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After helping me get in his truck, I tell him, “You were kind of mean to me that day.”
He shuts the door and makes his way to his side. Then he reaches into the back seat, reveals a can of deodorant, and sprays me with it. “Get over it.”
“Connor!” I wind down his window.
He sprays me again.
“Stop!” I laugh out.
“Are you done sulking?”
“I didn’t sulk. You did! Boo hoo. I can’t be friends with you because—”
“Because being around you drove me crazy in all the best possible ways, and it still does, but the difference between you and me? I quit sulking about it. Are you done?”
I growl at him.
He rolls his eyes, sprays me one more time, then throws the deodorant somewhere behind him. He offers me his pinky. “Truce?”
I link my finger with his. “Truce.”
Once we get to school, we walk together to Miss Turner’s office before he goes off to practice. “I’ll see you in multimedia?” he asks.
Grinning, I nod before entering her office. “Ava,” Miss Turner greets, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. “I’ve been looking forward to this meeting. I have some news…”
CONNOR
Multimedia class has us working in different groups, and so I don’t get to speak to Ava as much as I want to. Or need to, really.
I’m a goner.
For real.
And I’m not even mad about it.
As soon as the end-of-period bell sounds, I rush to her side and wait until we’re out of the room to ask, “Did you want to have lunch together today?”
She leans against the wall just outside the door, her eyes lifting to mine. “I can’t.” I try to hide my disappointment, but she sees it anyway. Her hand goes to my chest and then drops quickly… as if habit put it there and self-doubt forced it away. She adds, looking down at the floor, “I have a makeup test that I need to take, and I don’t know how long it will go for. I don’t want you waiting on me.”
I shrug. “I’d wait.”
“Hey, Connor,” says a girl walking past.
“What’s up?” I respond without taking my eyes off Ava.
Ava’s lips tick at the corners. “Fan of yours?”
I shake my head, offer another shrug. “I have no idea who that was.”
“Right.” She tugs on my sleeve. “If you’re free after school, I could use a ride home.”
“Can’t. I have back-to-back practice.”
“Sucks.”
“But after that, I can come to your house if you want.”
“We’ll see.”
