The Avery Shaw Experiment - By Kelly Oram Page 0,24

all about Avery’s experiment—not that I was part of it or that I’d had to join the science club, but they knew Avery was doing this all for the science fair, and that I was trying to help. They loved the idea of a Get-Over-Aiden crusade and had instantly appointed themselves my co-assistant captains on Team Avery.

“Let’s take her down to the basement for a minute before you give up. The DJ and the kegs are up here. They’ve still got the music playing downstairs, but it’s not as crowded.”

I dipped my head down to Avery’s ear. “What do you think, Aves? Give it a try, or should we jet?”

Avery took a deep breath and then turned her head to the side so that I could hear her. It brought her face just inches from mine. If I tilted her head up the tiniest bit our lips would meet.

I kicked myself. The girl was fighting a panic attack. It wasn’t exactly the time to be fantasizing about her hot sweet mouth on mine . . . or nibbling those soft pink lips . . . our tongues dancing . . . maybe I’d taste the freckles on her beautifully bare shoulder.

“I promised I’d give it a try.” The quiver in her voice snapped me out of my daydream. “If Pamela says it’s better downstairs, let’s at least go see.”

There is a God. It was much calmer downstairs. The lights were dim, the music was a little quieter, and there was plenty of room to breathe. It was a close call, but we didn’t have to leave the party. After a while Avery even settled down enough that she sent me over to play a game of pool with Owen, while she chatted on a sofa with Pam and Chloe.

“Dude,” Owen said after he’d missed his shot and I failed to notice it was my turn. “She’s only five feet away. You’ve got to relax a little.”

“Yeah, no, I’m relaxed. I know she’s fine.” I took a deep breath and stretched. “It’s just that dress . . .” I turned back around and focused on the pool table. “Two in the corner pocket.”

“She does look good tonight,” Owen admitted. “Makes me want to go check out the rest of the nerds at school, see who else is hiding out in the science lab.”

I laughed. “Seven. Side pocket.”

I missed my shot and immediately my eyes drifted back to Avery. She looked up, smiled, gave me a thumbs-up, and then laughed at something Pam said.

“I never thought I’d see the day Grayson Kennedy was off the market, but you, bro, are a player no longer.” Owen sidled up next to me and joined me in watching the girls. Chloe was trying to get Pam and Avery to dance with her, and Avery was vehemently refusing to do so. “You are completely hung up on that girl . . . like I’ve never seen you hung up before.”

“Yeah.” I didn’t bother denying it. “It would seem so.”

“So what’s up with that? You spend all this time with her, but you don’t make a move.”

I sighed. “It’s complicated. She just got dumped hardcore.”

“She doesn’t seem all that broken up over it.”

It was true. Aves had seemed a lot happier lately, but I’d seen her right when it happened. She was getting better, but her pain ran deep.

“It was my little brother who hurt her. How can I move in on that?”

Owen shrugged and went back to the game. “Eleven in the corner. You said they were never together.”

“Not technically, but they were like . . . I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Yeah, but there was nothing going on. For seventeen years? You weren’t with her five minutes before you couldn’t stop picturing her naked. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Fourteen in the corner.”

Owen missed his shot, and as I lined up my next he said, “Sometimes it just works. It obviously does for you guys. She may think she’s in love with your brother, but I’ve seen her look at you too. Trust me, the spark is there.”

I missed my shot, definitely not on my game tonight. This conversation wasn’t helping any. Then again, I was pretty sure that was part of Owen’s strategy.

“Even if it is,” I argued. “It won’t happen until she lets go of the idea of my brother. That’s what I’m trying to get her to do.”

Owen sunk the last stripe on the table. “So try harder. You’re Grayson