~Ta-da~

Aurora alighted from the car which parked a few distance from the main gate of her school, then waved to her brother who didn't even spare her as much as a second glance. She shrugged carelessly. It was his usual habit; acting like they were strangers from the moment she alighted in the morning till the moment she got in after school hours.

Having a car of her own would have made things a lot easier for her but her family couldn't afford the luxury of another car. Thereby, she trashed the idea.

However, what she didn't understand was why her brother always dropped her in front of an old coffee shop that was far from the school gate instead of the regular way older brothers dropped off their own sisters. With hugs and smiles in front of everyone.

Nicolas even made her swear severely never to tell anyone that they were in any way related by blood or even mention being friends with him.

Aurora had a faint inkling that he was too embarassed to have her around him but she didn't know what his reasons were.

It would have boosted her status and polished her rep if her classmates, especially Selena, knew who Nicolas was to her. She would earn a lot of respect even more than Selena had in the history of her life. Think about everyone in her class paying obeisance to her and bowing to her every whim.

'Okay young lady, you're beginning to get obsessed with the mere thoughts of that. Get a grip!' She chided herself silently.

She hurried along to avoid being spotted by Selena and her group of friends. It would mean complete humiliation for her, something her brother couldn't relate to. He was handsome, smart and rolled with Carlos, the most respected guy in the history of the school.

'Of course, he would never find himself in my shoes.' There was a silent argument going on within her.

Since she changed schools, she had come to understand that her current school operated under a certain system of hierarchy. It didn't exist at her old school.

She had just placed a feet on one of the steps leading to the large doors of the school when she heard her name. She tossed a look behind to see that indeed it was the girl she had been trying to  avoid seeing. Selena.

As the latter approached Aurora, various heads turned to watch her in mesmerization. All were astounded at her manner of elegance and carriage. Aurora was also not exempted from those who found out it difficult to tear their eyes away from sightly view.

Selena's blonde hair had been rolled up neatly in a bun at the top of her head with soft tendrils dropping down the sides to frame her small delicate face. On her body was a floral patterned green minidress which brought out the rich hue of her eyes. Her lips were looking like the softest of pink petals as opposed to Aurora's often chapped ones.

As she got close to where Aurora stood, her signature cologne wafted into her nostrils. Selena gave her a look of derision. "I saw you walking to school, what's the matter? Your driver didn't wake up on time again?"

Aurora forced a haughty smile of her own with a dramatic wave of her hand. "No, he didn't. My Dad was so angry that his precious daughter would have to walk to school today again."

Selena nodded in fake understanding. "Right. I thought you said he had fleet of cars in the garage and a handful of servants."

"I did?" Aurora's eyebrow furrowed in confusion then her face lit up as though she suddenly recalled something. "I did. Sorry, it skipped my mind. I was busy thinking up various ways to torture him the moment I get back home today."

The blonde scoffed. "You better. It is frustrating that they need to be reminded what to do every morning. What else are you being paid for?"

"Exactly my point." Aurora added with a nervous laugh. She turned her head to the side and found her brother staring at her with hooded eyes. He was obviously pissed seeing her standing with Selena but he wasn't in the position to judge. No one talked about him moving around with cool people his age.

She dragged her eyes away as she saw a few of his friends slap his back and nod in her direction. Her brother's warning came back with an echo.

"What are you doing today after school?" Selena asked.

Her countenance brightened the moment she heard the question. She had been waiting for it a long time before now but it seemed as though Selena didn't find her worthy enough. She was giddy with happiness but she couldn't let that ruin her cool facade.

"I initially planned on soaking in the jacuzzi tub in the open balcony of my house to ease my stress from all the work I've been doing but now you've asked, what's up?"

Selena's expression was mocking. "Yeah  right. So, I was hoping we could hang out together, you know. Me, you and the rest."

"Wow," Aurora caught herself just in time and cleared her throat awkwardly. "I mean, wow, it took you guys long enough to plan it? I just let my outing planner deal with that. So, what time?"

"Some thirty minutes after you get home from school. I'll text you the address later."  Selena made to leave but stopped back as though she remembered something else. "By the way, what's up with your instagram account? We haven't been seeing much posts as usual."

Aurora was caught unawares at the question but she was someone who easily made things up to get out of a tight corner. Like the one she was in at the moment. "I had to take two steps back to give my followers suspense at my return."

'Followers you bought with your money.'

The look Selena gave her was derogatory in every sense. "Oh. Well, ta-da." She finally said after giving her a good once over.

Aurora heaved a sigh of relief as she watched the proud blonde flounce off in her designer heels and her minidress bouncing along with her every step. She rolled her eyes then walked to class as well.

°•°•°•°•°

"Hey Nicolas, um, I'll be stepping out to meet some friends downtown. Don't make lunch for me, alright?" Aurora who had just gotten back from school thirty minutes ago, stepped into her brother's room to find him laying upside down on his bed, phone in hand, as he typed furiously.

He stopped and turned to look at her. His expression froze as he took in her outfit. Except he hadn't noticed, he had never seen his little sister in such wear before; black designer jacket, white top and a pair of costly black denim jeans. He failed to miss the black sneakers on her feet as well.

He almost whistled but didn't want her to get a head triple its size. "Where are you heading to looking like a million dollars?"

She twirled around with a broad smile on her face. "Really? I was hoping to achieve this look and it worked. Selena asked that we meet up somewhere cool and that's where I'm headed now."

"But you just got back from school." He protested then sat up properly still staring at her in amazement. The means by which she got those clothes baffled him because they weren't included in his budget.

"I've been sitting around bored with nowhere to go and now I want to go out, I can't? That's unfair. No one tells you what to do." Her face was scrunched up in discontent.

His hands went up in defence. "Hey, there's no need to go vicious on me. I'm only looking out for my little sister. I don't have a problem with your outing, I only have a problem with your friends. Its Selena we're talking about and there's no telling what she can do when she gets pretentious."

Aurora scoffed with derision spread all over her countenance. "You're the one who's hanging out with Carlos yet you don't see me telling you whether or not to hang out with him."

Nicolas gave a little shake of his head as she went into defense mode. In a way, she also had a valid point when she spoke of forming friendships. He made an absolute bad choice but he hoped to change that after he gets done with high school. That was different, he was a guy and could handle it if the whole thing went south.

She stepped closer to where he sat and placed a hand in his unruly hair. "I'll make sure to take care of myself and if anything happens which I can't control, your number would be the first on my speed dial."

"Alright then, have fun and make sure to come back home early."

"Thanks. Ta-da for now." She imitated the mannerism of Selena, watching in satisfaction as her brother now wore an amused expression on his face.

~~~{•}~~~

I just felt like I should drop a small insight on Aurora. Later on in the book, we'll understand her character and why she is acting the way she is.

Anyway, this is the last you'll see of her.
Read again if you want...lol
Don't forget to leave a vote by clicking on the star icon below if you loved this chapter.

~~Tequila~~