envelope against my chest. “I’m not taking your money.”
I throw my hands up and take a step back, forcing him to hold on to the cash. “It’ll help, right?”
“Connor…”
I cross my arms. “One day, you and Ava are going to realize that it’s not just you three. I’m part of this, too. Miss D—she’s like a mother to me, whether you guys see that or not. I’m just doing my part.”
Trevor nods slowly as if contemplating. “It’s a loan.”
“It’s whatever you want to tell yourself.”
He sighs. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I wake up the next morning to a knock on the door. No. To someone beating down the door. “Connor, I know you’re in there! Let me in!”
“Shit,” I whisper, pushing the covers off me. I open the door and don’t get a chance to say anything before Ava’s pushing past me and going to my room. She’s moving shit around, looking through my drawers, my closet. She goes through my school bag, takes out the laptop and places it on the bed. Then she looks for my phone. It’s there, too. Realization hits, and I know why she’s here. I lean against the doorframe as I watch her stand in the middle of my room, already dressed for school. Her hands are on her hips as she looks around, first at the floor, then at the walls, and she won’t find what she’s looking for, at least not in here. As if reading my mind, she shoulders past me and does the same thing in the living room, turning over the cushions on the couch, checking the TV, and then the stereo. She looks at the floor and then the walls… I groan the moment I notice her shoulders tense.
She pushes past me again, heading for the door. “Do you need a ride to school?” I call out because I’m still half asleep and it’s the only thing I can think to say.
“I’m good!” she yells, marching down the steps.
Today is going to be neat.
I don’t see Ava again until the end of lunch when she storms through the doors on a mission from Satan himself. “Jesus Christ, Connor, what’s with your girl?” Mitch laughs out.
I curse under my breath and get to my feet, but she moves past me, curls bouncing around, and goes straight for Rhys. “Give it back!”
Rhys eyes her warily before moving to me, but his words are meant for her. “Give what back?”
“The jersey!”
“What jersey?”
“The signed Larry Bird jersey, you fucking shit-for-brains. Give it back to him!”
Rhys laughs, but I don’t, because I don’t miss the fury in Ava’s eyes like he does. “It was a fair trade.”
Ava’s jaw clenches and she reaches up, pulls on Rhys’s hair until his head throws back. The entire table hisses, a single sound of sympathy for our fallen brother. “Give it back!” Ava yells, but she ends in a sob, and she’s lost it. Completely. I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her off her feet. “Let it go, Ava.”
“No!”
I try to pull her away, but she’s still holding onto Rhys’s hair, and he moves with us. “Control your fucking woman, Ledger!”
Ava releases his hair just so she can kick him. “Give it back to him!”
“Not here!” I grind out, motioning for Rhys to follow us outside. I carry Ava in the same position while she squirms in my hold, trying to attack Rhys as if this is his fault. It’s not. And besides, I like Rhys. I don’t really feel like losing him to Ava’s raging ninja kicks.
Once out of the cafeteria and away from everyone’s cell phones directed at her, I set her back on her feet. She charges at Rhys, and he steps away just in time.
“Ava!” I yell. “Calm the hell down!”
She ignores me, stands in front of Rhys. “Give it back to him now!”
“He sold it to me!”
“So, sell it back!”
Rhys shakes his head, crosses his arms. “No!”
“It’s not a big deal,” I press. “It’s just a fucking jersey.”
She spins to me, tears already in her eyes when she says, “It’s not just a jersey, Connor!” Her chest rises with her need for air. “You were twelve, and you and your dad drove ten hours for the slight chance that you might meet him! You stood outside that store for five hours before you got to the front of the line! And you told me how it felt for you to be standing in front of your hero and how nervous you