GIVING THE HOME SHE grew up in one last look-over made a weight settle in the pit of Aspen's stomach. The modest, two story white painted house sat on the end of a relatively quiet neighborhood in the small town of Bloomsburg. Everything that had become normal about the building stood out to her now, the chipping paint, the pots of dying purple petunia's that littered the creaky old porch, and her upstairs window that never opened. She squinted, looking through said window at the remains of her bedroom. The sheer white curtains that were left allowed her eyes access to the room.
Striped of it's covers, her bed looked a bland off-white compared to the pastel yellow of the walls she painted when she was eight and never changed. All her decorations were packed into the back of her mom's trunk; the fairy lights and Polaroids that hung from her walls being the most important, holding memories from the summer before hell, as her friends put it. Despite leaving Bloomsburg, Aspen couldn't stand to leave behind the summer nights around a fire pit in a random friend's backyard, cuddling in the beds of trucks during drive in movies, and watching the sunset streak the sky with reds, oranges, and pinks. Keeping home in mind would serve as a blessing and a curse: keeping her both grounded and longing for what she had before.
Right now, the feelings made the weight sink deeper.
"Hey," A voice said from behind her. There stood her best friend Darius King, tall and burly with a sad smile on his face.
"Darius!" Aspen exclaimed, immediately jumping to hug him.
All her friends had said goodbye the previous night, cursing her mom and this Magnolia Academy for taking their friend away. Aspen hadn't expected any of them to come see her off, but she should've known better when it came to Darius.
"You know I couldn't let you leave without a hug," He said, ruffling the top of her head.
"Don't get all soft on me," Aspen responded, lightly punching his bicep. "We'll see each other again soon."
"Probably not until winter break," Darius rolled his eyes. "Military school doesn't let us leave for Thanksgiving."
"That sucks," Aspen pouted, but then smiled, a fire igniting in her dark eyes. "But that means we have more time to plan for the tree decorating competition!"
Darius laughed. "For some reason, that is your favorite part of winter."
"Well yeah, it's like the only thing Bloomsburg's got going for it, other than the snow."
"Hey now, we also have—"
An impatient honk sounded from behind the two, making them jump. They turned around to see the scowling face of Aspen's mom, Layla Reyes, through her car's tinted windshield. Aspen gave Darius a knowing look, holding back a roll of her eyes.
"She really doesn't like me, does she?" Darius asked, scratching his chin.
"It's not you," Aspen sighed.
It was the lie Aspen's been telling Darius ever since they first met. He and Layla just got off to the wrong foot, is all. Layla thought Darius was nothing but a troublemaker, and Darius thought Layla was stuck up and couldn't take a joke. It was a miracle she even let Aspen see him at this point.
"C'mon Asp, if we don't leave now we'll be late!" Layla called, honking the horn again.
"Okay, okay!" Aspen shouted back. "Designated move in times," she said to Darius.
"I see."
The two hugged again, this time for longer. In all honesty, Darius was like an older brother to her, and his arms were one of the only places she felt safe enough to let her guard down. Her chest ached when he pulled away, and ruffled her curls again.
VOCÊ ESTÁ LENDO
Golden Magnolia
Fantasia* Updates every Wednesday! * * * * Aspen Reyes has never believed in magic. Growing up, she was taught that everything had an explanation that could be figured out with logic. Even when the inexplicable happened, like the death of her father, she ra...
