LOVE AND HATE

Aurora's POV

We had just written our final exams. The students scurried off in excitement in groups of two, three, or four.

I walked down sluggishly towards Mama's car. I had a long day at school, and I couldn't wait to go back home and lie on my bed. I secretly hoped that Sara and Aunt Jema wouldn't be around, though.

The exam we had today wasn't bad at all, in fact, I was sure of 90/100 at least.

"What's up, darl?" Mama called as she walked up to me halfway from the car.

I managed a fake smile, "Hello, Mama," I gave her a quick kiss on her left cheek.

"Did you have some sort of fight with anyone? You're wearing a long face, and you look ugly when you do that."

I gave in to a broad smile. Mama sure knew how to get me.

"Hi, Aurora," Jake called out a few meters from where we stood. Beside him was Pinky, who was his girlfriend. Pinky gave him a light pull, signaling that he shouldn't talk to me. He mouthed something, and I nodded, blowing him a kiss and waving after him.

Jake was one of my close friends, who had a big crush on me once upon a time. He's the only blond in our school, and even though he claimed to have no feelings for me anymore, I knew very well that he was still very much into me.

He asked me out last summer and I turned him down. Our friendship was never the same after that. It seemed as though we drifted apart in a way, but, our friendship was still strong.

"What's on your mind, Aurora?" Mama gave my shoulders a light squeeze, and I jolted back to reality.

"Oh! Nothing..."

"I didn't see you with Dan, today... Everything alright?"

My heart sank into my stomach at the mention of his name. Dan's my boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend at the moment. We had a huge fight yesterday and he broke up with me. We haven't spoken since then.

"Dan--Dan's fine!" I lied and averted my gaze from my Mama's quickly. Luckily, she dropped it there.

We drove in silence. The noise from the engine of the old Toyota was a sad song to our ears. The car moved slowly, as it swayed from side to side. I never felt safe in this car, and I had always felt this looming death around whenever my Mama drove this old Toyota.

I was sure that if we had taken a Taxi, instead, we would have reached earlier. Mama drops me off at Aunt Jema's, blows me a kiss, does a U-Turn, and drives back in the opposite direction.

Ever since my Papa lost his job, things turned bad for my family. I was the only child of my parents, and I had no sibling(s). My Papa, despite losing his job, was a chronic drunkard, and a gambler. He spent every little penny on drinks and women.

It was the root of their misunderstandings, but my Papa wasn't ready to change. Instead, he got worse as they passed by.

Not long after, they separated but didn't officially divorce. They just lived separately in different apartments and I took turns visiting either of them.

I never stopped wondering what made my Mama marry a man like my father.

Bag in hand, I made my way to the doorstep and rang the bell twice.

I looked through the transparent glass and I could see Sara making her way towards the door, where I stood.

Chubby, with shoulder-length black hair, quite tall for a twenty-one-year-old, Sara's my older cousin. She opened the door and gave me a kiss on the cheek, but, I wasn't in the mood to talk to her or anyone.

Dragging my feet noisily, I went straight to my room, but as I was about to close the door behind me, I felt some resistance. I looked back and found my cousin beaming at me.

It was strange the way she always smiled, and her smiles had never felt genuine. Sometimes, I felt as though she had to smile at me, even though she didn't want to. It always looked and felt fake.

One look at her and I knew she had something to say to me.

"What's up?" I asked, not bothering to look up at her. I undid my bun, and let my blond hair fall on my shoulders. I have really long hair. My hair was beyond bottom length, and I knew it was one of the reasons the girls in my class disliked me.

"I've got news, Ro." She took a seat in front of the mirror, just a few meters away from where I stood and began to play with her hair.