[GL] Someone Once Told Me the Grass is Much er on the Other Side-Chapter 142: Junior Year Arc: Two

The neon sign outside the roller-skating rink flickered like it was trying to wink at passersby. Aurora decided it was an omen. Not a good omen, not a bad omen, just an omen. Something was going to happen.

And honestly? With Erica around, something always did.

Inside, the rink looked like an 80s movie had been condensed into a fever dream. Purple lights washed over the glossy floor. The DJ, who was at least seventy-two and wearing a sequined fedora, blasted music that felt about thirty years too old yet somehow perfect.

Kids zipped around like caffeinated hummingbirds while couples clung to each other with varying degrees of codependency.

Aurora skated onto the floor first, effortlessly gliding backwards as if she was made for this. Which she kind of was. She had grace, balance, and the ability to look perfectly adorable even while doing dumb things like spinning. The Omega smirked over her shoulder.

"You coming, or are you scared you’ll cry in front of all these people?" she called.

Erica, five feet behind her, stood stiff in her skates like a baby deer that had JUST entered the world and immediately realized gravity existed and it sucked. The five foot and seven inches, lean, slender Alpha stared at the rink floor with the suspicion of someone who had recently survived a betrayal.

"I’m not scared," Erica lied. "I’m just... taking in the environment."

"You mean panicking," Aurora chirped.

Erica glared. "I don’t panic."

"You absolutely do."

"Nope."

"Erica, you panicked when you saw a squirrel last week."

"That squirrel was holding something sharp!"

"It was a muffin."

"And yet," Erica muttered, "it looked like a blade."

Aurora laughed and held her hand out. "Come on, tough girl. It’s a date. I promise I won’t make fun of you too much."

"You literally started by making fun of me."

"That was a warm-up."

Erica grumbled but took Aurora’s hand, clutching it like it was a lifeline. Which, judging by how her left skate immediately rolled somewhere she didn’t intend, it sort of was.

Aurora giggled. "Okay, okay, relax your shoulders. You’re so tense you’re going to snap into two pieces."

"They put wheels on my feet," Erica complained. "Wheels, Aurora. Do you know how unnatural that is?"

"You drive a motorcycle."

"That is entirely different."

"Mhm."

Aurora guided her forward, moving slowly so Erica wouldn’t go full catastrophe mode. They made one lap around the rink, which for some reason took Erica approximately seventeen years.

By the time they reached the starting point again, Erica exhaled like she’d just climbed Mount Deverest.

Aurora patted her shoulder. "Amazing. That’s one lap. Only fifty more until you’re sort of okay at this."

"You’re evil," Erica said.

"And you’re cute."

Erica flushed immediately and very aggressively. "Shut up."

The music switched to a cheesy pop song. Aurora squealed, yes, squealed, and let go of Erica’s hand to spin.

"Watch this!" she said.

"I can’t," Erica said. "Because if I take my eyes off the wall, I’ll die."

Aurora skated backwards, sticking her tongue out. "Be brave!"

"No."

"Live a little!"

"No."

Aurora circled her, graceful and bright, like she was literally designed to torment her Alpha date. She leaned in close.

"I dare you," Aurora whispered dramatically.

Erica narrowed her eyes. "I don’t respond to dares."

"You also panicked at a muffin squirrel."

"That’s not...okay, you know what, no. I refuse to be bullied like this on a date."

With that, she pushed off the wall.

Unfortunately, Erica pushed off with the confidence of someone who had no business having confidence. She rolled forward too fast. Aurora’s eyes widened.

"Erica, Erica, slow down!"

"I CAN’T," Erica yelled as she shot past.

Aurora took off after her, giggling so hard she could barely breathe. Erica, in contrast, was experiencing something close to spiritual terror.

The Alpha sped forward in a very uncoordinated zigzag, arms flailing. Children parted before her like she was Moses, only much less in control and much more likely to crash into someone’s grandparents.

The DJ even leaned into his microphone. "Uh, watch the tall one! Brace for impact!"

Aurora hollered, "Bend your knees!"

"I’M TRYING!"

"No, bend them like...oh, wait-WAIT-DON’T-"

Erica did bend her knees.

Just unfortunately not in the direction knees are meant to bend.

What followed was a spectacular collapse, the kind that would’ve gotten ten million views on the internet if anyone had been recording.

She went right, left, and then down, dramatically, as if gravity had personally offended her. She slid ten feet across the floor and finally stopped only because she crashed into a giant inflatable birthday cake prop.

The entire rink gasped.

Aurora came to a stop beside her, panting from laughter and worry. "Erica! Are you alive?"

Erica groaned. "Did...did I break something? Please tell me I broke something. Because if I didn’t break something, then I just fell stupidly and I’d rather have an injury than look incompetent."

Aurora blinked. "Do you want me to lie?"

"Yes, please."

Aurora leaned over her dramatically. "Erica...your knee."

"Yes?"

"It’s broken."

"Ha!" Erica looked smug even while lying on the floor. "At least I broke it impressively."

Aurora stared at her. "Baby, I’m kidding."

Erica sat up a little. "Oh."

"And yes, you fell stupidly."

"Oh."

"And no, I don’t think you broke anything."

"Please stop talking."

Aurora did not.

"Except maybe my soul from laughing."

Erica covered her face with her hands. "This date is a disaster."

"No it’s not," Aurora said cheerfully. "It’s perfect."

"How," Erica demanded, "is this perfect?"

"Because you’re cute and dramatic and you fell in the most entertaining way possible."

"Not helping."

Aurora knelt beside her, touching her knee gently. Erica hissed.

"That hurt?"

"A little," Erica admitted.

Aurora checked again, more carefully. "Okay, hmm. It’s swelling a tiny bit. You might’ve sprained it."

Erica narrowed her eyes. "You’re not secretly a doctor."

"No," Aurora said proudly. "But I do watch a lot of medical dramas."

"That’s, Aurora, that’s not..."

A teenage employee skated over with more enthusiasm than experience. "Hey! You good? Should I call-uh-like-someone? Like a medic? Or my manager?" He looked about fourteen and terrified.

Aurora waved him off. "We’re fine."

Erica lay dramatically on the floor. "I am wounded."

The teen nodded slowly. "Cool."

Aurora helped Erica up, very gently. The Alpha winced but managed to stand. She clung to Aurora for balance.

They made their way off the rink, with Aurora doing most of the steering and Erica doing most of the whining.

Once they reached a bench, Aurora sat her down.

Erica sulked. "I can’t believe this. I was supposed to impress you."

"You did," Aurora said.

"I literally fell."

"Yes! So gracefully."

"That was not graceful."

Aurora pinched her cheek. "It was the most adorable disaster I’ve ever seen."

"You’re not supposed to call your date adorable after catastrophic injury."

"Oh? Is that in the manual?"

"Yes."

"Show me the manual."

Erica sighed loudly.

Aurora rummaged in her bag and produced a mini ice pack (because Aurora was the kind of person who carried such things "just in case"). She pressed it to Erica’s knee. Erica made a noise halfway between a hiss and a groan.

"Why do you even have this?" Erica asked.

Aurora shrugged. "Preparedness. My-" She was going to say because her girlfriend tended to get injured when playing basketball, but of course, changed gears.

"For what?"

"Life."

"For knee-breaking emergencies?"

Aurora nodded. "Apparently."

Erica pouted. "I hate this."

Aurora smiled sweetly. "I love this."

"Rude."

"Very."

Aurora sat next to her, swinging her feet. "So, want to tell me how you managed to fall like physics owed you money?"

Erica glared. "I told you, it was the wheels."

"Uh-huh."

"And the lighting."

"Sure."

"And the birthday cake was too close."

"It was on the OTHER side of the rink."

Erica folded her arms. "Well. It shouldn’t have been."

Aurora leaned her head on Erica’s shoulder. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "for a non-serious date, this is very memorable."

Erica melted a little at the contact. "You’re not embarrassed?"

"Not even a little."

"You didn’t want a cool Alpha date who could do flips and protect you from everything?"

Aurora shook her head. "Honestly? I like this version better."

Erica blinked. "The version of me that fell and almost died?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Because she’s real." Aurora nudged her. "And she tries very hard. And she makes me laugh."

Erica’s ears reddened. "I’m not supposed to be cute."

"You’re cute in a tall, clueless disaster kind of way."

"That’s worse."

Aurora giggled. "It really isn’t."

Erica sighed. "I’m glad you’re having fun."

"Oh, I’m having the best time."

Erica rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the tiny smile creeping in. "Fine. But next time, we’re doing something safe. Like...sitting. Sitting is good."

Aurora gasped. "No! Where’s the fun in sitting?"

"Sitting doesn’t kill me!"

"You didn’t die."

"Barely." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Aurora kissed her cheek, light, quick, but enough to make Erica freeze.

"Oh," Erica whispered.

Aurora smiled. "See? Worth it."

Erica swallowed. "Can we sit here forever?"

Aurora laughed. "No. Because we need to get you home and ice that knee before it turns into a watermelon."

"That is extremely dramatic."

"You’re rubbing off on me."

"I don’t appreciate that."

"You love it."

"Maybe."

Aurora helped Erica stand again, much slower this time. They waddled out of the rink, one limping significantly and one giggling nonstop.

Outside, the neon sign flickered again.

Aurora pointed. "See? It was an omen."

Erica groaned. "I hate omens."

Aurora squeezed her hand. "I don’t. Tonight was great."

Erica looked away, embarrassed and pleased. "Yeah," she admitted softly. "Yeah, it kind of was."

They hobbled to the car together, Aurora still teasing, Erica still complaining, both smiling like idiots.

It was, without question, the perfect date.

Even if it ended with one very dramatic Alpha and one slightly sprained knee.