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TWELVE
OAKLEY
Ican't say that I have the best track record when it comes to girls. Well, there isn't a track record at all. I think that's the problem.
I have no idea what to do when it comes to dating. I've avoided it at all costs, not wanting anything to take my attention away from my family or hockey. I guess that's what's biting me in the ass when it comes to Ava.
The feelings I have when I'm around her are so different from anything I've ever felt before. Sure, I've had my fair share of one-night stands where I maybe got a little giddy from their company. But those slim encounters don’t come close to the kind of electricity that jolts through me when Ava so little as smiles in my direction from across a crowded room.
Her down to earth personality will be the thing that drives me to my grave. I have no doubt about that. After spending so many years being surrounded by status-hungry airheads, meeting a girl like Ava who doesn't just see me as a one-way ticket to money town is a massive breath of much-needed fresh air that I don’t want to miss out on.
It's only been three days, and I already miss her. Hell, I missed her the minute she stepped out of my arms. I'm turning into such a pussy and it downright terrifies me.
What makes it even worse is the fact that I'm pretty sure she's avoiding me. I took the plunge and reached out first after our date only for her to kindly shove me off. If that doesn't make me look like a desperate fucker then I don't know what does.
I know that our schedules don't exactly match up as much as I would hope due to hockey, but something feels off. Asking Matt about it was pretty tempting, but I decided to wait until after I got back from Penticton.
Today is the first time I'm seeing my family in one immensely hard month and I couldn't be any more excited. I pull up outside our house at noon. I even went as far as to time my arrival specifically for lunchtime hoping that my mom would have missed me enough to cook me a hearty meal. I'm a starving boy these days.
Gracie wrenches open the front door and runs straight for me as soon as I hop out of my truck. I drop my overnight bag down beside me and my sister crashes hard into my chest.
"Hey, kiddo, I missed you too."
"Duh. We haven't seen you since August. Are you too good for us now or something?" I roll my eyes and tuck her under my arm. I use my fist to mess up the smoothed down hair on the top of her head.
"Hey! Knock it off!" she shrieks, elbowing me in the gut until I let her go.
"Are you ready for this competition or what?" I ask as we make our way up the sidewalk.
She opens the door and holds it open for me as I let my bag fall to the floor with a thump and hurry into the living room. I flop down on the couch and stretch out my legs. Gracie sits down with an exaggerated sigh.
"More than ready. I've been spending every spare minute I've had in the studio."
She does look exhausted, and it doesn't surprise me by any means. Being over-committed to things we love runs in our family.
"Yeah, you do look like shit. You should get some sleep before you end up turning someone into stone."
She gives me a nasty glare, leans forward and punches my leg.
"You know, you're a real ass sometimes,” she scoffs. “My boyfriend seems to think that I look just fine. Thank you very much." Wearing a smug expression, she crosses her arms. Now it's my turn to glare.
"Ah, yes. Your boyfriend." The corners of my lips quirk up.I cross my arms and lean back against the armrest. "Jacob Lane. Seventeen-years-old. He plays on the Minor hockey team and drives a fancy BMW. Am I right on the money?"
Her smugness vanishes. It's quickly replaced with one of pure rage. "You looked him up? Are you kidding me,
Oakley? He's a really nice guy! Mom thought it would be nice to have you both meet him tomorrow at the competition, but now I don't think I even want you to meet him at all."
Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that. But in my defence, Gracie never gets this mad. Usually, I just get a lecture about letting her live her own life or whatever she wants to draw on about.
I put my hands up in surrender in an attempt to calm her down. "Is it serious? You know you always have my support, Gracie. I just don't want you to get hurt. I want to meet him. I promise I'll behave."
She stands up, lets out an exasperated sigh and runs her hand through her long blonde hair. "Yes. I happen to like Jacob. He's not a bad guy." Taking a deep breath, her face morphs into a look of consideration. "Okay, fine. But the minute that you say anything rude, I'm punching you in the face. I'm serious."
"Have a little faith in me. I can behave when I want to." As long as he's as serious about her as she is about him, we won't have an issue.
"Mm. Sure. Anyway, I have rehearsals in an hour, and I need a ride. Wanna get ice cream first?" She grabs her dance bag from the rack by the door and slips on the pair of biker boots that I bought her last Christmas.
"Do I have a choice? Where's Mom?" When I talked to her yesterday she said she'd be here.
