by Unknown
I spun my head around really quick and spied Ari talking to Julia. “That’s his ex-girlfriend.”
“Oh wow, she’s beautiful.”
“Yes, and unbelievably nice, too, so stop it!!”
“Don’t worry, Ava; you are a thousand times prettier than she is.”
I rolled my eyes. “Mia, just drop it.”
“Oh, oh! She’s yelling at him.”
“Mia!” I yelled and grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Stop it; I can’t stand to think about him any longer.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. Why don’t you just focus on Rory; it’s obvious he likes you!”
“We aren’t like that, Mia...he just isn’t my type.”
“What? Good looking, nice and funny isn’t your type? He even makes a point of talking to you in front of people. Actually, he can’t take his eyes off you either.”
She zoned in on Rory and then he came up and draped his arms around our shoulders.
We hung around the rest of the night with no more talk of Ari. Not talking of him didn’t stop my mind from going back to him every ten seconds, though. He was so incredibly nice when we were alone. Why couldn’t he just be like that all the time?
We slept in on Sunday. Mia started to pack her bags a little after nine. We were going to L.A. to shop then she had to catch a flight home in the evening. I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when I heard a knock at my door.
“What?” Mia snapped.
“Uh… may I speak to Ava?”
“No.”
“No?”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“Seriously?”
I don’t think Ari was used to being told no.
I pulled my dorm door all the way open and took out my toothbrush. “What?”
“Can I talk to you?” I gave Ari a look like I was waiting for him to tell me whatever he needed to tell me. His eyes bounced from me to Mia.
“Ok…” he said after Mia refused to leave. “I wanted to tell you I was sorry for yesterday. Actually, I wanted to tell you I was sorry for everything. I haven’t been treating you right and you deserve much, much better than me. What can I do to make it up to you, Ava?”
“I don’t want you to make it up to me, Ari; I just don’t want you in my life anymore.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“Please, Ava; let me make it up to you… please.”
“Do you like me Ari?”
He stood in the hallway outside my room and his eyes burned in to mine “Yes. I more than like you, Ava.”
“Then maybe you should have acted like it when you had a chance.” I closed the door and turned around to see Mia speechless with her jaw on the ground.
“That’s right, Ava! Make him work for it.”
Saying goodbye to Mia was hard. I didn’t want her to leave. We both cried and hugged for an hour before her plane was called. I promised to visit over Christmas and we were already making plans for somewhere far away for spring break.
“You only have nine months left, Ava. Then you will be eighteen you can come home and we will get an apartment together.”
I nodded my head, “nine months. I can do this.”
“You can do anything. Good luck with Ari, I know you really like him. I have never seen you like this before. Just please don’t get hurt.”
Chapter 7
The Alexanders
It was late October. There were no more secret nights with Ari. He attempted to redeem himself by starting conversations with me in class and in the hallways. He always smiled at me and tried to ask me questions about my weekend or homework, and I always answered him politely and walked away. I hadn’t gotten over him yet. Truth be told, I didn’t think I would ever get over him. He was on my mind all the time...and talking with him any longer than necessary made my heart hurt.
I started eating lunch at the big table in the cafeteria with Emily and Rory, figuring letting myself be surrounded by others would be my best defense. They insisted I join them, and having company sure beat eating my lunch in my lit classroom alone. Once Ari sat in the open seat next to me, with great effort I ignored him and refused to glance in his direction. He turned to me and tried to talk. I grabbed my books in an attempt to look pre-occupied and walked to class early without giving him any acknowledgment.
He tried to talk to me later in lit. “Hey, Ava.”
I looked up at him, then back down at my MacBook.
“Are you going to Rory’s party on Saturday?”
“No.” Actually, I was considering going to the party but hadn’t made any real plans yet.
“Well, you could go with me if you’d like.”
My heart stuck in my throat, my palms were so sweaty I had to give them a quick wipe on my jeans to dry them. I caught my breath and answered, “No, thank you.” I kept my eyes down, staring straight at my computer screen. If I looked up at Ari, I would crack, swoon and accept the offer.
“Oh. Well, I hope to you see you there anyway.” Ari took his seat and I put my face in my hands, mentally screaming at myself for not accepting his invitation. I obsessed over our conversation throughout the rest of class so much so that I didn’t hear a word the professor said.
Later, Rory and I were walking back to the dorm from the library when he brought up his beach party.
“So, yeah,” he said rubbing the back of his head, “I was wondering if you were coming?”
“Yeah, sure…I’ll be there. I haven’t done anything fun in weeks,” I said and I really meant it. I did need a break from school and the dorms and Rory was one of my best friends here in California – it would be rude of me not go.
Rory looked relieved and put his arm back down. “Great, I’m going to be at home all day helping out, but I’ll come back here and pick you up at seven.”
My mouth went dry. I hadn’t realized he was asking me to go with him.
“You don’t have to pick me up. I can drive – just give me the address.”
“Absolutely not, I want to pick you up - it’s not a big deal at all.”
“Um.” Crap! “Ok,” I agreed, sincerely hoping that he did not intend this to be some sort of a date.
We arrived back at the dorm and he stopped in front of my room. I watched as Ari walked by, and was momentarily spellbound. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, and agreed to meet Rory in the downstairs foyer at seven Saturday evening.
****
“Mom, please, you can’t go.”
“I have to, Ava.”
“Fine, go, but don’t get in that car with him.”
“You are being ridiculous.”
“Mom, I saw it happen! You can’t get in that car with Dr. Spruce!”
“I have to do this, Ava.”
On Saturday morning, I woke to the sound of my screams, drenched in a cold sweat. Barely 5 a.m., but there was no way I wanted to fall back asleep. My nightmares were back in full swing now. So I dragged myself out of bed, added another tally mark on my crumpled paper, cleaned up, grabbed a coffee and spent my day doing some research for class. As a reward for the time I had spent studying, I hit the gym. I ran a full six miles and then returned to my dorm. When I got there, I found a new email from Mia waiting for me. She was gushing about Jack. He had finally asked her out on a real date. Even as beautiful and as nice as Mia is, she always has the worst luck with guys, so I was happy she had found someone worthy of her.
I had started my reply to Mia when Emily and Viola came in my room through the bathroom door.
“Hey, Ava,” Emily said, throwing herself on my bed. “You want to come to Rory’s party with us tonight? His parties are usually pretty fun.”
“Actually,” I said while I bit down on my bottom lip, “I am going, but Rory is picking me up.” I grimaced.
Emily had a grin from ear to ear. “I knew he was into you! I knew it!” She exclaimed. “You two are going to hook up before the end of the night, I bet you!”
> “Em, I swear we are just friends it’s not like that.” I laughed and shook my head at her.
“We’ll see,” Emily said with a smile as she and Vi left my room to get ready.
I shot a quick email back to Mia demanding details, then hopped in the shower.
Nervous and unsure, I took my time getting ready; making sure everything was perfect. I left my hair loose, falling down my back and paid special attention to the little amount of makeup I wore.
The question of what to wear was a difficult one. I stared at my closet for ages, not sure of what outfit would be best, until I finally settled on a short denim skirt and a distressed, gray hooded sweatshirt. Paring the clothes with some cute black flip-flops, I was finally ready to go. I walked outside with Emily and Viola who were both dressed in outfits similar to mine, and waited for Rory.
He was there right at seven, just as he said he would be. I had no idea what his parents did for a living, but Rory’s car was awesome. He drove a black 1983 jaguar xj6 in mint condition. A super expensive car, I was sure. I was under the impression that all of the students here at DPI were pretty well to do. It seemed as though everyone had a car... and all the cars were really nice.
One of my favorite things about my old school in Chicago was that everyone walked or took public transportation. We all had to wear uniforms, so no one really stood out…except me, of course. Somehow, I didn’t stand out here. People accepted me and then moved on. It was an odd feeling… nice but definitely surreal.
Rory’s house was about fifteen minutes away from school, but then again he sped the whole way there so I had no idea how long it would take me to get there. I do know that we passed Emily on the highway and beat her there by five minutes.
Rory’s home was just as beautiful as I imagined it would be. It sat right in front of the beach and was huge. He brought me inside and the place was packed with people. He introduced me to his mother, Gianna, and his dad, Thais. Gianna gave me a huge hug and pinched me on the cheek, telling me how nice it was to meet me. She was short with reddish brown hair and olive colored skin. Her nails were nicely manicured and she was impeccably dressed. Rory’s older brother, Nick, was there too and he gave me a one-armed-hug and told me it was nice to see me again.
Rory threw open the fridge and grabbed a beer and then we walked outside towards the beach swaggering just a bit in the way that some guys do. In fact, Rory reminded me of a frat guy -- he nearly always wears a baseball hat, khaki shorts and a hooded sweatshirt. He is stocky, but in the ‘I work out’ kind of way. No matter how hard I could try to like him, Rory would just never be my type. My thoughts faded to Ari and I immediately shook my head and concentrated on walking on the sandy beach.
The fire was blazing and the crowd around it was enormous. There were many people there I recognized from school. I saw Julia and some of the girls from the ninth floor that she hung around with. Collin, Nick’s friend, was there. I thought I saw Ari out of the corner of my eye but I refused to let myself look for him.
I hung around Rory for a while but branched off to talk with Emily after an hour or so. Viola had just officially started dating Sam and she ditched us as soon as he joined the party. I shared a seat with Emily on a beach chair and after a couple of hours of talking with her and her friends; I set off in search of the bathroom. I walked up to the house and it was quiet. All of the people, it seemed, were outside on the beach. I walked through the kitchen and into the hallway, trying to remember which doors Rory said were which. I opened a door at the end of the hall thinking it was the bathroom, but quickly discovered I was very wrong.
The room was dark but thanks to the moonlight, I could see Rory in bed making out with someone. He jumped up, still fully clothed, thankfully, and stuttered out apologies.
“Holy hell, Ava, I am so sorry. I swear this isn’t what it looks like.”
I put my hands up in a surrendering way and tried to back out of the room.
“It’s totally fine, Rory. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said as I slammed the door shut behind me, I found the bathroom and then bolted back outside in search of fresh air. I was too caught up in the surprise to even notice who had been with him, and I really didn’t care. Rory and I were friends and that was all I had ever intended for us.
I couldn’t help but feel a little discouraged, though, discouraged and lonely. The only real people I had in my life were Margaux and Mia. Mia was half way across the country and Margaux was only in my life because she had to be; I am sure I would never see her again once I turned eighteen. I walked through Rory’s back yard and sat down on one of the two old wooden swings they had hanging from a tree. I found myself wishing I had not agreed to come to the party at all. I sat there for a while trying to talk myself out of crying when a soft, deep voice startled me.
“Hey, Ava, what are you doing out here all alone?”
Oh, pure wow, I inwardly swooned. I loved hearing Ari say my name. It made me want to melt. “Um,” I said stalling, looking for words, “I’m just waiting for Rory to finish up in there so I can get a ride home.”
Ari laughed quietly as he took a seat in the open swing, sitting in the opposite direction so he was facing me. “You saw that, huh? Unfortunately so did I.”
I nodded, agreeing that finding Rory making out with someone in the dark had been an unfortunate discovery.
“Look,” Ari said rubbing the stubble on his cheeks. “Rory really likes you a lot, Ava. Don’t take that scene in there too personally.”
I rolled my eyes at Ari.
“Rory and I are just friends, Ari. He can do whatever he wants.”
Ari looked at me, realization lighting up his eyes.
“Ah...so... you really are ok?”
“Yes, of course I am. We’re just friends. Regrettably, tonight he is also my ride. Why? Are you ok?”
My tone was slightly sarcastic, but he answered me honestly anyway. Ari gave me his megawatt smile and said, “Ava, I have never been better.”
Ari stood up and grabbed my hand, sending a tingling flash of heat all though my body. He pulled me to my feet with ease and held me close to him. I breathed in his sweet scent just before he took a step towards the back gate, taking me along with him.
He didn’t let go of my hand as he led me through the crowd and down the beach. I didn’t really care where he was leading me. The fact that my hand was in his was turning my brains to mush. Ari walked me up to the back of a house and led me onto the deck. The house was enormous and the entire back was glass, ensuring a view of the ocean from nearly every room. The back deck was unlike anything I had ever seen. A beautiful pool took up the center space. An outdoor fireplace surrounded by cozy, intimate seating was to one side of the pool and on the other side was a full bar, a hot tub and more couches and chairs.
Ari slid the glass door to the house open and invited me in with him. The inside of the house was even more stunning than the outside. There were very few walls to break the vision, dark hardwood covered the floors, and various shades of creams and fawn softened the walls. The furniture was plush and comfortable looking. Everything was elegant, yet the overall feeling I got from the house was one of welcome. I took a cautious step through the door as Ari yelled, “Hello!”
In response, a beautiful, younger, girl-version of Ari appeared.
“What are you doing home so early?” the girl asked him...“And who is this?” she added with a sly smile.
Ari ignored her first question and said, “Ava, this is my sister, Lauren.”
Lauren strolled the rest of the way into the kitchen and actually gave me a hug; she caught me off guard but for whatever reason I was surprised to find that my usual aversion to being physically near other people didn’t kick in. I didn’t mind her being close to me at all. In fact, the hug was quite nice.
“Please, please tell me that you are Ari’s new girlfriend.”
I actually laughed aloud at her boldness, and my laugh turned Ari’s horrified expression into a reliev
ed smile.
“No,” I responded, “I’m definitely not -- sorry to disappoint you.”
Lauren released me from her hug and shrugged then turned her attention back to Ari.
“So what are you doing then?”
“Leaving,” he answered her simply.
“You’ve got to be joking! You just got here. I’ve hardly even gotten to talk to you.”
“I’m not joking. I’ve been home all day; it’s not my fault you were grounded and couldn’t go next door.”
His response was in a sardonic tone, but a playful grin never left his lips. Lauren looked dejected at the idea of Ari leaving and the sweetness of their relationship made me smile. Most of the brothers and sisters I knew couldn’t stand to be around each other.
“Why are you leaving anyway?” She asked him.
“I am taking Ava back to campus and I don’t feel like driving all the way back here just to fall asleep. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Ugh,” Lauren pouted. “What time are you coming tomorrow then?”
“Jeez, what’s with the twenty questions tonight, Lauren?”
She just stared at him and waited for him to answer.
“Fine,” he started, “I’ll be here in the afternoon and I will be at your beck and call for the rest of the day.”
This seemed to appease her and she smiled up at him.
“Are you going to come too, Ava?” she asked catching me completely off guard for the second time.
“Uh, no, I’m not,” I said, looking at her out of the corner of my eye.
Lauren opened her mouth to make another comment, but just then, a gorgeous woman walked through the door to the patio, trailed by a clean-cut, handsome older man.
Oh, my gosh, I know this guy.
Well, I didn’t really know him but I saw him at my grandfather’s memorial service. He spoke from the podium. He and my grandpa ran a foundation together. My grandpa was an eager advocate in helping children get out of the foster care system and placing them in more permanent homes. After this man’s speech, I accidently bumped in to him, causing his coffee to spill out on to his shirt and suit. I hoped like hell that he didn’t recognize me.