Despite the whole parents leaving my little sister and I and canceling our reunion even though they haven't seen us in months thing; today had gone kind of okay. Bella was happy, she painted EJ's nails, got her hair braided by Ashlyn, and was now at a friends for a playdate and sleepover.

I expected the rest of the afternoon to be pretty chill; I wasn't in the mood to really do anything; but I guess that didn't really matter because, within the hour, Miss Jenn had us on another group call, where we watched North Highs latest Insta video, where they bashed us for taking the week off, meanwhile they were on a Broadway immersion trip.

So, my plans were thrown out the window, but it was kind of nice; instead of stressing about my parents, I put my everything into our song to get back at North High. Within a couple of hours, Nini, Ash, and I had a song written and had shared it with everyone, who filmed their parts for it in their respective locations.

But once the video was done, and the stress of getting back at North High was gone; the thoughts of my parents came rushing back, despite how hard I'd tried to get rid of them. I was a distraction and probably a disappointment to them... here they were, academically gifted in every single way, writing books, and impacting people's lives every single day; and I'm just here, trying my best to get by.

"So," EJ plops himself onto the couch, "what's the plan for tonight?" The three of us had the house to ourselves due to Bella being at a sleepover.

Ash responded first, "Biggie and I are gonna pick Gina up from the airport; her flight was rescheduled to the morning." She answered, standing up from the coach, "so it looks like it's just you two; you gonna survive?" She asked as she walked towards the front door.

"We'll try our best," I mumble, though the two of them know I'm kidding; Ashlyn chuckles, shaking her head in amusement before leaving the house.

Silence sits over EJ and I for a bit, before one of us finally breaks it, "so," He sings, leaning his cheek on the side of the couch so he's looking at me, "what do you wanna do? Cause I was-"

I stand up before he can finish his sentence, "Actually, I think I'm just gonna head to bed," I force a tired smile onto my face, "it's been a long day."

"Oh," He nods, his smile falling off of his lips, "Yeah, okay," He nods, quickly replacing the smile on his face with an obvious forced one; I wonder if my fake smiles are that noticeable too.

I nod at him awkwardly, before climbing the stairs, heading into the guest bedroom Bella and I were sharing for the week; I wasn't tired, but I got ready for bed anyway, hoping that sleep would take over me soon, and the thoughts rushing through my head would go away.

Spoiler alert, they didn't; Gina had gotten home, and everyone had gone to their respective rooms, and I was still awake, tossing back and forth, hoping that I'd magically find the perfect position that would help me drift off...

I gave up after a while; maybe I was wrong earlier, maybe I couldn't deal with this all on my own. Just because I'm independent doesn't mean I don't need help sometimes; So, I decided to take EJ up on his offer, quietly tiptoeing to the room he was sleeping, lightly knocking my fist on the door.

I expected him to take a while, or maybe not even answer at all, but EJ is at the door within seconds, his hair messy and eyes wide with concern, "Aurora," He greeted me, tiredly, "what are you doing up?"

"You remember when you said I could come to you if something was bothering me?" I ask him, wringing my hands together; EJ nods, his green eyes not leaving mine, "well, uh, can you talk? You can say no if-"

"Of course," He nods, shooting me a reassuring look, "why don't we go somewhere quieter? Let me just grab my jacket." I nod, quietly walking down the stairs; EJ joins me seconds later, opening the front door for me, nodding for me to walk ahead, locking the door behind us once we're outside.

We get into his car in silence; I assume we're just going to sit here; but EJ starts driving, the only sound coming from the radio silently playing in the background; he's waiting for me to say something, but I don't even know where to begin, maybe this was a mistake.

We pull up to a nearby lookout a few minutes later, EJ putting the car in park, and turning so he's looking at me, "So, what's going on?" He asks, leaning his head against the seat as he looks at me.

I take in a breath, deciding the best thing to do is rip the band-aid off and get it over with, "I don't think my parents want Bella and I anymore," I admit, letting out a breath; it felt relieving to say it aloud.

EJ's brows knit together in confusion, "why would you think that?"

"I mean, isn't it obvious?" I ask, leaning my head against my seat, "first they move and don't take us, then they barely answer my calls, and now they cancel spring break because we're "distractions"...."

"Rory," EJ mumbles, shaking his head sadly, "Your parents love you," He reassures me, reaching across the center console so he can grab my hand, "I know they're busy, and it doesn't seem like it, but you and Bella are the greatest things in their lives."

I know my parents love us, but that doesn't mean they don't wish they didn't have the distractions around, "I just wish they'd show it," I mumble; EJ rubs his thumb across my knuckles soothingly, "I feel like I'm some major disappointment, they're writing novels and helping people, and I'm just me."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," He shakes his head, confused. "Aurora, you are not a disappointment; and sure, you're not like your parents, but you are better. And I remember how it got when they were in the middle of a big novel, they'd forget everything and everyone, but in the end, you were the one they'd want to celebrate with, you were the first person mentioned in every dedication. Aurora, you are everything to them, no matter what, okay?"

Somehow, EJ had been able to ground me and shake away the thoughts that were running through my head, "Okay," I nod, letting out a breath, "thank you, EJ, for all of this," I finally take the time to look out at the scenic view he'd brought us too, it was beautiful. "I'm sure you'd rather be asleep."

"I'd rather be here with you," He reassures me, shaking his head; I'm glad it's so dark, and he can't see the faint blush that begins making its way onto my cheeks, "and I wasn't asleep anyway...." He drags off, tearing his gaze away from mine and onto the view in front of us.

"Did all the sugar you had today finally get to you?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

EJ shakes his head, "No, uh," he looks back over at me, "I was thinking about you; I could tell something was wrong."

EJ wasn't sleeping because he was thinking about me? I knew he cared, but I don't think anyone has ever cared so much about me that they've lost sleep over it. "Well, I feel a lot better now," I reassure him, and I truly did; I needed someone like EJ to keep me grounded when my anxiety got the best of me and tricked me into believing stupid thoughts, "I don't know what it is, but you always know what to say."

EJ chuckled lightly, "I could say the same thing to you," He admits; before I can respond, I shiver; I'd been so distracted by my thoughts, I hadn't grabbed a jacket on my way out, "Are you cold?" EJ asks; he lets go of my hand, reaching into the backseat to grab something, quickly pulling a familiar blue hoodie up, "Here."

I smile, taking the Duke hoodie out of his hands and sliding it on, instantly feeling a lot warmer, "thank you," I hug my arms around my body.

"well, should we go back? Or?"

I respond quickly, "Can we stay for a little bit longer?" I didn't want to leave just yet, mainly because moments like these with EJ happen so rarely, and I don't want it to end just yet.

Luckily, he nods, turning his attention back to the view; but as pretty as it is, I can't take my eyes off of him. I couldn't deny it any longer; EJ Caswell meant more to me than I admitted; it was too late, and no matter how hard I tried, there was no way of changing it...

Despite my best efforts, I'd fallen for him.

Aurora has finally admitted her feelings to herself, and I think it's pretty obvious the feelings mutual... what do you guys think is gonna happen these next few chapters?