How I Got My Crush To Like Me

Fun, Games, and Tricks

Chapter 15 - Fun, Games, and Tricks

Ava and I finished our sandwiches quickly, not wanting to spend more time dwelling on the photo posted on the school page.

However, the awkward silence that ensued while we were eating led my thoughts immediately to the note I had received at the restaurant on Derek and my's date. Plus, the fact that Ava conveniently was at the same place as me when the picture was taken.

This whole ordeal was turning into something more complicated than I had originally thought. First, Claire telling me to stay away from Derek, then Hannah and Derek not telling me anything, only that telling me something would compromise my safety. Then the note at the restaurant... and now this stupid picture incident? It was all getting out if hand and I had no clue how to stop it from getting worse.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed as though Ava had taken the picture. But she seemed more accusatory of me than herself. The notion that Ava, the girl who could barely lie about not eating a bite of my cookie, could actually be sabotaging my relationship with Derek was hard to believe.

Ava waited as I finished my sandwich before standing and straightening out her shorts. "You ready? Spring's coming and I have to get prepared. We still need to go to a few more stores."

"Yep." I told her, copying her actions and then throwing out my trash.

"So, speaking of the town day tomorrow, do you by any chance want to stop by the crew booth?"

"You finally decided to do winter training and spring?"

"Yeah, and because everyone's still kind of mad at me for taking fall off, I got scheduled to run the booth for two hours."

"Remind me why you didn't row fall?" I asked Ava as we went down an escalator, my voice full of amusement.

"I wanted to take a break and focus on homework." Ava recited from the script she had prepared whenever anyone asked her something on that subject. It was actually taking a toll on her grades, and rather than her choosing to stop rowing on our school's team, her parents choose for her.

"But now you're grades are back up?"

"Yeah."

"And the crew cult continues." I murmured. Ava laughed at me.

"You're just jealous you're not on the team." Ava shot back. She was only half true.

I didn't get in after my first year when they made cuts to the team, mainly because I couldn't seem to build up the muscles required to row fast.

However, I wouldn't have been able to continue crew the next year anyway because of the limited amount of time I had for homework that one year. Ever since, I had watched the crew cult grow.

"I am not jealous of the little time you have for homework. It's like you wake up, row, go to school, row, do homework, sleep, and then repeat."

"That's the way I like it." Ava told me with a smile.

"Ok, whatever you say."

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"To your right! Derek! I said to the right, not left! Can I please just drive? Pull over."

"I have this!"

"You can't fine a spot! So no, you don't 'have it'! Wait! Turn right there, I see a spot down there!"

I watched in amusement as Hannah and Derek argued. The two had been at each other the entire ride. We would have walked, but Hannah needed the car to drive to a friend's house later.