Ava's POV:
I buried my face in my hands for nearly the whole day; well, at least until things get better. Things did get better when I got home. The entire week was surprisingly pleasant, neglecting Monstrous Monday.
I sat on the couch, staring at the TV. "Nice to know you're productive," dad said, grabbing the popcorn bowl on my stomach.
"Uh," I responded.
"How?" He asked, sitting at my feet.
"Huh?"
"How did your brother become the one going out on Saturday night while you're lying on the couch like a hermit crab?"
"Ah...Yes...That."
"Well, not that I'm complaining since my little girl is at home," he cooed, placing a nearly empty bowl of popcorn on my stomach.
"Why are you home on Saturday night?" Mom asked.
"Hey! Don't question her! Let her stay at home!" Dad snapped.
She leaned back, "I was asking her. Who are you to-" she pretends to hit him with the purse causing me to chuckle lightly. Dad immediately protects his face with his arms.
"Why are you at home?" she asked me again. Probably because nearly every Saturday night since summer, since my rebirth, I've been staying every weekend.
"Because...I am not the old Ava Makee. This Ava Makee wishes to stay with her parents forever."
They look at each other in concern, "Forever?" they said in unison.
I nodded, "Together forever. The three of us." I circled my forefinger in the air.
Mom smacked me with her purse, "Go get dressed! You're going out with your parents tonight to meet some stranger who will be your friend so you won't stay here forever."
"Mom!" I groaned, planting my face into the couch.
"Oh, no. Not this." She pulls me off the couch, "I got enough of the couch potato act from your brother. I don't need it from you. Now, go." She pushes me towards my bedroom.
So, on Saturday night, I'm forced to attend a party with my parents. It wasn't really a party, more like a gathering of adults with no life who chit chat about their kids and the finger food.
I exhaled, puncturing the pie with my fork. Fuck this. I shove a whole piece into my mouth, pushing myself further into the couch in the room's corner. After a few more bites, I began licking the plate because no one seems to notice my existence.
"There's more pie over there." I stop my plate licking and look up to see Eli's older brother, Logan.
Steadily, I lowered the plate and ran my finger across my lip before sitting up straighter. "It's a good pie," I said, never expecting to know someone at the party.
"Mind if I take a seat?" He pointed at the space beside me.
"Sure."
In his casual long black jeans and t-shirt covered by a leather jacket, an outfit I do not imagine a doctor to wear. He looks at me. "You have something to say, Ava?"
"Why are you here?" I asked.
He smiles, "The real question is, why are you here? A teenager at a party for boring adults?"
"My parents think I'm becoming a hermit crab, so they dragged me here. Probably afraid I'll take over my brother's place and live in their basement."
"Oh yeah, Trevon, right?" I nodded. "I heard he got a date with a nice girl. Good for him."
"How did you know?" I asked, tapping my fingers underneath the plate.
He took a sip of the drink inside his red cup, unknown to me whether it was juice or alcohol. "Eli is my younger brother. Plus, Trevon brings up the fact that he has a date every minute whenever he comes over."
"You and Eli live together?"
He nodded, "With our parents." The edge of his lip twirls upward, "Probably think I'm a loser for living with my parents, don't you?"
"Oh, no, no!" I waved a hand in the air.
He laughed, "I'm joking." He leaned back, tucking away his white coat, "Chill."
The soft music was dazzling in the background. "Why are you still living with your parents? I mean...you're a doctor."
He laughed lowly, a low muffled sound as his chest heaved up then fell back down. "Medical school isn't free."
I nodded, "Make sense." My brows furrowed, "Why are you here?" I hope I didn't offend him in any way.
"Same as you. I want to disappear in the corner of the room. You're sitting at my usual spot."
I look down at my current space, "Sorry?"
He shook his head and emptied the cup, "Don't be. At least, I'm not alone at this party."
"If you don't like being here. Why are you here?"
"Because-" he puffed his cheeks, "my parents forced me to attend." He nodded in agreement with his own statement.
We sat there, in silence, with the plate still in my lap. I want to stand up and put it away, but I don't know how to do it in the least awkward way.
"Hey, there, Baby," Logan said, and I snapped my head towards him. He better not.
A bark caught my attention, and I looked down at a small puppy scouting through people's legs. He slides across the ground before leaping on top of Logan's lap. "How's my Baby doing?" He cooed.
The puppy smiled, and so did I. He looked at me, and before I knew it, he leapt onto my lap, causing me to squeal lightly. I placed my hand on top of his lap as he cuddled up to me. "Looks like Baby likes you."
"Baby?" I question seeing the gold name tag shimmering underneath the artificial lights.
"Baby. Ava. Ava. Baby." Logan introduced us.
I grabbed Baby from his stomach. "Hi there, Baby," I cooed, and Baby began licking my face. "Baby, is your dog?" I asked.
Logan shook his head, "Baby belongs to Eli. I mean, who else would name his puppy Baby except for that boy?"
I chuckled lowly before cuddling with Baby again. After some time playing with Baby, the awkward silence returned between us.
"Want to leave with me?"
I tilt my head towards him, wondering if I heard correctly. "Did you just ask me to leave with you?"
He nodded a broad grin on his face, one that seemingly matches Eli. They were so similar, but the age difference between them is apparent. "Yeah. Let's go."
Before I could respond, Logan whistled, and Baby leaped off of me. He grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the front door, somehow avoiding both my parents and his. Once we reached the outside, we inhaled the cold air. I began shivering underneath the moonlight. Logan shrugged off his jacket and pulled it over my shoulders. "Why are you holding a plate?"
I look down at the plate that had my pie earlier. Logan grabs it and places it in the front footstep. "Let's go."
It was weird how different he was behaving compared to the hospital.
My eyes widen, watching Logan, the doctor, hopping on a motorcycle. He turns it on, proving to me that it is his bike. "Well? Are you going to jump on or go back to the pissed party?"