CHERRY // marlene mckinnon

-twenty two

  "We need to talk."

Marlene was right in front of Aurora and Avery by this point. Aurora didn't know what to do besides stand there. Frozen. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she tried her best to steady her breathing.

"Well if it isn't the filthy half-blood." Avery spat.

"Well if it isn't the arrogant snob." Marlene retorted.

"Can't you see that we're clearly in the middle of something." Avery snapped.

"Oh please, she looks like she'd rather be anywhere but near you." Marlene said.

Avery was about to open his mouth to say something again but Marlene had already dragged Aurora out of the library.

"You're welcome by the way." Marlene said.

"For what exactly? Dragging me somewhere against my will?"

"Well I clearly saved you from spending another second with him."

"Where the fuck are you even taking me?!" Aurora had slightly raised her voice.

"Oh you know exactly where. We need to have a little chat."

*****

  They had reached the astronomy tower. The two girls hadn't been here since their last encounter. The breakup.

"Okay, now that we're here, talk." Aurora said.

"The point was for both of us to talk." Marlene said, rolling her eyes.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Stop being so stubborn. There's lot's of things we need to talk about and you damn well know it."

"I said what I said last time we were here. And that's final." Aurora stated.

"Why? Why did you do it all of a sudden?" Marlene questioned. "We were on good terms the day before."

"I- I just had to." She simply answered.

"You had to? Meaning what?" Marlene was growing impatient by the second. "I just want a bloody explanation."

Aurora had no choice but to let a lie slip past her lips. In her eyes, she was protecting Marlene by not telling her the truth. The less she knew the better.

"Can you just drop it?! Were done, so I don't know why it matters so much. Just move on." Aurora replied frantically.

"Move on? Move on?! Are you seriously telling me to ' just move on' right now?!"

Marlene was clearly furious. And for Aurora, that was a good sign. It meant that she was mad at her, and would hopefully, mean that she would distance herself from Aurora.

But no. Marlene didn't give up that easily.

"Yes. I broke up with you, why aren't you accepting that?!"

"You wouldn't just do something like that out of the blue." Marlene sighed.

"Well clearly I did." Aurora muttered.

"I'm going to ask you again, why did you do it? And why are you acting like this right now?!" Marlene was yelling at her.

"Why do you care-"