It's autumn again. The air is growing cooler, the leaves are changing color, and it's the first morning I've left the house in my navy blue school sweater rather than just a polo. I am excited for the weather to change, already thinking of how pretty the trees will look as I walk home in the afternoons and the way the leaves will sound when they crunch under my feet. Not to mention, the coffee shop nearby is already selling hot apple cider. I consider getting some on the way home, but for now, there's a whole school day ahead.

Hazel has, of course, forgotten her sweatshirt, though Abigail has brought an extra just for that reason. We catch up on how our college applications and classes in are going. We're about four weeks into the semester, and things are already in full swing. It feels like I'm never able to stop and catch a breath these days, though I hope by the end of the semester, when college apps are all due, I'll feel a little more at ease.

It's when I get to my first class that I hear the whispering.

"Wasn't that the old president of the service club?" I hear a girl say quietly. My ears immediately listen in, but the girls are too far for me to hear all the details. I know for sure, however, they must be talking about Aurora. As for the reason why, I can't be certain, but I know I hear about her in passing more often today than any other day in school.

"I had no idea," I hear another girl say on the way to lunch. I want to ask why they're talking about Aurora, but I barely know the students speaking about her, and I feel it would be strange to ask, so I go about my day, wondering if my friends will have any knowledge at lunch.

Isabella decides to join us today, though she seems a bit flustered and annoyed.

"If I hear one more girl talking to me about Aurora Gray, I'm going to lose my shit," she says. I can tell she's bothered. Isabella rarely cusses, or rarely gets mad for the most part, so I have no idea what has caused her to become this frustrated.

"Oh, I heard about it, too," Juliet adds. "I guess she posted it on social media earlier this morning. Word gets out fast."

"I never would have known," Hazel adds.

"Um...what are we talking about?" I ask.

"You know Aurora Gray?" Hazel reminds me, as if I don't remember the girl I spent a few months kissing and yearning over.

"Callie knows her. She used to sit with Aurora and me at lunch sometimes," Isabella says.

"She came out as bi on social media this morning," Juliet explains. Abigail, who is known for not having social media, seems surprised by this, but no one is more surprised than me. I muted Aurora's page months ago, not wanting to know how happy she was without me, or if she was enjoying college life, or if she had gotten a boyfriend.

I am in shock. My first thoughts are maybe she has a girlfriend, and that's why she's posted it. Isabella is scrolling on her phone, and I quickly ask if I can see the post. It's an urgent tone, but not one that suggests Aurora's post pertains to me specifically. Judging by the fact that no one has said anything to me, I assume Aurora has made no mention of me.

Isabella hands me her phone. The post is minimal, and there's no other girl, I realize with relief. It's a simple picture of the bisexual flag, with the caption, "I think a lot of times we try to hide our identities at the cost of our happiness. It's easier to fit in than be discriminated. This is something I should've made known months ago, to many people, but I was too scared. So that's why I want to say it now. I'm bisexual. Unfollow me if you want, but I'm tired of hiding." Following are a few pride flag emojis, as well as some uplifting comments of support from her friends.

My mouth is hanging open. Because why did she decide to come out now? Why on social media? I would have killed to have kept my secret longer if Allison hadn't blurted it to the school. But Aurora has said it openly, to the entire world almost, and that's the fierceness I miss about her. Jealousy lingers too. I don't ask for Isabella's phone long enough to scroll through the comments, but I know they are mostly positive. I wish I had the same experience.

"Wasn't that the girl you used to walk home with, Callie?" Hazel wonders.

"Did you know?" Isabella asks me.

"I—uh—well—"

Abigail is quietly snickering beside me, and I lightly kick her foot so she stops. I'm still not ready to tell my friends about what transpired last year, especially not at lunch today. Instead, I try to formulate some generic response that doesn't sound too suspicious, even if it's not convincing.

"Well, she never told me explicitly, but I feel like I...knew...gaydar and such," I state.

"Wow. Impressive," Hazel admits. What a dumbass, I think.

Thankfully, no one implies that since Aurora and I are both gay, we were in a relationship with each other last year. The conversation about Aurora doesn't continue for long after that, which is good, because all I do is spend the rest of lunch trapped in my thoughts, wondering what on earth this all means and whether I had anything to do with it. There was no mention of another girl, but there was no mention of me either.

What on earth are you doing, Aurora? I think.

Abigail clings onto my arm and laughs when we've separated from the others on our way to class.

"I can't believe they even fell for what you said. You were a stuttering mess," Abigail says. Her words devolve into laughter once more.

"Shut up. Don't let someone overhear us," I grumble.

"Did she tell you she was going to come out?" Abigail asks.

"No. Like I said, I haven't spoken to her since May," I say. It's September now, so that's been four months without communication. I think, most likely, she's met another girl at school that she's fallen for, and this time, she feels she's ready to have that type of public relationship. The thought bothers me, but what hurts more is the vagueness of it all. I still can't make sense of what all this means.

"Maybe you should text her," Abigail states.

"No! She'll know I still have feelings for her."

"You're such a dumbass, Callie," Abigail states. "Maybe not about school, but definitely in life."

"I'm not texting her," I argue.

"Fine. Your loss," Abigail says.

With that, we separate, and I have trouble focusing the rest of the day. I go back and forth on whether I should heed Abigail's words or not, but as I end classes and pack up for the day, I decide it's best not to say anything, at least not yet. I don't know if that post was meant for me, and it would be rude to assume so. I don't want to rekindle those flames of anger by accident.

On my walk home, I remember suddenly about the apple cider I had craved earlier in the day, and I happily take a detour. The shop is crowded with other students who have just gotten out of school, but I patiently wait, thinking of how comforted I'll feel when the warm, apple-cinnamon flavor of the cider hits my lips. I need it after a day as stressful as today.

When I do manage to get my drink, I find a table that's situated near a window that looks out onto the outside patio. I look to the spot Abigail and I sat once, where I admitted to her my strange, but also very real relationship with Aurora. It's too cold today for a patio spot. Though the grass is nice and green and the sun is out, I can see the leaves shaking in the wind, and the smell of coffee is so soothing inside that it would seem a waste to leave this nice atmosphere behind.

I decide to work on some homework independently then. I mostly only enjoy working publicly in the library, but the coffee shop isn't too loud today, and I find the ambience relaxing. Maybe it's because it reminds me of Aurora. I can imagine her being a barista, I think, and I wonder if maybe that's the type of job she had over summer, or maybe that's her college job now.

These are silly thoughts, ones that I have not let myself think in a long time. Usually, my only thoughts of Aurora are ones of sadness and pain, as I think of that April day when I ended it all, but after hearing the news today, I feel a little more hopeful, and I can feel a little more joyful when I think about her. Maybe this is the sign that I'm finally moving on.

My music is too loud for me to notice the tapping of the window at first. It's when a shadow blocks the sunlight streaming onto my homework that I realize someone is trying to get my attention. I annoyingly take my earbuds out and turn.

"Holy shit," I say. The words come out without thinking and a bit louder than I intend them to.

I have to blink a few times to make sure what I'm seeing is correct. Aurora Gray is standing outside the window, tapping at me. She looks different, but in a good way. Her hair is shorter, now just a little past her shoulder rather than draping down her back. She wears a green flannel and dark jeans, probably to keep her warm from the cold, though it's strange to see her not in a uniform anymore. Yet she has a blue backpack sitting on her shoulders, which confuses me even more. I'm too flabbergasted to do anything but stare.

She taps one more time then points to outside. I've never been good at reading lips, but I clearly can tell she wants me to meet her.