intrepidity

The whispers had started again that morning.

Aurora could hear them as she walked through the halls—soft murmurs that followed her from class to class, snickers behind her back, the occasional hushed giggle from a group of girls.

Anne sat with her usual group, twirling a strand of blonde hair around her finger, watching Aurora with that same smug smirk. Every time Aurora passed, she leaned in to whisper something to her friends, their laughter spilling out into the hallway.

Aurora tried to ignore it.

She wasn't stupid. She knew how these things worked. If she just pretended not to care, maybe they'd get bored and move on.

But Jude and Riley weren't buying it.

It started in second period when Aurora went quiet mid-conversation, her shoulders tensing slightly. Jude followed her line of sight and found Anne, who was watching Aurora with a lazy sort of amusement.

Jude scowled. "What's her problem?"

Aurora just shook her head, pretending to be focused on her notes. "Nothing."

"Bullshit." Jude leaned in slightly. "She's staring at you like you kicked her dog."

"Maybe I did in a past life," Aurora muttered, attempting a joke.

Riley, who was sitting on Aurora's other side, crossed her arms. "You sure you didn't steal her imaginary boyfriend or something?"

Aurora snorted. "No."

"Then she's just being a bitch for fun," Jude said bluntly. "Classic Anne."

Aurora didn't respond.

And that's when they really knew something was up.

- 

By lunchtime, things had only gotten worse.

Aurora was more withdrawn, picking at her food while Riley and Jude carried most of the conversation.

It was subtle, but the signs were there—how she flinched slightly when someone walked too close, how her gaze flickered toward Anne's table every few minutes, how her hands tightened around her fork whenever hushed laughter came from their direction.

Jude noticed first. "Okay, I'm saying it—this is weird."

Aurora blinked up at her. "What is?"

"This." Jude gestured vaguely. "The weird vibes. The staring. The whispering."

Riley nodded, stabbing her salad with a little too much force. "You'd tell us if something was going on, right?"

Aurora hesitated. "I mean... it's probably nothing."

Jude scoffed. "Rory, people don't whisper about 'nothing.'"

"I just—" Aurora sighed. "It's fine."

Jude didn't look convinced. "Well, if it stops being fine, we can always 'accidentally' spill soda all over Anne."

Riley grinned. "Or trip her down the stairs, maybe break her nose while we're at it."

Aurora let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "You guys are the worst."

"We try." Jude winked.

But despite their efforts to lighten the mood, the feeling in Aurora's chest didn't go away.

-

The house was loud when she walked in.

Antonio and Marcus were arguing—something about who stole whose charger—while Atlas was reading on the couch, unbothered. Elias flipped through the TV channels, and Aiden sat in the corner, reading over some paperwork.