Average

Chapter 1: A misstep that started it all

Oh! Wait... I forgot to introduce...

I was seventeen, studying at a nearby 'Hell', known to mankind as High School to be exact Corvallis High School while Alex was twenty-one and enjoying his life at the local 'Heaven', known as the Oregon State University. Agreed, he was too old to live with us, but he was a Mama's boy. Life without his dear Mom was impossible for him. We admittedly did have an age difference, but Alex and I were pretty close and not to mention majorly childish.

We settled ourselves in our designated seats, and greeted our mom enthusiastically with a chorus of 'Good morning.'

She rolled her lovely eyes. "When are you both gonna grow the hell out of my house?"

"Never!" we exclaimed in unison as our mom mumbled her indignation at our childishness.

After we had eaten our breakfast, both of us dropped ourselves on the couch in the living room.

"I will be off to my magnificent bed as soon as she's out for her friend's house," I instantly informed Alex.

He looked attentively at me and advised, "You should hear my plan first..." and without giving me a chance to agree or disagree he continued, "...You should get a boyfriend."

Never in a million years did I think that a single sentence, particularly this sentence, would open the Pandora's Box to make a hell of my life.

But at that time it was enough of a plan to make my interest go 'poof'. He didn't have to taunt me on that sensitive subject after all I have been through. I lifted myself and started walking up the stairs.

"Hey! Where are you going? I'm not finished yet!" He started to follow me.

I walked up the stairs in lazy steps as he conveyed, "You remember Daniel. Don't you?"

That successfully re-captured my attention because Daniel Hayes was my brother's best friend—childhood best friend. He was that annoying guy who was always attached to my brother's hip and knew more well-kept secrets of him than I did. He was that guy who was handsome enough to end up with a crush yet somehow it just wouldn't click with him. I didn't know a lot about Daniel personally as he was the introvert type, and our conversations had only included nods and eye rolls at my brother's mischiefs.

"What 'bout him?" I raised one of my eyebrows.

"Be his gorgeous girlfriend," Alex answered with a bow like a gentleman, which he was so not.

When these words had struck my ears, my feet froze for a few seconds.

Like I mentioned, Daniel was unbelievably good-looking as well as very popular. Yet if thought through, he was someone I had never expected my brother would ever want me to be with, though I had this notion without any particular reason.

On top of that, I had never dreamed to be together with him because...

Duh!!

He was Daniel, and I am Avena.

Enough said.

"Isn't there a rule that friend's sisters are off-limits?" I instantly reminded him as a diversion from giving a straight answer. I entered my room Alex following behind.

"That's old school." He said as his hands travelled up to scratch the top of his ears, which was a tell-tale sign that he was hiding something.

He was adamant but was also cautiously avoiding my eyes. I looked at him pointedly to make him spill the beans.

He sighed and reluctantly confessed, "Daniel's ex-girlfriend, Lydia. He wants to make her jealous and see if she still has feelings for him. So, he asked me for help."

"AND you thought you could use me."

He flinched at my words. Immediately, I regretted imposing it that way...

But maybe I shouldn't have regretted my words.

I wanted to show him I was displeased. How could he choose his friends over me?

"No! I just wanted you to get a taste of a world different from yours. That's how you'll never miss out the cool things. But I guess I'll say no to him," He mumbled in a droopy tone.

As if dating is the only thing that was cool and I knew that he was bugging me and pulling out that puppy face for my consent, and I would love to do the opposite, but... a sigh escaped my lips.

I deliberated this idea within myself; I had been average, and my life had been boring, but I knew it was only because I had intentionally built it in that specific way. Even when falling for someone I would choose the safest option because I was constantly fearful of committing mistakes and then facing the consequences.

I had always been frightened of hurting myself by my own decisions so much, that I had run away from making hard choices and habitually made easy decisions. Independent judgments that I knew I wouldn't regret.

But I had always wanted to create lasting memories, which I could laugh about when I would get aged and carry those to my forgotten grave, but if I kept running away, I wouldn't experience one. I wanted to make mistakes and learn from them. Wasn't that natural? Wanted to get hurt and then look at the emotional scars, after which, maybe, I would have something to reminisce about.

My own monologue outweighed my insecurities, which led me to say what I said, "Tell him, I am ready to be his girlfriend."

"Really, are you serious?" Alex asked, lighting up faster than a bulb.

"Why won't I?" I shrugged and lied down on my bed and in an instant, my eyes were almost closed.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He shouted, while shaking me, almost made making me fall off of the bed.

"What?" I asked, sitting straight up on my bed.

He pulled me off the bed grabbing my arms, pushed me into the bathroom and said, "Get a shower and be ready for a date."

"Ughhhhhh!!!" I made an animalistic sound because I was too sleepy to argue yet I did what I was told and more than that, I, as his sister, knew how futile it was to argue with Alex when he was excited.

After the shower, I dressed in jeans paired with a simple white tank top, dabbed some concealer to hid my night with a book and finishing with a lip tint. I was almost ready to go, almost, because I still needed to wake up. I was on full autopilot mode, so if I was going on a date, I really had to wake up. I walked downstairs, there I smelled it, my formula for waking up, caffeine.

"Would her highness like some coffee?" My brother offered as soon as I stepped in the kitchen. A grin broke out on my face as I rushed towards my beloved coffee. I took a sip of it and that's how I could feel closer to paradise not in a dead kind of way but like I had angel wings.

Deny over my grave because as long as I would be alive, the best things in the world would be coffee, Nutella and ice cream because they were chef's kiss. Did that make me a sweet tooth? Maybe I was...

My thoughts got interrupted by the doorbell that echoed throughout the house. I gazed at Alex but that lazy ass was busy with his phone. I stood up and walked towards the door and opened it.

"Hey," Daniel greeted me making my heart skip a beat as I smiled back a thought ran in my mind consoling me that it would be okay even if it's a mistake... a misstep cause Daniel wouldn't ever hurt me... and there was also Alex... but I seemed to have forgotten something very important and deluding myself that it would be just a misstep...

But who would have thought ONE misstep was what it took for me to tumble down to hell!