Aurora Magazine 2020

Aurora

The crowd erupts in cheers. Everyone loves him. He was that guy, the beautiful, nice, popular guy who dated the most popular girl. Hell, even I loved him. I have since kindergarten, when his family moved in across the street. We were inseparable until freshman year when Sophie set her sights on him and dug her talons in deep. Now, here we are, at the end of senior year and things haven’t changed. I don’t want to resign myself to the fact that our friendship is, indeed, over. “And finally, your prom queen for the class of 2018,” the prinipal says. “Can I get a drum roll?” The room goes silent except for the rumble of the drum. “Sophie LaRue!” The crowd goes wild. I roll my eyes as I watch her feigned shock and awe. She takes the stage with Logan and her court. “This is such a surprise,” she gushes. “Thank you for everyone that voted. This has been the greatest year of my life and I want to thank each and every one of you, especially my Logan.” She takes his hand in hers. The stage lights dim and a spotlight illuminates Logan and Sophie; their plastic crowns sparkle as the light bounces off the gaudy, fake jewels. The band plays a cheesy 80’s power ballad. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, squeezing the back of my chair until my knuckles turn white. In desperation, I make my way to the elevator at the far end of the ballroom. I furiously press the UP button until the door opens. I rush inside and hit the button labeled Rooftop Gardens. Just as the doors meet and I can finally breathe, a hand appears and stops them from closing. Frustrated, I look up and meet the gaze that hasn’t changed since we were kids. “Cassie,” is all he says. “Ugh...” is all I can manage as I bang the button again and again and again to no avail. He steps inside and presses the Door Close button. We stand in silence a moment until he leans over and presses the Rooftop Garden Button on the panel. The elevator jerks slightly but moves. The silence is almost deafening. I can hear the low, electrical buzzing of the elevator. Suddenly, the elevator jerks to a stop, the lights flicker, then go out. “Fuck me,” I whisper to myself. The emergency light comes on.

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