Love surprises you - on hold

two

Ava

   Ava forces a tight lipped smile for her best friend as she excitedly tells their other friends about her future date with the nitrous Elijah Day. She doesn't quite know why a knot forms in her stomach thinking about Grace and Elijah, but she's almost 100% sure it's because of jealousy. Ava's only ever been asked out by one guy, and honestly hasn't had an attraction to anyone before. Even though she doesn't necessarily want a relationship, she must be jealous because she wants someone to interested in her? That seems like the only logical explanation. But she still finds dating superficial, most people-at least in her highschool-only do it for street credit, and it annoys her pretty bad.

That's why at rule number three on her list of important rules to never break, no dating in high school, sits. She tells herself it's so she can focus on her schoolwork and focus on getting into a good college, while also enjoying her hobbies, and that's what she tells everyone else too. But since she added that to the list, she's begun to realize that's not the only reason it's there. Ava knows she's different. She's never had a crush on anyone, not even when she was a dumb kid. So she's made due with the fact she's not like everyone else. She's not sure how she's different and can't seem to care to find out why, so she leaves it there, telling everyone she focuses on books not boys, while deep down knowing the truth is she doesn't belong. It feels alienating but after living with this realization for years, she's made her peace. Why does she have to know what's wrong with her right now? Why can't she wait until she's older and knows better?

An elbow delivered to her side by a snickering Tim makes her realize she's been staring at her food rather than eating it and listening to her group of friends. "Daydreaming about me again, Morrison?" Tim questions, giving her a teasing grin.

She lets out a small laugh, muttering "You wish, Clarke." Ava looks away from Tim's brown eyes to meet Grace's blue ones. "What were we talking about?"

"How Grace becomes a total girl when talking about Elijah." Chloe says, earning a glare from the other girl. "C'mon you turn into a total softy."

"Oh shut up." Grace replies weakly, running a hand through her dyed hair. "So what, I like him? Doesn't make me any more girly."

Ava expects Chloe to argue back, but instead it's Tim pointing out cockily, "No but you act more girly, you get all giddy and shit. Like you can't stop smiling, it's weird, I'm used to you glaring at me now you're grinning!" He exclaims the last part, apparently finding it hard to believe Grace would smile at him, which is valid. Grace was never exactly secretive about disliking Tim. And in her own mind, Ava muses her hatred for the man is because of Tim's crush on herself. Tim likes Ava and has since the ninth grade, he in fact is the one guy that Ava's been asked out by.

"There's nothing wrong with smiling when you're happy." Ava says, making a point by giving the table a silly close lipped smile. "See, now you guys feel happy, that's what smiling is for." The table quiets down and watches Ava eat her yogurt as she stays oblivious to their staring.

"Isn't smiling to prove to other people you're happy? Like, to shove it in their face." Chloe says, chuckling at herself.

"No Chloe, that's why you smile, to brag about you're dumb happiness with your boyfriend." Tim tells her, laughing when her smile drops a bit.

"I don't brag about Jay." She defends, her voice much quieter.

Grace gives a secret grin to Ava who sits by her side before turning to Chloe, her poker face on, "Uh, yeah you do." She informs her, giving her an innocent look.

Chloe looks between everyone's expressions, Tim who's giving her an 'I told you so' look, and Grace whose eyes are still pleading innocent as if she's not teasing her just to annoy her, while Ava gives her a truly blank stare, not bothering to join in on the friendly banter. That's another thing that sets Ava apart from the others, she doesn't really understand what's so funny about teasing your friends, or at least anyone who she's not super close with. Shouldn't you want your friends to be happy and to like you, why try and mess that up by bullying them. For some reason though, Ava found it a lot more enjoyable when Grace gives her small looks of excitement, showing her best friend how happy it makes her makes Ava like it that much more.

"Whatever, I'm gonna go hang out with my boyfriend." Chloe says, standing from the table, "Maybe you all would stop judging when you get a partner." Right before Chloe leaves Ava notices the glint of humor in the girl's eyes explaining to her that she was joking.

A laugh circles around the table but as the bell rings, it stops, groans from the other two have Ava frowning to herself. Unlike them Ava actually enjoys class, she likes learning, she even finds tests fun, they let her know what subjects she doesn't understand enough.

"C'mon pumpkin, let's get you to your college level biology." Grace says, pushing her chair out as she wears a proud smile at her own words. Ava's lips tug up into a smile too, though this time it's for the cute nickname Grace still insists on calling her.

With a small blush in her cheeks, Ava stands too, leaving her tray on the table along with the other girl's, but taking her granola bar from it. "Bye Tim." She says, opening the bar as Grace tugs her towards the door. "I still don't get why you don't like him." Ava tells her friend, little crumbles falling from her mouth as she speaks with a full mouth. Grace playfully rolls her eyes, ignoring the question as she let's go of Ava. "You're gonna be late for Spanish if you walk me all the way to the resource center."

"I know but I don't wanna go to Spanish." Grace says, making Ava give her a disapproving look. "Yeah yeah, I'll do my homework for ten extra minutes to make up for it."

Ava looks at her with a confused smile, "That doesn't make sense, Grace." As they reach Ava's locker she pauses, unlocking it to pull her books out before slamming it back shut, taking another bite from her granola bar.

"You got all your stuff?" Ava nods leading her friend to once again grab her wrist and pull her around the corner, to the stairwell.

"I know the way to my own class." Ava tells her, smiling lightly as she's dragged behind Grace up the stairs. Grace hums but still doesn't release her, making Ava's smile grow a bit more. "Will I see you after school?"

"No, I gotta go home to fix the aftermath." Grace says, her sad expression rubbing off on Ava. "But I'll text you, and see you tomorrow morning."

Ava nods as they reach the door to the resource room where a professor from UCLA comes to teach. Finally Grace's hand drops from her arm as she turns to face her, "Okay, I'll see you later." Ava says, and despite her excitement to learn, she doesn't want to leave Grace yet.

"Yup I'll see you tomorrow, work hard okay?" Ava nods, watching pride fill Grace's eye which makes her grin. "Goodbye." Grace says again, but when Ava doesn't move she speaks again, "Goodbye means go into your classroom and learn."

Ava gives her a short nod, opening the glass door to the room and not breaking Grace's eye contact as she slowly enters the room. "Goodbye." She tells the girl, before closing the door and turning to find the professor and the only other two kids who take this class already there. With one last glance back at a smiling Grace, she takes her seat. She's more than positive that when Grace turns to leave she's not in fact heading to Spanish but instead going to the courtyard to smoke with her burnout friends. Ava isn't jealous of any of those friends because Grace only hangs out with them when she's intoxicated, but she hangs out with Ava all the time, it doesn't matter if her mind's clear or blocked by the influence, she'll see her either way.