Ava's POV:
"I'm sorry," Eli said.
I ignore him when he pulls my sleeve.
He pouts.
I glance at him.
He pouts harder.
I'm pretending to be upset with him for kissing me earlier. He's pushing it for someone who is in a situationship with me. He needs to learn his place before it gets too far.
"You two makes me want to vomit," Winnie said. She exhales softly before handing Ben her tablet.
Wait. Tablet?
"When did you get a tablet?" I ask.
"BennyBoo got it for me," Winnie replied.
Eli and I look at BennyBoo.
Eli got up from his seat and settled beside Ben. He embraces him, "BennyBoo. Elikins want a new cell phone."
Ben pushes Eli away, "Stop it. I don't have money."
"BennyBoo." Eli reaches for Ben.
"Where did you get the money to buy a tablet?" I question.
"Stop putting BennyBoo under investigation. He's lending me the tablet not giving it to me. His parent got it for him over Christmas."
"Elikins," I said. "Mind getting me a can of juice from the vending machine?"
Eli cleared his throat, "You clearly want me to leave so you all can talk about something private. I would feel offended, but you called me Elikins so-" he nods, "I'm a sucker." He grabbed his bag and made his way back into school.
I cross my legs and lean forward, "So, still living in a closet?"
Winnie rolled her eyes, "My stuff is in the closet. I sleep on the bed with BennyBoo."
Ben's face turns red, "We only sleep." He got defensive for no reason.
"People who get defensive are guilty of something," I said.
He gets even redder, "W-We really didn't."
"Anyways," Winnie intervened and block Ben from my sight. "Everything is fine so no worries."
"I saw Ben's room. How did you both manage to squeeze all of Winnie's things inside?"
Winnie smiles and leans her head against Ben's shoulder, "BennyBoo is extremely generous. He told me that he donates alot of his stuff around the holidays, so there's alot of room for my stuff."
I lean closer and glared at Ben.
He adverts his eyes.
Generous donation my ass.
Eli came back with several can of juices, "I didn't know which juice you want so I grabbed them all." He grinned, "Am I forgiven?"
I rolled my eyes and grab a cranberry juice.
"Yay!" He slides towards me and cuddles against my arm.
What a dork.
One week passed and then two, and then its February. More specially, February 14th.
I stared at the giant blobfish in front of me. His small fin hands move, "Hello pretty lady." The arm scrub against my cheek. Eli pops his head from behind the large body, "Happy Valentine." He took a step towards me and wrapped his arms around my body. The blobfish is squish between us.
"Wow." I turn my head to see Winnie and Ben. "You sure are love." I can hear the sarcasm behind Winnie's voice. She tucks a strand of hair back to reveal the brand new earrings.
"Wow. Aren't you generous BennyBoo." Ben must be stupid not to pick up my sarcasm. His face turns red and he looks away.
Eli raises the blobfish fin, "I can be generous too!"
"I know, isn't he?" Winnie ignored Eli's comment. She wrapped her arms around his, "BennyBoo got us a date at Uphill too." Uphill is a fancy restaurant.
I look at Ben who continued to look elsewhere.
This can become a problem.
"Hey, guys!" Mary looks at the blobfish and her face twisted. "What's up with the ugly fish?"
"It's for Ava," Eli replies.
"Do you hate her now?"
Eli puffed his cheeks, "Whatever. Av likes it." He looks at me and grinned wildly. His smile drops when he didn't see a reaction from me. "Right?"
"Sure."
"Yay!" He hugs me again.
"I know you two are dating," a dull voice made its appearance. Trevon creeps out of the shadow, "But mind lowering the PDA? It's still weird for me."
His bloodshot eyes are apparent and he shoves the cereal into his mouth. Trevon hasn't been sleeping well since last month, or more specifically, since the news of Mina moving away. The closer it got to the moving date, the worse it became.
I was there to witness it all.
The crying.
The bickering.
Finally, the sad acceptance of reality.
Suddenly, he stopped munching.
"Morning everyone!" Mina said with an overly forced smile.
I heard Trevon and Mina bickering over the phone this morning. He said they were talking, but with a high volume. His eyes glazed over blankly and he resumes his munches.
Trevon swallow, "Morning."
Mina's features mirrored Trevon with heavy bags and pale skin.
Everyone else looks elsewhere, pretending the odd atmosphere was not present.
"I'm out," Winnie said, pulling Ben with her. He releases a sigh of relief.
"Happy Valentine!" Mina said. She lifted a bag with orange and black stripes. "For you Tiger."
Trevon stared at the bag until a tear dripped down his cheek.
He's at it again.
"Oh no. Tiger. Don't cry." Mina rushes toward his side and embraced him. Sometimes, Trevon and Mina get into these moods where they would randomly burst out screaming or crying.
They held each other in the hallway, "D-Don't go!"
"I don't want to go!" Mina wailed out.
I hid behind the blobfish.
This is too embarrassing for me to handle.
Eli wiggle his eyebrows when we got closer. "Ah, so you really like it eh?"
I push him away, but he didn't budge.
"Then, don't! Why don't you elope with me?!"
"We have no money! I don't sleep well in the cold!" Mina muffles into his shoulder.
"M-M-Me too!"
I watch as they cling onto each other. I'm exhausted, physically, and mentally from watching this show each day. They would bicker over something insignificant - but realistically they're upset that they're separating - then they would make up an hour later by crying how they don't want to separate.
After school, I settled in the back with the ugly fish. Mina and Trevon sat in the front cuddling up with each other. They had been inseparable since the breaking news. Except when they bicker, then they separate...only for a little while.
Even during their temporary separation, I couldn't get any peace. Trevon would cling onto me, crying about how sad he is in whatever it is they're fighting about at the moment.
I told him that he should just break up.
He ran into his bedroom, crying about how insensitive I am. How even the devil doesn't want someone as cold-hearted as me.
Mom and dad gave me a dirty look.
They're exhausted from Trevon's up and down too.
Once we got inside the house, mom and dad halt their activities.
"Mom. Dad. Is it okay if Mina sleeps over?" Trevon asks.
"Yes!" Mom replies.
The only time we don't hear Trevon scream or cry is when Mina sleepover.
"The guest-"
"I know where the guest room is Mrs.Makee. Thank you!" Yes. Mina had been sleeping over that much when the news break.
When the dramatic couple left the living room, we all look at each other and exhale drastically.
"How?" Mom asks herself. "How am I going live through this? What am I going to do when Mina moves away?"
Dad drops his face into his palms, "I prefer him alone and sad then broken-hearted and depressed. What are we going to do with that boy?"
Mom exhales, "This is only temporary though. We can get through this. It's his first heartbreak and eventually when he meets someone else. He'll get better."
Pillows drop on the ground. "Mom. You think we will break up?" It's none other then Trevon who said that line.
Dad and I look at each other before we shot a look at mom.
Mom sat up from the couch, "Trevon. Honey. Do you want some cake? I'll bake your favorite oreo cake right now!"
"You think Mina and I will break up when she moves?" He repeated.
Dad and I look at each other.
Dad stops chopping the green onion and looks elsewhere. "I forgot to fix the roof. I'm going to go do that. Yeah." He scrambled towards the front door and closes the door. Yes. It's that sad. He would rather be outside in the dark to fix a nonexistent broken roof than to watch his son go through another round of heartbreak.
"Mom?" Trevon calls for her when she didn't respond.
Steadily, I back up until I'm out of the room - only to run into trouble number two - Mina.
She smiles.
She must have heard what my parents said. Smart move on my part for not saying a single word.
I open my mouth, but nothing came out.
"Av. I-"
"I got to go call Eli." I made my escape. I can't do it. I can't deal with another couple.
There are Winnie and Ben with their roundabout romantic live together relationship.
Then, there's Shelbie and her older plumber prince relationship.
Now, Trevon and Mina hot-cold relationship.
And then, there's Eli.
This is all too much for me.
I drop onto my bed when I reach my room. Before I knew it, my eyes open to a dark bedroom. I must have fallen asleep.
When I got up, the lamplight from outside caught my sight. I released a light yawn and grabbed my phone - 11 pm.
Everyone is probably asleep.
I dragged my legs downstairs to get a midnight snack.
When I close the refrigerator, Trevon's face popped up. I drop the bowl of fruits and it scattered. Shit.
When I realized it wasn't a ghost, I pat my chest. "What the fuck! You scared me!"
"Can we talk?"
I choose the ghost over the heartbroken twin.
After we cleaned up the mess, Trevon and I sat on the back balcony. With the swing swaying back and forth, a light squeak fills the silence. I push the fork into a pineapple and took a bite.
"Do you think Mina and I should break up?"
I look at him, the pineapple still on one side of my mouth. "What?"
He looks at me, "Should we break up?" The cold air somehow feels hot. Constricted. "Mina is moving to Florida."
So, that's where Mina went after I threaten her.
I swallow the content, "Do whatever you think is best." Yes. That's my best answer. I feel like whatever I say at the moment will only bounce back.
"I-" His hands tremble, "I don't-" he swallows fiercely, "I can't think Av." The tears made its appearance once again. "All that's rolling in my head is a blank slate."
His shoulders slump and he went on a daze once more. I didn't know what to do or say to make the moment a bit better. I can always tell him "It'll be okay" or "The pain will eventually pass" but those are only buttery words.
My heart tighten when he wiped off the tears the continued to spill from his eyes. I haven't seen him cry this much since we were kids.
"Mina asked me what I wanted to do earlier and I kept saying: I don't know because that's just it. I don't know what to do. She's moving across the country and I can't do anything to stop it." He buried his face into his hands.
I place down the plate of fruits and steadily, I reach my hand out. He flinches when I touch his shoulder. Gradually, I pull him towards me and my hand comfortably ran down his neck.
"It hurts Av. It really really hurts." He reverts to his child-like self. His arms grip around me.
"I wish I'd never fallen in love."