Saturday came by a lot quicker than Aurora expected.

She had accidentally fallen asleep in the bathtub, causing her to begin getting ready a little later than she had planned. So when Liam showed up at her apartment to pick her up, she urgently requested 5 more minutes.

This eventually turned into 20 minutes, with Liam constantly calling out for her to hurry up.

"I'm almost done!" Shouted Aurora, as she quickly tried to curl her hair without burning herself.

"You said that five minutes ago!"

The two continued to bicker back and forth until Aurora finally emerged from her bedroom.

Now, Aurora stood nervously next to Liam at the entrance to the grand ballroom. Liam turned to look at her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Nervous?" Asked Liam.

"Just a little," Her knuckles were turning white from how hard she was holding onto her clutch.

"Don't be," reassured Liam. "You look beautiful and you're no doubt the most gorgeous woman here."

And indeed, she did look stunning. She was wearing a beautiful burgundy a-line dress that hugged her bodice and slightly flared out at the waist. The floor length skirt had a side slit that started mid-thigh. With a daring v-neckline, thin straps draped over her shoulders and crossed in the open back of the silky satin dress.

She wore a pair of nude heels and matched her outfit with a clutch that held her essentials.

It was simple, yet elegant.

Her long dark brown hair was curled effortlessly— she had ran her fingers through them. Her makeup was done a bit more dramatic than usual for the evening.

"How would you know that?" muttered Aurora, trying to calm herself with deep breaths. "You haven't even seen anyone else yet."

"I know because those two security guards can't seem to take their eyes off of you," Liam said quietly so that only Aurora could hear.

Aurora's face flushed red as she subtly glance at the two security guards in black suits, whom were in deed looking at her.

"What if I trip down the steps?" Asked Aurora anxiously.

"You'll be fine," comforted Liam as he led Aurora closer to the entrance. The guards opened the doors for them. "And if you do, I'll catch you...hopefully."

"You better," grumbled Aurora, nudging Liam on the side.

Slowly, Aurora and Liam made their way down the steps. Heads began to turn towards them and Aurora could feel their eyes glued onto her face. She couldn't help but feel insecure at all the judging eyes on her.

It seemed a bit too fancy for a simple charity gala. The grand ballroom was decorated in a way that made it seem like they were at a royal ball. Aurora knew that there were probably many important people in the room.

Thankfully, Aurora made it down the steps without tripping and making a fool out of herself.

"See, you did it," praised Liam teasingly, leading her further into the ballroom.

"Their eyes are literally glued onto us," mumbled Aurora. She wasn't one to enjoy being at the center of attention, unlike some people who loved it. It just made her want to run back to her apartment and curl up in her bed with a tub of ice cream.

Aurora made sure to stick to Liam's side as he seemed to be the only one she knew.

It had been 10 minutes since they have arrived and thankfully, they hadn't missed much since everyone was still standing around, conversing with one another.

Aurora was facing Liam as they continued to talk off to the side of the ballroom. From afar, they seemed to be having a normal conversation, but like usual, they were bickering like siblings.

"I told you we weren't going to be late," Aurora rolled her eyes.

A waiter had strolled by, offering champagne to the two, which Aurora gladly took, needing a bit of alcohol in her system to get through the night.

"Don't drink too much of that," reminded Liam, knowing that Aurora was a lightweight and often became a mess when she drank more than her limit. He, on the other hand, had not gotten a drink since he was the one driving. "And can't you at least try to be on time for once?"

Aurora knew from his playful tone that he was just trying to get her mind off of all the uncomfortable stares. "You're the one who came early."

Liam let out an exasperated sigh. "I arrived at 6 exactly."

"No, you arrived at 5:59."

"That's basically the same thing."

"No, it's no-" Liam's eyes widened at the approaching figure behind Aurora. "Hey, man."

Confused, Aurora turned her head to see who Liam was greeting.

"Xavier!" Exclaimed Aurora, slightly taken aback.

What was he doing here?

Now that she thought about it, it made sense that he would be attending the charity gala since many important people seemed to be attending as well. And like always, he seemed to always show up unexpectedly.

"Aurora, you look beautiful," Xavier greeted Aurora with a small smile before greeting his friend, who seemed to have a smug smile on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Liam asked me to accompany him."

"So, this was your obligation when I asked if you were free the other day," muttered Xavier with realization.

"What the- hey! I am not an obligation," grumbled Liam, giving Aurora a small glare. "I blessed you with the opportunity to attend this wonderful event with me."

"You basically threatened me to come with you," retorted Aurora, to which Liam responded with an unamused look.

"Xavier! I'm wearing heels you idiot," protested a voice coming from behind Aurora. "You can't just walk away from me like that and leave me all alone."

Xavier rolled his eyes. "Your boyfriend is with you."

"Yeah, babe. I'm right here." Reminded another voice.

Both seemed familiar to Aurora as well.

Almost too familiar.

"Rory?"

Aurora turned to see her best friend with her boyfriend join them in a circle.

"Maddie? Lucas?"

"Babe," Blurted Maddie with a bewildered expression on her face. "What are you doing here?"

Aurora, who was also sporting a bewildered expression on her face, greeted the two with hugs.

"What am I doing here? Liam forced me to come with him," Answered Aurora to which Liam began to protest. "What are you doing here?"

"We were invited," Maddie stepped back to get a good look at Aurora. "You look so beautiful. If I knew you were coming, we could've gotten ready together."

"Oh, trust me. You do not want to get ready with her," interrupted Liam, unnecessarily butting into the conversation. "She literally takes fucking forever to get ready."

Aurora sent Liam a glare, nudging him to shut up. "You look gorgeous. I didn't know you were coming either."

Meanwhile, Xavier was confused. He stood watching his younger sister and Aurora converse with ease as they continuously complimented each other.

"You two know each other?" Asked Xavier.

"Of course I know Rory," Maddie confirmed. "She was my roommate and my best friend. I'm pretty sure I've talked to you about her before?"

And then it clicked. Maddie had indeed talked about Aurora— quite a few times actually— but Xavier hadn't actually paid close attention to his sister's words. She talked too much and frankly, most of it was usually gossip anyways.

"Wait- you guys know Xavier?" It was Aurora's turn to be confused.

"He's my older brother." Maddie stated before bringing her voice to a not so soft whisper. "You know, the one I tried to set you up with."

Everyone in the circle had heard her whisper loud and clear, except for Aurora whose eyes went wide with realization as her mouth opened in shock.

"Holy shit."

The four of them watched Aurora with amusement as she stumbled around with her words.

"I didn't mean to blurt that out, but- what- I mean- huh?- but- how?" Aurora looked at Xavier, then Maddie, then back to Xavier. There were definitely similarities, yet- how could she have not seen this before?

"I think we broke her," Lucas said, placing his arm around Maddie's waist.

Aurora shook her head slightly in an attempt to clear her mind. "But you two have different last names?"

"I used my mom's maiden name for school," explained Maddie. "I'm actually Madison Knight."

Aurora could barely wrap her head around the new information and downed her champagne. "I need another drink."

"I know I should've told you, but I don't know-" Maddie felt bad for not telling Aurora, especially since they were practically sisters. "I just wanted to feel normal and to not be treated differently because of my family."

"Oh babe," Aurora pulled Maddie towards her and wrapped her best friend in a hug. "You know I don't care about all that."

"I know. And, I'll tell you everything later," Maddie gave Aurora a tight squeeze to which Aurora returned. "Love you, babe."

"Love you too."

The three men stared at the embracing women with baffled expressions on their faces.

"Women," muttered Liam, shaking his head. "Am I right?"

Maddie detached herself from Aurora and reached over to smack Liam behind the head.

"Hey!" Complained Liam, throwing Maddie a glare. "It's not my fault women are so complicated."

This time Aurora leaned over to smack the same spot Maddie had smacked.

Grumbling under his breath, Liam rubbed the back of his head, and turned towards his two close friends. They drank from their own glasses of champagne, watching the whole interaction with amusement.

"You guys are just going to let them do that to me?"

Both Lucas and Xavier shrugged their shoulders, causing Liam to continue grumbling under his breath.

"Wait- I'm still confused," blurted Maddie, before gesturing to Aurora and Xavier. "How do you two know each other?"

"We're friends," stated Xavier just as Aurora blurted out, "From work."

Both of their eyes met, causing the other three to glance back and forth at them. Xavier was never one to make new friends so for Xavier to admit to making a friend was surprising to all of them.

Lucas and Liam exchanged knowing looks, smirks forming on their faces, while Maddie stood wide eyed as he stared at their exchange. Was there something going on between her brother and her best friend?

Xavier cleared his throat. "What I meant, was that we met through Liam and became friends."

"What?! Why didn't you guys tell me?"

Aurora and Xavier continued to answer Maddie's burning questions and thankfully, the conversation slowly switched to a different topic. They continued to talk as it seemed like the event wasn't going to start anytime soon.

"I'm going to use the restroom," Aurora excused herself from the group and began making her way towards the restroom.

Although she was still in shock, she could definitely see the resemblance between the two siblings. She wasn't mad at Maddie for keeping such a big secret from her. She understood why Maddie had not wanted to tell anybody and frankly, she would have done the same thing.

She quickly did her business, which was a struggle with since her dress was long, and made her way to the sink.

"You're definitely not good enough for him."

A beautiful woman stood a couple sinks away from Aurora, touching up on her makeup. She wore a beautiful black dress that showcased her curves and her blond hair was pulled back elegantly.

"Excuse me?"

Aurora wasn't sure if she had heard her correctly.

"I said, you're not good enough for him," repeated the woman, making eye contact with Aurora through the mirror.

"I heard you the first time," stated Aurora, her forehead furrowing with confusion. "Do I know you?"

"Not personally, but you should know who I am," There was an arrogant tone in the woman's voice. "I mean, look at you. You're nothing compared to me. What does he even see in you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure who you're talking about," muttered Aurora, looking down at her fingers with insecurity. She changed her mind about the woman being beautiful.

The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I can see right through you. You just want Xavier for the money, don't you?"

"What are you-"

The woman suddenly made eye contact with Aurora. She began walking towards Aurora with a sneer on her face, causing Aurora to take a step back. "I know his type, and that's definitely not you. He likes tall, skinny blond women, not- little girls who are nothing and have nothing. Trust me, honey, he's better off without you."

Without giving Aurora a chance to reply, the woman turned back around and began making her way out of the restroom.

"Stay away from him. You will never be good enough."

With that said, she walked out of the restroom, leaving behind a very confused and hurt Aurora.

Tears began to form in her eyes as she urged herself not to cry. Suddenly, the confidence that she had gained over the past few years was gone. Insecurity and self- doubt began to fill her, bringing her back into the dark. The hurtful words that the woman had said triggered a memory she sincerely wanted to forget.

Her ex boyfriend and the words he had continuously thrown at her throughout the course of their relationship.

Him and his mental abuse.

You're just a worthless bitch who I was using.

I cheated on you for a reason— it was all just a game anyways.

No one will ever want you.

You will never be good enough for any man out there.

She couldn't help but fall into this dark hole of despair as negative thoughts began filling her mind.

Because maybe they were right.

❤︎❤︎❤︎ 

Happy Friday! Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you guys are enjoying my story so far~ I really appreciate you all taking the time out of your day to read. I hope you guys are healthy and doing okay during this time~ I know I am about to go crazy being stuck at home all day and I don't know if it's just me, but Zoom classes are terrible.  All of my classes are so disorganized and they're literally shit shows. You would think that by Week 8, my professors would have figured out how to use Zoom, but nope. Anyways, I hope you guys have a wonderful day and remember to stay hydrated!