Ava was going to kill me.
That was the understatement of the year. Ava was probably going to break up with me, stomp on my heart and then leave me lonely for the rest of my life. That was the sad truth. And all of this because Will wanted to bring Alora on our date.
I know it must be terribly difficult for Will, but sometimes I can't help but think how different things would be if he didn't come up with this whole Mirror, Mirror thing. I wouldn't lose him to the dwarfs, that's one. I wouldn't be needed to help clear after his mess, that's another. Lastly, I'd have more time with Ava. But the one thing I could never have is a happy best friend. Holly made him feel complete. Without her he didn't know who he was. He needed her, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. I was selfish to even consider how things would be without her and the splits.
"Okay, here's the thing...." I started, and Ava stirred beside me. School was over and we were sitting on the steps outside the school building, like always. Will was tutoring the junior again, so we had some alone time. I was thankful for that.
I played with her long dark hair for a few seconds, unsure how to start. I usually did this when I was nervous, and I'm pretty sure Ava could tell.
"Yeah...?"Ava urged for me to continue. I fixed her with a long, blank stare, unable to make my words into sentences. I couldn't comprehend how to communicate Will's plan to her. I knew she'd be mad and I was scared to witness it.
"So, Will and I were thinking......" I started again.
"Go on....." She was growing agitated. I could feel the frustration radiating off her in waves. Suddenly, she jumped to her feet whilst gaping at her watch. "Shoot, I'm late! I was supposed to be at Holly's support group five minutes ago!" She said, haphazardly throwing the books she'd taken out while we studied back into her bag. I watched her in silence, growing even more anxious about how I was to deliver the news.
"Can I drop you or something?" I asked hesitantly. She shrugged, her eyes widening in panic. "Ted, it's ten minutes away by walk and it's in the opposite direction from your house. I can manage." She sounded so cute when she was flustered! I wanted to kiss her problems away, but I knew Ava wouldn't appreciate that at the moment.
"Hey, that's not a problem. I have my car. We can reach there in two if we leave immediately."
She rushed into my arms and I twirled her. Her smile was bigger than I'd ever seen it. Ava really cared about this support group, so if she cared, I was going to make it a point to care too. "Let's go, we're late!" I laughed as she kissed my cheek, and I took her hand as we ran to my car.
Once we were in and I knew she was in high spirits, I took my chance. "Ava, Will wants to bring Holly on a double date with us this evening. Is that okay with you?" I asked, turning to see her expression.
With a blank face, Ava reached into her pocket, took out her phone and pressed it to her ear. "Four hours thirty-five minutes,"she spoke into it, and I viewed her with suspicion. She paused, as if listening to the person on the other end of the line. I wondered who it could be.
"A chocolate doughnut with sprinkles would be nice. Thanks,"she said, and hung up. She had a poker face on for exactly three seconds, then burst into fits of laughter.
"What was that all about?" I asked worriedly. She calmed herself down and smiled at me. "Oh, Will told me right after he discussed things with you. We just decided to bet on how long it would take for you to come and tell me. And I won. I know you're scared of me." She gave me a cheeky grin and I failed to suppress my smile. I loved this girl more than she'd ever know.
Thankfully, I didn't need to say anything in response to that because before I knew it, the support group centre came into view.
It was a rather large building that used to be a ballet studio. Holly's dad once told me that Mrs. Mills owned the studio when he met her, but gave it up after they had Eve. He didn't tell Holly all of this, though. He just told her that she wanted to work there but never got to. If Holly knew that her mom gave up the studio for her daughters, she'd be crushed. He probably didn't want her to feel any more like a waste of space than she already did.
The thing about Holly was that she didn't like to let on that her predicament hurt her. She never admitted to feeling utterly frustrated that she can't remember things relating to her other personas. She keeps her bitterness to herself. She knows she's hurting others, but she doesn't admit to hurting herself. I commended her on that.
"Why do you come here?" I asked Ava quietly as we stepped out of the car. "It helps Holly when I accompany her. She doesn't like coming here alone."
That didn't explain much at all. "But Holly's not with us right now."
Ava stopped in her tracks. It looked like she had completely forgotten how worried she was of being late only minutes before. She took a deep breath. "At first, I came here because of Holly. I liked being a part of her world, you know? Know how things are for her and all. But Daisy, Elody and Alora don't know there's something wrong with them. They're normal people, as far as they are concerned, so I can't bring them here. But as the days went on and the more sessions I attended, I realized I needed this just as much as Holly did. Skott leaving left me more messed up than I'd like to admit. The people I met here were so supportive and hearing their stories made me realize that I'm not alone."
I gave Ava a long hug and looked into her eyes. "Then I'm going to be a part of your world too."
A/N I live for Tava moments, which is sad considering they're figments of my imagination.
Anyway, I'm really sorry but I don't think I'll be updating another two chapters today after all. The writer's block has struck me again! But be sure to look out for an update tomorrow.
Love,
Via