by S. J. Bishop
Hannah stared at me with disbelief. "I see."
My heart murmured in my chest. I was making this worse. "I mean," I stammered, "Olivia just doesn’t seem like a very good person, that’s all."
"But why would you care so much?" Hannah asked. "Unless you were involved with Carter?"
"I’m not," I pleaded. "I... I have a boyfriend."
Hannah’s eyes narrowed. "Really?"
"Yes. I do."
"What’s his name?"
"Myron," I responded without hesitation. "And he’s wonderful. We work together at Piccadilly’s."
"Fine, then you’ll have a date for my rehearsal dinner."
My face went white. "What are you talking about? I told you, I can’t go."
"Sure you can," Hannah said. "And bring Myron. If he’s as great as you say he is, I’m sure he’d be happy to take you."
"Of course he would, but I’m working. I’m sure I’m working."
"Switch shifts then."
"I can’t."
"Can’t? Or won’t?" Hannah asked, ready to spring on me again if given the chance.
"Fine," I said, scowling. "We’ll go."
"Great," Hannah said smiling. "Oh, and Carter and Olivia will be there too, of course."
I smiled feebly at her before Hannah finally made her departure. What had I just gotten myself into?
26
Carter
The bell rang and a minute later I heard Ava’s voice, followed by the voice of a man. My stomach dipped and I looked down hoping, like an idiot, that I could just avoid Ava all night. Hannah had informed me that Ava would be attending the dinner with her boyfriend, but I had hoped it wasn’t true. The last thing that I’d wanted to do was go to Hannah’s dinner with Olivia still wearing that stupid ring, but the only way she’d agree to go with me was if I allowed her to wear it. I couldn’t risk Ava seeing me without a date, especially if her boyfriend was gonna be there, so I’d agreed.
I caught Olivia shooting daggers at Ava, as soon as they walked in. The caterers were serving champagne, but even that didn’t seem to mellow Olivia out. If anything, she seemed more obsessed with Ava. She walked over to me and began running her hand through my hair and kissing me with a little too much passion for such a family event.
When I broke away I noticed my parents were both blushing. I turned towards Ava, but apparently she wasn’t going to let Olivia outdo her. I watched as she grabbed Myron and pulled him to her. I felt my fist clench as her lips touched his for a moment, but then she pulled away. Her boyfriend grinned adoringly at her and she blushed. I guessed she didn’t have it in her to be as much of an exhibitionist as Olivia.
Hannah caught my eye and flashed a look of both amusement and an expression which screamed,I knew it! I wasn’t going to get anything past her.
Olivia started groping me again, apparently unable to bear the threat of not being the center of attention. And out of the corner of my eye I saw Ava lean into her boyfriend again. This time it didn’t appear as if she was going to let modesty get in the way.
I broke away from Olivia as I heard some of my football buddies begin to chuckle and point. Apparently they liked the show Ava and her boyfriend were putting on.
"Say," I overheard one of the guys say to Ava. "I hear you like to party. Wanna party with us later?"
I noticed Ava’s face turn bright red and looked at the guys with an expression of horror. "Todd!" I exclaimed.
Todd looked at me and raised his shoulders. “What?”
"Oh, she’ll do more than party with you," Olivia snickered, her arms wrapped around me.
"What do you mean?" Todd asked.
"Well there’s only four of you, so I think you each get a turn. Just make sure you use protection, she’s been around the block a few times, if you know what I mean. Started taking her tricycle out pretty early in life too."
Hannah’s fiancé, Erik, laughed so hard vodka came out his nose. Hannah shot him a look. What could she possibly see in that guy?
"Olivia," I snapped, "watch what you say." My head was beginning to ache.
"Why?" Olivia asked innocently. "She got knocked up when she was sixteen."
"I was eighteen," Ava snapped, her eyes filling with tears.
"Oh, my bad," Olivia replied, fluttering her eyelashes. "If that’s what you want to tell everyone, who am I to judge?"
"I guess that means she started out on a Schwinn instead of a tricycle," Erik laughed and the table roared.
"Erik, shut your mouth!" Hannah yelled. Erik looked at her and rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.
Olivia, however, apparently had no intention of shutting up. I watched frozen as she went in for the kill. "So who’s the father?" she asked Ava. "Or were there too many to choose from?" Her eyes went wide in an expression I recognized. It was as though she had just been stuck with a brilliant idea, but I knew her well enough to know what came next would be calculating. That was how she chose to use her brain power. "I heard you’re strapped for cash." She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "Is your kid’s father one of your clients?" She made finger air quotes around "clients" and Ava’s face grew wet as the tears rolled over it.
My heart pounded in my chest. The blood rushed through my veins. I couldn’t believe that Ava’s boyfriend wasn’t saying anything. What kind of boyfriend would let others talk that way about his girl? I hadn’t said anything up until now, figuring I would let him defend Ava. But when he still didn’t say anything after this, I couldn’t help myself.
"Shut the hell up, Olivia!" I finally yelled, standing up. Olivia stared back at me, shocked.
"What’s the matter?" she asked. "Why should you care what I say?"
"Because you’re hurting Ava!"
"But why do you care?"
"Because she’s my friend! Why would you want to hurt someone on purpose anyway? What kind of person are you?"
"I’m your fiancé, that’s who!" she screamed, flashing her ring at me and everyone else in the room. My parents gawked. They hadn’t realized that Olivia was wearing an engagement ring.
"Whatever, Olivia. Like I’d ever marry someone whose sole purpose in life was to hurt others so she could feel better about herself. You’re pathetic." I threw down my napkin—I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding it, ringing it in my hands like I was strangling it. I stormed from the room.
27
Ava
I sat in the passenger seat beside Myron, thinking over the strange evening I’d just experienced. I wanted to follow Carter from the room when he’d stormed off. I had actually started to rise to do so, but then I’d felt a restraining hand on my arm. I’d looked over and seen Myron looking at me with a stern expression. He shook his head, almost imperceptibly, and I’d sat back down.
He’d stared at me with a fixed expression for what felt like an eternity before addressing the table, who was in animated discussion over Carter’s behavior. Olivia was acting as though she were shocked by it all. "Please excuse us," Myron said then. He had risen and pulled out my chair for me.
I assumed that he just didn’t want to lose face in front of everyone, though why he should care about losing it in front of these strangers I couldn’t understand. But he was supposed to be my boyfriend; how would it look if I ran off without him? I decided I could at least let him save face if that’s what he wanted. I would find Carter later.
Now, alone in Myron’s car, I wondered why Myron hadn’t defended me inside. I knew he wasn’t my real boyfriend, but still... I had thought he was at least a friend. Even Hannah had yelled at Erik, something which had taken the sting out of his comment about me.
"That Carter is a real jerk, huh?" Myron said now as we headed down the street.
"What?" I asked, thinking I’d misheard him. How could Myron possibly think that after the way he’d defended me?
"Did you hear how he talked to his girlfriend?" Myron asked. "I feel sorry for her." He laughed as he said it but I caught him shoot a quick look in my direc
tion to gage my reaction.
"Myron, what are you talking about?" I demanded, my temper rising. "Carter was defending me. He was the only one in the room doing it too."
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Myron said, turning to look at me, his car sliding over the yellow line that marked the middle of the road.
"Myron, look out!" I shouted, alarmed. The car slid back over into his lane and stayed there. For now.
"What is the matter with you?" I shouted. "Are you jealous of Carter?"
Myron snorted. "Jealous?" he asked. "Of that oaf? Can he even read? No, Ava, I’m not jealous. But I’m also not delusional."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You like him, don’t you?" Myron said, rounding on me.
"What makes you think that?"
"It’s obvious, that’s all." His face fell a little and I felt bad.
"Myron," I said, trying to come up with the right words. "You know tonight was just pretend, right? I explained that to you. You said you understood."
"I did. I do. I just..." He pulled the car over then and looked at me with, imploring eyes. "Ava, I just..." He closed his eyes and leaned towards me, pressing his lips against mine.
"Myron," I yelled, pushing him away. His face turned red and my heart thumped in my chest. I’d made a huge mistake asking Myron to help me. It wasn’t his fault. It had been selfish of me. I knew how Myron felt about me and had asked him for this favor anyways, just to prove to Hannah that there was nothing going on between Carter and I. And of course, to make Carter jealous.
"Myron," I began again, softer this time. "I’m sorry. I should never have asked you to come with me tonight."
Myron’s face darkened. "I get it," he said. "I’m not good enough for you, am I?"
"Myron, that’s not it. Please... I thought we were friends. Can’t we just stay that way—friends?" I smiled at him, hoping to ease his irritation with me. I had so few friends these days, I couldn’t afford to lose one.
Myron looked at me with black eyes. And I shuddered. He looked like he wanted to kill me. Not just kill, but hurt me. It was the look a deranged serial killer might wear before murdering his next victim. I pushed myself as close as I could to the passenger door, but tried to look nonchalant. This is what Terri had been trying to warn me about and I had been too dumb or desperate to listen to her. My need for a friend had blinded me to this new side of Myron I was getting a look at firsthand.
"Myron..." I said carefully.
"I’d think that you’d be a little more grateful," he said through gritted teeth.
"Grateful?" I asked.
"Not many men in this town would go out with someone like you, you know. A bastard kid... a woman who has no money and no hope for the future. I’m too good for you, Ava, yet I like you just the same. I’ve never cared about the rumors and innuendos, but now I see it for what it is... the truth. You’re nothing but a tease."
My face tightened. "Screw you, Myron." I tried to open his car door but he put one hand out, preventing me. "Myron, let me out."
"What is it about me you find so repulsive? Is it because I’m not a brute like that jerk Carter? If I was more violent, always fighting with people like he is, would you like me then? Because I assure you Ava, I can be just as violent as Carter given the opportunity."
Myron was gripping my wrist. I took my other hand and pried his fingers off. I didn’t wait to see if I’d get another chance; I jumped from his car and slammed the door behind me.
28
Ava
"Ava! Get back in the car!" Myron’s face was red and pinched with anger.
I stood away from the car, staring at him. I had never seen Myron so angry before. Normally, he was the most mild-mannered person I knew. It was like a switch flipped.
"No!" I shouted back to him.
He let out a scream of frustration and got out of the car, slamming his door so hard the windows rattled, "Ava!" he shouted again.
I backed away from him, my heart beating hard in my chest. My breathing began to increase as panic settled in. I’d never been scared of Myron before, but this wasn’t the same Myron I’d thought I’d known.
"I’m just gonna walk home from here," I told him, taking two quick steps away from him.
"Why?" he demanded. "I’m your date. I should be the one to take you home. You want to go back there, don’t you?"
"Where?" I asked, slowly continuing to creep away from him. I wasn’t sure he was making sense anymore. He was so enraged by my rejection of him, it was clear he was no longer thinking clearly—if indeed he ever had been.
"Back to that house," he spat. "With those people. With him. Ava, they just want to laugh at you some more. I would never laugh at you."
"I know that, Myron," I said, hoping I sounded calm and collected. It was like talking to a rabid dog. A twig snapped under my weight and seemed to snap Myron out of his trance. He moved towards me quickly. I turned to run. Myron caught my shoulder and spun me back around. Our faces were only inches apart.
"Listen to me Ava," he pleaded now. "I love you. I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you. More than Carter ever could. If you only understood how much... the things I’ve done for you, you’d love me too. I know you would."
"Myron, I’m sorry. I can’t. I just—"
Then Myron was pressing himself against me, pulling me tightly against him. I tried to push away but he was surprisingly strong. His hands reached out and groped me, touching my breasts. I shuddered as I pushed them away but he persisted, putting them back over me. I brought my foot down hard on his foot and he jerked away.
"Ow!" he screeched. I kicked him as hard as I could in the leg. It wasn’t hard enough. I heard a smack as Myron’s hand hit my face. Blood rushed out at the corner of my mouth.
A car that had been driving by skidded to a halt. I had been so engrossed in my situation I had almost forgotten that we were on a main road. I looked over, grateful for whoever was coming to my aid. My heart fluttered when I saw it was Carter. His face was pulled into a snarl. He ran to us and without so much as a word grabbed Myron and pulled him off me.
Myron grunted as he fell to the ground, his leg making an alarming snapping noise. "You asshole!" he screamed, kicking his leg out and getting Carter in the knee. Carter let out a wail and buckled over, but did not fall as Myron had.
Myron seized the moment, however, and pushed himself off the ground before Carter could right himself.
"Myron, don’t!" I screamed. "Stop!" But Myron had his eyes set on Carter and was on him before my words had even hit his ears. They would have made little difference even if he’d acknowledged them.
Myron flung himself on Carter, knocking him to the ground. I jumped on Myron’s back just as he was about to kick Carter’s stomach. I clung to his neck, wrapping my legs around his waist, trying to stop him from hurting Carter. He fell back against the car, pushing me back into the door, and I lost my breath. My grip around his neck loosened and he easily flung me off. He spun around and slapped me again. My cheek went numb.
Carter jumped up from the ground and kicked Myron’s knee. Myron fell over and Carter jumped on top of him, his fists flying. I was shocked at what a fight Myron put up, after all Carter was a professional football player and it seemed he’d been in his share of fights off the field. I feared for a second that Myron might actually get the better or him. If that was the case I didn’t know what I would do. I didn’t think I could outrun him. But in the end, Carter’s defensive moves from years of football paid off. He was simply stronger and more experienced in physical fighting than Myron, and when Carter finally climbed off him, Myron’s nose was bleeding and I could see he was having difficulty focusing on anything. I was in such shock I just stood there staring at him and Carter.
Carter didn’t look much better—blue tinged skin around his right eye was already swelling to an alarming degree. He was going to have a black eye for Hanna’s wedding. His other eye looked alright, except for the red streaks
running through it that made it look as if he’d been crying. I couldn’t tell if it was blood, or if he had just gotten too much sweat in his eyes during the altercation.
"Come on," I said. "Let’s get out of here." I didn’t want to be around when Myron snapped out of it. I eyed him as he lay on the dirt, looking lost and injured, and for some reason, despite the fact that he had just attacked me, I almost felt bad for him. He was a slave to his jealousy and obsessed with someone who didn’t feel the same way about him. Still, his way of handling this made me fear him for the first time since we’d met.
Carter got up and stumbled towards me. "Are you okay?" he asked, checking me over.
"I’m fine," I said, taking his hand. His fingers intertwined with mine and I felt that old spark of electricity surge through me. My heart jumped in my chest as he pulled me into a hug. I heard Myron groan from behind us.
"You’re right," Carter said. "Let’s get out of here."
"You bitch," Myron murmured. "You slut. You’ll be sorry for this!"
And to think, I had just felt pity for him. I tried to shake off his words as Carter ushered me into his car, but they stuck to me like crazy glue. Carter sped away from the scene, Myron’s angry words still sounding in my ears.
29
Ava
"Are you okay?" Carter asked again as we arrived at my apartment. His eyes were frantic and worried. He reached out with one hand and gently brushed my cheek. I guessed I was smeared with dirt or blood or both. But his own hands were covered in blood.
I nodded. "Yeah, I’m fine, I think." My hands were still trembling as I took my keys from my purse and opened the door. Thank God Lily isn’t here. That was the only benefit of having Lily sleep at my parents’ place. When something went wrong in my life—which seemed to be the case more often than not these days—I didn’t have to come home and try to act as if everything was perfectly fine.