August - (Under Editing)

5. Augustine

August slipped away like a bottle of wine...

I stared into the bathroom mirror, cursing myself for not faking a sickness or an injury. Anything to get me out of this awful get-together. I should've fought harder when my mom first told me about it an hour ago.

"Augustine, it'll be fun. You love Leah, and I'm sure you'll love her kids." My mom tried to reassure me, but I wasn't having any of it.

"I'm not hanging out with anyone," I scoffed. "I'll sit with Aurora."

"Leah has a son about your age. It's a chance for you to make a friend," my mom argued. She stared at me from across the table, where we were eating lunch. Dad was too busy with work, hiding somewhere in the back of the house.

"I have friends," I tried to protest.

"You'll be polite to him, and that's the end of it." She held up her hand when she saw me ready to argue. She cleared the dishes and let them rest in the sink. I sighed. I hated interacting with strangers.

The mirror looked back at me in pity. I straightened the dress my mom picked out for me and frowned. It was a soft purple gown-type dress that hit at the ankles. The straps were a thin, and small sparkles glittered the skirt. I'd hope to wear my normal clothes, or a simple sundress, but my mom argued I needed to look nice.

I didn't understand why we needed to have people over. My parents couldn't take a night off to take care of Aurora, but they could throw a party? My mom had been busy all day setting up, while my dad followed her instructions on what food we needed to buy. He zipped off to the grocery store while I kept my sister entertained.

By 6:00 that night, we had multiple families filling our house, none of them being Leah's. Mom told me she had a second stepson who was fifteen. I had zero interest in meeting him. I looked around our small living room at all the people mingling. It was supposed to be only us and Leah's family. My heart beat quicker, and my vision blurred. I squished through the stylish dresses and fittings shirts to my mom in the kitchen.

She was standing by the counter, serving drinks and laughing with the men and women around her, like she had no care in the world. My heartrate spiked as everyone roared at a story someone told. Two bodies passed on either side of me and I shoved through them, ignoring their insults of how rude I was being.

As I approached my mom, her eyes found mine and widened. I saw a hint of guilt, but it immediately cleared away.

"Hi, honey!" she exclaimed, grinning at me. She turned to everyone to say, "This is my wonderful daughter, Augustine."

There was a collective aw from everyone and they turned to stare at me. I couldn't do this. Too many eyes. Too many voices gushing. Too many heartbeats in the same vicinity. I felt fear tug at my chest, and I spun around and shoved my way towards the stairs. I ran up and turned down the hall. Shutting the door, I felt better, but I still needed to calm down.

"Ok, Auggie," I whispered. "Five things you can see. Five things I can see? My bed, um, my bathroom..." I trailed off with my hand on my chest. The tears behind my eyelids faded and I was able to focus.

"I can see the notecards on my wall, with all my writing ideas, I can see my mirror, showing my terrified reflection. One more. I can see daylight fading through my window."

I took a deep breath, letting my anxiety release. I didn't have panic attacks a lot, but I knew how to deal with them. I knew my mom would be pissed, so I decided to stay in my room. I clambered to my made bed and laid on my back, letting my eyes wander around my room.

Minutes later, I had a show playing on my laptop and a blanket holding me. I rested my head against the pillow and sighed, feeling much more comfy in my baggy t-shirt and shorts combo. I could still hear the party noise downstairs, but it was muffled. I focused on the show in front of me instead of the fact that my mom was probably mad I walked away from her friends so rudely. I was mostly angry that she lied about how many people were coming.

A soft knock sounded at my bedroom door. I propped my head on my hand as the knock came again, very hesitantly. I figured if it was my mom, she'd barge in on her own accord. I guessed it was Aurora, probably bored of listening to the grown ups talking.

"Come in," I said quietly, seeing the doorknob turn.

My heart dropped when I saw who it was. James stood in my doorway, looking way better than I ever remembered. He wore a white dress shirt and black pants. His hair was messy and his glasses make him look like a stylish professor.

I tried to hide my shock. "Hi, James," I said, like it was completely normal that he stood in my doorway.

"Augustine? What are you doing up here?" He looked extremely confused and surprised to see me.

"I live here," I told him, holding back a laugh from seeing his shocked expression "This is my room."

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "You're Francine's daughter?"

"That would be me," I replied.

He continued to stand awkwardly in the doorway. I made no effort to move off my bed, but gestured for him to come in. He took a few steps forward, never breaking eye contact. I felt my stomach lurch, but I ignored it.

"Shut the door please," I said.

His face turned completely red and his eyes widened. He looked so pathetic I couldn't help but laugh.

"I just don't want people thinking it's okay to walk in my room," I clarified.

"Ah," he nodded, and promptly shut my door.

I had no idea what to say to the strange boy in my room. I'd never had a boy anywhere near my house before, leaving me with zero experience in that department.

"So," I began. "How did you end up at this party?"

He pushed this glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Well, my stepmom is friends with your mom. You know Leah?"

Shit. He was Leah's stepson. I tried to hide my surprise as I nodded calmly.

"Makes sense," I said finally. It was killing me how awkward the conversation was, but I wasn't in the mood to chat.

Something didn't add up though. "Why did you come to my room?" I asked.

His face settled and he grinned sheepishly at me. "Your mom, um, she said you acted rudely and she wanted me to come check on you."

I rolled my eyes at him and he smirked.

"Cleary you don't agree with that argument," he said.

"My mom is dramatic," I told him. "She told me we were having one family over - yours. She lied because she knew I wouldn't attend if there were multiple people. She didn't realize it'd spike my anxiety. Also, she has time to throw a party, but she can't hangout with her daughter for five minutes? Seriously?"

James's face froze as he took in what I was saying. I blushed after realizing I'd spilled way too much. I sat up cross-legged on my bed and stared at him. He held my gaze for a few seconds, then slowly approached me. My eyes widened as he reached my bed, then held out his hand for me to take.

"Let's leave then," he said. His hazel eyes held nothing but kindness and I felt myself fall into his spell. He raised his eyebrows at me expectantly.

How bad could it be? I considered. If he's a creep, I can fight him. Anything is better than being at this stupid party. After a moment of hesitation, I took his outstretched hand in mine and let him lead me out the door, a shy smile spreading across his face.

A/N: This is a short one because I really wanted to get it published. Next chapter we'll see where James is taking Augustine 🙈