“Ava,” Miss Turner greets, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. “I’ve been looking forward to this meeting. I have some news…”
Connor
Multimedia class has us working in different groups, and so I don’t get to speak to Ava as much as I want to. Or need to, really.
I’m a goner.
For real.
And I’m not even mad about it.
As soon as the end-of-period bell sounds, I rush to her side and wait until we’re out of the room to ask, “Did you want to have lunch together today?”
She leans against the wall just outside the door, her eyes lifting to mine. “I can’t.” I try to hide my disappointment, but she sees it anyway. Her hand goes to my chest and then drops quickly… as if habit put it there and self-doubt forced it away. She adds, looking down at the floor, “I have a makeup test that I need to take, and I don’t know how long it will go for. I don’t want you waiting on me.”
I shrug. “I’d wait.”
“Hey, Connor,” says a girl walking past.
“What’s up?” I respond without taking my eyes off Ava.
Ava’s lips tick at the corners. “Fan of yours?”
I shake my head, offer another shrug. “I have no idea who that was.”
“Right.” She tugs on my sleeve. “If you’re free after school, I could use a ride home.”
“Can’t. I have back-to-back practice.”
“Sucks.”
“But after that, I can come to your house if you want.”
“We’ll see.”
My brows knit. “What does that mean?”
It’s her turn to shrug. Kicking off the wall, she moves an inch closer. “What happened last night?”
I bite back a smile. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know… one minute I was sitting on the couch with you, and the next I was tucked into bed all cozy and warm.”
“And?”
“Did you carry me to my bed?”
I nod.
“That’s a little embarrassing.”
“Nah,” I assure. “You were kind of adorable. Though you did drool all over my weenus again.”
A gasp sounds from the open door of the classroom, and Miss Salas is there, her eyes wide. “I would watch what you talk about at school, young man!”
Ava’s giggle dies in her throat.
“I think you may have misheard me, Miss Salas,” I say.
The teacher’s brow drops in fury. “Shouldn’t you two be in class?”
“Oh shit,” Ava laughs, looking around us.
I do the same.
The corridors are empty.
Ava taps my shoulder. “See you later, stud.”
I watch Ava walk away for longer than I should, then glance over at Miss Salas still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed. I give her that panty-melting smile Ava used to talk about. “Any chance of getting a late pass?”
I pick at the food on my lunch tray, wondering how shitty of a person I would be if I offered to pay Ava to start bringing my lunches to school. It sounds like a foolproof plan, but it wouldn’t work for two reasons. One: I’d almost be forcing her to talk to me, and two: I have no money.
“There’s, like, almost 4 billion women in the world, and let’s assume 3 billion of those are over eighteen,” Mitch says, and I don’t know where he’s going with this, but I already want out of the conversation. “That’s like, 6 billion legal boobs.”
“Jesus,” I mumble, dropping my fork and pushing away my tray.
Next to me, Karen murmurs, more to herself than anyone else, “Why do I sit here?”
“Because you can’t resist me,” Mitch says, blowing her a kiss.
Karen rolls her eyes at the same time her phone vibrates on the table. “Thank God,” she whispers, answering the call. “Hey, Ava.”
“What? It’s Ava?” That was me, not being subtle. I try to listen in on the phone call, but Karen shoves my face away, then holds the phone to her other ear. “Yeah, of course.”
My eyebrows kick up.
“I’ll be there soon.”
She stands, her chair scraping behind her. “Later, fuckwads.”
“Wait!” I stand, too. “Is Ava okay?”
“Girlgency. Mind your own business!”
Ava
“Hey, girl!” Karen calls out, climbing the bleacher steps, just like Connor used to do. I sit taller when I hear her and put my phone away, ignoring Connor’s message asking if I’m okay.
I’m not okay.
And he can’t be the person to help me through it.
I say, “Sorry to call you. I hope you weren’t busy.”
Rolling her eyes, she sits down next to me. “I was just about to punch Mitch in the face for the third time today, so no, not busy at all, and never too busy for you. What’s going on?”
“It’s stupid,” I admit, regret filling me. I had a