awkward realizations {grace}

[AURORA RIGBY]

It’d taken Aurora three days at Baum Academy to find Jackson, and so she’d begun to assume that it would just as easy to make friends. Her roommate was the very definition of perfect with pretty blonde hair and big blue eyes and a cute name like Pickle and Aurora was generally just very excited to bake with her and watch movies before bed. She’d never had a roommate before save for when her cousins visited and she had to share her room with them. There were all these unspoken rules she was sure she had to follow, like picking up after herself and washing her dishes and not hogging the bathroom. All easy things to do, at least.

Luckily enough, Aurora was pretty sure she’d already made a friend in her English class. The first week had been the hardest, but the girl who sat beside her had been incredibly supportive. She’d told her all the things you needed to know about the teacher and the seating arrangements. When Aurora mentioned how she was having trouble reading the teacher’s handwriting, her new friend had explained that his T’s, J’s, and I’s were all very similar and that the only way to tell them apart was by the curves of each letter, along with other helpful hints. Her name was Grace Holladay and Aurora really adored her. With a name like that, she imagined it would be hard to dislike her.

The more time they’d spent working together, the more Aurora got to know her, and the more she discovered they had in common. She felt like it would be hard to find people who liked adventuring like she did so it was that much better when she learned she’d found somebody to explore New York with. Somehow, they hadn’t gotten to Aurora’s moving. It had to be because they were in class, and class meant working and not talking about anything else under the sun. Besides, Aurora had sort of made the connection that a teacher whose handwriting she couldn’t read was a teacher that wouldn’t stand for any sort of goofing off.

It was her tenth day at Baum Academy, and Aurora had plans with Jackson in just a few more days (he really was kind of popular), and she’d promised to Skype with her mom soon, and she still had at least four hours worth of homework. At least she’d been able to catch up since last week. In fact, with Grace’s help, Aurora was sure she’d be able to finish their work before class was over, and so she wouldn’t have to add it to her pile of things still needed to be done. “Have I told you yet how much I appreciate your help?

” Aurora was quite sure she’d thanked Grace at least twenty times already, but she was also quite sure she’d never stop thanking her.
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[GRACE HOLLADAY]

Grace couldn't help but doodle and zone out in Mr. Buckner's class. She loved English but...well, Grace would never admit it to anyone because it was so mean-spirited but his class was just so boring! Grace even paled a bit thinking of it. How would she like it if someone said her class was boring? Grace always liked to think of English class as an adventure! When her parents had homeschooled her, every book was a new journey to have fun on. It was never horrible and Grace never dreaded having to wade through gross literary sludge. But when a teacher made you dissect every sentence for a "hidden meaning" that wasn't there, you started to dislike reading the classics. Hate, even! And Grace wasn't one to hate.

mrs grace hirsch

Grace continued to doodle little hearts around her name when she heard someone talking close to her, but Grace didn't think it was for her. She was so used to just passing notes in class, even though the preferred method of communication with Buckner was talking. His hearing was going fast, but he had a sixth sense for intercepting notes. Just to be safe, Grace decided to look up from her notebook, only to see her new best friend Aurora looking at her expectantly! Blushing, Grace closed her notebook. "Sorry, Aura! I was just zoning out and practicing my signature for when I'm married," Giggling, Grace couldn't help but twist the promise ring sitting on her finger. Ever since her mother had given it to Grace when she was fourteen, twisting it around her finger had become a habit.

Thinking over what she said, Grace's mouth formed a little "o" in surprise. "Wait, I still haven't told you about Jackson!" Despite her whispering, Grace's voice took on a dreamy tone when she said "Jackson". It was an automatic thing, and Grace wasn't even aware of it. Talking about her boyfriend brought a pleasant pink into her cheeks, and Grace didn't fight the smile that lit her face. "I know you haven't been here long, but do you know Jackson Hirsch?"

outfit
this post sucks

[AURORA RIGBY]

When Grace took a moment to answer, Aurora looked up from her own class work to see what she was distracted by. Her notebook was open, but not to any pages of notes. From here, she could only see “mrs grace,” and she had to smile a little. A boyfriend hadn’t been brought up yet, but given how lovely and beautiful and helpful Grace was, Aurora found herself not surprised. Having only been at Baum for a short while, Aurora had yet to meet any boys that caught her eye (she very resolutely told herself not to think of Jackson). Besides, she’d just moved and she was still settling in, and it wasn’t like she needed a boyfriend, anyway. What was she even doing right now, thinking of that?

Waiting for her friend to answer, Aurora took the time to answer a few more questions on her work. She really did want to finish before the bell rang, and if she let herself get distracted (like it seemed Grace currently was), she’d have to worry about it later tonight. Aurora smiled and laughed a little, finishing a sentence before looking over. “From what I can see, it’s very pretty.” She had loved learning cursive when she was little, and used it every chance she had. Her own signature was very curly and whenever she had to write it, she did so very meticulously.

“Who is the luc—

[/color]” Aurora stopped, watching as a look of surprise came over Grace’s face. And then she answered the question Aurora had just been about to ask. And her heart froze. For a minute, she panicked. Her brain considered every horrible possibility it could, before finally settling on Jackson is the lucky guy. She did her best to ignore that, to shove it aside and tell her mind to shut up. Just because Grace was talking about him didn’t mean they were dating. For all she knew, Grace was just the new Aurora. That still hurt quite a lot, but she was sure it’d hurt less than finding out Grace was his…

But the look on her face… her tone of voice, and the blushing. They absolu—“Ye—[/color]” She coughed, cleared her throat. Already, her voice was thick with tears and she cursed inwardly. Aurora Rigby, grow up! This was bound to happen! You shouldn’t be at all surprised! “Yeah. Yes. I’ve heard of him.[/color]” He was well known through Baum Academy and she was sure his name would’ve been up in a conversation eventually, even if she didn’t know him. “ Uh. What… what about him?[/color]” And here she was, indirectly lying about just how well she actually knew Jackson Hirsch.
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[GRACE HOLLADAY]

Sometimes, Grace just couldn't believe that she and Jackson were actually dating. It made her heart race and stomach flutter each time she thought about it, and she still blushed anytime she saw him. After all, there story seemed like something out of a movie to Grace (and she had seen a lot of those while travelling with her family, although most of them were from the 80s). Her best friend in the whole world became her everything in the whole world, and Grace hoped their relationship never lost that fresh, new feeling. All her friends always teased her about the starry look in her eyes, but Grace took it as a compliment.

That's why Grace had been so surprised that she hadn't told Aura about Jackson; Grace was such an open (and loving) book, and her relationship typically sat on page one. "Jackson's my boyfriend." Grace's lips curled up in a smile around the word "boyfriend", like always. "We'd been friends for so long and it seemed like a natural step, you know?I still get butterflies when I see him, though." Grace's smile was a smile of a girl in love. Everyone knew this smile because this conversation had happened with so many people and was just so natural. What could go wrong?

Oh.

Eyebrows bunched together in confusion, Grace looked at Aura. Why was her new friend looking so sad? Was she upset that she didn't have a guy here? Grace could understand that. Or maybe she had to leave a guy back where she came from. Grace didn't quite understand that one, but that wouldn't stop her from comforting her friend! Reaching out and placing her hand atop Aura's, Grace said, "What's wrong?"

If there was anything Grace was good at, it was making people feel better. Gosh darnit, Grace was determined to turn that frown upside down by the end of class!

Her phone began to buzz in her pocket. Grace gave Aura an apologetic smile to check and see who the text was from: Andie! All the A names! Grace giggled, seeing two memes from her roommate and best friend. They were the Sweet Brown meme, one of Grace's favorites (she knew it was considered a little old and annoying now, but Grace just dissolved into giggles whenever she saw one). The first one said "JACKSON HIRSCH? AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR DAT." And then it was followed up by "OZZIE WAGERS? I CAN MAKE A LITTLE TIME FOR DAT." Grace considered showing the pictures to Aura, but she didn't think Aura would understand the context, and jokes were never funny if you had to explain them! Grace would know, since people had to explain things to her a lot. Gosh, that taco incident still made her blush around Mexican food.

Grace looked up to see their teacher scanning the room like he did once in a blue moon, and she quickly stuck her phone back in her pocket with a blush. Oh my goodness, Grace wouldn't know what to do with herself if she got caught with a phone out in class! Turning back to Aura, Grace whispered, "Sorry, my friend Andie texted me. But really though, what's getting you upset?" As naive as Grace could be, she was an expert on reading faces.