Wrong Quarterback | ✓

13 | non-friends with benefits

Ethan takes his eyes off the road for a second, catching Avery's gaze. "Do not get me into trouble."

A chortled sound escapes her lips. "Wouldn't dream of it."

    Pressing her lips together, she makes a motion with her fingers as if zipping them together. He eyes her once more before accepting the call.

"This better be an emergency."

"We haven't spoken in forever so I'd say it is," A boy's voice booms over the sound system, having both Avery and Ethan wince and the latter quickly dials down the volume. "What's up?"

    Avery recognizes the voice almost immediately – the infamous Jacob Wilson. Ethan takes them off the highroad running along the ocean and onto another, narrower, taking them further into this part of town – her school's not too far from here.

"Not much."

"What are you doing right now?"

"Driving," Ethan says and flickers his eyes towards Avery again as the the car slows down further, turning into a neighborhood. "How's life at the Wilson lake house?"

    Avery smiles as she spots the playground in between two blocks – Lea lives down the road from here. She leans back in her seat, silently drawing circles on her tanned legs, finger pads gently brushing over the goosebumps.

"Crowded," Jacob groans, the warmth of his voice somehow still managing to come through despite the negative clang to the word. "But fun. So... how's our plan going?"

    Brows dipping together, Avery straights up in her seat as she keeps her gaze out the windshield. Ethan slowly drums the pads of his fingertips against the wheel, and out of the corner of her eye she sees him purse his lips together before saying, "Hey I just pulled up to Ella's socc–"

"Ella doesn't get off practice until six on Mondays," Jacob counters and Avery can't help the twitch of her lips, her smile only widening as Ethan's drumming picks up speed, a flash of defeat crossing his face and her curiosity increases, halfway turning in her seat to look at him. "Just answer the damn question. Have you held up your end of the deal or not?"

"Kind of."

"What does that mean?"

Ethan shoots Avery a sideways glance, his lips falling into a tight line as he realizes she's intently listening, but the left corner of his mouth soon lifts into a faint smile. He opens his mouth to speak as another voice, female this time, booms through the speakers. 

"The only reason he's so determined to put the spotlight on you is that all his attempts have been epic fails," The voice laughs. "You should've seen him with this one girl the other night–"

"Okay. Thank you Faye, you can leave now," Jacob says and lets another beat of silence pass before asking, "What does kind of mean? Have you hooked up with any girls or not?"

A loud snort escapes Avery's lips but she bites back the laugh threatening to slip her tongue as Ethan shoots her a glare, her lips twisting dangerously as she again makes a motion of zipping her lips together. 

"No. Well yes. But..." He trails off and Avery twists further in her seat, raising her brows as she wonders where exactly this will go.

An impatient sigh bursts through the speakers before Jacob speaks again, "Since the chick in Atlanta?"

Avery's lips fall into a tight line and Ethan's fingers pause in their drumming as he presses his own lips together, not taking his eyes off the road for even one second. "Yes."