Chapter IV - Aurora
892 Words
«Psst, Aurora.»
I turn toward the familiar voice calling me. I've just stepped into the classroom, the buzz around me blending with my still-foggy thoughts.
«Hey, I'm here!»
I squint to focus on the brunette waving at me.
«Alice!»
I smile as I quickly climb the steps to reach her. Tall, slender, with brown hair that falls to her shoulder blades and fades into blonde strands — she hasn't changed at all.
If anything, she looks even more polished than I remember.
«Come, sit here,» she says, moving her bag and jacket from the chair beside her.
«It's nice to see a friendly face.»
Her long, sharp nails drum lightly on the desk — burgundy polish perfectly applied, as always.
«I didn't know you were retaking the test this year,» I say, setting my bag down on the desk.
«I thought you'd enrolled somewhere else.»
I'm genuinely surprised to see her. Alice and I went to the same school, though she was a year ahead and graduated before me. After her senior year, we lost touch — partly because of some disagreements with Sofia — but I'd heard from mutual friends that she hadn't passed the test and was studying elsewhere.
Apparently, she made it this year.
She nods.
«Pharmacy,» she says with a grimace. «Not really my calling.»
The professor shoots us a glare, and his voice booms through the classroom, commanding silence before he launches into the lecture.
He teaches biochemistry — a subject that has always fascinated me — but, right now, I can't tell if it's the way he slurs his words... or maybe it's because my mind is still caught on that handsome face — the one that was just inches from mine.
All I can think about are those lips, and that melodic, contagious laugh.
Every now and then I catch myself gripping my pen without writing a single word, my gaze drifting somewhere far away.
I shake myself, try to focus — but it's useless. My mind keeps going back to him.
When I finally lift my eyes, the board is covered in diagrams I haven't copied.
Damn.
And I'd promised myself I'd take every single note.
I'm so lost in thought that the sound of notebooks closing around me takes me by surprise.
Two hours have vanished without me even realizing.
An elbow nudges me out of my daze.
«Auri, what's up?»
A hand waves in front of my face, snapping me back to the present.
«What?» I ask, still disoriented.
Alice smiles, pressing her thin lips together — that knowing look on her face I've never quite been able to decipher.
«I said we need to hurry if we want to make it to biology on time.»
«Oh. Right.»
I close my notebook, tragically empty except for one word at the top: Biochemistry.
I get up quickly, the chair scraping against the floor.
But then I freeze, my gaze fixed on her.
«Wait—do we even know where we're supposed to go?»
Alice smiles and nods, her long lashes curving slightly upward.
«My father's a professor here, remember? I've been walking these halls since... well, forever.»
Then she points at the sheet of paper I'm still clutching in my hand.
«And anyway, I already know we're in the same group.»
I blink, surprised.
«How do you know that?»
«Simple. You're Cardano, I'm Corbelli. Both C's. They split us alphabetically, and we landed in section A. Ergo... partners in misfortune.»
She winks, looking far too pleased with herself.
A wave of relief washes over me, easing the tension in my shoulders.
At least I won't have to face all this alone—or risk getting lost again.
We head down the steps, my bag slung over the shoulder that doesn't hurt.
It's still a bit stiff, but I try to ignore it.
We step out the door, Alice talking beside me—though honestly, I couldn't say about what.
Because my mind has decided that today, focusing on anything other than that smile is impossible.
I can't help wondering if I'll see him again in the hallways.
I shake my head, trying to chase the thought away, and smile despite myself.
«Hey, why are you smiling? Did I say something funny?»
I swallow, searching for a quick excuse.
«No, I'm just... happy to be here.»
She nods, running a hand over her hip.
She's wearing skinny jeans — and she definitely wants everyone to notice.
Her generous curves are framed by a slightly low-cut top, but on her it never looks excessive; it just feels effortless, like it's part of her natural charm.
She keeps talking, updating me on every bit of gossip about people I haven't seen — or missed — in ages.
She doesn't even need me to reply; she's perfectly capable of carrying the entire conversation herself.
So I let her.
«...Claudia got back together with Giulio, but he was still dating Erica at the time.
And when she found out—God, you can't even imagine the scene she made.»
We reach the biology classroom a good five minutes early.
«...And finally Mirko got between them and—»
«Freshman!»
The voice — warm, low, and unexpectedly soft — shoots through me like a current.
A shiver runs down my spine.
That voice...
No. It can't be.
«Hey, freshman.»
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