the clean slate

Aurora Rose Gallagher 26. | Special Education Teacher. | New York native, Atlanta newbie. | Mother. ╰☆╮ " Feeling sick and helpless, lost the compass where self is. I know what I gotta do and I can’t help it. One day at a time is what they tell us, now I gotta find a way to tell them. God help ‘em. "

[aurora-gallagher-blog]

loganpowell:

“What brought you to Atlanta?” Logan asks curiously, offering the blonde a smile. “New York is nice. We went on vacation there a few times when I was growing up.”

      “Which borough did you visit, if I may ask?” Aurora questioned before answering his own. “I moved here for a fresh start and my job. I work as a special education teacher at the local high school.”

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mranthonywilliams:

“I tend to stick around for a while.” Anthony replied, sending her a smile. He usually just hung around and enjoyed his coffee before moving on with his day. He liked to take time to just enjoy the simple things in life because you never knew when things could change. Anthony took a sip of his drink, enjoying the bitter taste of his black coffee. “Well, I am up for stealing that table if you are. I like the atmosphere in coffee shops.”

     “I can’t agree more. Let’s take it.” Aurora smiled at Anthony before heading towards the open table. Approaching it, she sat herself in the closest seat and placed her belongings on the ground. With her coffee in hand, she took a sip of it before looking at the man before her. “So, Anthony, tell me about yourself.”

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liana--hunt:

Tossing her hands up Liana let loose a short burst of laughter, tittering softly shaking her head knowing Aurora would get her and she didn’t mind it at all believing her to be absolutely serious. She didn’t doubt for a moment that she would take her wallet away from her and not let the brunette pay for anything at all. “No I have missed you more - more than you will ever know and it feels like forever. Tell me - tell me what your gorgeous students are doing? Anything cool Ms. G?”

      “You win, you win!” Aurora laughed more as Liana won their invisible ‘missed you more’ contest. When it came to Liana’s cute question, the teacher was relieved she didn’t ask her how she was doing in general. Right now, she was a complete mess, but there was no way she was going to let that show. “Right now, my students and I are working on book reports. I let them pick their favorite book to read and gave them a lot of time to work on it.” She smiled, “Since they’ve been working so hard, i’m thinking about taking them on a field trip somewhere, but I have no clue where to take them. I still feel so new here.”

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adambauer:

“Are you sure?” Despite his hard exterior, there was a part of him that worried he may have offended this woman. Adam swallowed and winced at her story. “Yeah, I didn’t do much better.” Scrunching up his face, he held out his hand. “I’m Adam. The Asshole.”

      “I’m sure, I promise.” Aurora reassured the man and grinned softly towards him. When his hand rose from his hip, the teacher extended her hand and took a hold of his. “Adam, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Aurora, the kind.”

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samanthahiggens:

Sam offered her a smile, nodded and looked over towards the other. “The word needs a little love, you know?” She said and nodded, shaking her head. “Nah, I’m just doing the right thing. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people on this planet that don’t do that.”

      “I can’t agree more.” Aurora smiled happily at the other before nodding her head in agreement. “That’s true. I think people these days focus more on themselves and rely on delivery service so they won’t have to pay for anyone but them.” She chuckled at the sad fact. “Have you been living here long?”

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loganpowell:

“Well, if you insist.” Logan replies with a soft laugh, offering Aurora a smile. ‘It’s appreciated.” Nodding, he gives her haand a shake, dropping it after a few moments. “Originally from California, but I’ve been living in Atlanta for a while now.”

      “California, huh? Sadly, i’ve never been there. I’ve always wanted to visit, though.” Aurora said, hoping he wouldn’t shock the man too much. She’s never even been to Disneyland. “I’m a New York native, born and raised. I just moved here about a month ago.”

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mranthonywilliams:

Anthony couldn’t help but notice how much joy the women seemed to get just by buying coffee for a stranger. He wondered if random acts of kindness was the key to true happiness. Anthony followed the women over to the waiting area, wondering how often she did this sort of thing. There was something about the women that just seemed to radiate off of her. “It’s really not a problem. I was just caught off guard at first.” He added, wanting to clarify the situation. “Nice to meet you Aurora, I’m Anthony.” Anthony replied, shaking her hand.

     “Anthony, it’s nice to meet you, too!” Aurora happily shook his hand before letting it go and dropping her hand back down to her side. Before asking him another question, their drink orders were up. Leaning towards the table, she grabbed both of their drinks and handed Anthony his drink. “Are you heading off or thinking about staying for a bit?” She asked curiously. “I’m only asking since I see an empty table big enough for the both of us and want to take it.”

[aurora-gallagher-blog]

      His memories of Aurora are just of being stuck together at stupid social events. Of course the parties he used to throw, but not much about her has changed. The whole smiling thing was always weird to him, but more than likely just because his smile rarely comes out. He still found her enjoyable to be around, certainly different from the company he’d been keeping. “No problem, going home after a meeting is always way more of a bummer than it should be.” Maddox let the silence settle between them for a few minutes before speaking up once again. “I know it’s been a while since we last talked, how are you holding up?”

      To Maddox’s question, Aurora was about to lie and say ‘good, thanks for asking’, but instantly stopped herself. Being in the meetings with her old friend, she felt like they became closer than expected. Sitting by each other in their large circle of other addicts, they talked about how they started to like the specific drugs they were drawn too and stuff like that. She thought it was time to tell him her intense story. “To be honest, i’m not doing so well.” She started, focusing on her feet while they headed towards the nearby diner. “I recently ran into my ex-husband, who I thought i’d never see again, here in Atlanta and learned he’s living here like I am. Small world, huh?” She questioned, trying to light the mood. “How are you doing?”

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sophiaslacroix:

      Most strangers weren’t so kind to other strangers. The sad reality of the world right now was that people everywhere were more consumed with hate and selfishness that it was hard to accept kindness anymore. “I, uh… I really appreciate that ” the blonde began, forcing out a small and soft smile. “I guess I’m just not that used to people offering up stuff like that. It’s pretty rare when that happens, you know? Everyone is always so focused on themselves and can’t really imagine spending money on a stranger.” 

      As Aurora waited for her coffee, she peeked over at the blonde before looking down at her own two feet. Still concerned about her wellbeing, she wanted to help her in any way, but stayed quiet so she wouldn’t annoy the younger her. When she listened to the woman speak more, she was happy once again. “I understand completely,” she nodded, “Before moving here, I lived in New York where selfishness is titled and honored. I did the ‘pay it forward’ concept and paid for a families dinner at a restaurant one time. The family found me one day and couldn’t thank me enough. I thought of that memory this morning and decided I wanted to try it out again.”

[aurora-gallagher-blog]

adambauer:

Adam felt the guilt creep up on him as he watched the smile fade off her face. Instead of answering right away, because was a stubborn ass, he stepped forward and ordered his small coffee. It was another moment before he turned towards her. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s a nice thing you were offerin’ to do, and I shouldn’t have snapped at it.”

      Approaching the waiting area, Aurora thought of the man back there and didn’t think too much of his answer to her offer. He declined and she had to accept it for what it is. She couldn’t change his mind in any way and when she saw him pay for his drink, her mind settled down. When the man apologized, the teacher looked at him in shock. She wasn’t expecting it one bit, but took it kindly. “It’s really alright. You have nothing to apologize for, I promise.” She offered him a sweet smile. “Trust me, I’ve heard worse. The last time I did this, the person behind me told me to shut up and don’t talk to him. It was a good start to my morning, I tell you that.” She ended her speech sarcastically.

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loganpowell:

Logan orders his drink, following the blonde over to the counter to wait for their drinks. “Oh, you don’t have to thank me.’ He replies, shaking his head. “Logan. Logan Powell. It’s very nice to meet you, Aurora.” He says, offering her his hand to shake.

      “Oh, but I do have to thank you. If you didn’t accept my offer, the ‘pay it forward’ concept I wanted to do would of gone down the drain. So, thank you for accepting it.” Aurora thanked the attractive man again, hoping she won the thank you battle between them. “Logan, it’s nice to meet you too.” She took a hold of his hand gently and shook it. “Are you from around here?”

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mranthonywilliams:

“Well, I suppose that is fair. I’ll let you buy my coffee and then the next time I come here I will buy something for someone else. That’s how this whole pay it forward thing works, right?” Anthony replied, sending her a smile. He was just a little caught off guard by the women’s kindness. Being from New York, he was not really used to strangers being nice to each other. “Again, thank you.”

      “Yeah, that’s how it exactly works! Thank you!” Aurora exclaimed, happy as can be. She was ecstatic that he accepted her offer and that she was spreading joy around the cafe. Paying for their drinks, she wished the cashier to have a good day before stepping out of the line and walking over to the waiting area. “Please, you have nothing to thank me for. I thank you for accepting my offer and not turning it down like it was before.” She said, mentioning to a time months ago where her offer didn’t go so smoothly. “I’m Aurora, by the way.” She introduced herself before extending her hand towards him.

[aurora-gallagher-blog]

           Going to meetings had never been something he enjoyed, but Maddox knew it was time to get his shit together. Maybe it was because of what happened with Micah, or simply because he’s just tired. Being the family fuck up can only last so long before it becomes old. Making his way out of the NA meeting, Maddox noticed Aurora standing off to the side. They grew up together in New York, and had recently reconnected due to them attending the same meetings together. “So I know it’s late, but you wanna get a coffee or food? Don’t really feel like going home right now.” @aurora-gallagher

      Walking out of her regular NA meeting, Aurora sighed softly as the cold, fresh air hit her face. Walking in, she wished every time to walk out a different person, but when walking out, she was always disappointed. She was still the sober, recovering drug addict teacher that pretended to be happy on the outside. When Maddox came into her sights, a warm smile spread across her face. He was a friendly face in a sea of different kinds of addicts in the meetings. Reconnecting with him was one of the best decisions she’s ever made. “I’d love to, Maddox.” She said, accepted his nice offer for coffee and food. Her warm smile not leaving her face, she started to walk with him down the sidewalk and away from their mistakes. “Thanks for asking me to do this with you. I really didn’t want to head home and work on my lesson plan for this week quite yet.”

[aurora-gallagher-blog]

ryderxhalstead:

He played it like it were a fluke, an impossibility. Odds stacking against at whoever this person actually was. The chances of an appearance from the blonde was just his mind playing tricks on him. Or so Ryder made himself believe. The other option—he refused. And his stubbornness would have played it off. It wasn’t completely unreasonable at least in retrospect given Atlanta was way far away from New York. But that voice, that was something Ryder could not forget. He could not play it off as a coincidence or for it to be Aurora’s doppelganger. He instantaneously froze and his body stiffened at his name. Wishing in that very moment, that he could have been named anybody else but the one that was muttered. The name almost sounding like poison from who spoke it. He couldn’t turn around. 

Ryder’s eyes closed for a moment in hopes that this was some sort of nightmare or a cruel joke. But as he composed himself and slowly turned—allowing himself to see the woman for the first time since he gave her the divorce papers Ryder was brought back with a mixed mess of emotions. His eyes narrowed and jaw tightened from the memories that swarmed him. “You’re here too.” Ryder noted that this was definitely accidental, considering the surprise from the both of them. But sounding like he was questioning it as well. Just his shitty luck. He sighed in another effort to be as calm as he possibly could. Try being the key word. “More like a nightmare.” He trailed off almost muttering. But loud enough so it could have probably been heard. Even just faintly. As he was going to take a few steps back, his feet ultimately seemed to have forgotten how to move. If frozen. What was worse was that he could see their Daughter in her. The blue eyes—it sent chills down his spine and he wished for everything in him that she would not come closer for he would see the lightness more clearly if so. 

      More like a nightmare. When Aurora heard Ryder’s harsh statement, it cut to the core. In his eyes, she believed it was a nightmare, but in her eyes, it was a whole other story. She was seeing her ex-husband after many months of being divorced and she thought she’d never see him again. Now that he was here and in front of her eyes, it was hard for her not to believe fate made this happen.

      All of these months, Aurora prayed, wished, and hoped to see Ryder again, even for at least a second. After the loss of their daughter, the teacher made her biggest goal to become a better person. As of now, she’s been sober for six months, still going to AA meetings and therapy sessions, and focusing on her half marathon she’ll be doing very soon. She's been getting better every day. Her new mission is to prove it to Ryder. “I never thought i’d see you again.” She stated in a sharp manner, her words true. Remembering the divorce like it was yesterday, after signing the papers to finalize everything, she was mentally saying bye to Ryder. She lost him for good that day and has regretted it ever since.

      With her eyes on her ex-husband, Aurora cleared her throat before walking a few steps closer to him. Stopping a few feet away, she took a deep breath and started to ask him questions. “What are you doing here, Ryder? Why Atlanta out of all places?”

[aurora-gallagher-blog]

samanthahiggens:

Sam needed her morning coffee. She had come off a long shift the night before with not much sleep, though she seemed to be in a good mood anyway. Normally she would go home and sleep for a while but she had a lot of things that she needed to get done so she just had to push through the tiredness for the day until she could get there. She was in line to order her coffee when the person ahead of her paid for her drink. She grinned happily and nodded, letting the barista know what her order was. She waited until the drinks were rung up before paying for the person behind her. “Let’s see how long of a chain we can get going.” She said happily. “Thank you by the way. I’m Sam.”

      When Aurora offered to pay for the woman behind her, she was relieved to see her happy reaction. When in line for coffee, you’re in need of it. With that comes impatience, sleepiness, and annoyance. Luckily, the teacher didn’t annoy the woman behind her at all. After paying for their drinks and stepping out of line, she watched as the woman continued the ‘pay it forward’ concept. “You’re a gem, you know that?” She exclaimed happily, a wide smile plastered on her face. “Sam, it’s nice to meet you and you have nothing to thank me for. I’m Aurora.”

[aurora-gallagher-blog]

loganpowell:

Logan had just left the hospital having been called in for an emergency surgery, and he was tired. Sleep sounded good, but coffee sounded even better, so he quickly made a beeline for the closest cafe, the smell of coffee being brewed instantly perking him up. The doctor is in his own world standing behind another woman in line when he hears her offer to pay for his coffee, clearing his throat a bit. “Uh, thank you.” 

      “You’re welcome!” Aurora exclaimed to the man before sliding over so he could order his drink. After paying for their drinks, she slid out of line and walked over to the waiting area. Turning towards him, her wide smile never left her face. “Thank you for letting me buy your drink! I walked in here wanting to pay forward, and thank to you, I did.” She said happily. “I’m Aurora, Aurora Gallagher.”

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liana--hunt:

“Rora I don’t need you to be paying for my drink” Liana exclaimed or rather protested happily with no desire to fight it. Let Aurora be happy she thought the woman surely deserved enough happiness to fill the rest of her life there was a reason she didn’t talk much about the past nor did Liana but both deserved genuine happiness. “Let me pay – come on. It’s not often we can grab coffee together. Please or at least let me get the next one” 

      When Liana protested her offer, Aurora bit her bottom lip in thought. She wanted to pay it forward, but also respect her friend’s wishes. When she heard the woman’s offer, a sweet smile spread across her face. “Fine. I’ll let you pay for me this time only. Next time, I won’t let you bring your wallet in here.” She gave her a look before chuckling and exiting the line so Liana could order and pay. “I’m glad we’re doing this. I’ve missed you.” She confessed. “How’ve you been?”