After that counselor visit, I actually felt good. And Liora got a free class skip. Mostly I just had to repeat a few phrases in front of them. About how Carly seemed so dismissive and rude in the morning homeroom, she was death glaring at me during classes... and then I began with the political science class.
"She just started yelling," I'd choked out, faking a fresh wave of tears, "about how some people are just… fake. And they try to replace others who are gone. She looked right at me, like I was trying to replace someone. It was awful. I don't even know Carly!"
The counselor, a woman with kind eyes and a perpetually worried frown, looked at me sympathetically. Liora sat beside me, nodding in agreement, her arm draped over my shoulders in a surprisingly convincing show of comfort. It was all a performance, a carefully orchestrated scene, but the tears I'd shed in class had probably been genuine, a release of weeks of pent-up pressure. And now, the result was… acceptance. And popularity by association.
Later that day, the whispers about Carly intensified, but this time, they weren't about her grief. They were about her being "mean to the new girl."
But other sources claimed otherwise. They said, "Carly is going through a lot, and Lexi should understand." It's true, and I do understand... but...
It's complicated.
Lexi Hydroxide, the emotional wreck, had inadvertently become the school's new sympathetic figure. It felt wrong, every fiber of Aura's being screaming at the injustice to Carly, but Lexi just smiled sweetly and accepted the offers of friendship and the pitying glances. This act was working. And it was going to be exhausting.
One particular bit of conversation I remember well. Sylvia, a girl with silver powers suddenly pointed to a boy in a black hoodie, talking on the phone. "He's wearing that thing again."
"What thing? Who?" Liora asked, while in the middle of a reel on her phone.
"Carly's brother... that force physics hoodie."
I knew exactly what they were talking about for once. But Lexi didn't. "What hoodie?" I asked, acting curious.
"You'll see..." Sylvia said, as the three of us quietly watched, waiting for him to show off the hoodie in all its glory.
A painstaking five seconds later, he turned, and then... the hoodie. "May the Force be equal to Mass x Acceleration," in a capital, hollow sans serif font. I knew it well, thanks to my dad's extensive collection of Star Wars merchandise. As a kid, he watched movies 7 through 9 in the theaters as soon as they released. He didn't like them much, but found them not completely unbearable.
The early 2030s trequel trilogy of 10, 11 and 12 were a desperate attempt by the creators to continue the franchise, but it worked. They learnt from their mistakes with the sequel trilogy... In fact, he watched those three on three separate movie dates with my mom during their college masters. And 12 came out in the same year as Zinnia's birth: 2031. My mom doesn't particularly approve of the insane collection of merch, but I grew up with it in a way. Archie grew up obsessed with it, and I've been on countless sleepovers at Carly's house.
My memories flooded back. One time, Carly, myself and around three other girls were at a sleepover at Carly's, when Archie suddenly thought it was a good idea to slowly replace random items in her room with Lego Star Wars builds and minifigures. Let's just say, Carly was not impressed to find the Death Star perched up on her toy shelf.
"Ugh, Star Wars," Liora scoffed, pulling her attention away from Archie's hoodie and back to her phone. "Who even cares about that anymore? It's so... 20s. Like, did they even have holo-phones back then?"
Sylvia nodded dramatically. "Totally. My dad still has some ancient blasters on display in his office, but like, why? No one even watches those old movies anymore. It's totally irrelevant now. We have actual space travel, you know?"
I forced a confused frown onto my face. "Star Wars?" I asked, putting just the right amount of cluelessness into my voice. "Is that like... a really old movie? Like, black and white? Those kinds we learnt in history class"
Liora and Sylvia giggled, sharing a look that clearly said, "Bless her naive little heart."
"Yeah, Lexi, it's super old. It started in like the 1970s," Liora said, waving a dismissive hand. "Don't even worry about it. It's ancient history. Anyway, did you see who just followed me on Insta?"
I nodded along, feigning interest, while inside, Aura was reeling. "Ancient history."
It's true but... I half felt bad. I actually think the movies are good. I'm not a huge fan or anything, but I really don't hate it either. It would have sounded blasphemous to Archie, or my dad.
***
The bell rang, marking the end of the school day. I quickly shuffled my way out of chemistry class, not wanting to stay in this hellhole longer than I had to.
"Lexi," I heard someone call. "Lex, babe!"
I turned and looked around. Liora and Sylvia. "Hey, what's up?" I said, with a little too much enthusiasm, trying to pull off the 'perky new girl' vibe.
"Soo..." Sylvia began, fiddling with a loose thread on her backpack as we walked toward the gate. "We were thinking... what if we meet up tomorrow?"
"OMG yes, that way we can get to know Lexi!" Liora chimed in, already pulling out her phone, probably planning a selfie strategy. "Where should we go?"
My mind blanked. Aura knew all the obscure, quiet bookstores and tucked-away coffee shops that served strong, bitter brews. Lexi, however, was supposed to be a creature of popular culture and brightly lit spaces. Plus, the truth was, Dad hadn't really taken me anywhere on this side of town yet. My knowledge of the area was limited to the route from the safehouse to school.
"Um," I started, trying to sound casual, like I was weighing exciting options instead of desperately searching my mental database for a plausible location. "I actually haven't really explored this part of town much since I moved. What's... what's good around here?" I tried to imply I was just so new, so innocent, so ready to be shown the ropes.
Liora's eyes lit up. "Oh my god, you haven't been to the Mega Mall yet? It's literally the best! They have all the new drops at Fashion Forward."
"Or," Sylvia interjected, "we could just hit up The Daily Grind. Their holographic lattes are to die for, and it's super chill."
Both places sounded equally mind-numbing to Aura, but perfectly Lexi. "The mall sounds... great!" I forced out, opting for the more public, likely distracting option. Less chance of deep conversations, more chance of blending into the retail chaos. "What time?"
"All right, text us." Sylvia said, before she was cut off by a loud honk. "That's my dad," she said as she slid her phone into her pocket. "Bye girls, see you tomorrow!"
Liora and I wave her bye enthusiastically and waited for our parents. The two of us were talking about something - I forgot what it was, knowing her, probably some random store at the mall.
"So like, you should totally check it out." she said, when I heard another voice startle my thoughts.
"Lexi," a deeper voice. Whoever he was, he didn't sound much like a full-grown man, but not like a two year old either. I spun around, to see the sight.
A shadow, dressed in mostly black except for the red hair, a stark, noticeable contrast, walking quickly towards me. "Yeah?" I called out, faking confusion. "Who is it?"
The shadow grew taller and taller until he came stood in front of me, about two inches taller than me. Archie C. Hydrocarbon, in all his ridiculous hoodied glory. But he doesn't know that I know.
My eyes immediately drifted to his hoodie. "May the force be equal to mass times acceleration." I blurted out. "I have no idea. Who are you, do I know you?"
"I'm Archie, Carly's brother." he said.
"Oh yeah, I remember seeing you in the homeroom classes. I'm Lexi, nice to meet you."
"Look, I just came over to talk to you." His voice grew awkward and slightly hoarse.
"Well... you are already talking... just go on."
Archie shifted his weight, his eyes darting to Liora, who was now fully invested in their conversation. Her phone was forgotten.
"It's about my sister," he started, his voice growing awkward and slightly hoarse. "Did anyone tell you yet... why that one seat was free in homeroom?"
"No... why, was someone absent?" I lied, my heart doing that familiar uncomfortable flip.
Archie's gaze dropped to the ground, then back up to mine, a flicker of something raw in his eyes. "Carly's best friend," he began, his voice barely a whisper. "She... she died last week. That was her seat."
Liora, unable to resist inserting herself into the drama, gasped dramatically. "Oh my god, Lexi, you didn't know?" She put a hand over her mouth, feigning shock. "It was so awful. Her name was Aura Ozone. She was Carly's best friend, and she died in a lab accident, I think. It was all over the news. The school even put up a memorial by the oak tree."
My face, Lexi's face, managed to morph into a look of shock, my eyes wide. "Oh my god," I whispered, forcing a hand over my mouth, mirroring Liora's gesture. "I... I had no idea. How awful. Poor Carly." The words felt like ash in my mouth, a cruel parody of empathy. Aura screamed inside, a silent, internal shriek of betrayal and despair. This was it. The bomb had been dropped.
"Drama spreads fast, babe," Liora added, as if confirming an obvious truth. "Even all the history students know..."10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLpQtLEqCt
I nodded slowly, trying to process the information, the new weight it added to this already ridiculous charade. "Right... I'm sorry, okay. Gosh, now I feel bad... she's going through so much. Does she want to talk? I'll give her my socials, we can definitely talk." Every word felt fake, a betrayal of the truth, and I hated saying it aloud.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzIqNTUcfq
Just then, Archie's phone buzzed, and he glanced down at it, his face clouding. "My mom's here," he mumbled. He gave a quick, awkward nod to Liora, then turned to me. "Look, just... try to give Carly some space. She's really messed up about it." He didn't wait for a reply, just turned and hurried towards a waiting car, Carly already slumped in the passenger seat.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbXRarYwtj
"Sounds great," I managed, forcing another smile.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjtBbmfimx
"He finally spelled it out for her at that seven-day science camp last year. It was super dramatic. So, just... you know. Don't be surprised if he's extra nice to you. It's probably just residual Aura feelings."10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtO3GwunQZ
"Lexi! Let's go!" My dad's voice boomed from the car, jarring me back to the present.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtXIgbpF9M5
He told me, and I knew it... and I completely dismissed that fact. I remember now... I'd written in the book that it was weird. I didn't care and I don't care, but... it really makes you think, when someone drops such a big piece of info. I thought I was the only one who knew. EVERYONE knew?
I waved back numbly, watching her shut the door behind her. Archie. Carly. Aura. The fake tears. The real ones. The dead girl. The oblivious boy who loved her. As I slid into the passenger seat of Dad's still-unfamiliar car, Aura's circuits were officially, spectacularly, fried.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdL64maI3lC
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