“Don’t be jealous, Eli.” She scoots closer to me and wraps her arms around my neck, dropping a kiss on my cheek, before she whispers in my ear. “You know you can trust me. I don’t like Wyatt that way.”
I’m still stiff in her embrace. I can’t help it. Jealousy is such a bitch—I hate her. “Really?” My voice is flat, my gaze distant. I’m being stupid. Immature. I trust this girl. I do.
I just don’t trust all the other fucks who’ll try to get with her.
“Really.” She kisses my jaw. Once. Twice. Three times. My muscles start to relax, and I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation of her soft, damp lips on my skin. “I don’t like any boy that way, except you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” More tiny kisses on my jaw, just before she nibbles on my earlobe. “You own my heart too, you know.”
My eyes fly open, and I angle my head so I can look at her. “Don’t fuck with me right now, Ava. Please.”
She pulls away from me so she can meet my gaze. Her expression is so damn serious, it makes my heart skip a beat. “I’m in love with you,” she whispers. “I don’t want to be with anyone else. Just you.”
I cup her face and bring mine down to hers, my gaze fixated on her perfect, plump lips. “I thought you weren’t going to say it.”
“How could I not? You say I own you, well you own me too. I’m all yours.”
I crush my mouth to hers, thrusting my tongue between her lips so I can taste her. She’s sweet and salty like the snack we just consumed, and yeah, maybe that’s gross, but I don’t care. I must taste the same way too.
I can’t believe I didn’t fuck this up. That she’s here, in my room, kissing me. Telling me she loves me.
Keeping my hands on her face, I guide her back toward the headboard of my bed, until she’s lying on my pillows. I release her face and reach between us, my fingers going to the hem of the shirt she’s wearing and push it up, revealing her stomach. I stroke her there, my lips fused with hers, swallowing her whimpers and moans. She’s already writhing beneath me, like she can’t take it. Like I make her feel too much, too soon.
I can relate baby, is what I want to tell her.
I can fucking relate.
Thirty-Seven
Ava
Homecoming week is busy. Every day has a theme and you have to dress accordingly. Monday was Tacky Tourist. Tuesday was favorite Disney character. And so on and so forth. Silly games are played every day at lunch that all the nominees participate in. The overall winners of homecoming are chosen by popular vote, but staff and administration also have a say if a nominee wins or loses. They look for someone with plenty of school spirit. Who throws themselves into the games wholeheartedly.
It’s like Wyatt and I take it to a whole other level. Considering Wyatt is a football player, of course, he has a competitive streak in him that’s five miles wide. He’s absolutely ruthless during the games, and we go hard every day at lunch. We win two out of the three days, thanks to him. I try my best, but I’ve never been the most coordinated person. I still wonder sometimes how I made the cheer team.
Normally, we don’t have cheer practice on Wednesday, but of course during homecoming week, we do. And once that’s finished, it’s the coronation ceremony. The freshman, sophomore and junior class princes and princesses are crowned tonight. The senior class nominees are whittled down from six boys and six girls to three each. Final crowning for the seniors is during the halftime ceremony, along with all of the winners out on the field. Plus, there’s a parade and a rally on Friday. It’s pure chaos.
I’m secretly hoping we don’t win. Isn’t that terrible? Yet I can’t help but feel this way. This week is exhausting, why do I want to add on to my already overbooked schedule? Besides, I know Lindsey wants it bad. Dakota says she’s just grateful to be nominated so she can participate in all the fun activities, and I believe her. She really seems to be having a great time. Cami of course, is acting like she’s already wearing the crown, and her bossy, superior attitude makes me want her to lose.
Not that I’d be able to rub it in her face, but…yeah.
The problem with homecoming week is that I can’t see Eli much, though he’s actually being very understanding. After our night together in his room—yes, I gave him a hand job, and yes, he seemed to really enjoy it—our relationship has shifted. We admitted that we loved each other. I meant it. So did he. I think our confessions gave him reassurance—I know it did for me. We finally know where we stand.
Together.
I’m just glad we’re not avoiding each other anymore.
Once homecoming is over, I’m telling my family that Eli and I are a couple. He wants that too. He’s tired of hiding our relationship, and I am too. I’m scared about Dad and Jake finding out, but I can’t keep our relationship a secret much longer.
I just—I can’t. It’s too difficult. And if anyone—Jake—has a problem with us, they’ll get over it, eventually.
They have to.
We’re out on the field practicing our halftime routine for about the thousandth time, footballs sailing over our heads as we dance, since the team is on the field practicing as well. Some of the girls look terrified, but it doesn’t even bother me. Plus, I can hear my dad yelling at the boys to watch out for us. No way does he want me or any of the other girls on my team to be injured by one of his boys.
“Okay!” Brandy yells once the music is over and all of us are ready to collapse. “Take a quick water break.”
We run to where we left our stuff by the fence, grabbing our water bottles and pretty much draining them. I’m so over this routine. I think everyone else is too.
Including Brandy.
“All right girls, you seem to have a handle on everything. We’re going to end practice a little early so the ones who are nominated can have a little extra time getting ready for the coronation ceremony tonight,” Brandy announces.
I almost sag in relief. I’m so glad we can leave. “Thank you,” I tell her as I gather up my stuff.
“Hey Ava.” Lindsey stops right beside me, her backpack already slung over her shoulder. Dang, she moves fast. “Want to come to my house and get ready for the ceremony?”
“Um, sure.” I’d planned on getting ready at home, but I guess I wouldn’t mind hanging out with the girls. “I need to go home and get my dress and everything else first, though.”
“No problem. Dakota is getting ready with me too. I’ll text you my address and you can come straight over, okay? I don’t live too far from the school,” Lindsey explains before she whips out her phone and taps at the screen.
Within seconds, I have a text from her with her address, just as she promised.
“Sure.” I smile at her. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Of course.” Lindsey smiles brightly. “See you soon!” She offers up a little wave before she takes off with Dakota.
“Making friends I see,” Cami says as she strolls by me.
If I could, I’d tell her to fuck off and mind her own business. Instead, I keep my mouth shut and say nothing.
“What, you don’t have anything to say?”
I start walking. Cami keeps pace with me.
Great.
“Do you really think you’re going to win?” Cami asks snidely.
I come to a complete stop. “Do you really think you’re going to win?”
Her smile is slow. Evil. “Of course. Pretty sure I’ve got this one nailed.”
“Kind of like how you’re nailing other people’s boyfriends?” I ask innocently.
Her smile switches into a full-blown scowl. Oops, looks like I touched a nerve. “Fuck off.”
Cami flounces away with a huff, running back to Baylee, and I can’t help the evil giggle that falls from my lips. If I knew I could get rid of her that easily, I would’ve said something extra mean to her weeks ago.
“You’re going to let me curl your hair, right?” Lindsey waves the curling wand in her hand around in the air, like it’
s some sort of weapon.
“Sure,” I say before I send a nervous look to Dakota, who is currently applying my makeup. “Though I was thinking of wearing it straight.”
“No way. It’ll look so pretty curled,” Lindsey says, Dakota nodding in agreement. “Trust me, I’ll make you look fabulous.”
“Sounds good,” I say, wincing when Dakota almost stabs me in the eye with the eyeliner pen she’s using on my eyelid. She’s giving me wings, ha. “Ow.”
“Stop moving,” Dakota says, her gaze so focused on my eyes, she kind of looks cross-eyed. She’s digging her teeth in her bottom lip, her fingers curling around my chin to hold my face still. “Okay…there. Looks good.”
I turn to check it out in the mirror hanging on the wall beside us. I don’t even look like myself. I’m not one to wear a lot of makeup. I went through a stage freshman year, when I was watching endless hours of makeup tutorials on YouTube and had a thing for poppin’, sparkly highlight on my cheeks and nose and everywhere else I could apply it. Eventually, that sort of thing becomes exhausting.
Now I’m lucky if I remember to put on a little mascara in the morning.
“What do you think?” Dakota asks excitedly.
“I look…” My voice drifts. I’m sort of taken aback. I’m actually at a loss for words. “Different.”
Dakota’s face falls. “You don’t like it?”
“No, no. I love it.” I meet her hopeful gaze in the mirror. “I’m just—not used to wearing so much makeup.”
Lindsey’s face suddenly appears in the reflection, right next to Dakota’s. “Damn girl, you’re a total hottie! Dakota, you did an amazing job. Look at her eyeshadow!” Lindsey gives Dakota a high five.
I turn my face to the left, then the right, admiring Dakota’s handiwork. I look pretty amazing. Dad probably won’t like it—he’ll say I look too old. Mom will tell me her little girl is growing up.
Eli might trip himself because his tongue would fall out of his head.
“Where’s Ellie?” Lindsey asks, making me go completely still for a second or two.
Oh. She said Ellie, not Eli.
“She had to work until six.” She recently picked up a part-time job at the local smoothie place. “She’s coming right over to the ceremony after she clocks out.”
Ceremony starts at 6:30. I glance at my phone. It’s already almost five. We’re supposed to be at the theater by six.
“Okay, let’s do your hair,” Lindsey says as she waves me over to another chair. She already has a full face of makeup that Dakota did for her earlier, and she looks amazing. Her dark hair is naturally curly and always looks fabulous. When I arrived at Lindsey’s house, she was working on Dakota’s hair. She turned it into a crown of braids, with little wispy strands hanging around her face, and she reminds me of a fairy princess.
I start to get nervous. What if I make a fool of myself onstage? God, what if I actually win? What if I don’t? I’m not sure how I’ll react either way.
My phone buzzes, and I check it to see that I have a text from Eli, AKA a string of emojis, most of them black hearts.
Send me a pic when you’re ready. I wanna see you in your dress.
Smiling, I respond.
I thought you’re supposed to be at practice?
Eli: Got a break. We’re practicing for an extra hour tonight. Gotta be ready for the most important game of the season.
“Oooh, who are you texting?” Lindsey asks me in an extra high-pitched voice.
I immediately turn my phone face down in my lap, my heart climbing into my throat. “No one.”
“Please. That was from a boy. Who wants to see you in your dress?” Lindsey grins. “Does our sweet little Ava have a secret boyfriend?”
Panic hits me hard, making me sweat. Or maybe that’s the extra hot curling wand Lindsey is currently using on my hair. I don’t know. “He’s no one.”
“Uh huh. Does he go here?”
I realize that first, these girls don’t believe me whatsoever, and they shouldn’t. Second, they have no clue I’m talking to the Eli Bennett. His name isn’t in the contact info. He could be…
Anybody.
“Fine, you’re right. I’m talking to a boy,” I say with a little sigh. “And he goes to another school.”
Dakota and Lindsey share a knowing look. “We had a feeling you might be seeing someone. What with the way Wyatt is in such hot pursuit of you and you not showing any interest,” Lindsey says.
That is so not true. Wyatt isn’t in pursuit of me at all.
“Where did you meet this mystery man?” Dakota asks.
“That football camp my family and I went to with my dad and the team last summer,” I say.
Hey. I’m not lying. That is one hundred percent the truth.
“Ooh, that camp must’ve been full of cute boys. If you go there again this summer, you should bring friends,” Lindsey suggests, making Dakota laugh. “Two at least.”
“I wish I could,” I say, laughing along with them.
We talk about boys. They try and ask questions about my secret boy, and I give them vague answers. Eventually, they start talking about the boys they’re interested in, and Lindsey blatantly states that she wishes she would’ve never broken up with Wyatt.
Yikes. I’m tempted to tell Wyatt that, though I would never break Lindsey’s trust. I wonder how he’d react?
Once Dakota finishes curling my hair, we all change into our dresses. We each decided to wear something short, and since we shopped together, we’re all wearing different styles and colors. Lindsey’s dress is sleeveless, silky red. Dakota’s is a gorgeous deep purple with a sheer lace back panel.
Mine is fitted black lace atop thin knit so it’s not sheer, with the skirt hem reaching about mid-thigh. It has cap sleeves and the neckline is high, and the back of the dress is completely open. Meaning I can’t wear a bra. It’s actually pretty daring for me, and I feel like a completely different person wearing it.
“Ava, you look amazing.” Lindsey waves at my phone where it sits on top of her dresser. “Want me to take your photo so you can send it to your boyfriend?”
I appreciate them not asking too many questions. And I hate being so secretive, but…I can’t reveal who he is.
Not yet.
“Sure.” I grab my phone and open up the camera before handing it to her. “Thank you.”
She takes a bunch of photos while I do all sorts of poses, feeling ridiculous. Then we take a bunch of photos together with Lindsey’s mom as photographer.
It’s while Lindsey and Dakota are having photos taken together that I send a few shots to Eli. He doesn’t respond, and I fight the disappointment. I can only assume he’s at practice, and I get it.
But I’m sad I don’t get one of his pervy messages telling me how hot I am. I kind of like it when he says that stuff. Oh, who am I kidding?
I love it.
I’m standing on the stage with my arm through Wyatt’s, and he’s probably the only reason I haven’t fallen to the floor in a nervous heap. My knees are knocking together, and I clutch his arm tightly, my heart hammering as I listen to Gannon, our student body president and host for tonight’s ceremony, chat up the audience.
“And now, your junior class prince and princess are…Wyatt Channing and Ava Callahan!”
I squeal, clutching onto Wyatt’s arm extra tight so I don’t stumble. Wyatt’s smile is so big, it’s downright blinding. It all happens in a blur of movement. Sashes are draped across us. A glittering tiara is set on my head, and I’m handed a beautiful bouquet of flowers. And then we’re all escorted off the stage, my brother giving me a quick hug while his girlfriend smiles nervously at me, Jake offering Wyatt a high five.
“We’re so happy for you!” Dakota and Lindsey swarm me, both of them hugging me on either side as we all three hop up and down. Cami flashes me a look right before she’s about to step onto the stage, and my smile is cool when our gazes meet.
She’s such a bitch, trying to
tear me down earlier. It feels good to be wearing the crown.
Even though I didn’t really want it until right before we left Lindsey’s house.
The evening is more of a blur. Both Jake and Hannah move on to the final crowning ceremony that will be held at halftime during Friday night’s game, along with Tony and Sophie, Jake’s friend and Hannah’s best friend who’ve recently started dating. Diego and Cami moved on as well, which doesn’t make me happy.
When the ceremony is over and I see Jocelyn, Diego’s sort of girlfriend, crying to her family, I can tell she’s not too happy about it either.
“You looked so beautiful up on stage,” Mom says before she pulls me into a crushing hug. Dad hugs me, too, murmuring how proud he is of me. Mom makes me pose for photos with them. Ellie joins us, and we pose for even more photos. It’s like this for twenty minutes or more. Endless photos with friends, with Wyatt, with Jake, with Hannah. The corners of my mouth start to hurt from smiling so much and all I can think about is checking my phone.
I’m dying to tell Eli I won.
“I can’t believe I have to buy another dress,” Hannah semi-whines as we’re talking, making me realize I’ll have to do the same.
I laugh. She sounds about as happy about it as I am. “I love your dress,” I tell Hannah. “And yeah, I’ll have to get another too for Friday.”
“I’m on a super tight budget,” Hannah says, her expression tinged with disappointment. “We don’t have a lot of money so…”
“I have a really pretty dress that was too long on me, and I didn’t end up wearing it for winter formal last year,” I tell her. Turns out I held onto it too long and missed the cut off date to return it to the store. Mom was so mad at me. “I still have it. Would you want to maybe borrow it?”
“Oh my gosh, really?” Hannah smiles. “I would love to try it on and see if it fits.”
“We look about the same size.” I reach out and grab her hands, holding them out. “You should come over tomorrow and you can try it on.”
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