Twinkling in the Dark | ✔︎

Chapter 16

"The house was big, and the party lasted all night, so it took a while for Cooper to find me. In the morning, it was pretty obvious what had happened," I whispered, looking out at the lighted freeway. Hues of red and green and white light moved fast on the street.

For the past hour, I had been opening up to Xander, catching him up on what happened freshman year, or why I'm even at this school.

"He should've rotten in jail. That goddamn-"

"What's done is done, Xander," I put my hand over his, trying to calm down his anger. He was struggling to maintain his shaking. "I reported it, but there was no evidence of it being nonconsensual."

He stroked my hair, encouraging me to continue.

"And he was the star football player, his dad was the vice principal, so word got out about that night, but nobody believed me when I said it was against my will."

"What?" Xander shouted in disbelief with scrunched brows. "I can't fu-"

"Parker," I winced as I said his name, "spread rumors that I 'wanted it' and was practically begging him for it and all, hence the slut rumors about me. I mean, it was the football star against some random 14 year old. They got so bad over the rest of the summer that I enrolled here instead. And that's why I had gotten so angry at you for saying I was yours that first day I met you. I didn't want any slut rumors circulating about me."

"I'm sorry about that, Aurora." I looked up at Xander to see him looking out in the distance, a wrinkle in his forehead. "If I had known-"

"Stop," I put my hand up to silence him. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"Was he your first?"

"Yep. First and only." A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "I think that's why Cooper practically forced his parents to let him enroll at our boarding school with me."

"So he could always protect you," Xander said in a hushed voice while stroking my hair, struggling to keep calm. He cupped either side of my face which forced my teary green eyes to stare into his grey ones. "You have two protectors now."

I softly smiled at him as he wiped away the remaining tears on my face with his thumb. "I know." 

-I always knew.

And so we stayed like that, basking in the calm silence and crisp air. The atmosphere wasn't only full of stars, but of unsaid words and a strengthened bond between us. One that neither of us intended to break.

♛ ♛ ♛

"Class dismissed."

I unfortunately had Psychology alone, so I packed up my things and made a beeline for the cafeteria.

There were more stares as I walked through the hallway. I was getting used to them though, ever since this morning when the entire school found out about Xander and I's scene in English. I didn't know why everybody's so freaked out, though. It was just a kiss, right? Every class had to do the same assignment, so what was the big deal?

If it was just a kiss, why did it feel like it wasn't just that? I thought to myself. 

Quickly dismissing that thought from my head, I pushed open the doors to the cafeteria and grabbed a plate of the food. Eh, it didn't look too bad today. I made sure to get a brownie since I knew Xander always ate mine. It kind of became our thing, I guess.

My eyes quickly scanned the cafeteria to see the rest of my friends at our designated table, and made my way over.

"They were all staring!" I shouted as I slammed my tray down on our table, interrupting whatever conversation they were having before.