by S. J. Bishop
34
Ava
I ran down the driveway towards the road. My car was still broken, sort of—it had refused to start for now—and I had taken the bus to Carter’s. But I had no intention of standing on the side of the road waiting for it to come back. It was only two miles to my house. I’d rather walk it.
Halfway down the driveway I heard a woman’s voice calling me. I turned my head and saw Hannah running towards me.
"Ava!" Hannah shouted, breathless.
I wanted to keep going. I didn’t want to see Hannah or anyone else for that matter. My legs moved faster down the driveway. Hannah fell in step beside me.
"I want to know what’s going on with you and Carter. He told me everything, you know." He had? What did Hannah mean by everything? Had he told her about graduation night, or just about how we had been together since he came back to Dover Chase?
I finally turned to face Hannah. I’d wanted to hide the fact that I was crying. No luck.
"What’s wrong?" Hannah asked.
"Carter and I had a fight." I couldn’t believe Carter had told Hannah about us, but since he had, I might as well stop denying it, at least to Hannah.
"About Myron?" Hannah asked.
"Sort of."
"Ava, what are you doing with a guy like that anyways? He sounds like a creep. Did he really hit you?"
I nodded, shame and embarrassment washing over me. Myron wasn’t even my boyfriend but I didn’t know how to begin unraveling the lie. Now everyone thought I was in a long-term abusive relationship. I couldn’t take their judgment, but even worse, I couldn’t bear to think of what it might mean for me and Lily if my parents got the wrong idea.
"Jesus, Ava. How could you defend someone like that?"
"What are you talking about? I’m not defending him."
"Then why was Carter in jail? Why is Myron still pressing charges? Myron’s your boyfriend, Ava, you should be able to talk him out of this bullshit. You know they kicked Carter off the team? All I know is that if it was me, I’d have fixed things by now."
Anger boiled in my blood. I couldn’t believe she was so quick to judge me. "Really?" I shouted, stepping closer to Hannah. "That’s funny, because I don’t see you fixing things between you and Erik."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hannah yelled, her eyes narrowing.
"Your fiancé just hit on me. Right there, in your parents’ house. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re supposed to be getting married to him tonight, aren’t you? Or is that just how marriage works in your eyes? Feel free to play around on each other despite the promises and vows?"
Hannah took a step closer to me and for a second I thought she might slap me. "You’re lying. Erik didn’t hit on you. You’re just jealous because I have someone in my life who isn’t an abusive crazy person. Someone who treats me with respect."
That was too much. My bottom lip quivered and I finally admitted, "Myron’s not my boyfriend."
Hannah looked at me for a few seconds before asking, "What?"
"He’s not my boyfriend. He never was. I just wanted to make Carter jealous. I had no idea he was so crazy."
Hannah paused, her eyes watering now too. I wanted to reach out and hug her but the distance between us was too great. So much had passed in the three years since she moved away. I had shut my best friend out of my life. Now here I was feeling more alone than ever, just a few inches away from the person I used to share everything with.
"Why would you do that?" Hannah asked. "Carter seems like he likes you. A lot. You didn’t need to make him jealous."
"Yeah but he’s got Olivia. And his career. I’ve got nothing to offer him except a sick daughter."
Hannah hesitated, then reached out wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a hug. I felt my whole body relax and was grateful that Hannah had been able to overcome our distance when I had not.
"Well, this should make it easier to get Myron to drop the charges at least. Just tell the police what you told me. That he hit you."
"I can’t," I said, pulling away.
"Why not?" Hannah asked, her anger returning.
"Look at the conclusions you and Carter immediately jumped to," I said. "I don’t want my parents to think I’m some poor abused woman who can’t take care of herself. They already want to take my daughter away from me, do you know that? My mom thinks Lily would be better off with them."
"Maybe she would," Hannah said. Just like that she was judging me again.
"And maybe you’re just marrying Erik to further your career," I snapped back.
Hannah’s eyes opened wide. "Now who’s making assumptions? My career’s just fine. And Carter’s would be too, if you’d only help him."
"Oh my God, I’m so sick hearing about Carter’s career? How much is it worth to you? Myron said the only way he’d drop the charges against Carter is if I slept with him? Should I do that, Hannah? Sleep with Myron? Turn myself into a whore for a man who doesn’t even want me?"
I burst into a fresh round of tears. Shock showed on Hannah’s face. She opened her mouth to say something but I was done. I couldn’t handle one more second with Hannah or Carter. I had to get out of there now. I ran an entire mile before stopping to walk. When I finally made it home, I was sweaty and out of breath.
I walked up the stairs to my apartment and just outside the door I saw something dark and putrid lying there. I walked closer. A bouquet of dead flowers lay tied together with a red ribbon. A note sat beside them. Myron’s idea of a love poem.
Love is a tender thing,
Love is a crazy thing,
Sometimes love hurts,
Sometimes, it has to.
I threw the note and flowers in the dumpster and locked the door to my apartment. If my parents found out about this, I thought my mom might actually use it against me to get custody of Lily. So instead of calling the police, like I should have, I sat on the couch with a knife in my hand until it was time to go to work.
35
Carter
Hannah was staring me down. "Is it true?" she asked me again.
I sighed. "Yes," I finally told her. "I saw Erik make a pass at her. I almost beat his ass for it."
Hannah’s eyes widened slightly but she didn’t cry. "Well, I guess that settles things, then," she said. "How do you think Mom and Dad are gonna react when I tell them the wedding’s off?" She tried to smile, like it was no big deal, but inside she was clearly hurting. I wrapped her in a hug.
Hannah let out one choked sob then pulled it together again. "Ava told me something else." I looked at her, eyebrows raised. "She said that Myron wasn’t really her boyfriend. She just wanted to make you jealous." Hannah smiled. "I think Ava’s got it bad for you."
My heart thumped in my chest. How could I have been so stupid? I kissed Hannah’s head and said, "Thanks for telling me," then grabbed a jacket as I headed for the door.
"Carter," Hannah called after me, "one more thing." She hesitated. "Don’t get into another fight with him when I tell you this, alright, but Myron told Ava the only way he’d drop the charges against you is if she slept with him."
My eyes widened. Hannah put a hand out to try to calm me down, but it was useless. "I’ll kill him," I said, then hurried out the door.
"Carter, don’t really kill him!" I barely heard her call after me as I peeled out of their driveway.
All the way to Ava’s house I ran Ava’s last words through his mind. He wants a favor. And I’d been too stupid, or too angry, to pick up on the context of it all. "Christ, I’m an idiot.” I banged my hand on the steering wheel. It stung for a second but the pain dulled back down as a fresh wave of anger washed over me.
I was no longer mad at Ava, I was mad at myself. When no one answered Ava’s door, I went to Piccadilly’s. One of the waitresses there recognized me and told me she was at Y-Mart. I guess not everyone in the town thought I was a drunken deadbeat.
I rushed to Y-Mart and found Ava stocking cereal down the grocery ai
sle. She looked surprised to see me. Her eyes were drawn and her face was tired. I noticed deep lines etched across her forehead that looked out of place on someone so young. I could see the toll the last few days had played and my heart went out to her.
"Carter," Ava exclaimed. She stood up and looked around. "What are you doing here? I haven’t talked to Myron again, if that’s what you want to know. I will, I just... I need a little time."
She looked so hopeless and it killed me to think I had been the cause of it. I reached out, took the box of cereal she was holding from her hand, and sat it on the ground. Then I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her up off the ground. .
"Carter!" she squealed, laughing. "What are you doing?"
I set her back on her feet and kissed her. I didn’t care if anyone saw.
When I finally pulled away, Ava refused to let me go. Her hands stayed wrapped around me.
"Can you ever forgive me?" I asked.
Ava smiled. "For what, precisely? There are so many things to choose from."
"For being a jerk. For telling you to do whatever Myron wanted. For making it seem like my career was more important than you are." I hesitated. "Hannah told me about Myron. If I ever see that guy again, I’ll kill him."
Ava’s cheeks reddened. "Don’t say that, Carter. Myron’s a... well, he’s not worth going to jail over. I’m sorry I lied to you about him. I was just..." Her cheeks grew even brighter. "I was jealous of Olivia and wanted to make you jealous too."
"Well it worked."
"It did?" Ava looked up at me, a smile on her face.
"I don’t ever want you seeing Myron again."
"Well, that might be kind of difficult. I work with him."
"Then quit."
Ava laughed. "I can’t quit. I can barely afford my bills as it is."
"I’ll help you. We’ll figure it out. You’re smart. There must be a better job out there for you than Piccadilly’s or Y-Mart."
"What about Olivia?"
"What about her?"
"I’m not so sure how much she’ll like the idea of you helping me."
"Doesn’t matter. Olivia and I broke up. For good this time."
A slight smile lit up Ava’s face. It was somehow sweet and mischievous all at once and it made me crazy.
"I have my break in twenty minutes," she said. "Will you wait outside for me?"
"Of course. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me to." I kissed her once more and went outside to wait, my heart lighter than it had been in years.
36
Ava
I looked around the parking lot and saw Carter leaning against his car. He’d parked on the side of the building with the other employees’ cars. Customers never parked there. I was glad he’d chosen that spot. He waved to me and I walked over, unable to wait another second to touch him. Our lips met and I ran my tongue first across his lips and then dipped it into his mouth. I pushed him back against the car door. My hands wrapped around his neck and I pressed my core to him. Electricity surged between us.
"Wow," he said, when I finally let him up for air. "Guess I should come visit you at Y-Mart more often."
I giggled. "So are you gonna let me in?" I asked innocently, batting my eyelashes at him.
"Oh," he said, opening the passenger door for me. "Sure. Sorry. I didn’t realize you wanted to go anywhere. You wanna get some food? I’m buying." He shot me a smile that sent tingles up my thighs as he slipped the keys into the ignition. I pulled the keys out and tossed them in the backseat.
"What’d you do that for?" he asked.
"Because I don’t want you trying to get away," I said.
"What—"
I lunged at him, stopping him from whatever he was about to ask me. I pressed my lips hard against his, feeling a force inside of me take over. I leaned into him and heard a thunk as his head hit the window. "Ow," he said, laughing, when his leg hit the gear shifter.
"What’s gotten into you?" Carter asked, smiling.
I didn’t know but I couldn’t stop myself. "Hopefully you in another minute. My break’s not that long," I said playfully.
His eyes met mine and the spark I found there showed me he was driven by a desire equal to mine. "Then I guess we better hurry."
I crawled over the seats into the back. The car was small, but not so small that I couldn’t fit on the seat. I widened my legs to make room for Carter. I unzipped my pants and pushed them to my knees.
"Hurry I’ve only got like ten minutes."
Carter climbed into the back and stretched himself over me. He had to squeeze but it didn’t matter. His lips found mine and my heart beat hard against my chest.
Carter lifted his body for me as I worked to free his erection. When the zipper was down I kicked his pants down and wasted no time in pressing myself against him. My eyes burned bright as I looked at Carter. It was getting darker outside but there was still the lingering light of dusk. Carter’s manhood grew under my touch and my thighs tightened. I lifted my hips against his, my blood pulsing.
Carter lifted my shirt up and pushed my bra down. He ran his tongue over my breasts and my skin prickled with goose bumps. I writhed under him, my soft mound growing moist and hot as Carter circled my dark pink nipples with his wet tongue. I bit his ear playfully, sending him over the edge. He pushed into me, entering my sweet, dark cave without hesitation.
I moaned and arched my back. My thighs clenched. Carter shifted his knees then began to pulse against me, driving his manhood deeper inside me. I moved my body with his and we eased into a rhythm. I lifted my hips again and again, rising to meet each thrust of his pelvis as he dug his way deeper inside me.
Carter’s manhood filled me so completely it was as if we had been molded together, part of the same marble some master sculptor had set aside just for us. My breath quickened as Carter moved faster. I opened my legs as wide as I could. My knees knocked against the seats. Sweat broke out on my forehead and stung my eyes, but it only added to the buzz of energy that filled the car.
My hands grabbed hold of Carter’s backside as he moved against me, guiding his speed and strength. The harder I pulled against him, the harder he pushed. My fingers dug deep into his back as my sex began to tingle. My eyes widened and Carter caught the hitch in my breath as I stroked his bare bottom.
He made one final push, finding his way deeper into me. His manhood searched my core for one final spot in which to touch me and send me over the edge. He found it, and my eyes rolled back. The world around us exploded. The sky, almost completely dark now, filled with light. The sound of trumpets blared from the distance. And then it was all gone and we were in Carter’s car once more.
I sat up, panting. "That was awesome, but I’ve gotta get back inside."
"Kiss and run, huh?" he grinned at me and stole one more kiss before I bolted from the car, fixing my hair.
"It’s not exactly running," I said, "more like crossing the finish line."
He looked skeptically at me.
"Alright," I told him. "I’m doing a kiss and run. Sorry. Why don’t I run back into you later tonight?"
I paused, my eyes going wide. "Wait a second. What about Hannah’s wedding? Shouldn’t that be happening, like, now?"
Carter grinned. "Hannah kicked him to the curb. He was a schmuck. I never liked him anyway."
I gave a tentative smile. "I hope it wasn’t my fault. I told her that he made a pass at me."
"I know, and it wasn’t. It was his fault. He’s a jerk."
I smiled and leaned over for one last kiss. "I’ll call you when I’m through, but it might be late. I think they want to keep me a little longer tonight."
"Late or not, call me."
I grinned and walked away. For a second, I thought I saw Myron standing beside the entrance to Y-Mart, watching me. I blinked and he was gone. My heart thumped hard in my chest and I looked back at Carter, who smiled and waved.
"I’m getting paranoid," I muttered to myself before stepping back into t
he store.
37
Carter
I heard the yelling before I’d even stepped inside. I opened the door to my parents’ house and found Olivia, Erik, and Hannah standing together screaming their heads off. Erik’s face was pinched and uneven. Hannah’s was beet red. Olivia looked perfect, as usual. Though I did note that her eyes looked a little too round and her forehead was sweaty.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked.
The three of them all turned to me and started shouting over each other.
"He’s been cheating on me the whole time!" Hannah screamed.
"Your sister’s a nut job!" shouted Erik.
"Everyone in this house is insane," said Olivia.
Finally it hit me that Erik and Olivia were standing together on one side of the room, forming a sort of wall, while Hannah was all alone on hers. I went to stand beside her, searching her face for clues as to what was happening. I assumed Erik was pissed because she’d called off the wedding, but he’d deserved it.
"I went to confront Erik about hitting on Ava," Hannah said, "and found him in bed with this slut!And you were my Maid of Honor!" Hannah shouted. "What a joke. Slut of Dishonor would be a better title for you.” I should have been shocked, but somehow it made perfect sense knowing those two.
Hannah picked up a notepad and threw it at Olivia’s head. Olivia ducked, and it just missed her.
Olivia’s eyes widened. She turned to Erik. "You hit on Ava?" she screamed, smacking his shoulder.
"No, of course not. That skank is nothing compared to you."
I watched, fascinated, as Erik and Olivia stared each other down. I wondered who would back down first.
"They’ve been sleeping together this whole time," Hannah said, anger flushing her face. "Your girlfriend and my fiancé! That’s disgusting! It’s like... ew. I don’t even want to think about it."