The Million Dollar Senior Year | ✓

Chapter Thirty-One

Ava's heart was a ticking bomb, ready to explode any second now. Her sweaty hands gripped onto the steering wheel of her father's car, drifting at each turn towards her house. It took one inaudible call from her sobbing sister to have her rush over. At the last turn, she wheeled towards her house which was crowded by a large tow truck, another unfamiliar black van, and her family conversing with a mysterious man in formal attire outside. She parked by the street and jumped out swiftly just as the hook of the tow truck latched onto the bottom bumper of her very own car.

Her feet hit the pavement as she quickly ran to her family, clutching onto her purse that was flailing everywhere with each step. The tear-stained faces of her mother and sister turned towards her arrival; sorrow and despair were flooded into their hazel green eyes. 

"What... I... what," Ava stammered, glancing back and forth at them and her car slowly being towed by the truck. 

Lyla bit her lip, gripping onto Ava's shoulders for support. "Ava, our house... foreclosure... your car, too." 

A pan of nausea had slammed into Ava's stomach and she could feel the bile daring to rise through her throat. She gulped, watching last year's birthday present slowly being taken away from her. Her father's and uncle's raised voices had alerted the nearby neighbors. Ava could see a few curtains pushed back and a few curious eyes staring at them from their window.

Louise couldn't face them any longer. She walked back to her husband, placing a comforting arm on his.

"Lyla," Ava breathed. She couldn't ask how or why because they had gotten that answer months ago. 

"Dad said he'd fix this but did you know that he didn't do shit!" Lyla screamed deliberately over her shoulder. "He's been hiding this for years! He's a liar and now we're paying for it!" 

Ava's face turned pale and she looked past her sister to see a red-faced Edgard. She had never seen her father like this before. She wanted to be mad; she wasn't stupid. She knew what a foreclosure entailed and how it had worked. It didn't just happen out of the blue. It was something that happens after a long period of missing payments and covering back interest.

Lyla was right. Her father had lied. This was more than a year's worth of a mess. 

"We need to move into Uncle Ted's for now. Let me help you pack your things," Lyla offered, sadly. She started to walk towards the front door of her house but Ava didn't follow. She turned on her heel and ran to her quiet place.

Several people called for her name but she ignored them. The wind dried her tears that were streaming from each corner of her eyes as she ran. Her dark waves slapped across her cheek and ears; a soft sob emerged just as she arrived at the playground. Her knees unbuckled by her usual bench and her body slung over the back rest. Small whimpers and cries just couldn't stop pouring out. Her mind was running at such a fast pace that she couldn't comprehend anything at the moment. It felt like the best thing she could do was to bury her face in her hands and release all the tension from the financial burden to her collegiate soccer dreams.