Different

36.

"Mom told you?" I ask as my cheeks turn red.

"Of course she told me" Ava laughs. "You don't have to tell me anything, do it when you're ready" she says, not pressuring me. 

I love that about Ava. As kids and teenagers we never really got a long, we used to fight a lot and basically hated each other's guts. Then we both spend some time abroad and when we reunited, we were inseparable. We still are today. She gets me and my situation completely. She does have her own issues, but deals with them pretty well. Today, she's always there for me, even though we don't talk too often. I'm just happy to have her in my life, she's my best friend.

"Just tell me one thing" she adds. "Does he treat you good?" she genuinely wants to know.

"He does" I say and smile to myself. She doesn't have to know about the little obstacles we had.

"Good" she answers, probably smiling too. "Well, I got to go. Try not to think about dad too much, okay?"

"Yeah, you too. This was nice, let's do it again soon" I suggest.

"Absolutely. Love you sis" she says and hangs up the phone. 

Talking to Ava made me feel a lot better, yet I'm still sat in this empty room not knowing what to do with my thoughts.

When I check the time, I see that it's only six in the evening. I feel like it should be midnight by now. I'm confused, upset, but mostly tired and worn out. My battery is on empty. I know that I don't want to be alone tonight, but I don't know if I should call Jace or not. Maybe he's busy and doesn't even want to see me. 

Here we go again, I'm starting to overthink everything. I feel a headache coming already. I can feel that my body is not going to let me rest, anxiety is slowly starting to creep up on me. I contemplate if I should call Ava back... or maybe my mom? 

No, Mila. I need to get my mind off everything, but I can't always call someone when I have a problem. I'm a grown ass woman that needs to get her shit together. I take off my uncomfortable jeans and put on my yoga pants, with a big comfortable sweater to keep me warm. I grab my laptop, put some Jeremy Zucker on and decide to close my eyes for a second. After a few moments, tears start rolling down my cheek. 

I do that a lot. Play sad music to heighten my emotions. I don't know why, but it feels so good. For some reason, it keeps me sane to fall apart for a little while. As my dad used to say, sometimes you just need to cry it out until you feel better.

After about fifteen minutes, I'm much calmer again. Not my thoughts, but my phone vibrating distracts me from the peace I was slowly starting to feel. Please don't be Dad or Ava, I can't deal with any more drama right now. 

I take a look at my screen and smile when I see Jace's name popping up.

"Hey" I say softly once I press the green button on my touchscreen.

"Hey back" Jace says. "How was the call?" he states bluntly. 

He's sweet for checking up on me after the call he knew I was dreading.

"Heavy" I say to Jace, leaning up on my bed.

"What'd she say?" he wants to know. 

So I explain everything to him. The apartment my dad rented, the sketchy business, the alcohol, the prostitutes. 

"Wow. What a dick" Jace says once I'm finished. "Sorry" he adds once he realized what he just said.

"Don't worry. I'm angry too. I don't know what to believe anymore" I explain.

"Why didn't you call me if you were feeling like shit?" he asks bluntly once again.

"Well... I didn't want to be a bother" I say, deciding to go for the truth. "I just wanted to try dealing with it on my own" I add, explaining further.

"Bullshit. You don't have to be alone. Call me next time" Jace says sternly. "I'm on my way. Your place or mine?" he asks, while a smile is forming on my lips. 

He's right, I guess I should've called him. I think about his question. I think I would prefer a comfortable bed and a nice shower in the morning.

"You wouldn't mind picking me up?" I ask, just to be sure.

"You even have to ask?" he scolds back at me. "Be there in ten" Jace adds and hangs up the phone. 

I'm glad I don't have to be alone tonight. Honestly, there's not a person I'd rather spend my nights with, ever.

While I grab my purse and my bag for uni tomorrow, my phone vibrates once more. I really want to throw it in the trash right now. I'm not in the mood to socialize any more today.

Dinner tomorrow? Austin, Jace you and I? I read Bree's message and have to smile. 

Her and Jace are the only people I can be around when I feel down and I'd love to have dinner with the two of them tomorrow, since we didn't go on Sunday. I think it's time I officially meet Austin.

I'm just about to go outside to see Jace in the parking lot, when I hear a knock on the door. I know it's him, so I open it without thinking twice. 

"Hey beautiful" a groggy voice says, before the dreading smell of alcohol and cigarettes hits me.

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Who's at the door?

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