One Of The Boys

Chapter 5 - Avery

Avery

  By the time seventh hour Sports and Fitness runs around, I was serious about ready to sock someone in the face.

 Senior year was so not turning out how I thought it would be.

I had no idea what the hell possessed me to take all AP classes, because now I had a shit-ton of homework all due tomorrow. I barely knew anybody in any of the classes I had, and if I did, it was freaking Nick, who wouldn't shut up about the picture Marshall drew of me.

 Right.

Not only did Marshall extremely well, he had to draw a picture of me that made me look better than I actually did. If that hadn't been shocking enough to find, Marshall turned as red as a tomato, started stuttering like an idiot, and then promptly ran out of the cafeteria as soon as the bell rang.

That was nice.

"You look like you're about ready to punch someone in the face, Avery."

I glanced over at Alec with a scowl as we fell into the line of people heading out to start jogging the track. "Do I?"

Alec's face remained impassive, like normal, even when I'd used the most sarcastic tone I could manage. That was one of the nice things about Alec. He was so good at hiding what he was thinking that I probably could've told him I was pregnant and he wouldn't have batted an eyelash.

 That would be why Alec was my main confidant when it came to my pathetic dealings with Alec.

"God, Alec, did you see that drawing?" I groaned, my hands flying to my face.

"Yeah, I saw it," Alec said with a slight grin. "It was nice."

"Nice? Nice? Alec, it was downright beautiful! I had no idea he could draw like that," I said, waving my hands around as we walked. "Did you know he's the second coming of Michaelangelo?"

Alec shrugged a shoulder as we started jogging the track. "Yeah, I knew."

I forced my legs to keep moving and not stop in my tracks. "You knew? You knew and you didn't say anything?"

"It wasn't in my place to tell," Alec said sagely. "It's Marshall's thing. Not mine."

"Yeah, but - "

"Do you think I tell anybody what you say about Marshall?"

"No, but - "

"Then I don't say anything about what he says about you."

That time I really did stop walking. My jaw dropped and I choked on air a little. It felt like a handful of butterflies had just erupted in my tummy.

Marshall said things about me? Like, what things?

What?

Alec stopped jogging and turned back when he noticed I wasn't beside him. He frowned in confusion, staring at me. "What?"

"What?" I repeated dumbly. "How can you just say something like that and ask me what?"

"I didn't say anything. Stop being weird."

Yeah, that was Alec Hastings for you.

"Whatever," I grumbled, starting to jog again. "You're so annoying, Alec."

"Probably." Alec shrugged again. "But that's not my problem. Who else are you going to confide in about your pathetic crush on Marshall?"

"Hey!" I yelped. "You said it wasn't pathetic?"