jab, "there's this, uh, movie I thought you would like. Or we can do something else if you-"

I cut him off, his rambling coming to a halt. "Sure," I nodded, sending him a friendly smile.

"Oh, great!" He looked up from his gaze at the floor. He obviously didn't expect me to accept. "Friday at 7?"

I nodded, still unsure of the decision. Yet, I still plastered on a smile, despite my true thoughts. Tommy waved and made his way back to his table full of friends who cheered him on while I turned back around to face my three remaining friends.

"Yes!" Michael leaped out of his seat in victory. "I do believe that you owe me 20 bucks, ya little bitch!" He shouted at Xander, grabbing the two ten dollar bills on the table. 

Xander rolled his eyes, about to respond, but the bell rang, signaling the resumption of school.

"Why did you accept?" Sabrina crunched her nose and widened her eyes as the four of us made our way to our classes. "It was so obvious you didn't want to go."

"Well what am I supposed to say? 'Sorry, but no?'" I raised my eyebrows, sarcasm dripping from every word. "That would be mean! And I felt bad for the kid."

"Should've just said that you weren't interested, and you only see him as a friend," Xander added while shaking his head slowly while I noticed the muscles in his arms slightly tensing and relaxing.

"Whatever. Just go to class, guys," I waved them off as we dispersed in the noisy crowd, on our ways to different classes.

♛ ♛ ♛

"Okay, class," Ms. Westley started as she walked through the doors of the classroom, a blanket of silence falling on the students. "For the next few weeks, we will be studying Shakespeare. Anybody know any plays by him?"

Hamlet, duh. I rose my hand because in order to get a better grade in this class, I needed to get on Ms. Westley's good side, and in order to do that, I basically have to kiss her ass.

It was second to last period, and Olivia was yet to be seen since lunch. During passing periods, I asked Cooper if he knew of her whereabouts, but he was just as clueless as I was.

"Aurora," Ms. Westley nodded at me since I was the only one raising my hand.

I opened my mouth to answer, but I felt something hit my back. "Hamlet."

"Good," She responded before choosing another student to answer.

I snapped around to see the cause of the hit and was met with none other than Xander Kings sitting right behind me. He wasn't even originally in this class; he was simply here because he wasn't doing well in Honors English, and Literature was just easier, so he requested to switch.

"Can you please not pelt me with paper wads?" I narrowed my eyes at him, having enough of his childish ways. I was tired and in no mood to be messed with.

"No," Xander shrugged with his signature smirk and pushed my desk forward with his foot.

If it wasn't for Ms. Westley talking something about a project, I would've gone psycho on Xander already. 

"I'm going to be assigning you and your partner a play by Shakespeare." She started, looking down at her lesson on her podium. "I'll also be giving you one scene in the said play, and you have to act it out, but break the text down so the class can understand it. It's an easy A." The last part of her statement, she directed her eyes to me, obviously knowing of my struggle with grades currently.

For the nth time this class period, I felt another paper ball pelt me in the back, and I was this close to losing it.

"Stop it or else," I calmly breathed in and closed my eyes, the last bit of sanity I had almost out the window.

"Or else what?" I wasn't facing him, but I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. Despite my warnings, I felt another hit on my back.

"Stop!" I spun around and shouted, successfully catching Ms. Westley's attention as I interrupted her lecture on Shakespeare.

"Excuse me, Aurora?" the tired woman asked, looking up from the paper on her podium. She would normally just hand out detentions, but today, anybody could sense her tiredness and stress, thus her unusual calmness.

"Sorry about that," I felt myself shrink in my seat from her unintentional scrutinizing gaze and stares of classmates. "Xander was annoying me, so you could understand why I yelled at him."

"Xander was annoying you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

I nodded my head vigorously. Yes, she's gonna give him a detention!

"I guess you two would make great partners for this assignment then." Ms. Westley smirked, completely catching both me and Xander off guard. "You two get Act 1 Scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet."

"What?" I practically yelled at her in disbelief. Her only response is a shrug before the bell rang.

"The only homework is to study your scene with your partner," she announced quickly before the students began rushing out of the room. "I will give you time in class tomorrow to practice for your scenes."

"Ms. Westley," I rushed up to her before I was late for the last class of the day, "would it be possible if I could switch partn-"

"No can do," she interrupted. "I put you two together for a reason. Partially because it would be entertaining to see you guys bicker, but mostly for you both to sort out your differences and work together."

I sighed before turning around to see Xander towering over me, a smirk playing on his face. "Guess you're stuck with me, gem."

"Lucky me." I rolled my eyes before shoving him aside to get to my next class.

♛ ♛ ♛

So how was chapter 10? The book will definitely be getting wayyyyyy more interesting next chapter so stay tuned ;) And I put a picture of Shawn Mendes as Tommy Harrison at the top to help you guys visualize Tommy more clearly! And I also put "Stargazing" by Kygo because I guess it kinda relates to this book.

Also, THIS BOOK HAS 300 READS! So thank you, thank you, thank you! I never thought this book would even get over 30 reads bahaha

I'm also going to be updating more frequently to finish this story faster. There will be around 40 chapters (each chapter around 1500-2000 words).

There will be a playlist for this book once it's finished so please leave song suggestions for that!

Thank you for reading, and don't forget to vote or comment! I fricken love you.

-sophia ❄︎