The group dynamic was very strange after yesterday's events.
There had been times when Mick and Mike had fallen out, but never before had the group been split up like this. If they were arguing, they still both remained in our spot and had spoken to all of us, just not each other.
With Ava and Oscar, it was different.
Our fears that Oscar had upset Ava were confirmed this morning when Ava walked straight past our sofa, without so much as a glance in our direction. That sign alone made it clear that this wasn't some overnight argument.
As soon as she did that, all of our jaws hit the floor. Oscar kept his eyes on his lap, refusing to look up at the scene unfolding in front of him. I could hardly believe it- Ava had actually refused to sit with us. Whatever Oscar did to upset her, it must be pretty serious.
An uncomfortable feeling settled in my stomach as Ava strode over to a table full of girls, who immediately started to coo over her and ask if she was okay. I had never seen Ava taking to these girls, but I guess they must be close since they were acting like they were life long friends. I recognised a few of them from past sexual encounters, which made me cringe a little- it really was a small Sixth Form.
"Since when did she hang around with those girls?" Mike voiced what we were all thinking, finally breaking the stunned silence that we had all fallen into.
"I haven't ever seen her with them." Oscar muttered bitterly, surprising me.
If even Oscar didn't know that she hung out with them, then surely they can't be that close? I highly doubt that she'd managed to made those friends overnight, but that's what it feels like.
"What happened between you guys?" Heather asked timidly, all of us leaning in- anticipating the response.
"I really don't want to talk about it." Oscar grunted, staring at the floor intently again.
I shot Heather a look that told her to give him some space and we all settled back into silence, not sure what to talk about. It felt strange with Ava gone- our group had always been the seven of us. Now that Ava was avoiding us, the whole group balance was off.
"At least people aren't staring at Cam anymore." Mick chirped, his tactful change of subject was certainly uncharacteristic.
"You spoke to Xavier?" Heather guessed, to which I nodded.
I had asked Xavier to tell them to chill it and he was deeply apologetic about the whole thing. He seemed embarrassed that I was made to feel awkward, which in turn embarrassed me for embarrassing him... Feelings are hard.
I had cooked for the both of us last night, so we were just chilling in the kitchen and talking. I was getting to know more about him while living there and we had quite a lot in common. He made me laugh a lot, but it was still a little awkward. He had been called for an emergency meeting after dinner and hadn't come back to the house until the early hours of the morning.
He'd joined me for a quick chat and cigarette up on the balcony before bed, since I was already wide awake and out there, but it wasn't for long. He still insisted on sleeping in the guest room, despite me not sleeping at night. He was adamant that his bed be there for me in case I felt sleepy. I was feeling a little light headed today from not sleeping for a while now, but it wasn't anything unusual. The feeling was more familiar to me than the tingles I got whenever Xavier touched me.
"Thank god for that. I was getting tired of whispering constantly so that they didn't hear us talking shit." Heather grinned.
I obviously couldn't tell Heather that they absolutely still could hear every word she said, but I was hyper aware of the fact. They had heightened wolf senses or whatever, so I didn't trust them. For the first time in years, I had to keep my mouth from running. Maybe that's how Dug found out?
"Do they all know that you're gay now, or something? The girls aren't looking at you anymore." Mick frowned, gesturing to the people minding their own business.
"Liking one guy doesn't make you gay, Mick." Fred scoffed.
"Seems pretty gay to me." Mick disagreed, "Isn't that like the entire definition of being gay? Liking guys..."
"He could be bisexual." Heather rolled her eyes.
"Or pansexual." Mike added.
"He doesn't like girls, though." Mick seemed very confused by my sexuality, which was relatable.
"He sure liked the sex, though." Fred smirked, making me chuckle.
Our conversation died down into silence once again as we realised that Oscar was sniffling. I wasn't good with comforting people, so I felt a bit awkward, but I also felt really bad for him. He and Ava were so close, so it must be hard to be arguing like that. I barely knew Xavier and I had a panic attack after an argument- which I totally blame on the mate bond, but the point remains.
"We broke up." Oscar sobbed suddenly, his face hitting a pillow hard.
My mouth dropped open in surprise again, which matched the expression of everyone else at the table. I must have looked like a fish, my mouth opening and closing repeatedly as I tried to think of something to say.
Heather put an arm around Oscar, telling him that it was going to be okay. The rest of us just sat watching awkwardly, feeling bad about not knowing what to say. Mike- the most emotionally mature one out of the rest of us- wrapped his arm around Oscar's other side, letting Heather do the verbal reassurance.
I thought that this was going to be a temporary fluke argument, not a full blown breakup. Was Ava ever coming back? I didn't want to lose a friend... I felt like this whole group was going through the break-up together, not just Ava and Oscar.
"It's okay, bro. We're here for you." Mick was surprisingly companionate, giving Oscar's hand a comforting pat.
Heather sent me a pointed look, prompting me to say something too. I wasn't sure what to say exactly, but my heart went out for him.
"Uh, yeah. Always here for you." I tried my best, making Heather roll her eyes.
"Thanks, I appreciate it guys." Oscar choked out, rubbing his tears away, "Can we all go out tonight? I don't really want to be alone again- last night sucked."
"Just name when and where." Fred nodded, "You can have some stuff for free, to make you feel better."
It was supposed to sound sincere and selfless, but it was absolutely hilarious. Only our friendship group would offer free drugs to somebody after a breakup to comfort them. Everyone except Mick and Fred were laughing at the ludicrous act of generosity.
"Does that mean we all get it for free?" Mick asked hopefully, completely ignoring the rest of us finding humour in the situation.
"You think I'm made of money? The offer's just for Oscar." Fred shook his head defensively, causing Mick to pout.
"I appreciate it." Oscar chuckled, but his smile seemed a little forced.
"Do you feel like talking about what happened?" Mike coaxed.
We were all a bit confused as to what happened, so I appreciated Mike for asking. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Ava and Oscar weren't together anymore. They had been together for as long as I could remember; they were inseparable from day one.
"Not really, but I could use the remainder of your braincells to figure it out." Oscar attempted a joke, his voice sounding strangled.
"You mean you don't understand what happened either?" I asked, feeling better that I wasn't the only perplexed person.
"Not really." Oscar sighed, "Everything was good, until it just wasn't. She'd been acting a little weird for the last two weeks or so, but yesterday she seemed completely off. She didn't give me a kiss- or even a hug- when I saw her. I didn't acknowledge it, incase it upset her, but then she just started crying."
"Did you ask her why she was crying?" Heather prompted.
I glanced over my shoulder, not being able to get a clear view of Ava, but feeling bad since her friends might be able to hear. I'm pretty sure I'd seen one or two of them around the pack, so they could definitely hear the conversation happening right now.
"Of course. She just gave vague answers about having problems at home and stuff." Oscar shrugged, "I didn't want to pry because she seemed pretty torn up about it. In the bathroom she wouldn't even give me a straight answer, she just kept repeating that we had to break up while crying her damn eyes out."
"Problems at home? She's never mentioned anything about things being bad with her family before." Mike scrunched his nose, his confused expression matching all of our own expressions.
"That's what I said!" Oscar groaned, "She can be so secretive. Did you know that I've never met her parents? She was always over at mine, but I was never invited over there. I'm pretty sure they didn't even know about me."
"Maybe it's a new issue?" Heather speculated.
"No, she said it was inevitable and that she knew she'd have to do this for a while now. She was talking nonsense, honestly. From what I could gather, she never saw me as a long term option." Oscar's voice cracked towards the end, making my heart ache for him.
This whole thing seemed very uncharacteristic of Ava. She looked at Oscar like the sun shined out of his ass and he was more in love with her than Mick is with weed. This whole situation seemed fishy, so whatever Ava had going on at home must be serious.
"Should one of us check in with her and ask if she's okay? I know she ignored us, but she might need somebody." I whispered to Heather, not wanting to upset Oscar or be overheard by wolves.
"I've got my next lesson with her, I'll see if she's coping then." Heather promised, glancing over my shoulder.
I looked over at what she was looking at, trying to be subtle. Ava was looking right back at me this time, her face looking pained. It tugged at my heart strings to see her so far away from us while she was in pain, but she was quick to look away and try to mask her emotions.
"I would try to not take it too personally, Oscar. It sounds like she's going through some shit and you've just taken the brunt of the blow." Mike comforted him.
"I just wish she would let me in- let me be there for her. She's isolating herself when she needs us most and it hurts me to see it. I love her, I don't want to see her hurting." Oscar choked on another sob, tears brimming once again.
"I said to Cameron that I'd check in on her, so I'll let you know how she is. I think she just needs space for a bit, Oscar." Heather tried to soothe him, but his tears couldn't be stopped.
"We'll take your mind off of things tonight. Meet at the pub?" Fred chirped, "First round on Mick?"
"Why me?" Mick protested, pouting.
"Because last time we went to the pub you 'forgot your wallet' and we all had to spot you." Mike deadpanned, "I know damn well you had money on you."
"I don't appreciate the slander to my name, but if you're gonna play it like that then fine: I'll pay, but only out of the generosity of my good heart. I confess to nothing." Mick was so dramatic sometimes.
That forced a chuckle out of Oscar, making my heart feel a little lighter. I was looking forward to tonight, so that we could help Oscar even a little bit through this tough time. It wasn't about the alcohol, but spending some time together and letting loose.
"I should go through breakups more often, all this free stuff is great." Oscar chuckled weakly, making me laugh.
"They're just playing favourites. I go through breakups every five minutes and nobody bats an eyelid." I teased, Heather rolling her eyes at me.
"You didn't know what an emotional connection was when it literally stalked you for weeks." Heather deadpanned, which was actually pretty funny on her behalf.
"It wouldn't be a good business model for Fred to give you free stuff at every breakup- he'd go bust." Mick repeated the teases that we'd directed at him in the past, flipping it on its head.
"Fair enough." I smirked, "This thing with Xavier is different though, trust me."
"Whatever you say." Heather sung, waggling her eyebrows.