Audra
Friday came quickly, and my nerves twisted in my stomach ferociously. I hadn't had a friend over since we moved here seven months ago. Not once. It never really came up—until now. Kai drove me to school, and the day dragged on endlessly as my excitement and anxiety churned together. By the time the final bell rang, I had gathered my things and was waiting for Isla to meet me. A few minutes passed before I heard her voice singing as she made her entrance. "Audra! Are you ready?" she squealed, stopping in the doorway. She bounced on her heels, pumping her fists. I rolled my eyes with a laugh. "Yeah, I am so ready!" I yelled back, matching her energy. She grinned, twirling her car keys around her index finger before jerking her head toward the parking lot. "Let's go then, girl!" She practically skipped down the hall, and I followed close behind, shaking my head at her boundless energy.
We reached her car—a sleek, silver SUV that looked brand new. As soon as I slid into the passenger seat, my fingers ran over the smooth black leather interior. "Nice, huh?" Isla smirked, watching my reaction. I nodded, still impressed. "Yeah, but what happened to your sedan?" A nervous laugh slipped from her lips as she shoved the key into the ignition. "Totaled." I blinked. "What?" "Don't worry about it." She turned the key, and the engine roared to life. Before I could press for details, she peeled out of the school's parking lot heading toward my house.
Nearly thirty minutes later we pulled up, Isla practically vibrated with excitement. She popped the trunk, yanking out a jam-packed duffel bag that looked like it weighed more than she did. I raised a brow. "Isla… you're only spending the night." I pointed at the massive bag, eyeing it like it might explode. "Oh, Audra!" She rolled her eyes dramatically, slinging it over her shoulder. She rocked back slightly from the weight, nearly tipping over, and I had to bite back a giggle. She smiled sheepishly before launching into a full-blown explanation. "It's our first sleepover! We have to do it right—snacks, gossip, movies, makeup, pedicures, shopping!" She counted each one off on her fingers as she bounced toward the house.
I nodded, processing it all. I never really did those things with Jackie. We mostly just read books, played games, and talked. I opened the door, and the familiar scent of wood and worn books greeted me. A soft smile crept onto my lips as I stepped inside. Isla's eyes gleamed as she looked around. "Wow, it's really cute in here," she murmured, spinning slowly to take everything in. I nodded, dropping my bag near the stairs. "Yeah, we sent my mom pictures when we first moved in, and then she went on social media for inspo." Isla snorted. "She really did that?" "Yeah, what else was she supposed to do? Leave it up to her colorblind husband and unfashionable kids? She just told us the color and style and Dad bought it." I laughed so hard tears pricked at my eyes. Isla burst into laughter with me, shaking her head.
I led her up to my room, where she immediately threw her bag onto the floor and flopped onto my bed, spreading out like she owned the place. She let out a long, satisfied sigh. "What do we do first?" I shrugged. "You tell me." She suddenly perked up, her eyes gleaming mischievously. "I know. Let's talk about Prince Dreamy." I blinked. "Who?" Her grin widened. "Oh, don't play dumb. Malik. You know, tall, broad, and gorgeous? The one who made you blush at lunch on Tuesday?" I groaned, heat creeping up my neck. "There's nothing to talk about." Isla gasped, placing a hand over her heart in mock offense. "Oh, pa-lease! Don't think I didn't see the way you stared at him." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively before puckering her lips and making loud kissing noises. "Isla!" I threw a pillow at her, but she just dodged, giggling.
Before I could retaliate any further, Kai burst through my door, slamming it against the wall. He took a dramatic step through the doorway, arms crossed, brows furrowed, his presence sucking all the fun out of the room in an instant. "That's enough about boys," he said firmly, stepping fully inside. His voice held a warning edge, his sharp gaze flicking between us. "You two are too young to be worrying about boyfriends." Isla snorted so loudly I nearly choked. She sat up dramatically, leaning against her hand as the other twirled a lock of her golden-brown hair. "Excuse me," she scoffed, placing a hand on her chest. "I'll have you know, I am a legal adult. Eighteen. A grown woman." She dramatically gestured to herself, waving her hands up and down.
Kai blinked, clearly not expecting that. "And?" he deadpanned. "And that means I can have a boyfriend if I want, and I have, since I was 16," she said smugly. She smirked, leaning forward like she had just won a debate. Kai opened his mouth, then shut it. Opened it again—then scowled. His jaw tightened as if he wanted to argue but couldn't. I smirked. "Kai, this is Isla. Isla, this is my brother, who clearly doesn't remember that I asked him not to bother us tonight." Kai's scowl deepened. I could practically see the gears in his head turning as he searched for a retort—only to come up empty. With a final grumble and a disapproving wag of his finger, he turned and stalked off in defeat. Isla waited until the sound of his footsteps faded before whispering, "I like him. He's fun to mess with." I giggled in agreement.
"So then where were we?" she said, tapping a thoughtful finger against her chin. "Not discussing Malik," I said firmly. "Party pooper." She pouted, giving me the smallest of frowns. I rolled my eyes. She stood abruptly, wiping a fake tear from her eye before unzipping her overstuffed bag. Like a wave, candy, nail polish, games, DVDs, and clothes came spilling out of her bag onto my floor. I laughed—it really was about to burst. She fished around before pulling out a movie and two bags of popcorn. She thrust the popcorn against my chest. "You go pop this, I will set this up," she said, shooing me downstairs. I huff and follow her directions. I head back upstairs with the freshly popped and buttered popcorn, the scent now wafting through the house. I make it back to my bedroom, my gaze shifted toward the TV that displayed the title of the movie: Royally Smitten. I could hear Isla's voice humming from inside my bathroom. I glanced at the DVD case, reading the movie's description.
Royally Smitten
A royal love story... with a few bumps along the way! When Prince Carter finds a girl unconscious on the royal grounds—due to an unfortunate horse-related mishap—he takes her in, determined to help. But Ella Hawthorne isn't just any girl, and as she recovers, Carter finds himself falling hard for the sharp-witted stranger. The only problem? She has no idea who she is. As Carter searches for answers, and helps Ella to rediscover herself, he has but one question—will Ella marry him?
I grimace at the description. This sounded very cheesy. "I can see your disdain," she says, coming back into the room. "Isla, this movie sounds so cheesy," I say, cringing slightly. "Hey, don't hate on it. You've never seen it. It's my favorite," she snapped playfully. I rolled my eyes. "Okay, but only for you," I laugh. We get comfortable as the movie starts. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, as we ate snacks, gossiped, painted our nails, and read through magazines. We finally went to bed around 3 A.M.
We woke up at around 10 A.M., and once we were both showered and dressed, we headed downstairs for breakfast. My dad was seated at the dining table, sipping on his coffee. His eyes were extremely droopy. "Good morning, girls," he said groggily. "Good morning, sir," Isla chirped. "Morning, Dad. Mom still in bed?" I ask, heading into the kitchen. He nods slowly and takes another sip of coffee. I whip up a quick breakfast of chicken with maple syrup and waffles. I bring out the plates to the table, and everyone helps themselves.
Once we finish eating, Isla helps me with the cleanup. "It's really nice that you cook for everyone," she says softly. I smile slightly. "Yeah, well. My dad's completely hopeless, Kai just plain refuses, and Mom does when she feels up to it." I respond, drying off a plate and putting it away. She nods, and we finish up the dishes and go back up to my room. "Are you ready to go?" she asks, slipping on her shoes. "Yeah, I'm ready. Just remember, I'm only looking, not buying," I say with a pointed look. She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah." She waves me off. "Come on, let's go!" she exclaims, grabbing my arm, pulling me down to the car.
We hop in, and about an hour later, we arrived at the mall. "Wow, this mall is huge!" I exclaim. "Yeah, it's the best one we have," she giggled. We stopped into many stores, then finally a cute little dress shop. They had dresses of all styles, lengths, and colors. They had them all color-coded with a section for shoes, clutches, and accessories. My eyes go wide as I spot a beautiful sundress. It had short puffy sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. The bodice was made from a stretchy material while the skirt was a flowy mesh fabric with a liner underneath. It was baby pink, with cute pastel flowers dotted all over it.
I let my feet lead me over to it as I gingerly picked it up off the rack. I looked at the tag. Yes! It was my size and price range. "Ha! Not buying my ass!" Isla snorts, walking by and throwing her hair over her shoulder dramatically. I huff and roll my eyes. "It's just one thing," I say, defending myself. "Yeah, whatever. Just go try it on," she says, shoving me into the dressing room.
I put the dress on and admire my reflection. It was perfectly pretty. With a little shawl, it would be perfect for summer. I twirl around, seeing the cute little white ribbon that was tied into a bow at the back. "Well, come on out," she says impatiently. I open the door and emerge into the hallway of the dressing room. "Oh Audra, that's so cute!" she squeals. I do a little spin for her as she gushes over the bow.
A low chuckle rumbled the room around us. "That dress sure is pretty on you," a guy says, walking up to us and leaning against the wall. His eyes linger over me, hungry. My fingers instinctively search for my bracelet, latching onto the leather string as I run my thumb across the braids. Just take some breaths. His eyes flickered all over my body as he licked his lips. My stomach drops and starts twisting as the fear started to consume me.
Isla jumped in front of me, using her body against his stare. "That dress would look much better on my floor. Why don't you come home with me, sweetheart?" he purred, inching closer. The air in the room shifted. A dark, looming figure stood over us, and a strong, warm arm coiled around my waist. He pulled me away from Isla and flush against his chest. My face pushed into a tall, muscly figure. I looked up, my eyes glistening with tears as I stared at Malik. Heat rushed throughout my body as I heard his low, menacing voice. "She's not going anywhere with you," he gritted. His arm tightened around me as he pulled me closer to him. Ajax stepped beside him, pulling Isla behind him protectively. I stared at Malik, something catching my gaze—a little swirl of gold flicked in his iris. The guy scoffed, and I whipped my head around to see him stalking toward us. "Oh yeah? Who are you to say she can't? Come on, princess, you can speak for yourself," he said smugly.
A growl ripped from Malik's throat. "I'm her boyfriend," he said, his chest vibrating with anger. The guy eyed Malik, throwing his hands up. "Whatever, dude," he said as he walked off. Malik pulled back only slightly, his hand still firmly pressed on my back. His deep chocolate eyes searched mine. "Audra, are you okay?" he breathed. I couldn't do anything—say anything. My voice was strangled in my throat. But I was okay, and I wasn't. Malik was holding onto me. His warmth radiated around me, mingling with the heat of my embarrassment.
I nodded, and he fully released me, clearing his throat. "You're shaking," he murmured gently. I swallowed hard, willing my heartbeat to slow. "I—I'm fine," I forced out, though my voice sounded anything but. Malik didn't look convinced. "You sure?" His deep chestnut eyes scanned mine, his expression softer now, almost… tender. I nodded, my breath still uneven. Ajax exhaled sharply beside us. "Fucking creeps. You good, Isla?" "I'm fine," Isla answered casually, though the way she flipped her hair made it obvious she was still riled up.
"Though I gotta say… that was kind of hot." Malik shot her a pointed look, his expression still dark. "It's not funny, Isla." "No, but it's true." She smirked, then nudged me, waggling her eyebrows. "Your boyfriend really stepped up." I choked on my own breath, whipping my head toward Malik. "You—" Malik cleared his throat, glancing away. "It was the first thing that came to mind." Ajax snorted. "Yeah? Because you didn't even hesitate." Malik shot him a glare, then turned his gaze to me. "Are you still going to get the dress?"
I shook my head. "Probably not," I whispered. "That's a shame," he said, leaning in slightly. I could feel the heat from his breath tickling my nose. Heat crept up my neck as I swallowed hard. "I loved how happy you looked wearing it," he murmured. My breath hitched. My knees became weak as he pulled away, a smirk playing at his lips. "Wanna grab lunch?" he asked everyone, as if nothing had happened. Ajax and Isla nodded. "I'm starved," Isla said, rubbing her stomach. "We'll meet you two out front," she chirped as she grabbed Ajax's hand, pulling him out of the dressing room.
"I'll, um… I'll wait for you right here," Malik mumbled, turning around to face the wall. I gulped nervously and went back into the changing room. I took the dress off, admiring it one last time. Maybe Malik was right. I should get the dress. I held it in my arms as I exited the room. I tapped Malik on the shoulder, and he slowly turned, a smile pulling at his lips. "Ready?" I nodded hesitantly. "I just need to go check out," I said hurriedly. "Oh? Decided to get it after all?" he mused. "Um, yeah. It would be a shame, since it's so pretty," I mumbled.
He nodded, and we headed over to the checkout. I placed the dress on the counter as Malik stood behind me. She rang me up, and I pulled my purse around to get my card when I heard his voice. "Here, put it on this." He casually reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slim, charcoal-gray leather wallet. He opened it and slid out the black credit card. My eyes went wide with shock. He— "Sure thing, sir," she piped, placing the dress in a bag for me.
We exited the store, Malik close at my side, like a puppy with his owner. We met up with Ajax and Isla, and together we all walked toward a cute little 70s-themed diner. I slid into the booth, picking up the menu. Malik made a move to sit next to me, but Isla, being the short queen she is, dove in next to me, sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry. "That's not very nice," he remarked, taking a seat next to Ajax across from us. "I need to be with my bestie," she mock fainted across my shoulder. "And I need some fries, stat. All this stress—whoo-wie!" She threw her hand up to her face dramatically, fanning it.
I rolled my eyes and searched the menu. Ah-ha! A strawberry and Oreo milkshake. My favorite. "Do you know what you're getting yet?" Malik asked, his voice hushed. Ajax and Isla played around in the background, talking and joking loudly. I scanned the menu quickly; I hadn't thought past the milkshake. "Umm, I only decided on a milkshake so far," I whispered back. He chuckled. "Let me guess your favorite." He dragged his finger across the menu, eyes flicking over the options with exaggerated focus, before finally landing on a drink. "This one!" he announced proudly, flipping his menu around.
I blinked. Strawberry milkshake. Plain. I snorted, barely holding back a laugh. "That's a really good guess!" His brow arched. "So I'm right?" He turned the menu back toward himself, smirking. "Not quite," I teased, grinning as I leaned in slightly. "The best possible combination is that—plus Oreos. The chocolate goes so well with the strawberry." His smirk widened, something playful flickering in his deep chestnut eyes. "Well then, I'll get one too." He leaned back in his chair, stretching lazily, arms folding behind his head. "I want to see just how delicious it really is." Heat crept up my neck. I rolled my eyes, focusing way too hard on the menu as I tried to ignore the way his gaze lingered on me.
Soon the waiter arrived, notepad in hand. "What can I get you all?" "I'll get the chicken tender basket with curly fries and a strawberry shake—with Oreos," I said, reading off the menu. He nodded and turned to Isla. "Nachos with a Sprite. Extra jalapeños, please—Mama likes it spicy. A basket of your famous spiced fries, please," she said, fanning herself dramatically. The waiter cracked a smile as he jotted it down, then turned to Ajax. "Deluxe burger, curly fries, and a chocolate shake," Ajax said smoothly.
Finally, Malik spoke. "I'll have the Double Bacon Burger, curly fries… and I'll also have the strawberry shake with Oreos," he said casually, handing the waiter his menu. Isla let out a huge gasp as the waiter walked away. "Oh my God," she whispered, her eyes darting between me and Malik. I frowned. "What?" A slow, knowing grin spread across her lips. "You ordered the same shake as Audra." Malik barely blinked. "And?" "Andddd… that's kind of adorable," she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes, heat creeping up my neck. "He just wanted to see how awesome my choice of shake is!" I blurted, a little too loudly, defending him. "Mhm. Sure." She winked before turning back to Ajax. Meanwhile, Malik simply leaned back in his seat, completely unfazed—but the small smirk tugging at his lips told me he knew exactly what he was doing. Even as we ate, talked, and laughed, I couldn't shake the lingering warmth in my chest. It felt… easy. Comfortable. Like I belonged here—with them. I was so glad to finally have found friends.
After lunch, Isla and I waved goodbye to the boys, heading toward the exit. The cool afternoon air greeted us as we stepped outside, but before I could take another step, I felt it—that weight of being watched. I turned my head just slightly. Malik stood at the mall's entrance, hands tucked into his pockets, watching me. His eyes held so many emotions as he gazed at me. Something fluttered in my stomach. I felt giddy, like a child experiencing a first love. It was exciting.