"DID WE move because you're being sued?"

Jack furrowed his brows as he sat his coffee cup down on the counter.

"Is that how your first day of school went?"

Rory threw her backpack down onto the island and Belly quickly followed behind. scoffing at the question.

"Some kid at school scared her into thinking we're being sued."

"I'm not scared." Rory sighed, "I'm just curious on if it's true."

"No, it's not true." Jack said, "We moved because your mom and I wanted to."

"I told you." Belly smiled and left Rory and her dad alone in the kitchen.

"I take it that Belle had a better day than you." Jack said.

"What gave it away? The fact that she was smiling down at the group chat she was added to or the fact that she was correct about us not being sued?" Rory questioned, "This is why I wanted to stay in Seaford."

Jack furrowed his brows, "Because we're not being sued?" Rory furrowed her brows in disgust before Jack awkwardly picked his cup back up, "I'm kidding."

"Life was easier in Seaford."

"You just started school, Rory. You had one bad day. That doesn't mean that every day is going to be like that."

"You fought a guy during your first day of school and everyone loved you after that. It's not a fair comparison."

"Okay... fair, but I'm still right." Jack spoke, "Tomorrow's a new day."

AND A new day it was. Rory shut her locker and turned and was instantly faced with Eli Moskowitz.

"Holy shit, dude!" She gasped, "What— what are you doing?"

"I'm— I'm sorry." He stuttered, "I just... wanted to let you know that I'm also sorry for what Demetri said yesterday."

"Also?"

"He's coming to apologize. He said he wanted to... give you something."

Rory only nodded and pressed her back against the lockers. She glanced over at Eli who stood close by in an almost awkward stance.

He kept his hand clasped together and looked down at his feet for the majority of their conversation. Rory noticed that he'd done the same thing when they spoke yesterday.

She pushed herself off of the lockers and tilted her head down to look at him. He shifted his eyes up and only turned his head away from her.

Rory was never shy. She just didn't like the idea of starting over. That was one thing that Rory and Belly had in common. Never shy, something they both received from their parents, and they would get what they wanted if they really wanted it.

With that said, Rory moved her hand to cup Eli's chin and turned his face to look at her.

He had a prominent scar above his lip and he quickly moved his hand to cover it, backing away from Rory as she stood in her place.

"I'm sorry if I, uh, made you uncomfortable." She apologized.

"No, it's just, um, people... normally make fun of it."

"I think it gives you character. It's different... not in a bad way, of course."

Eli gave her a small smile, removing his hand from his lip, "Thanks."

The two of them soon heard footsteps coming close and it was none other than Demetri.

"I'm here." Demetri huffed. He held out a small drink in his hands and held out towards Rory, "Here's my apology drink that I made in science."

Rory turned, awkwardly chuckling and grabbed the drink, "Thanks. I'm sure it's delicious."

"Can we go get lunch now?"

Eli gave the two a small smile and made his way towards the cafeteria with Demetri following in his footsteps.

Rory followed behind slowly, dropping the drink into the trash can.

During lunch, and convincing Rory to sit at their table, she met Miguel Diaz, another new kid that she had failed to hear of in the past two and half days she'd been here.

But their conversation could last much longer as the guidance counselor made her way into the cafeteria explaining that she had an announcement to make.

"Cyberbullying is no laughing matter. Sending cruel message to someone online can be just as hurtful as saying it to their face." She spoke, "I'm not gonna name names, but the other day a mother called me up because her son was crying after some kids online made fun of his facial deformity."

Rory glanced over at Eli and if she was looking over at him, so were the others.

He moved his hand to cover his lip as the guidance counselor continue her speech.

"But today, our goal here is to make this school a safe space for all students."

"You know." Miguel whispered, "If you're sick of getting bullied my karate dojo's looking for recruits."

"Yeah, right." Demetri scoffed, "You hear that, Eli? A little karate training, and you're gonna kick some major ass."

"It could." Rory said.

"Oh, yeah. Your dad's Jack Brewer. One of the most known Sensei's in California." Demetri spoke.

"He's not a Sensei anymore."

Miguel sat upright, leaning in towards the group, "Well, my Sensei's the real deal. I'm sure I could get you all discounts."

"As enticing as that sounds, I think we'd rather spend our afternoons playing Crucible Control than getting hit in the face. I'm sure that Aurora has better plans than pretending to kick ass."

"Pretending?" Rory questioned, "There's no pretending in karate. I'm a 3rd degree black in Seaford."

"Then maybe you could be a bodyguard rather than us looking to get our ass kicked for just practicing."

"Finally," The guidance counselor spoke, "While we're all looking forward to the Halloween dance, let's make sure our costumes are culturally sensitive. For example, instead of sexy nurse, maybe try gender-neutral hospital employee."

Rory wasn't really worried about the dance. She wanted to know what problem Demetri had with her. She had done nothing in the past two and a half days... she barely could get words out because he always had something to say about her or towards her.

She wouldn't let it bother her... not any longer that is. If Demetri didn't want the chance to get to know Rory for who she really was, that was his problem, not hers.

She wasn't going to keep trying for someone who just didn't give a damn.

LATER THAT night, Rory stood in front of Belly as she carefully painted the yellow star across her chest.

She was going as "sexy Lumpy Space Princess" from Adventure Time while Rory was going as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

Belly had convinced their mother to buy the sparkly red high heeled boots for Rory stating that would be the only reason that the girl even went to the dance in the first place.

The twins had completely ignored the rules from the guidance counselor, but then again, they most likely weren't going to follow them anyway.

There was soft knock against Belly's bedroom door and the twins turned to find the mother, Layla Brewer (Beasley) smiling towards them.

"You'd think you'd go as the princesses you're named after, but I'm sure alien princess and 1930s sweetheart are more socially acceptable." Layla said.

Rory had finished the heart in time for Belly to turn towards her mother with a smile.

"Come on." Layla smiled, "You've wasted enough time. You'll miss half of the dance if you try and perfect that star any further."

Belly grabbed her phone from Rory's desk and pushed passed her mother as she made her way towards the car.

Rory shoved her phone into her pocket and made her way towards the door.

Layla brushed Rory's hair down as she brushed past her and the trio made their way towards the school.

They soon arrived and Rory found herself standing by a table with a cup in her hands. She hadn't been alone long. Her sister had been by her side for about ten minutes before Yasmine dragged Belly away to dance.

She was use to this type of abandonment at party. A strong word to use for something that wasn't so drastic, but that how it was. She would only feel free and loosen up a bit if she had a beverage or two.

She soon felt a tap on her shoulder and when she turned, Eli stood behind her with Miguel and Demetri standing close behind.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hi." He spoke. It was almost muffled due to his mask, "I like your costume."

"Thanks. My shoes are killing me though." She complained, "I like your costume. Are you a surgeon?"

Eli nodded slowly, "Yeah. I fix lips."

Rory sat her cup down, taking her fingers, and slipping Eli's mask down to show his entire face.

"I think your lips are fine." She smiled softly, "Wanna dance?"

Eli only nodded and Rory held her small smile and took his hand as she guided him towards the dance floor.

Eli turned his head around and Demetri and Miguel watched in shock as a girl out of his league lead him towards the dance floor.

Of course it was awkward and Rory only chuckled as she took her hands and laced them with his to guide him with the dance.

Though it had only been a couple of days, she felt comfortable with him around. It was probably because he seemed so shy, but he was oh so kind. He kept to himself and his small friend group and didn't bother anyone.

They danced for awhile before Demetri came over and said they needed Eli for something.

She didn't question it and watched the trio leave the gym. She didn't have time to process any other thoughts until her sister turned her around with a bright smile on her face and began to dance with her.

The dance soon drew to a close and Rory fell behind her sister and her friends as they left the school.

"Aurora!"

She held her eyes closed and turned around with a sigh as Demetri and Eli made their way towards her.

"Do you want to walk home with us?" He asked.

Rory turned and saw Belly enter the car with Yasmine and the others. She would rather drag her tongue across the pavement then sit in the car with Yasmine.

"Yeah, sure."

The trio walked in a comfortable, airy silence. Demetri didn't dig on Rory as much as he normally would. She would say she actually enjoyed his presence.

Eli and Rory stopped in front of Demetri's house and waved the two goodbye and the duo made their way towards Rory's house.

"Are you gonna take the mask off now?" She asked.

Eli on glanced over and took the mask off, shoving it into his pocket.

"I know my opinion probably doesn't change anything, but I don't think you let the scar define you so heavily."

"What do you mean?"

"If you're going to let me talk shit about it, the bullying is only going to get worse." She said, "But if you don't let it define your whole personality then maybe the bullying would slow down."

Eli nodded slowly before facing Rory again, "Have you ever been bullied?"

"I think everyone has." She paused, "Can we sit for a moment, my feet are killing me."

The two of them sat down on the curb and Rory sighed, taking her red heeled boots off.

"I don't know how my mom can wear these things for hours."

"She's a model isn't she?" Eli asked.

Rory nodded, "Yeah, she is. But still, it's not easy to walk in these things."

Eli chuckled, "Yeah, I can imagine. I don't think I could even stand up in those things."

They sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the cool night air and the peacefulness of the neighborhood.

"I had a good time tonight." Eli said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Me too," Rory replied, turning to look at him, "It was nice to get out and do something different for a change."

Eli nodded, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't really get out much, so this was a nice change of pace for me too."

Rory gave him a small smile while nudging his shoulder, "I'm glad someone was able to get you out of the house. Thank you for dancing with me, by the way."

"Of course, I had a great time dancing with you too." He hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "Can I ask you something, Rory?"

"Sure," she replied, turning to face him as well.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend before?" Eli asked, his voice slightly hesitant.

The question was random, but no girl had ever been so kind to Eli before. He wasn't gunning for a relationship with her, he was only curious about her and who she was. This just so happened to be the question he wanted an answer to.

"I've had a couple of relationships before, but they didn't really work out. I guess they just weren't the right fit."

Eli nodded, "Yeah, I can understand that. I haven't really had any relationships before, so I wouldn't really know."

Rory gave him a soft smile, "You're a great guy, Eli. I'm surprised no one has asked you out before."

Eli shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I'm just not really good at that kind of stuff."

Rory suddenly stood to her feet, holding her hands out for Eli to grab on to as she pulled him to his feet.

She grabbed her shoes from the ground and she gestured him to follow her side.

"When you meet the right person you'll know." She said, "Have you ever kissed someone before?"

"No."

Rory stepped forward, stopping in front of the boy.

"I'll kiss you."

Eli felt his heart race as Rory moved closer to him. He had never been kissed before, and the thought of it made him nervous yet excited.

"Really?" he asked, feeling a bit incredulous.

"Yeah," Rory replied, giving him a warm smile. "It's not a big deal, Eli. Just relax."

She leaned in slowly and placed her lips on his. At first, it was just a gentle brush, but then she pressed her lips more firmly against his. Eli closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the moment, feeling his heart flutter in his chest.

After a few seconds, Rory pulled back, smiling at Eli.

"There you go." She said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "Your first kiss."

Eli grinned from ear to ear, feeling a sense of relief and excitement wash over him.

"Thank you." He said, still feeling a bit stunned.

Rory chuckled. "No problem."

The two of them continued their way towards Rory's house. When they arrived at Rory's house, Eli walked her to the front door and turned to face her.

"Thanks for tonight, Rory." He said, his eyes meeting hers, "I had a great time."

"Me too."

The porch light flickered on and Rory gave Eli a small smile.

"Goodnight, Eli."

"Goodnight, Rory."

She entered her household with a small smile.

It was a pretty successful night to say the least,, nothing bad could've happened to the girl and she was grateful that Demetri was somewhat kind to her.

Overall, a success.

— lucy has something to say !!

having them kiss is unrealistic WHO CARES WHO CARES LOL I DONT YOLO (i didn't know how to end the chapter whoops)

them fat shaming aisha is insane hello

robby keene in chapter three

bye :))))