Aquila's Tears

The Luckless Day

         I woke up to the sound of banging at my bedroom door. I was face down on my desk in a puddle of my own drool. Groggily I sat up and wiped the spit from my cheek. I stretched and looked around the sun-soaked room, and then at the clock. Crap! It was 9:45 am and my class started at 10:00 am! Quickly standing up and lunging forward from my chair my leg entangled with a blanket that was haphazardly thrown on the ground, and I fell down hard with an audible thud.

         “Good morning Aurora!” Mira called through the door “So nice of you to join the world of the living! Now hurry up and get dressed. I’ll drive you to your class, so you won’t be as late.”

         That woman was my lifesaver I swear. I quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, slipped into a pair of sandals and ran out of my room. Sitting on the coffee table were a dozen roses, a red heart shaped box of candies, and a brown teddy holding a heart that said I love you.

         “Ooo, who has the secret admirer?” I swooned as I stepped closer to look at the card sticking out from the flowers.

         “You do, dumbass” Cal stretched dramatically as he entered the room “It’s your sorry excuse of an ex, Derek. I swear he is obsessed with you, and not in the cutesy romantic way, but in a creepy stalker that might kill you, kind of way.” I rolled my eyes at Cal.

         “I’m sorry, and I miss you, please take me back. Your one and only, Derek” I read the note aloud in a mocking tone. “Disgusting!” I shrieked as I tossed the card to the coffee table. I picked up the teddy bear and punched it in its stomach before tossing it angrily to the couch.

         “Now is not the time to have a mental breakdown over your psycho ex-boyfriend. We have to go!” Mira called from the entryway of our apartment. I glanced at the clock and it was 9:55 am.

         “s**t, she’s right. Cal, enjoy the chocolates. Bye!” I made my way to the front door and grabbed my backpack. I could hear Cal already tearing into the candy packaging. At least they wouldn’t go to waste. I thought as I closed the door behind me. Mira and I made our way down to the parking deck and hopped into the car. Luckily, we only lived about a 5-minute drive from the campus.

         “You seriously need to tell Derek off.” She huffed as we exited the parking garage.

“He can’t keep leaving stuff at our doorstep like that. I tripped over the damn stuff and almost broke my neck taking out the trash this morning!” Mira complained while rubbing the back of her neck.

         “I’m sorry you got hurt. I’ve tried telling Derek it’s over, but he’s not taking no for an answer. I don’t know what to do. He cheated on me and that’s the final straw for me, so there’s no way I’m taking that cheating psycho back. I have zero feelings for him, and I’ve told him this several times. Derek is seriously out of his mind.” I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest while glaring out the car window at nothing in particular.

         Derek and I dated for about a year, and I thought I truly loved him. I did everything for him and was always there for him when he needed me. I would even cancel plans with Mira and Cal last second to make time for Derek, but the second I needed him he was busy, or had other plans with “the guys”. Well “the guys” turned out to be Monica, the girl he cheated on me with for four months. When I found out about her and reached out Monica actually thought I was the other woman. When I told her how long Derek and I had been together we decided to confront him together and we broke up with him. That was three months ago, and he has been hounding me ever since begging me to get back together with him, and every time I tell him that I’m not interested in him anymore.

         At first, I was devastated and wanted to take him back but luckily, I had Mira and Cal to keep me grounded and sane. They reminded me I was worthy of so much more than a lying cheating bastard, and they held me while I cried. I was heartbroken but knew how loved I was by my friends. They were the closest thing I had to family, and we had met by chance the day of freshman orientation.

         “Earth to Aurora” Mira waved her hands in front of my face. I turned to look at her and realized we were stopped out in front of our campus “Are you okay? You’ve been dead quiet”

            “Yeah, I’m sorry I got lost in thought.” I glanced at the car clock and it was 10:00 am “Ah s**t, thank you so much for driving me here. I owe you!” I jumped out of the car, slammed the door shut behind me, and dashed towards the front doors.

         “No problem! Good luck on your test today!” Mira shouted from the now rolled down car window.

         “Thank you!” I shouted back before heading inside. I ran down the right corridor and up the flight of stairs, took a left, and down another hallway. I took a deep breath before pushing opening the door and stepping inside the classroom.

         “So nice of you to finally join us, Miss Howell” my professor Mrs. Jenkins glowered. She was currently walking around the room placing tests on desks. “You know I could tell you to leave this very second. It is 10:05 am after all, and you are late the day of your final.” 

         “I know I am so sorry, Mrs. Jenkins. I fell asleep studying and didn’t set an alarm to wake up.” I hung my head as I awkwardly stood in the doorway. I heard a couple of the female students giggling at me, but most were too focused on the test in front of them to pay me any mind.

         “Lucky for you, Miss Howell, I am in high spirits today. Please take your seat” she motioned as she placed the final on my empty desk.

         “Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins” I rushed to my desk and sat down pulling out a pencil and scantron from my backpack and began the test.  I took the entire two hours to complete my test making sure to double check my understanding of the questions and my answers. I handed in my test to my professor before leaving the classroom.

         I had about an hour before my shift at The Brewed Bean, so I decided to go to the Cafeteria to grab some food. They were in transition from breakfast to lunch making their choices limited. I ordered a chicken biscuit and fruit salad and filled my cup up with apple juice from the self-service machine while I waited for my food to be ready. The cafeteria was pretty empty, but still held a couple of stragglers who seemed to be either still half asleep or nursing a hangover from the night before.

Once my food was ready, I grabbed it and made my way to an empty table next to one of the large windows. The sun was beaming in, and I gratefully welcomed its warmth on my skin. I laid the tray on the table, pulled out my headphones and phone, and hit shuffle on my Spotify app before digging into my brunch. I was too lost in thought to actually notice what song was playing.

I thought back to the first day I met Mira and Cal. We were all freshmen and were put together in the same Freshman Orientation tour group. We instantly hit it off. Mira was actually in the dorm across the hall from me, and Cal was in my Literature 101 class. The three of us bonded a lot, and even signed up for the same core classes in our second semester. After that we decided to get an apartment and we have been living together ever since. It was much cheaper for all of us to rent than to stay in the dorms, so I was grateful when Cal suggested we all move in together. Mira’s parents agreed to co-sign for us since we didn’t have any credit.

Cal and Mira truly felt like my family, and I don’t know what I would do without them. I had become accustomed to them always being there, and now that we were at the end of our senior year with different paths laid in front of us I’m not sure how to feel. After our lease ends in a month Mira will be joining Doctors without Borders and going overseas to help out others in need, and Cal wants to try his luck in New York. He already has several auditions lined up, all of which he has been practicing for religiously. I’m excited for them both. I know I will be alright on my own as I have saved up a lot of money from my job at the coffee shop, my internship with the psychiatric ward pays more than I make now, and if I do well there and prove myself they’ll hire me on and increase my pay. I know I’ll be able to find an affordable apartment nearby my new job, but I know I’ll miss having Mira and Cal at home. It will be weird living on my own again, but I know I’ll manage. Plus, I know we will make time to video chat even with the time zone differences with Mira.

I finished my food and started out the window. At least when I move Derek won’t know where to leave the unwanted gifts. I left the earbuds in, threw my backpack over my shoulder, crammed my phone into my jeans pocket, and stood up to dispose of my trash and tray. I headed outside without incident and made my way to work on foot. At least it wasn’t too humid out today, and there was a slight breeze. I admired the trees that lined the city streets. Atlanta may have its downfalls, but it had one thing right – it valued nature.

I pulled my earbuds out as I pulled open the door to The Brewed Bean and headed towards the back to put down my backpack. I checked the schedule and clock in. Luckily, Brody was off today, but so was Justin. It was just Mary, Judy, and me today. I pulled my apron from my backpack and slid it on. I walked on the floor while tying the apron in front of me. I see that Tom is here again and of course Judy is on the floor flirting with him while pretending to wipe down tables. I smile and shake my head. They’re too cute.

“Hey, Aurora!” Mary calls from behind the espresso machine “Can you start flipping the pastry case for the evening? I’ll come help you once I’m done with this order.”

“Yeah, no problem! I can do it. You just worry about the customers.” I say as I walk over to the sink to wash my hands before adorning plastic gloves. I walked over to the case, pulled out a large cardboard pastry box, and began placing the breakfast pastries into it. I made sure to leave a couple of the glazed donuts, blueberry muffins, and chocolate croissants behind in the case. I grabbed a large plate and placed all of the left-over assorted morning pastries neatly onto it. I continued on this pattern of taking pastries off of one plate, condensing them onto a single plate, and boxing up the excess pastries until the case was completely empty. I removed the paper that we laid at the bottom of the case and tossed it into the recycling bin. I grabbed the food safe cleaner and a clean towel and began wiping the case down inside and out. After it was completely clean, I grabbed new paper and lined half of the case and neatly arranged the remaining pastries. On the other half of the case I put out various signs advertising the hot small plates we offer after noon.

Work went on as normal. Judy returned to her spot on the register after Tom left, Mary manned the drink bar, and I ran around the store stocking and cleaning in preparation for the night shift. I made sure to get all of the dishes done an hour before they arrived. I was in the back doing the evening count when Justin walked in for the evening shift.

“Hey, uh Aurora?”

         “Yeah?” I called back. I was currently headfirst deep inside one of the freezers counting the blueberry scones.

         “Derek is waiting in the parking lot. Maybe you should call Mira and see if she can pick you up. I’ll walk you out to the car when she gets here. That dude seriously can’t leave you alone!”

         “What?!” I shrieked, jerked upwards and banging my head hard on the shelf above me knocking a box of frozen croissants onto my back “Ow… why can’t he just leave me be?”

         I rubbed at the back of my head as I stood to face Justin who was trying to stifle a laugh. Ignoring him I turned and headed towards my backpack. I opened it up and called Mira. I told her what was going on and she agreed to come pick me up, but under one condition. I had to go to the Lunar Star with her and Cal tonight. It was a very popular dance club that most of the students from our college went to. Ever since turning 21 and legally being able to drink Mira and Cal have taken full advantage of it. I on the other hand much preferred to kill a bottle with good company at home.

         Mira picked me up from the back of the coffee shop, and Justin walked me out just like he promised. As we drove around the front Derek spotted us, and I did the most mature thing possible and flicked him off with both hands as we sped past him and onto the main street. The nerve of that guy. He was banned from The Brewed Bean for harassing me at work. Luckily, the upper management actually believed me when I explained the situation between us. If Derek had come inside the police would have been called, but since the street is technically public property, we weren’t able to call them.

         “What are you going to wear tonight?” Mira asked excitedly “Please let me dress you!” I groaned but knew not to fight her. It was much easier to let Mira get her way when it came to fashion. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed exploring my own fashion sense and was not opposed to matching accessories, but Mira was a master mind when it came to mixing prints and colors.

         “Fine” I say, “but I don’t want to look like a pink monstrosity, that's my one rule.” Mira squealed happily from the passenger seat but was quiet the rest of the short drive home. I could tell she was plotting.

         “Well what do you think?” Mira asks as she pushes me in front of my floor length mirror.

         She was wearing a black see through crop top, black lace bralette, and a high waisted pink and black plaid mini skirt that hit mid-thigh and had a slit going even further up revealing more of her thigh. Her hair was put up into two even space buns, several golden stars dangled from her pierced ears, and a matching choker danced across her neck. She was also rocking knee high sheer pink socks and black platform Mary Jane shoes. Mira’s make up was simple but stunning. She had pink and purple eyeshadow blended out into a smokey eye that was carefully cut by a stunningly sharp and bold black winged eyeliner. Her lips were a pouty pink and glossy, and her cheeks were extra rosy and her nose was dusted with a light highlighter. 

         “Ooo, girl!” Cal exclaimed from the doorway, making me jump a little. I didn’t realize he was standing there. “Y’all look hot!”

         Cal was fully dressed and ready to go. He was wearing a black ripped band t-shirt underneath a distressed jean jacket with black skinny jeans that were torn at the knees, and black combat boots. Cal had on smoked out eyeliner and mascara that made his brown eyes pop. A golden highlighter kissed his cheeks, as a bold black line ran across the bridge of his nose and to the end of either cheek.

         I looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a cropped mesh baby blue top that had white fluffy clouds printed all over it with a white lace bralette underneath. The sleeves, collar, and bottom edge were scalloped. Mira had also slipped me into a baby blue pleather mini skirt that stopped mid-thigh, and white pleather heeled boots. The outfit accentuated my form and I wondered if it was too much. Dangling from my ears were two small pink pom poms, and around my neck was a silver choker with tiny stars spaced out evenly around it.

         “Well I may not be a pink monstrosity, but I’m definitely a baby blue one.” I joked and Mira pinched my arm “You don’t think it’s too much do you?” I asked shyly.

         “Oh, hell no, this is perfection! Now sit down and let us do your hair and makeup. We are going all out tonight!” Cal pushed me down into my desk chair while Mira plugged in the hair straightener. Cal rummaged through my makeup drawer and pulled out the pallet and tools he decided he needed. They tag teamed me as they tugged and beat the beauty into my face and hair. I wondered if I had made a mistake.

         When I looked into the mirror again, I gasped. I barely recognized myself. My hair was straight, but it flicked out at the ends in a slight wave as it framed my face. My make up made me look like a doll. I had pink and purple eyeshadow which made my hazel eyes appear more red. I had an almost as intense winged eyeliner as Mira but mine wasn’t as long. The bridge of my nose and my cheeks were also a rosy mess, but it enhanced the freckles that danced there. On the tip of my nose was a heart shaped dab of highlighter which matched the high lighter underneath my eyes. To finish off the look I had two black hearts under the center of each eye.

         Mira and Cal joined me in the mirror, both holding on to me, and I smiled at our reflections. We looked like those college kids that go regularly to clubs. Cal pulled out his phone and we quickly snapped a couple of selfies. It was nights like tonight that I loved when I could step out of my comfort zone fully able to trust that Mira and Cal had my back and best interest in hand.

         “Alright,” I sighed while stepping away from the mirror and their embrace. “I guess it’s time we head out. I’ll order an Uber.”