Forever August ✔️

chapter sixteen

"i took off all these tight clothes,
and jumped into the water."
- ra ra riot
___________________________

WHEN AURORA WOKE up the next morning, for the first time that summer, she couldn't bring herself to get out of bed. The blankets, the curtain and the four walls surrounding her were not only comforting, but protecting.

In her bedroom she couldn't hurt anyone. Not Gus. Not even herself.

Laying on her back, she stared up at the ceiling and gently felt the soft skin around her eyes with her fingers. It was puffy, her eyes burning every time she blinked. The aftermath of crying all night, she thought with a sigh.

It was only when Aurora's gaze landed on the calendar hanging above her desk that she sat up quickly, sucking in a sharp breath. She felt her throat tighten, the walls feeling like they were closing in on her until she was back under water. Aurora grabbed her phone and clicked the screen on. The date staring back at her made her hands turn cold.

She threw the phone across her room and sprung out of bed in an instant, rummaging through her closet and putting on whatever clothing her hands touched first before she flew down the stairs. Her hand lingered on the door knob when her brother's footsteps approached from behind.

Aurora sighed, letting her hand fall. "Where are you running to?" he asked. Aurora knew what he was truly implying: whether she was going to see Gus. She spun around to face him, not having the energy to muster up anger.

"I'm not meeting Gus," she answered. Her shoulders hunched forward, like her body knew what day it was, too. Thomas began to speak but Aurora cut him off, not wanting to start a fight.

"It's August ninth," she whispered. Thomas' eyes widened, face softening instantly. "I need to go," she managed to choke out as he nodded.

"Do you want me to come?"

Aurora shook her head, wishing today would be over before it began. "I have to do this alone." She stared at her brother for another moment before walking out the door.

She rushed down the driveway and headed to her bike, which was still resting on the grass, and hoped on. Peddling as fast as she could, the houses lining her street turned into a blur as she sped by. But it wasn't fast enough. The wind whipped at her face and her eyes began to sting. It was only a moment before the tears began to fall.

Aurora turned onto the main road, peddling past the cars and the few people walking by on the sidewalks. She had always hated how her town seemed to be deserted, always wished she lived somewhere that was vibrant and pulsing with life. But today she was thankful for the empty streets that allowed her to move quickly without having to stop.

She made a right onto a side road, her bicycle bumping as she rode over the uneven ground and up the small hill until her destination rose into view. Aurora hopped off her bike, letting it fall to the ground as she stared down the slope of the grass that stretched into a cemetery.

Her hands trembled at her sides. Slowly, she took a step down the hill, then another, until gravity carried her downwards and she was standing on flat grass, staring out at the hundreds of tombstones that seemed to stretch on forever.

Aurora couldn't help but think how this would soon be her fate. That her life, her laughter and her adventures would end up here, carved into a piece of stone as she rotted beneath it. She wanted to scream, she wanted to live. Tears stung her eyes and she forced herself to move forward.

"One," she said aloud, counting each row she passed. "Two." Her counting continued until she breathed the number thirteen and her feet lead her right, past another ten tombstones before she had arrived.