Ava's POV:
I feel lost and confused.
Sometimes, I feel happy, but other times I feel sad.
I am like a ball of tangled yarn. The parts that are untangled are available but not usable. The rest is a mess - useless. And the more you try to unravel me, the more frustrated the situation becomes.
I'm on my period.
I smacked Eli's hands away from the chocolate. He rubbed his hand and looked at me with pure shock, "You're mean at this time of the month."
My glare only deepens as I bite on another piece of chocolate.
"I brought it for you. Can't I at least have one?"
"Listen to yourself," I said. "You brought it for me."
He folded his arms and dropped his head on the couch. "You're mean!"
"You should break up with her," dad said from the other side of the couch. "She's only going to get meaner."
Since dad can't convince me to break up with Eli, he's trying to convince Eli to break up with me.
"Speaking of mean women, why are you still together with Mrs.Makee?" Eli has gotten too comfortable in my family. I know he's Trevon's childhood friend - not mine because I don't remember - but there are still boundaries.
"Because he's too scared to divorce me," mom replied. She's on the kitchen counter with her cell phone.
"And she gets the whole house," dad included. He gave Eli a stern look, "See how troublesome women are? You stay with them. They will only hit your hand whenever you want their food. You divorce them? They take half of your pension and the whole house."
I have a feeling of how this short talk will end.
"So, you shouldn't ever be with a woman."
"Mr.Makee," Eli said. "Are you indirectly telling me to play for the other field?"
"Whatever keeps you away from my daughter Elijah."
Eli hugged me, "But I like your daughter a lot." He grinned, "I like her so much. I don't care if she takes my whole pension and the house."
Dad looked at me, "Who told you to grow up so pretty?"
"Mom did," I replied.
Mom exhaled softly, "I can't help it. It's in my genetics to have gorgeous children."
"If it helps, I don't find Trevon attractive at all," Eli said.
"Thank God." Trevon walked into the kitchen. His eyes were still on the phone. His thumbs were at war with the glass surface. Anyone would've thought he was in the middle of a game, but I noticed how he doesnt have his earphones on.
"Who are you texting?" I asked.
Trevon's hand halted at the front of the fridge. He looked at me, "No one." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice.
I glanced at Eli.
Without a single word, he leaped over the couch and grabbed the phone from Trevon.
"Dude!"
Eli put a hand between them before he rolled on the couch. I couldn't control myself, so I inched my face close to his phone. "Mina?"
We all looked at Trevon, who snatched the phone from Eli's hands. "It's nothing," he said.
Mom took off her glasses, "Aren't you dating that Lyah girl?"
"I-I-I am-ish." He glared at Eli, "Not cool."
Eli raised both hands and rolled off the couch. He sat beside me, "Your fault," he whispered into my ear.
I don't understand how it's my fault, but that doesn't matter right now.
"I didn't know you had it in you," I said. "Juggling two balls at once, eh bro?"
If I had to choose between Mina and Lyah, I would pick Mina, hands down. Lyah is a wild card, unknown - unpredictable.
"It's not like that," he said. "We're only talking because...because Mina says she needs a friend. There's nothing else."
No one responded to his statements. None of us wanted to go through the Trevon depression era again.
Dad looked at mom.
Mom looked at me.
I looked at Eli.
Eli said: "I'm just the boyfriend."
"Honey," mom said. Good job, mom. "It's good that...that...you know where you stand. But, do you really think it's a good idea to talk to your ex-girlfriend while you have a girlfriend?"
"What's wrong with it? Mina and I agreed to be friends. She even knows about Lyah. Lyah knows about Mina."
"And they're both okay with it?" Eli asked.
"Yeah."
When did my nerdy brother become a player?
Eli looked at me and mouthed: "Wow."
The situation would've been extremely confusing - even to me - if I didn't know the truth.
The truth is that Lyah and Trevon came to an agreement that they were going to be in a fake relationship. After Mina mustered up the courage to message Trevon, I'm sure he told her about the fake relationship - to reassure her that he's available.
You know, available but still messing around.
God, when did he turn into such an asshole?
Trevon looks at me, "What?"
I know my face doesn't look pleasant at all.
"Why are you looking at me like I'm a cockroach or something?"
"Urk." I couldn't muster up a response, so I could only express my disgust that way. I looked at Eli, "You wanna try doing what he's doing?"
Eli shook his head, "No. Ma'am no. I'm an uno woman-o kind of man-o."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Trevon's voice pitched.
"It means you're playing the field, sweety."
"Mom," Trevon said. "You know I don't understand sports references."
"First of all, that wasn't a sports reference," dad said. "Second, it means you're eating more than you can chew."
"English!" Trevon smacked his hands together, "English! Why is everyone speaking in Morse code?"
"For goodness sake," I couldn't hold it in anymore. "It means you're trying to string Lyah and Mina along. We all know you're fooling around with Lyah, but you're trying to hold onto Mi-"
Holy crap.
Holy fucking crap.
"Hey. You okay?" Trevon asked.
I grabbed the pillow, leaped over the couch, and without a second thought, I hit him with it.
"What the fuck!" Trevon tried to run away, but I wouldn't let him.
Trevon and I rolled on the kitchen ground before I got on top of him. The pillow slid underneath the table earlier, so I had no choice but to hit him with my slipper. With my hair in disarray, I slapped the slipper over and over on his face.
"Mom! Dad! Help! Help!" Trevon shouted.
Dad tried to pry me off, but I elbowed him. "Are you just going to stand there and watch?" Dad shouted.
"Oh!" Eli jumped in and helped dad pry me off of Trevon.
Once I was off, Trevon screamed: "What the fuck, Ava!"
I stopped reaching for him and straightened myself out. Eli still had his arms around my waist just in case.
"Did you all see her?" Trevon said. "She attacked me for no reason!"
I scoffed, "No reason?" My voice was a lot calmer than anyone expected. I can tell everyone is afraid. "How could you do this?"
"What?"
"I expected this from Eli."
"What?" Eli question.
"But, you?"
"Wait. What do you expect from me?" Eli asked.
"Trevon. You're better than this," I said. "You're better than...being an asshole who uses girls."
"I'm not using girls!"
"Yes! Yes, you are!"
"You know what is between Lyah and me," Trevon said.
"Yes. And I also know what you two do after school," I hissed.
"I'm not doing anything wrong! You act as if I'm sleeping with both of them or something!"
"Trevon!" I groaned and rushed my hands over my already messed up hair. "I'm not talking about sex... but emotional. You know Mina has feelings for you, but you...you still...holy crap."
It's still the same.
Not with Luke, Mina, and me.
But, with Trevon, Mina, and Lyah.
"In the end, she's still hurt," I whispered.
I reached for Trevon again, but Eli and dad held me back. When I accepted that they wouldn't let me beat any sense into him, I angrily went into my bedroom.
Being the hormonal teenager I am, I slammed the door.
Well, I shouldn't blame my teenage hormonal body. I slammed doors even when I was a full-grown adult.
I'm angry.
Of course, I am.
This twisted type of situation can only make someone explode.
I stared at the ceiling, "Is this your way of getting revenge?"
No response.
"Well, if it is. It's sick!"
The longer I stayed in the silence, the more my thoughts swirled.
Eli knocked on the door earlier, but I didn't respond. He took it as a sign to leave me alone.
One way or another, predestined events find a way into our lives.
What happened between Trevon, Mina and Lyah reflected what happened between Luke, Mina, and me.
Mina is still in pain.
Lyah's situation is equivalent to Maeve's situation. Trevon is still a shield for an unknown past boyfriend.
What happened between Mr.Nocella and me changed. We never entered a sexual relationship. It's Mr.Nocella and Maeve now.
How far have they gone?
Not far, I hope.
It's as if my decision to step out of the road I'm predestined to walk changed everything but at the same time, it had changed nothing.