I woke up the next day determined to not mess anything up. I was a bad person yesterday and I wanted to make things right between Avery and I. Not because I kind of like her but because she's my friend and I want her to be happy.
Once I was ready for the day, I left my house a little earlier than I usually do. In an attempt to make her happy, I thought I'd get her breakfast as a way to patch things up. Who could pass up on free food and coffee?
I first went to the Macca's by my house and picked both of us up a breakfast sandwich and afterwards I went to Starbucks to get us something to drink; her a frappuccino, because I know she likes them, and myself an iced tea. I made sure the drinks were secure in the cup holders and the bag of food sat in my lap as I drove to her place.
I pulled up to her house and waited for her to come outside. After a few minutes, she came out and got into my car.
"Good morning." I smiled.
"Hey." Her tone was dry and a little sad.
"I brought you some Starbucks, the frappuccino is yours, and a breakfast sandwich." I reached into the bag and handed her one.
"Thank you." She smiled a little and unwrapped the food to take a bite.
I took my sandwich out of the bag and began eating as I drove.
"You didn't have to do this you know." She said.
"Yeah, well, I wanted to patch up all the holes so that you would feel better. I know I was the cause of you being upset yesterday and I'm sorry. I wasn't being myself." I said as I turned into the school parking lot.
"It's okay."
"So we're good?" I asked.
"We're good." She nodded.
"Perhaps "we're good" will be our always." I chuckled.
"Oh my god!" She laughed and swatted my arm. "Did how really quote The Fault In Our Stars at me?"
"Kind of." I chuckled. We got out of the car and threw our trash away, being left with our drinks.
"I love that book and movie. John Green is by far my favorite author." She said.
"Me too and maybe we could watch it together if you'd like." I wasn't sure if asking her to watch a movie with me was too much or not. I'm sure it wouldn't help me get over her at all.
"Yeah, I'd like that." She smiled.
"Cool." I put my arm around her and she winced. "Are you okay?" I removed my arm and examined her face.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She said.
I've been meaning to ask why she's always in some sort of pain or why she sometimes will have a mark on her face but I didn't want to intrude.
"I just slept wrong, that's all." She said and took my hand. "Let's get inside."
I didn't say another word about it as we walked into the school building. I didn't know what to say, really. If she doesn't want to tell me, she doesn't have to but it's obvious she's hiding something.
"Hey guys." Ashton smiled as he approached us.
I let out a groan and Avery nudged me. "Morning." She smiled.
"I'd love to stay and chat but I've got things to do so I'm gonna go now. I'll see you later, babe." I leaned down and gave her a kiss on her lips before walking off. I don't know if it's the best time for us to be kissing like that right now but I wanted him to get jealous. If he's starting to like her like I think he is, then that should've hit him hard.
I didn't really have anything to do, I just wanted to get away from him. I don't hate him I just can't be my regular self around him until he's not with Brooke anymore.
Since he wants to flirt with my girlfriend, I thought that flirting with his would even the playing field a bit. It was still pretty early and there were only two places Brooke would be if she wasn't with Ashton: the library or her locker.
I went to her locker first and I'm glad I did because I don't even know where the school library is.
"Good morning." I smiled as I approached her.
"Hey, Luke." She closed her locker.
"Do you know where Ashton is?" I asked. I wanted to see just how truthful he is with her.
"He said he had something to do."
I nodded. "Do you mind if I ask you something sort of personal?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"What do you like about him? Why are you dating him?" I didn't want to beat around the bush at all. I needed to know what she could possibly see in a guy like him.
"Well, he's cute,-"
I cut her off. "Give me more than that. Anyone can say the other person is cute."
"He's funny, he listens to me, he doesn't lie to me," little does she really know, "and he was there when you weren't. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Not really." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Brooke-"
"I don't want to hear it, Luke." She shook her head.
"I'm sure you don't but I have to say it. I know I've apologized a million times but I want you to know that I've meant each one. I should've treated you better. I should've been the gentleman you deserve and I wasn't. I was a piece of trash that didn't respect you and I messed around so much that I ended up losing you. I want you to know that I've changed. I'm doing much better." I took a deep breath and waited for her to process all that I just said.
"Why are you saying all of this now?" She asked. "You and I are both with other people."
"But that doesn't mean I can't patch things up between us. Besides, Ash and Avery talk to each other too so there's no reason we can't."
"Luke-"
"Just give me a chance, okay? You know the good parts of me, just get to know those again." I said.
"Okay." She nodded. "We can talk more or whatever you wanna do."
"Great." I smiled. "How about you and I hang out Wednesday? Since Ashton is gonna be with Avery, it'd be a good time for you and I to hang out."
"Why would Ashton be with Avery?" She asked.
"She's just tutoring him in chemistry. He didn't tell you?" I asked.
"No." She shook her head.
So much for not lying to her.
"There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" I asked. If there was an issue, that'd be great. Well, it'd be bad but it'd be a good bad.
"No, of course not. They're just two friends studying. Nothing could possibly happen." She said.
"Yeah, you're right. I trust Avery and Ash." That was incredibly hard to say. "So are we on for Wednesday then?"
"Yeah, Wednesday's fine." She nodded.
"Cool. I'll talk to you later, then."
"Okay." She smiled and headed to her first period.
I went to my class and didn't pay much attention to what the teacher was saying, I was too caught up in my own thoughts. Things are going surprisingly well for me right now. Mentioning Ashton and Avery hanging out really threw her for a loop. It proves he's not one hundred percent honest with her. I was already quite aware but now she knows it. This one little incident will have her thinking of him differently and maybe with a bit more pushing, she'll be kicking him to the curb. Soon, he'll be Avery's problem.
But now I'm starting to feel bad. I know how he is with girls and handing him off to a friend who I kind of like is wrong. But then again, she knows how he is and still likes him for some reason so it can't be wrong, right?
Just going off of what I've learned about her so far, I don't see what she sees in him. He doesn't seem like her type at all. He, like I used to, likes to mess around. He's very flirtatious, a huge liar, and she deserves much better. I'm not saying this as someone who likes her, but as her friend. I'm gonna find a way to convince her to move on from him. I'm not saying I'm what she needs, but they shouldn't be together.
-
"So what did you and Ash talk about?" I asked as we sat at the lunch table.
"Just a few random things. And he asked for my number and address so he'd be able to take me home tomorrow." She said. "Where'd you run off to this morning?"
"I went to go see Brooke. Things didn't start off the best but they ended pretty well. I convinced her to hang out with me tomorrow since you and Ash were gonna be together. When I told her that, she was a little caught off guard. She tried not to show it too much but I could tell she wasn't happy that he didn't at least tell her."
"That's good." She nodded. "Not that I'm happy that she was upset in any way, but for what we're trying to do it's good. You don't think she's mad at me do you? I don't want it to ruin our plans for Saturday."
"She'll be fine. Something minor like this isn't gonna change her opinion of you. It takes a lot more." I nodded with a little sigh.
She put her head on my shoulder. "It'll be okay. This will work and she'll have the same feelings for you she had before. We don't have much farther to go."
I smiled and put my arm around her.
"Are we distrupting anything?" Calum asked as he and Mike sat their trays down.
"Nope." I shook my head.
"I wouldn't have cared anyway." Mike said.
Avery chuckled and I rolled my eyes. As the three of them talked, she kept her head on my shoulder and I rubbed my hand up and down her arm.
I can't help all of my conflicted feelings. I know I care about Brooke and I want to be with her, but I enjoy having Avery around. I like the way her body feels pressed against mine when we hug or when she lays on me like she is now. It's wrong but it feels right in a way.
I glanced out the corner of my eye down the side of her body and noticed her shirt falling off her shoulder a little. It wasn't a big deal and I was gonna pull it up for her but I noticed something on her shoulder. It was a purplish color and the first thing that popped into my head was it was a bruise. Is that why she winced when I put my arm around her earlier? She said she slept wrong but how do you get a bruise from sleeping in the wrong position?
The bell rang and she got off of me. We cleaned up our mess and walked out of the cafeteria hand in hand.
How did she really hurt herself? Or did someone hurt her? I always had a feeling she was never being completely honest with me, but why not? Doesn't she trust me?
"I'll see you later." She smiled. I didn't even notice she walked us to my class.
"Oh, yeah, I'll see you later."
"Are you okay?" She searched my face but I avoided looking her in the eye. I didn't want to give anything away until I was able to actually talk to her about it.
"Yeah, I'm just a little tired, that's all." I lied.
"Okay." She nodded and kissed my cheek before walking off.
I went into the room and took my seat next to Mike. And to my surprise, Brooke came over to us.
"Mind if I take this seat?" She asked, pointing to the one in front of me.
"Uh, no, not at all." I shook my head and smiled.
She sat down and Mike turned to me and mouthed. "What's that all about?"
"What?" I mouthed back.
He gestured between me and Brooke.
"I'll tell you later." I whispered and then began paying attention to what the teacher was saying.
When she let us break off and work in groups, I'm surprised Brooke turned around to work with me and Mike. I guess because she's giving me another chance, as friends that is. But hopefully this friends period is short and we can really be together again.
Are the feelings I feel for her love? I've never been in love before so I don't know how it's supposed to feel. I know I like her a lot and I know she makes me happy so is that all it takes? I can't ask any of the guys, especially Ashton, because as far as they know, I'm crazy about Avery. I could ask Avery but it'd feel a little weird discussing me possibly loving another girl while I like her. I can't ask my family because they all know about Avery and it'd bring up too many questions so I guess I'm stuck figuring it out myself.
After class, Brooke and I walked out together. Everything was fine until I spotted Ashton across the hall.
"I'll talk to you later." I said.
"Okay, bye." She smiled and went to him. I turned away to avoid seeing him show her any affection and ran into Mike.
"So are you gonna tell me what all that was in there?" He asked.
I began to walk. "What all was what about?" I asked even though I knew what he was gonna say.
"What's up with you and Brooke? Are you guys getting back together? That can't be since she just went to Ashton and you and Avery were being a cute couple at lunch. Does Avery know about you flirting with your ex? Does Ashton know you're flirting with his girlfriend?" He spoke fast and I chuckled when he finished.
"We're not getting back together." At least not now anyways. "We're not flirting either, just talking. It's like we're in the beginning stage of becoming friends. Avery's actually the one that encouraged me to reconnect with Brooke." I intentionally left out the part about Ashton because the shit I would've said wouldn't have been good.
"Your current girlfriend encouraged you to reconnect with your ex-girlfriend?" Is that all he got out of that?
"Yeah." I nodded. "Is that so weird?"
"A little, yeah." He nodded. "I was just curious 'cause I remember back when Brooke had just broken up with you and how upset you were. You told me how you really felt about her and I thought it was kind of weird how you got another girlfriend so quickly." He said.
Oh God. I hoped he had forgotten about that because I didn't want to deal with any talks about what I had said before.
"Mike, look-" He cut me off
"Hey, I don't need to know what's really going on." He held his hands up. "I just hope you're not leading Avery on and playing her for a fool. From what I've seen, she's a good girl and she really likes you. Just don't break her heart. This is my class, I'll see you later." He said and walked into a nearby classroom.
I walked to chemistry and Avery smiled at me as I approached our table.
"Hey." She said.
"Hi." I smiled and sat down. "Last period went surprisingly well. Brooke sat by me and we worked together."
"That's some serious progress." She nodded.
I left out everything Mike said because then I'd have to mention the conversation we had before and I didn't want her to worry. He seems to not want to get too involved so nothing should come from it.
-
After school ended, we walked out to my car and was soon driving to her place.
"Do you mind helping me with the chemistry homework? Since you're amazing at this and all." I said.
"Yeah, no problem." She replied.
We soon arrived at her house and I parked my car. We grabbed our bags and got out, heading up to her door. I waited for her to unlock it and we went inside and to the living room.
We sat down and took out our folders that contained the work.
"Are you hungry or thirsty?" She asked.
"Yeah, a little." I nodded.
"I'll be right back." She got up and went to the kitchen to find some food.
I hadn't forgotten about the bruise on her shoulder, either. I was gonna ask her about it and some of the other things I've noticed on her body but I wanted to wait for the perfect time. That's part of the reason why I asked to come in. I really do need help with the homework but I also wanted to ask her in a place that'd she'd feel comfortable in.
"I've got a bowl of grapes and some bottled water." She said, sitting it on the coffee table.
"Thanks." I said, grabbing a few grapes and popping them into my mouth.
She took a sip of some water and we got started. She had to explain most of it to me multiple times and different ways for me to finally understand it.
"Do you think you get it now?" She asked, sitting back.
"Yeah," I nodded, "thanks."
"No problem."
We were both silent and I though it'd be the perfect time to bring up what I saw earlier when she spoke first.
"Do you mind if I ask you for a bit of advice?" She asked.
"Not at all. About what?" I asked.
"You know I'm gonna be with Ash after school tomorrow. I need help on how to act. I've never been alone with my crush before." She looked down at her hands.
I let out a laugh and she looked at me. "Sorry, not funny." I bit my lip to withhold any additional laughing.
"It's not." She chuckled. "I'm just nervous and this is all new to me."
"Okay okay. Just be yourself, there's nothing wrong with that. I know how flirtatious he is so don't do anything. Try to act like you don't care for his advances, that'll just make him try harder. Don't let him do anything you're not comfortable with of course but act like you want him and like you don't want him at the same time." I said.
"Oh wow, that's a lot." She chuckled.
"It's simple, really. Come here." I gestured for her to scoot closer to me. "Let's say this is the two of you and he puts his hand on your thigh." I did just that and gave it a little squeeze. "Just go with it. Or maybe he'll tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear." I moved the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, cupping her face afterwards. "You guys may look at each other just like this; no one saying a word. Your breathing is slow and steady, eye contact remaining constant."
She's so beautiful. Her dark brown eyes are completely mesmerizing and her face was perfectly cradled in my hand. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster as we continued to stare at each other. I should've moved a long time ago but I didn't want to. I liked being this close to her. I liked studying her face; her adorable nose that flared a bit when she ate or laughed, her lips that were always so soft, and the four freckles she had on her cheeks that I absolutely adored.
This perfect moment was then ruined when she mumbled 'oh shit' and jumped up.
"My dad is home." She checked her phone. "Early." She added.
"I'm sorry." I said, trying not to sound disappointed and standing up.
"It's not your fault. And thanks for the help too."
"No problem." I said and picked up my bag.
I heard a door open and close and her dad called her name.
"Avery! How come I don't smell dinner?" He asked.
"My friend and I were studying and we lost track of time. I also didn't expect you to be coming home early." She said.
He came into the room and looked between me and her. He had a tough demeanor and he looked intimidating.
"H-hello, sir. Name is my Luke." I mentally face palmed myself and shook my head. "I mean my name is Luke."
"You didn't ask me if you could have friends over." He stated, keeping his eyes on her and not acknowledging me at all.
"I-I didn't know you were going to be home early." She mumbled. "I'll get on dinner after I walk Luke out."
"Make it quick." He said and made his way to the staircase.
I followed her to the door. That moment with her dad was a little odd and I didn't know what to say.
"Thanks for the advice. I'll see you tomorrow." She said.
"See you tomorrow." I said. She opened the door and closed it once I stepped outside.
I went and got in my car and left.
I didn't even get to ask her what I really wanted to, but because the mood in the room shifted dramatically when her dad came home, it's okay. I'll ask her later, hopefully I don't forget. I'm really curious as to why she'd have a bruise on her shoulder.
I'm also curious as to why she became so quiet when she saw her dad. When we first heard the garage door being put up, I could see a bit of panic in her eyes.
I really don't know much about her as I probably should. I know simple things like what she likes to eat and drink and whatever else she tells me but other than that, nothing else. She knows more about me and it's only right that I be a true friend and get to know her better.
I don't really know what's going on, but something's not right. Why is her dad so hard and cold and why did she freak out when he came home? I don't want to invade her personal life but I'm curious.
This is all too much and I just need to get home and take a nap. If she really wanted me to know, she would've told me. It's not my place to inquire about her personal life, no matter how much I may care for her.
When I finally did get home, I went up to my room, without saying anything to my family and closed the door. I laid across my bed and tucked my hands behind my head and stared up at the ceiling.
I know I said I wasn't gonna be too concerned about it, but Avery definitely wasn't herself when I left her house. I should at least text her to see if she's okay.
I dug my phone out of my pocket to send her a quick text.
Me: Are you okay?
It was short, simple, and to the point. I just want to make sure she's good 'cause seeing her upset in any way bothers me.
I know I'm always concerned if she's not herself and I always think about her when I don't have to be but that's who I am. The few people I care about, I really care about. Sometimes I hope that she thinks about me as much as I think about her.
I could feel my eyes getting heavy and finally closed them to take my well deserved nap.