Loose Lips Sink Ships

by Katrina LaCroix

  Chapter 11

  It took longer for Avery to get ready for school than it ever had in her life. Digging through her closet, she reached past the short skirts and the tight jeans for a flowery, knee-length white skirt she’d nearly forgotten she had. She pushed the leather jackets and the revealing tops out of the way in favor of a simple light pink sweater. Instead of heels or boots, she grabbed an old pair of brown sandals.

  Gazing in the mirror, she got rid of her eyeliner, and washed away the blush. She brushed her hair and then put it in a pony tail. To top it all off, she clipped a blue ribbon barrette to the side of her head. Seeing herself this way actually made her feel like a different person. She wasn’t Avery, the girl who would pour salt on people’s lawns in the middle of the night if they said something she didn’t like to her that day. Though she couldn’t be sure who yet, the Avery in the mirror appeared to be someone very different.

  “Please, Mr. Thomson,” she feigned innocent outrage, “keep your pants on! Never in my days have I been exposed to male private parts.”

  She pretended to faint, throwing the back of her hand against her forehead and falling back on her bed. She started laughing immediately at the ridiculousness of it all. But then she zipped her lips shut. This was what Carter wanted, and she was going to follow through with it.

  Arriving at school, Avery got the first test of her goodness in the parking lot. She’d parked only a few spots down from Carter’s Porche and barely gotten out of the Honey Wagon when someone on the opposite side tapped her bumper. The clink got Carter’s attention, and Avery’s blood pressure shot through the roof. A football player hopped out of his Jeep, preparing himself for the shouting match.

  “Oh, don’t worry about it!” Avery shrugged like a pro. “No harm done. Let’s be a bit more careful next time, shall we?”

  Avery didn’t know exactly why being nice needed to come with a British accent, but apparently it did. If the offender had looked angry over his mistake before, he was now completely shocked. Swishing her skirt, Avery turned toward Carter and the school’s entrance, strolling demurely. Blushing, she glanced at him and saw he had no idea what to say.

  “You look nice,” he stuttered, looking frozen in place.

  “As do you,” she replied, lightly brushing her finger across his chest as she walked by.

  Casting her a quizzical glance, he jogged to catch up with her.

  “Hey, something weird happened yesterday that I need to talk to you about. Let’s skip ninth period and head over to Wendy’s so we can talk about it,” he proposed, but Avery’s mouth dropped open, appalled.

  “Skip a class? I would never do such a thing! My education is far too important to go gallivanting around like…”

  “Like us a hundred times before?” he asked squinting at her. “Alright, we can talk after school then. It’s about that text I sent you yesterday. And then what did you say you were doing to homeless people?”

  “I was helping them,” Avery corrected him. “I volunteered at the soup kitchen, as I frequently do, because it’s important for us to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate.”

  Putting his hand on her shoulder, Carter stopped her. He wore a funny smirk, and Avery met it with the most innocent smile she could muster.

  “What kind of joke is this? You didn’t really help the homeless, did you? Why are you acting so strange?”

  Avery had been expecting this moment, when he would finally catch on to what she was doing, and she knew to play it cool. She certainly couldn’t tell him she was willing to appease his desires for some prudish virgin; he had to figure that out for himself.

  “I’ve no idea what you’re referring to. After church, I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon giving back to my community. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something. I suppose there are always new things we can be learning about each other, and that’s part of the beauty of being in a loving relationship.”

  His stunned look told her he was still skeptical, and that was fine. She didn’t expect to convince him right away, but she had her heart set on getting there.

  “Now I shan’t be late for class so I must be off,” she declared, giving him the quickest peck on the cheek and making his eyes pop. “Please forgive the public display of affection. Sometimes you make me feel altogether saucy.”

  Leaving him stranded there in the hall, she closed her eyes and made a silent wish that this would all be worth it.

  Grabbing books from her locker, Avery noticed her friend Eri doing the same just a few lockers down. Catching eyes, she immediately came over and told Avery what was on her mind.

  “Look over there,” Eri instructed, gesturing to a group of boys outside of a classroom. “It’s Mark the quarterback. He makes me convinced God was a woman because no one else could’ve sculpted a body like that.” She had a greedy glare in her eyes that Avery knew all too well. “I think I’m getting wet just looking at him. What would you do if you had five minutes alone with him?”

  Her question, out of the blue, caught Avery off guard, as she too had been lulled into a romantic daydream, but she had to compose herself.

  “I’d probably stand silently in the corner and hope he goes away, lest he besmirch my honor.”

  Eri gave her one glance before bursting into such uncontrollable laughter that she lost her balance, fell against the lockers, and slipped to the ground. As noisy and crowded as the hallway was, she still managed to draw some attention.

  “Sometimes the things that come out of your mouth,” she laughed, dragging herself up, “are just unbelievable.”

  “Pray tell, what’s so funny?” Avery asked, starting to get annoyed that people found her attempt at innocence so ridiculous.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing or why you’re talking like that, but it’s a riot!” she chuckled, vanishing into the stream of students passing by.

  Later on, Avery entered her chemistry class, and the new teacher, Mr. Harrison, suddenly dropped behind his desk.

  “Are you alright?” she inquired, hoping to be of some assistance, but his cowering eyes told her he was hiding.

  “Don’t come anywhere near me!” he squealed, breathing heavily.

  Intent upon proving her purity, she hoped to set a better example for him.

  “Whatsoever do you mean?” she asked, pulling her hair behind her ear and bending over at the hips. Mr. Harrison, a nerdy runt of a man, scampered back against the wall in full view of the class.

  “I’ve heard about you, Avery Leigh, and you won’t be wrecking my career. So stay back!” he croaked, sweating profusely.

  “You must have me mistaken. Surely one such as myself would never be the cause of even your slightest inconvenience.”

  “Oh, that’s rich! I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, you castrating bitch, but it won’t work on me,” he scowled, clutching the wall. It took a great deal of willpower for Avery to restrain herself, but she stifled her anger and went right to her seat.

  Mr. Harrison said this in front of a class full of students, many of whom were using cell phone to record his spineless quivering. Several of them posted the video to the internet, and he had lost his job before the end of the day.

  The minutes ticked away, and Avery anxiously awaited her rendezvous with Carter after school. She was just exiting the back doors on her way to meet him back by the secluded tennis courts when Kendra stopped her.

  “You’ll never guess what happened!” she beamed. “Paul posted about me on his website! He said something like, Kendra Brent makes all the freakiest girls I’ve ever known look like the only place they could turn a trick is Sesame Street. Then there was a picture of us swimming in the mini golf pond. It’s getting thousands of hits a day and he’s having me send a few more pictures! Isn’t that amazing?”

  “I should think not!” Avery recoiled, horrified. “I must say you’ve offended my virgin sensibilities, and I implore you to keep any other subject matter unsuitable for r
espectable ears to yourself!”

  Kendra had much the same reaction as Eri did, eyes bulging and then releasing a burst of laughter that echoed through the halls.

  “You crazy!” she howled, barely able to stagger away for all her chuckling.

  Embarrassed over how unbelievable her innocence seemed and wondering what kind of impact her act was having on her friends, Avery went out to meet Carter. It would all be worth it if it meant something to him that she was trying. She’d never been willing to make sacrifices in her relationships for someone, but he was worth it to her.

  She floated down the cement steps to a narrow asphalt path beside the tall chain link fence. Carter watched her approach, his fingers holding onto the fence. She could immediately tell there was something serious he wanted to talk about, and for her that meant a great opportunity to be just what he needed.

  “I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” she said, joining him.

  He lifted his drooping head to her, but the defeated look he had remained. Avery started to feel nervous. What was going on?

  “There’s something I have to tell you,” he said, chewing his lip and scratching the adorable stubble on his chin.

  “Whatever it is, I’m sure everything will be ok as long as we greet it with the joy in our hearts and the bright smiles on our faces,’ Avery winked. She brushed her hand down his arm.

  “After practice yesterday, Ms. Downing cornered me in the parking lot and threatened me if I didn’t go out to dinner with her on some kind of date. She gave me this sob story and then told me I’d be better off with her than with you. Even though I told her I wasn’t going to give you up, she said she wasn’t going to stop trying.”

  Avery wanted to kill Ms. Downing. She could picture herself strangling the woman and spitting in her eyes as the life flickered out of her. It took every ounce of energy not to let her rage seep onto her face. She just stood for a moment, trying to freeze herself. After miraculously spending the whole day being perfectly good, the last thing she needed to do was ruin it now.

  “Are you ok?” Carter asked, concerned.

  That’s when Avery realized the huge opportunity she had been given. Carter would expect her to fly off in a murderous, knife-wielding rage, so it would really prove she was what he wanted if she didn’t. This was her big chance, and all she had to do was swallow the fact that another woman was trying to steal her boyfriend.

  “It warms my heart you decided to stay with me,” she said, forcing a smile. She shook her head, looking away for a moment to hide when her hatred bubbled over. “Poor Ms. Downing just knows what a special, wholesome man you are. I can’t say I blame her for trying her luck. I certainly did.”

  Carter eyed her carefully, searching her face for something. Avery thought he was going to kiss her, but he didn’t.

  “So you’re not angry?” he asked.

  “I’m sure she’ll be far from the last lady to get an idea into her head when she sees you.”

  “You’re not upset?”

  “I don’t believe so. I’m only in love.”

  “You’re not homicidal?”

  “No!” she shouted.

  Carter nodded his head and shrugged. She’d done it, managed to convince him. Now it was only a matter of collecting her reward. She felt like she could see through his jacket and t-shirt to the body she wanted so badly to be close to. If she had him all to herself, she’d never have to feel alone again.

  “Let’s forget about her and focus on us,” she suggested. “What should we do now?”

  Scratching the back of his neck, Carter appeared pained by the question.

  “Well, I’ve got basketball practice soon, and then a mountain of homework to do tonight. Maybe if I work real hard I should be able to scrape up some time by the end of the week, definitely by the weekend at the latest.”

  Every word of his rambling response disheartened her. Why was he giving her the run-around? No matter how much homework they had before, they’d never had a problem making time to fuck. But Avery nodded, feeling almost as small as the innocent flower she pretended to be. She couldn’t give up now, not when she’d already invested so much in her act.

  “Are you disappointed?” he asked, and Avery immediately shook her head. What would a nice girl say to tell her boyfriend he was full of shit? She only had seconds to think.

  “Thank you for always being so honest and trusting with me. I’m just the picture of happiness knowing how every single word coming out of your mouth is true,” she said, gazing into his eyes. Her guilt trip made Carter glance away and scratch his neck for a moment until he finally caved.

  “Ok, if I get a lot done tonight, I should be able to meet with you after practice tomorrow,” he relented. “Maybe we can get some ice cream. Doesn’t that sound good?”

  “Oh, how delightful! I best be on my way then. I’ll just go back home and darn socks by the fire, recounting tales of running through dandelion fields with my sister in our youth.”

  “Um, alright,” he mumbled. Fluttering her eyelashes, Avery pulled herself away, once again reassuring herself that it would only be one more day before she could finally escape into his arms, the only place she had ever been able to hide from her problems.