how i survived

|| orange

"Oh shit! Look at her nose!"

"And whose fault it that, Ruben?!" she screamed over her shoulder to someone I couldn't see.

My vision was blurred.

Before I could touch my nose, a tissue was dabbed and blotted under my nostril, making me wince.

"Shh..." hushed the girl, getting down on her knees. She pressed the tissue against my nose again, and I guess she saw the inquisition in my face as she told me, "You have a bit of a nose bleed."

My eyes widened, and the girl chuckled.

"It's not too bad." she soothed. Her eyes sparkled mischievously, her lips pursed as she held the tissue to my nose.

She was so pretty.

I loved the way her azure eyes gleamed in a way that wasn't just because they had caught the artificial lighting.
I loved her porcelain smooth skin.
I loved her hair; sweeping just past her shoulders in golden summery waves.

Suddenly, she turned away and demanded in her silken tone, "Don't you think now would be a good time to apologise?"

Tall, slender and dark, a pair of legs dressed in orange shorts, stepped into my line of vision. The knees bent until I could see a torso, a neck and then a face, with a cryptic expression.

"Her eyes are smarting-"

"Ruben!"

The older boy, Ruben, groaned and quietly apologised, "I'm sorry, er..." He gave me that expectant look.

I croaked, "Hayley."

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Hayley." Ruben fully got down on his knees, but when he did, the blonde girl tugged me up to my feet.

"Do you feel okay?" she asked me, removing the tissue from my burning nose.

I nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

"I'm so sorry for Ruben. He's a bit of a wild child." She laughed happily, noticing Ruben's heavy frown.

"Oh, shut up, Aislinn." Ruben muttered, glimpsing this way and that, like he was unsure of who he was talking to.

The girl only laughed again. The noise resounded down the halls.

"He's in a mood." she winked.

"Is that your name?" I ask bluntly. Foolishly.

The girl's smile started to unwind at the edges and fade to a dullness I couldn't bear. Then, she started to stare at me.

I shuffled under the heat of her gaze.

Finally, she spoke.

"Aislinn?"

I nodded, stupidly afraid to say another word. I was scared I'd offended her.

"That's my name. Aislinn. Aislinn Dales."

I took a deep breath and said two words.

"Vision. Dream."

When there was no recognition in those sea blue eyes, I got afraid  that maybe Aislinn had no idea, and I had wasted my breath.

Why would she know? Who else in the world would know? Or care to know?

B U T

As soon as I tried to backtrack
she said,
"Wow. So you know."
And she smiled warmly at me, the happiness shimmering in her eyes like liquid sunbeams.

I suppose I was stunned she knew.
I didn't expect her to know the meaning of her own name.
Who else cares to find out what people's names mean?
It intrigues me...

Your name tells you so much about your parents; what they were thinking when they were naming you- that kind of thing.

Maybe you think that's

Weird.
Maybe your parents named you because they just liked that name.

Aislinn started to chuckle. At me or because of me,
I couldn't decide.

But I didn't mind.

(You wouldn't have minded either for...)

It was a glorious sound, refreshing and gorgeous. And when I thought for a paining second the ring of her innocent laughter would come to a sudden end, it started up again.

"You seem so surprised." Aislinn beamed, her smile an explosion that seemed to shorten the S P A C E and prolong time.

"I just didn't think you'd know..."

"I know."
Aislinn confirmed with mischief in the upturning of her lips.

And this time,
I smiled in return.

🍃

"What?"

His dark voice was like a knocking in the dark, faint but equally jolting to a sudden fear. That fear of mine was... Well, I can't describe it.

It was like I was alone; and the most major thing I had to worry about was whether someone knew the meaning of their own name.

I didn't particularly want to be reminded that I had a still-raw nose, aching with the unexpected collision with the floor, blood crusted on my lip and that I was standing in a narrow winding corridor leading into the bowels of a college.

{Or that I had p
L

E

N

T

Y

more to worry about.}

Aislinn swerved on her heels, her trainers screeching across the tiles, to face her companion.

"What do you mean, what?"

Ruben rolled his eyes like marbles. "I meant what the fuck is going on between you two?"

Aislinn clutched her sides and another bubble of laughter left her lips. "She's coming with us."

Ruben looked as confused as I felt. "Huh?"

"Come on, Hayley." Aislinn addressed me choppily. "What do you say?"

"T-to what?"

"Lunch. With me and Rubes."

(" H E Y ! ")

I looked at both of them sadly for maybe a second or maybe an eternity,
undecided whether they were being cruel,
but their eyes read earnest and although Ruben looked doubtful, I somehow knew they meant it.

They really did want me to sit at their table.

I felt so happy in that instant.

I tried to play it cool, but they could both more than certainly hear the butterflies flutter in the pits of my starving stomach as I agreed that "Yes, I'd love to" eat lunch with them.

Ruben and Aislinn both laughed, but no, it wasn't harsh.

Aislinn
linked arms
with me as we headed for the lunch hall.

It felt nice.