hello dear reader!! <3 welcome to my first piece of writing! i'm @aur0ras-vxrsiion by the way!! to be honest i don't like this one that much...oh well. hope you enjoy this more than i enjoy this TT...it's a little longer than expected. and thanks to celeste for holding this writing contest!! ~ xoxo, your girl aurora tips: /text/ means the word is emphasized, and [date] is the time, for when i change around the timeline. can you find the totally unobvious pjo reference? :D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i push past other students as The Box closes in around me. really great for someone who’s claustrophobic. i’m used to it, though. it’s, well, /existed/ ever since my parents’ divorce. [two months ago] i woke up in the middle of the night, shivering with beads of sweat running down my glassy forehead. i coughed and spit some mucus into a tissue. “oh, sweetie, let me get you a glass of water. just close your eyes for now,” my mom reassured me soothingly, running to the kitchen to grab some water. “here, honey.” when she handed it to me…i felt a little push on my hand. it wasn’t my mom pushing me…but something hard and cold, something i couldn’t see, couldn’t control. that’s when The Box first appeared to me. The Box, it’s something that’s there…but not. it's invisible, it's a container that's restrictive when i'm around others...but seemingly nonexistent when i'm alone. if others move closer to me, it doesn't "react", as i call it...but if i try to move closer to others, it pushes me away. [back to present] i would try to get to school earlier so i wouldn't have to deal with The Box in the morning, but my mom is always exhausted from her night shift, and i always let her sleep in. and...if i went to school later, i would be late to first period. i sigh as i toss the books for 5th-7th period into my locker, banging the door in the hopes that others will back away. it doesn't help. swinging my backpack over my shoulder, i head over to homeroom/language arts. i slump into my chair and try to be invisible. just like The Box. i laugh a little at that. i finish my "book report", or rather "play report" on Shakespeare's /A Midsummer Night's Dream/ quickly. background on Shakespeare, context from the time period, themes, motifs, characters, conflicts, summary, etc. just follow the form, follow the norm, and you're done. it's easy. making sure ms. miller doesn't see, i start on my math assignment for next period. sin, cos, tan with standard angles. monotonous, just using the same old numbers. just like my life. i don't know why i bother to get ahead. what am i even going to do after i finish early? talk to people? nope. play games with people? nope. stare at my sheet of paper and maybe take a nap? yes. it seems like the days just get longer and longer. like the svff3r!ng will never end. [fast forward to lunch] as usual, i sit in the corner of the hallway near my locker. alone. today i have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a cutie orange. i smile. at least my mom is trying to change it up for me. my mom always tries. to keep me happy, to keep me fed, to help me with homework. but it's been hard, for the both of us. we help each other.
(story continued here) [a few weeks ago] one time my mom noticed a little of what i've been going through. sitting down on the bed next to me, she asked softly, "sweetie, do you wanna talk?" i was about to shake my head...before i realized talking to my mom might help. a little at least. as i began to talk, i could feel The Box vibrating weirdly and starting to expand. "i–you're probably not going to believe me...but there's this box–" my mom's phone rang loudly. "oh, it's the pharmacy, just give me a second, dear!" The Box stops vibrating and contracts again. and for some reason i have a sinking feeling, like i was so close to...something, but missed it by an inch. [back to present, later in the day] the bell rings. school is finally over. but not for me. i wander around and try all the clubs, which i don't really care about, but still do because...what else can i do between 2:30 pm-6:00 pm? my mom texts me. "hey sweetie, i have a little surprise for you but i'm going to be a little late picking you up, sorry. i hope the surprise makes up for it <3" i smile at my phone. but i know "a little late" means picking me up after 7. i text back. "hi mom!! that's sweet <3 i'm so excited!! do you want me to walk home?" "that would be great honey, i gotta go!! see you soon!!" i turn off my phone and head to science bowl club. kayla, head of the club, is frantically making teams. "leo, jason, thalia, hazel, you go in team a! percy, annie, david...we need a fourth member for team b!" i raise my hand shyly. "okay, maya you're on team b!! let's start practicing!" i join team b and they're all discussing strategy in hushed voices. "hi, i'm maya," i say meekly. david turns around and grins at me. woah. i've never seen a guy /this/ h0t. "welcome maya! i heard you're great at chemistry and biology, so you'll be a great addition to our team! percy's on physics, annie's on earth and space science, and i'm on math!" i smile back at david. "thanks!! so we're practicing against team a?" "yup!" i soon learn that i'm /way/ better than the biology and chemistry people on team a. not bragging at all. and i can kinda get a sense that i'm maybe...making friends? in the middle of the practice, there's a chemistry problem. me and david both reach for the buzzer. david pulls back at the last moment, telling me with his eyes that he trusts that i'll have the right answer. but it's already too late. The Box pushes my hand back. and it's leo who gets the toss-up. i feel awful, even though it's just four points. i can't be doing this at the real tournament. david squeezes my hand reassuringly. i feel my whole face heat up, and i slowly turn my head away, hoping he won't see. "it's okay, it's just one toss-up! i know you knew the answer, you just hesitated! you'll learn more as you keep practicing." after practice, me and david sit on a bench next to the track. "you're making some great progress so far!" "t-thanks," i stutter as i blush. we sit in silence for a while. i don't know why, but i have this urge. to talk to him about The Box. "david, can i talk to you about something that...probably sounds crazy?" he laughed. "of course!" i start telling him about The Box, what it is, and how it affects me. he listens intently...and i feel a weight lifting off of my shoulders, literally. i can sense The Box floating up and off of me. as i finish, he reaches out to hug me and for once, there's no push, no restriction. and i hug him back. "i don't know how i can express my gratitude...but thank you so much. i think–i think it's gone now." david nods. as i leave the track, i have a wonderful feeling. it's the first joy i've felt in a while. and somehow i know, i just know, everything is going to be okay. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ hey readers, hope you enjoyed the story and it meant something to you <3 ~ signing off, your girl aurora <3
