Was there like an etiquette?
If he acted as if nothing happened, I was certain to be disappointed. I didn’t want to read into everything more than I already was, especially since he was the one who decided things wouldn’t work out the first time we dated. Besides, I was embarrassed at how he had seen my sister. So I took the high road and avoided the whole situation.
My two college courses flew by, and I went straight to the dance room for practice when the lunch bell rang, figuring I would eat when I got home from school, even though my stomach was devouring itself. Once everyone was there, we ran through our dance a few times. Then I let the girls take a break and checked my phone to see I had a text from both Rabia and Cade. Opening Rabia’s first was the safest route.
You’re not at lunch…
I wanted to hear how
the meeting went?
Doing a lunch practice. I promise I’ll give you all the details after school. HINT: It went AWESOME!!!
Then I read Cade’s, ignoring the squeeze in my chest.
Why aren’t you at
lunch?
Dance practice.
You shouldn’t skip
lunch. It’s unhealthy.
Me: I’ll eat when I get home.
Whatever. Guess I’ll
see you tomorrow.
Nausea overwhelmed me, but there wasn’t any reason for it. Any anger from him was unwarranted. Just because I took one day off, he couldn’t expect me to drop everything. The suspicion that he knew I was avoiding him had me feeling like I had let him down by not going to lunch.
The icky feelings were shaken off, or mostly ignored, and I ran the dance a few more times before letting the girls go in time to grab some lunch. Everyone was gone by the time I changed into my regular clothes. I thought about hurrying to grab a snack before class, since we still had ten minutes until the bell, but I was stopped by a figure standing at the gym exit.
“I thought you might want some food.” Cade held up a Dr. Pepper and a bag of cheesy Doritos—my favorites.
How freaking sweet was he to bring me a snack?
My belly was full of flutters just at the sight of him, but from the firm set of his jaw, I suspected he was mad at me. “Um, thanks.” With a tentative smile, I took them.
Without a word, he held the door open for me and followed me from the gym. The need for him to touch me, to acknowledge how we were on Saturday, was unbearable, but he kept his hands in his pockets. My gut remained clenched, keeping me on edge while we walked the campus toward my next class. I wanted to say something, to ask him how his day was or something, but I was tongue-tied and the anger radiating from him kept me quiet. Picking at my nails and finding interest in every tree we passed seemed my only option.
“You avoiding me, Ava?” he finally spoke right when we approached my classroom.
He stopped to face me, leaning against the wall. Of course, he had figured it out. With a shrug, I stared at my fascinating blue Chucks.
What are you doing? Don’t let him know you were actually avoiding him. You had stuff to do!
With a lift of my chin, I straightened my shoulders. “I had a practice.” I kept my tone flat. “And if I hadn’t had that, I would have been at the museum, showing it to the prom committee.”
His gaze hardened, an eyebrow shooting up. “You know I can sniff out your lies from a mile away, right?”
“I’m not lying,” I retorted, but my stupid voice cracked. Even still, my anger urged me on. “I told you I could give you another free day, but that doesn’t mean everything else stops for me. I still have a million things to do before graduation, and taking days off only makes my pile—” I stopped, clamping my mouth shut.
Complaining about taking time off to hang out with him wasn’t on the agenda; it just came out with the rest of my rant. Our time together had been amazing, and I did enjoy taking some time to breathe, so I didn’t want him to think I regretted it at all, but he appeared to think exactly that.
With a fierce glare, he came within inches of me, our noses almost bumping. “You know I’m about to call you on your bullshit, so get ready, sweetheart.” My head snapped back, giving me whiplash. I opened my mouth to argue, but he interrupted me. “Stop it, Ava. I already told you—you don’t need to argue with me, so stop trying. If you’re uncomfortable being around me, we don’t have to hang out this weekend, but I still expect you to keep a day free to at least do something with Rabia. You know, your best friend, who misses the shit out of you.”
Ouch.
“But don’t pull this crap,” he went on, jabbing a finger at me. “Don’t avoid me to get away from a potentially awkward situation, then lie to me about it.”
I stayed silent, studying his angry eyes. Doing a lunch practice was supposed to be completely harmless. Boy, was I wrong. “I’m sorry,” I admitted, my shoulders slumping. “I was totally trying to avoid an awkward situation and didn’t think you would catch on.”
“Of course, I caught on. I’m not an idiot. But I’m serious. If you’re uncomfortable around me, we don’t need to hang out.”
“I’m not uncomfortable around you.” I all but stamped my foot, right as the bell rang and the halls were flooded with bodies. “You didn’t text me or anything, and I was really embarrassed by my sister,” I confessed with much reluctance. I’d heard coming off as needy is really attractive.
“Mia’s craziness isn’t going to scare me off.” Eyes full of amusement, he smirked. “I have crazy family stuff I deal with all the time too, so I understand. That’s actually part of why I didn’t text, because I was dealing with some stuff with my dad and I broke my phone. So it’s not that I didn’t want to talk to you, I just couldn’t.”
“Oh.” I stared, not knowing what else to say. I knew things were shitty with his dad, and I wanted to ask about it, but prying wasn’t my thing. The drama I had just caused was unacceptable. “I’m really sorry. I should have talked to you.” I shook my head, picked at my nails some more. “Do you want to talk about it?”
His face went slack, making me feel even worse for saying anything. The strained smile and shake of his head made the moment absolutely perfection. Good job, Ava. “Maybe another time.”
That would have to do, but I wanted to comfort him, to be there for him if his dad was being a douche. Instead, I nodded, dropping it. “Well, I would still love to hang out this weekend, if the offer is still on the table?”
“Of course it is. I’ll text you later.” He leaned in close, giving me a peck on the cheek before leaving for class.
Kids pushed past me to get in the classroom, while I stared at him like an idiot. A few of the girls who must have seen the intimate move—and apparently didn’t like it—threw a glare in my direction. I wasn’t an idiot—Cade was hot, and adding his sweetness only made him more desirable. Most girls in our class had a crush on him. One of the girls, Sydney, let me go in the room ahead of her but followed close behind me, invading my personal bubble. The moment I got to my seat, she pulled on my elbow, forcing me to face her. I stared at her, then at her hand on my arm with raised eyebrows.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“Are you dating Cade again?” she demanded, letting go of my arm to cross hers over her cleavage, which made her boobs practically pop out of her protruding neckline.
“That’s none of your business,” I pointed out, not wanting to admit I didn’t know the actual answer.
“Actually—” Sydney dramatically flipped her long, brown curls over a shoulder. “—it is my business. You see, he and I have been hanging out a lot, and he’s been hinting at asking me to prom. Besides, even if he was interested in you at all, that interest would be fleeting. So maybe you should just back off before things get ugly.”
Most everyone was seated at this point, but luckily our teacher wasn’t in the room yet. A few other conversations went on, but nearly everyone watched us, which pissed me off. The anger masked the pinch of jealousy in my gut, which I didn’t
want there to begin with. Admitting to myself that she had stated my exact fear of his interest being fleeting was crushing.
The mask of a strong, fearless girl had to be placed over my insecurities, lest I cry in front of my classmates. “Are you actually threatening me in front of our entire class?” As if realizing where we were, her eyes widened when she gazed around the room. Then she turned a glare on me when I went on, “Who Cade takes to prom is up to him. I’m not his mother, and I’m not his girlfriend, so if he asks you, please enjoy yourself.”
The bell rang the moment I turned to sit at my desk, and Mr. Devin came in to start class. Sydney stormed to her seat before he could reprimand her, causing a sigh to escape me. The snickers and stares meant nothing. Really the whole class was a bust, since I couldn’t concentrate on anything to do with government. The same went for my AP chemistry class. The idea of them hanging out morphed into a disaster of thoughts running through my mind.
Logically, I had no reason to be jealous, but both my brain and heart were being illogical. I imagined them together, holding hands, him kissing her the way he had me. Plus, she had to be much easier than me, so who knew what else they may have done? What made me most angry was her ruining my great mood and excitement to hang out with Cade again.
By the time school was over, my awful imagination had played out multiple scenarios of them together. I was more than ready to go home and dive into the new prom plans or do anything that would take my mind off them.
To make things worse, Cade and Sydney were in the parking lot together when I walked out to my car. With her flipping hands all over him, she walked with him to his car. Frozen in place, I watched her get in the passenger seat before they drove away together. There was no convincing myself I hadn’t seen it happen, even with my eyes scrunched closed. The image of him laughing with her was burned into the backs of my eyelids.
When I got to my car, I tried to put on a smile for Rabia who was already there, but I didn’t think it was believable. The worried look she gave me when we got in the car told me she had seen them too. Mia showed up at the car only a few moments later but didn't comment on my mood or bring up her horrid attitude from the morning when she climbed in the back seat. The drive home was silent, allowing my mind far too much room to wander.
It shouldn’t have bothered me so much. I shouldn’t have been jealous at all, since he really wasn’t my boyfriend, but I was only human. He didn’t have to look so happy, though, as if he were actually enjoying himself with her. Besides, he had told me he didn’t put moves on just any girl, hadn’t he? I wanted to bang my head against the freaking steering wheel—the whole thing was getting waaaay too complicated.
Chapter Eleven
Cade
I had to leave school in a hurry again, but for some reason, Mr. Costner wouldn’t let me leave early. He may have been irritated with me for leaving early so often, or had he simply forgotten. Whatever the case, I left when everyone else did.
It was hard to be mad or stressed I might be late, since I was still riding the high from catching Ava off guard, yet again. The stunned look she gave me when I touched her in a way she wasn’t expecting was the best. Having cleared things up with her was a plus. I knew exactly how she would act after our amazing night. Though protecting herself from me was unnecessary. I would gain her trust soon enough.
The second the bell rang I was out the door, hurrying toward the parking lot, but was stopped by someone wrapping their arms around my neck from behind. The size of the tits pressing into my back told it wasn’t the person I would want there, which had me stiffening in irritation. The too-sweet smell of her perfume hit me, burning my nostrils, telling me who it was.
“Sydney,” I hissed, grabbing her wrists to remove them from around my neck.
I kept walking while she pouted, pushing her perfectly glossed bottom lip out. She crossed her arms under her chest, making her boobs almost pop out of her lacy, white shirt, giving me the perfect view of her zebra-print bra. My speed walking made it easier not to look.
“Cade, are you busy today?” When she wrapped herself around my arm, I clenched my eyes shut, breathing deep.
It took everything in me to not shake her off. I didn’t want to be rude. She was cute and pretty nice, but that wasn’t all I wanted in a girl. Which was why things hadn’t worked out after we’d gone out a few times at the beginning of the year. “Yeah.” I gave her a half smile. “Actually I need to get to work.” When we got to the lot, I fished my keys from my pocket.
Once to my car, I had hopes she would give up and let go of my arm. Instead, her grip tightened as she pressed her sizeable chest against me. “That’s a bummer. I was thinking….” She leaned up on her toes, whispering something extremely slutty in my ear. I can’t lie—there was some appeal. But it didn’t make my blood rush the way only standing next to Ava did. Wherever this was coming from, why she was being so blatant, was beyond me.
With a shake of my head, I gave an uncomfortable laugh. “No, thanks, Sydney.” I pulled my arm from her grip, and she pouted again.
How could she think being so blatant would work on me?
Eyes growing wide, she asked, “Really?”
“Yes, really.” I nodded, trying to keep it light. “I need to go, Sydney. I’m going to be late for work.”
Something she saw over my shoulder made her smirk, but I didn’t care what she was looking at. “Could you at least give me a ride home?” She rubbed a hand over my shoulder, and I gritted my teeth to keep from snapping at her. “My mom couldn’t come get me, so I thought, since we only live a few miles from each other, you could give me a ride.”
Sighing, I rubbed a hand over my neck and squeezed hard. I knew this game. Where it was coming from, who knew, but I didn’t want to play it. “Fine. Get in the car. I cannot be late.”
She beamed, so I jerked my arm away from her and got in the car. Her chattering the entire way made my ears buzz. I may have been a jerk, but I was irritated she had wrangled me into driving her home.
When I parked in front of her house, she hesitated before getting out. With a devilish smile, she leaned toward me. I groaned inwardly. Her desperation was unbelievable. I mean, she was hot, most guys wouldn’t decline her, but she was not who I wanted.
When I leaned toward her, her smile grew in satisfaction, until I dodged her puckered lips. Reaching around her, I opened the door for her before jerking back in my seat. With my gaze trained straight ahead, I didn’t get to see the look she gave me, but I was certain it wasn’t good.
My eyes still forward, I said, “See you later.”
Without another word, she huffed before getting out of the car. She slammed the door shut harder than was needed, but I shrugged it off. I shook my head as I drove away, not having a freaking clue where that came from, but the girl was acting weird. I hoped she would forget about whatever agenda she had by the next day—otherwise I would get annoyed pretty fast.
When I got home, I was relieved my mom wasn’t there. There was no way I was going to talk to her about breakfast with Darrel or the offer he made me, especially not when I was running late for work. I hurried inside to grab my updated USB, then got on my way to work.
The fact that I was almost late made me mad at Sydney all over again. The night went smoothly, and there weren’t too many calls to take, so I continued my work on organizing the music. In the middle of the evening, I stared at my phone, wishing Ava would text me. Pining over her seemed super lame, but she wasn’t acting as I thought most girls who liked someone did.
I always thought girls wanted to talk all the time to see what the other person was up to. The concern she had in her eyes when I brought my dad up made me want to talk to her about it, to confide in her and maybe lean on her a little. I growled in frustration after staring at the phone for ten whole minutes and decided to text her.
Hey. Having a good night?
It was simple, nonchalant—not the book I wanted to send her. Whatever. I stared at th
e screen for a whole ten minutes again, waiting for her response. But it never came. I checked the time to make sure it wasn’t too late, but it was only seven, and I was sure she didn’t go to bed that early. Figuring, maybe she had her nose stuck in a book or she was consumed in her homework, I waited a while longer. Still, nothing came. After an entire hour of yelling at myself in my head to leave it, I sent another text because, come on, I couldn’t leave it.
Everything okay?
She didn’t text back. Not at all that night. I went home around eleven again, trying to keep my mind off it. There was nothing to worry or get pissed about. She may have done exactly what I did and broken her phone, or maybe it died and she forgot to charge it. All my rationalization with myself was a lie. She always answered her phone, no matter what, which made worry take hold. Convincing myself I would see her the next day was the only thing to calm me down.
Chapter Twelve
Ava
I woke up at five the next morning, which was the time I usually woke on school days to go running. After getting my running gear on, I went downstairs to find Mom and Dad making tea and breakfast. We said our good mornings as I got a glass of warm water, doing our normal routine.
After ignoring the texts Cade sent me the night before, I had decided to move on to better things. If he actually was dating Sydney, or “hanging out” with her too, there was no need for me to continue with my efforts. I obviously wasn’t enough for him, but that was okay. My life was perfect. The prom committee was on my side, the dance concert was coming along great, and my grades were impeccable. There was no reason for me to fret over one guy.
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