On one fateful night, he gave me this journal, the one I am writing in right now. "Look, Aura," he said to me. "After what happened at school yesterday, I thought I'd get you this. I don't know if you'll like it, but..."357Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoXKQNMKl0
Before he could continue, I nodded, a sign that he should stop yapping - he explained plenty. I do like it, and he knew that.
It was my birthday. My best friend and I got into a heated argument, and some things were said. She wished me a happy birthday in the morning, and gave me a pendant with the letter 'A' on it. "Thank you," I said. As I should - she gave me a gift.
After that, she said she had even more exciting news. "Guess what... he said yes!!" she squealed, as if she was on a sugar high. "He agreed to go with me!"
"I need context there,"
"The dance, silly." she said. "I asked Argent, and he said yes!!! I'm so excited."
I nodded in acknowledgement. "That boy who sits behind us in biology, right?"
"Yeah, that's him. And let me tell you, he is SO sweet! Just yesterday, when my pouch fell down, he helped me pick up everything." Carly said. Her tone was different here, and she seemed like she was going to explode with butterflies any second now.
"Okay, I really did not miss much when I was absent yesterday then." I said. "But I don't know if I particularly care about this dance. I mean, really, what is the whole point of having a whole date here? Like, are you going to date after the dance as well?"
Carly's excitement dims a little as she looks at me, puzzled. "Aura, it's not just about dating. It's about having fun, making memories. Don't you want to experience that?"
I shrug, my expression remaining neutral. "I guess. But it just seems like a lot of fuss over nothing. People get so worked up about these things."
Carly's face flushes with frustration. "It's not nothing! It's important to me. Why can't you just be happy for me?"
"I am happy for you," I reply, my tone flat. "But I don't see why it has to be such a big deal. It's just a dance."
She crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing. "You always do this, Aura. You act like nothing matters. Sometimes I wonder if you even care about anything at all."
I blink, taken aback by her words. "That's not fair, Carly. Just because I don't show it the same way you do doesn't mean I don't care."
"Then show it!" she snaps. "Show some emotion for once. You're like a robot half the time."
I feel a pang of something—maybe guilt, maybe frustration—but I keep my face impassive. "I'm sorry if I don't react the way you want me to. But this is who I am."
Carly sighs, her shoulders slumping. "You know what? I think I want to get out of the classroom for a while. Have my lunch downstairs. I'll see you, Aura."
"Bye," I answered.
***
When I was on my way home in the car, I told my sister and my father what had happened. They did not seem too surprised. They know me much better than I do.
Zinnia had other thoughts, though. "You picked a date for the dance?"
Dad stopped her, with a glance in the rear view mirror. "Zin, did you pick your college electives yet?"
That shut her up for a while.
"And you aren't off the hook either, Aura. Fights like this happen between friends. I'm sure you guys can compromise, figure something out. I'll talk to you tonight."
***
That night was when he gave me the journal. When I told him I had many notebooks at home, he explained, "This one is special. I know you don't express yourself, and I understand. But... as per my college experiences, it's no good to keep any negative emotions bottled up. Just spill it onto the pages. Whatever it is... it's between you and the book."
"Thank you, dad,"
"Go to sleep, kid." he said with a smile. "Good night."
"Good night."
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