I'd been imagining what Spring Break would be like for weeks; finally, being reunited with my parents, hanging out at the beach, and soaking up all the warmth South Carolina has to offer, it was going to be perfect. Well, at least I thought it was going to be until Mom and Dad called; the deadline for their book was coming up, and they decided to go on a writing retreat this week instead.

They decided it'd be best if Bella and I stay home, so they can truly focus on their work with zero "distractions." Their words, not mine; I was hurt, obviously; what kid wouldn't be? But I couldn't act like I was in front of Bella; she was crushed and confused; so, it was my goal to make this the best spring break ever, even if we were just stuck in Utah and I was in no mood to be fun and happy.

Luckily, we weren't alone; EJ and Ashlyn's parents had gone somewhere together, leaving the four of us at Ashlyn's; it was hard, having to constantly pretend like I was fine, but having them around made it a lot easier.

"Ro," EJ called up the stairs, everything was good between us, which was unexpected, but I wasn't mad about it; things were slowly starting to feel like how things used to be, "Miss Jenn wants us on for a drama club group call."

I had been upstairs alone; another good thing about being with the Caswells was that even when I wasn't feeling too great, they were more than happy to keep Bella entertained, "we should pull it up on two laptops; that way we don't all have to squish," Ash suggested, once I was downstairs.

"But let's answer altogether," EJ decided, nodding for me to come sit; Bella sat on the floor in front of us, not in the view of the camera as she colored, "we should do the thing from scary movie."

Ashlyn nodded her head, pulling me into the seat on her other side, the three of us squeezing together so we could fit into the frame. EJ pressed the enter chat button, "Wassup," The two of them greeted, sticking their tongues out; I chuckled, waving to the camera; so far, only Seb, Carlos, Nini, and Miss Jenn were on the call.

"Sorry, our parents all went to Park City together and left us to watch the house," Ashlyn informed them all; as EJ moved to another room to use his own laptop, Ashlyn and I scooted over so we weren't as squished.

"And I was left to babysit," I raise my hand, sending a teasing smile in Ashlyn's direction, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," I reassured her when Ashlyn mocked an offended expression, "no I'm not," I mouth to the camera, causing her to nudge my side.

"We've been streaming old movies," She continued her explanation.

"Yeah," EJ nodded, "watched Scary Movie last night. Ah! What a classic." He and Ashlyn were far more into the movie nights than me, which is odd; considering how much I love a good movie night, I hadn't been in the mood lately; I couldn't stop repeating my parents' words in my head.

"Never heard of it," Sed admitted, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"Old?" Miss Jenn asked.

Nini nodded her head, impressed, "Wow, you guys are watching like old, old movies."

"Well, I wanted to tell you-"

Miss Jenn was cut off by Kourtney showing up on the screen, "Sorry we're late, emergency in the kitchen."

Big Red appeared next, "Wassup," he greeted, just like EJ and Ashlyn had. He'd been coming over to hang out whenever he was free, which wasn't very often considering how busy the pizza place was during the break; hopefully, it slowed down soon.

"This is why we're soulmates," Ashlyn exclaimed.

"Okay, folks," Miss Jenn clapped her hands, trying to regain all of our attention, "Let's focus. Now that we're all here," She furrowed her brows, her eyes dancing around the screen, "wait, no, where...."

Gina popped on the screen before Miss Jenn could finish her sentence, "Hey everyone, I'm here. I'm here." She reassured, leaning away from the screen, "Sorry, um, I couldn't find an outlet and my flights delayed; apparently, my plan has a mechanical issue, so... fun."

That didn't sound very fun to me, but at least she was going to see her mom, "Oh dear, are you safe?" Miss Jenn asks, concerned.

Gina waved her hand, "I spent my childhood in airports; I am no damsel in distress."

"Okay, looks like we're only missing Ricky," Miss Jenn observes, "Nini, have you heard from him?"

Nini clicks tongue, an uncomfortable expression making its way onto her face, "Ricky is in Chicago." I answer before Miss Jenn can question Nini's silence, "He's having family time, so he might not be on his phone very much." I doubt he was "taking family time." Knowing Ricky, he was avoiding his mom and moping around by himself... I just hope he can work on himself while he's gone, without any distractions.

"Okay," Miss Jenn nodded, smiling at me, "I'm sure you're wondering why I've gathered you all here; opening night is only three weeks away, folks." Some people smiled excitedly while I let out a breath; the show was in three weeks, and I felt like we were anything but ready, "That means we need to stay focused, and I know I can't...." She paused to correct herself, "won't make you work over the break, but I needed to remind you, face to face," She leans in closer to the screen, "Stakes are high." She claps along with each word, her eyes wide. "Please, for the love of theater, do not take the word "break" literally. Be safe," She finally leaned away from the camera, chuckling, "Okay, well, have fun, stay in touch, and now you have this link, so hop on anytime. I'm basically the queen of modern technology, so...."

Everyone began hanging up one after the other, all yelling, "not it," as we left, none of us wanting to be the last person left on the chat; I sighed once we were off the call, washing the fake smile I was wearing off my face.

EJ walked back into the living room once the call was over, plopping down on the ground next to Bella, picking a crayon up so he could color with her; as weird as it sounds, I loved watching EJ with Bella, before I was wary, that he would end up hurting her or ignoring her once we left; but it was obvious that wasn't going to happen, he made her so happy, and I could tell the feeling was mutual.

"So," he sang, glancing up at Ash and I, "what's the plan for the day?"

I was supposed to be with my parents by now, I think to myself, "it's up to you guys," I shrug, leaning back on the couch.

Ashlyn doesn't seem fazed by my response, but EJ is; he quirks his brow at me, "Aurora Garcia, not being opinionated?" He asked, in an obviously teasing manner, "are you feeling okay?"

Usually, I'd crack a smile, or shoot back with something sarcastic; instead, my response comes out defensive, "I'm fine," I reply quickly, shaking my head, "I just don't really care what we do; that's all."

As EJ keeps watching me, wearing a concerned expression that I wish would go away, Ashlyn chimes in, "Ooh, I have an idea, something we used to love doing as kids." She smirked, glancing over at me mischievously. I quirked my head at her, nodding for her to elaborate, "What if we do makeovers?" She asked, squealing a little with excitement, just like she had when we were kids.

Bella's eyes shot up from her coloring sheet almost immediately; Ashlyn was speaking her love language, "On who? Our barbies?"

EJ nodded his head rapidly, his eyes wide, but Ashlyn spoke up before he could say anything, "Oh Bella, you're thinking small... we've got the perfect model right here," She gestured to EJ, who was shooting her a glare.

Bella squealed excitedly, causing a small smile to dance across my lips, "Can we do your nails too?" She asked EJ, pouting at him with big round puppy dog eyes, ones I knew EJ could not say no to.

As I suspected, he nods, letting out a sigh, "Sure," He gives in, his shoulders slumping slightly.

Both Ashlyn and Bella cheered, the older of the two reaching her hand out to my little sister, "Come on, Bell, let's go pick some colors." She suggests, happily taking my little sister up the stairs, leaving EJ and I alone.

I guess maybe we would've been miserable in South Carolina anyway; I mean, my parents constantly shushing as they worked, unable to take us anywhere or do anything with us... Still, all they think of us is that we're distractions; they'd rather write another one of their stupid books than see their own kids, who they haven't seen in months, might I add.

"Aurora," EJ waved his hand in front of my face; I had zoned out; I guess I hadn't gotten the greatest sleep since my parents called, not when all these thoughts kept rushing through my mind. I was known for my confidence and self-assurance, but I couldn't help but feel like maybe I just wasn't good enough; I mean, why else would my parents cancel? "You good?" He asked, sitting down beside me; his eyes bore into mine, filled with concern.

I nodded my head, "I already told you I'm fine." I try forcing a reassuring smile on my face, but I can tell it looks awkward, "I'm just tired; I'm used to the insanely comfortably memory foam pillows in the guest room at your place; I may have to steal one when I leave." I add, hoping the humor will distract EJ; but also, I did really love the memory foam pillow in my room at his house...

EJ nodded, but he looked unconvinced, "Alright, but you'd tell me if something was bothering you, right?"

"Yeah, of course," I nodded; it's not that I don't trust EJ or feel uncomfortable sharing with him, he was easy to open up to, and after whatever moment we shared the other night, I kept longing to just sit there and talk to him again, I'd forgotten how easy it was.

It's spring break, though, a week that's supposed to be relaxing, fun, and drama-free; my issues were only going to put a damper on the fun; I didn't need to burden anyone with them... I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself.

Ugh, Aurora struggles with fear of being abandoned break my heart yall... makeovers, dance numbers and EJ trying to cheer up Aurora are all coming next so keep an eye out!!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and are overall enjoying this story though; there's still plenty more to come!!