"Hey, Thea- can I talk to you for a second?" Ted asked, when we approached the group's table. As we had discussed earlier, today was going to be the day we made an effort to know the rest of Holly's friends; it was a way to get closer to Elody, which would in turn make getting her to fall for me much easier. Ava tapped her foot restlessly beside me and I could tell first impressions were not her thing.
"Another twin crisis?" Ralph laughed good-naturedly and Thea nodded. "This better be good, Ted."
As the three of us dragged Thea a few steps away from the group, I started to get the feeling that this was going to be a pretty awkward introduction. If Thea even agreed to introduce us, that is. Maybe it would've been better if we just dragged chairs and joined them as if we were already one of them.
"Thea, I never thought I'd say this, but I need friends." Ted began, and Ava lost it. She started laughing out of sheer awkwardness and it wasn't long before Ted and I joined in. Thea, on the other hand, sported a confused look. "If what you mean by that is 'Thea, you're not actually an antisocial goody-two-shoes and you have more friends than I do so can you please introduce me to your friends', you owe me big-time,"Thea said, light amusement playing in her eyes.
"You took the words right out of my mouth,"Ted replied sarcastically. Thea sighed. "Follow me, losers. I'll introduce you to the gang."
I'd honestly loved Thea since the day I'd first met her. Ted and I had been friends since we were in middle school and there were many times when Thea had hung out with us too, and I always thought that despite her being a total good girl, she was a really cool person to hang out with. She was the type of girl who didn't mind trying out new things and she was never afraid to say what was on her mind. She had no filter and somehow that made people like her even more.
"Friends, meet my twin, his girlfriend and his father. Losers, meet my friends." Ava turned red in the face, and was about to retort that she was, in fact, not Ted's girlfriend, when Ted said,"Will is not my father!"
Thea laughed. "He tells you what to do all the time and you don't even argue." I beamed proudly and Ava shrugged. "That's actually true."
"What's even better is that Ted's more concerned about being Will's son than Ava's boyfriend," Ace interjected. Everyone laughed, and now it was Ted's turn to go red. I already loved these people.
Riley met my eye and scooted over so that there was an empty seat beside Elody. "Have a seat, you guys." I smiled in gratitude and was relieved that Elody didn't catch this particular exchange. She was engaged in a conversation with Ralph on her right and Ted took the place opposite him.
"You're doing well," Ace said, making me turn away from Elody and face him. He was sitting opposite me and was watching me with an amused smile. "I'm sorry?" I asked, knowing he was referring to Elody, but wanting to act confused for the sake of hearing what he had to say.
"Elody. She hasn't been this happy in months! She's so shy and reserved, but recently she's been talking so much that sometimes I'm tempted to stick duct tape over her mouth."
I grinned. "You're kidding." He shook his head. "Really, I'm not. She talks about you a lot. Not too much, because she knows we'll get the hint that something's up, but in that subtle way where she links a conversation back to you helping her with a math problem or a joke you told her. It's honestly adorable."
I checked to see if Elody was eavesdropping, but she was too absorbed in her talk with Ralph. Something like jealousy sprung in my chest and I wanted to tell him to back off so I could have time with her. This was a normal feeling for me, having had only so little time with Holly this week. I'd been used to feeling hurt when Elody, Alora or Daisy were seen talking to other people.
"Do you think she might shy away if I move too fast or if I expect commitment?" I asked him, nervous to hear his answer. "I don't know.. I guess it's a better idea to take things slow for the time being. You never know- if you go too quickly you might lose her forever." I'd heard that phrase too often.
"How's it with Stacy?" I asked him, wanting to change the topic. A flicker of pain flashed across his face, but he was quick to cover it up. "Great, great." Stacy was sitting beside him, but she didn't even turn to acknowledge him once during the time I'd joined the table. She started laughing at something Max said, when Ace muttered,"Maybe not that great."
I took that as a sign to change topic again, when Riley bumped my shoulder. "Talk to her!" She whispered. I bit down on my lip and tapped Elody's shoulder. She turned towards me and smiled; I felt a thousand emotions passing over me at once.
"Gum?" I asked, pulling out a piece from my jacket pocket. Her eyes widened in delight, like always. "How could I refuse?" Before she could turn back to her conversation with Ralph, I asked her what her favorite book was. She was delighted to know that someone took interest in what she loved.
"Heartless, by Marissa Meyer. It's a story about the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, before she became the ruthless woman she was. Before, she was just an ordinary girl who was falling in love for the first time." She sounded so passionate about the book that I couldn't help but marvel at the idea of the plot too. I saw Ava stiffen in the seat opposite Elody.
"Alice in Wonderland..... Skott loved Alice in Wonderland...."She muttered, and I realized she'd been listening. Ava almost never mentioned Skott because she was afraid she'd have a breakdown then and there in front of everyone. Alice in Wonderland was probably a huge trigger to all the emotions she'd kept hidden under the surface.
Ted took her hand. "Hey... Are you alright?" She wasn't listening. She brushed away his hand and got up from the table. "I'm sorry guys, I just remembered I had something- um- important to do. Catch up with you later!" She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She grabbed her bag and made a beeline for the exit.
I watched Ted stare at her retreating figure for a few seconds, before he got up as well. Everyone seemed to understand he was in the best position to help her. "I better go," he muttered, and ran to catch up with her.
A few minutes later, all conversation resumed, and Elody and I continued to discuss about this favorite book of hers. Whatever excitement that lingered in my heart while talking to Elody dissipated when I thought of Ava's pale face and shattered demeanor. I felt bad for not going after her, but I knew Ted would be the better support system.
Elody seemed to notice my worry because she reached over and took my hand. "I'm sure your friend will be okay,"she said softly. No matter how much I tried to push it away, one thought kept lingering in my mind. Somewhere deep in your mind, shouldn't you be knowing that she's your friend too?
A/N Another ATBPA reference! I hope y'all liked the chapter. Thank you for reading!
Love,
Via