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She snorts, an impish grin spreading on her face. “Well, I…”
“Hey, Mason.” Lily appears in front of us, and Ava jumps, startled by the sudden intrusion.
“Hey.” I force a smile, trying my best to mask my disappointment that she has interrupted my time with Ava. Lily has been my friend since middle school. Well, more like she claimed me as a friend, and I just went along with it. Like me, Lily never fit in with any of the cliques roaming these halls and was deemed an outcast, just like I was in seventh grade. I never really gave a shit, and I still don’t, but she took the rejection from our peers pretty hard. And as much as she tries to hide it, I know it still bothers her to this day.
“So, we have physics next, and I thought we could walk to class together,” she says, glancing at Ava for a moment before looking back at me with a smile.
I frown up at her. Since when have we made a point of walking to class together? I have been spending a lot of time with Ava lately, so maybe she feels a bit left out? I’ve been blowing off our regular study sessions a lot over the last two weeks as Ava has been coming to my house nearly every day after school to work on our paper. If I were a better friend, I would probably feel guilty over the fact I’ve been neglecting Lily, but I have loved having Ava’s company, and so have my family. Especially Ali, who has formed a bond with Ava since she started helping her with the cheerleading routine. Phoenix is convinced she has cooties but is always excited when she shows up and constantly bombards her with questions. She takes it in her stride and always makes time for him.
Even though it’s only been a short time, it feels like she has always been there. She fits right in with my family. My mom automatically sets a spot for her at the dinner table whenever she comes over, and she happily joins us every time. It does make me wonder what is going on at her house. Isn’t her family missing her at their dinner table?
An awkward silence hangs in the air for a moment before Ava pushes her chair back and stands up. “I need to head off to class too,” Ava says, gathering up her books and placing them in her bag, then turning to me. “So I will see you after school?”
She gives me a breathtaking smile, making me melt into a puddle on the floor, and I smile back at her. “Sure. Same time?”
She is so damn beautiful.
“I have to go to Chelsea’s first. She has a date tomorrow night and is having a wardrobe crisis that requires our assistance,” she groans. “But it shouldn’t take long. Can I come over straight after?”
“Sure,” is my only response, almost giggling like a schoolgirl. Fuck, I’m such a chump. But the fact I get to spend time with her again after school has me wanting to jump up and down on the library sofa in the reenactment of Tom Cruise’s famous declaration of love for Katie Holmes.
I totally get where the poor bastard was coming from.
He was fucking gone.
Just like I am right now.
“Okay, I will see you later.” She gives me a wave before walking away. I watch her walk out of the library, her hips swaying back and forth in those tight blue jeans which accentuate every delicious dip and curve in her amazing body.
Her hair is down today, the beautiful blonde waves cascading down her back and flowing behind her as she walks. I would give anything to run my fingers through it, pull it to the side and press my lips to her neck, inhaling her intoxicating sweet scent.
I wonder if she tastes as sweet as she smells?
A throat clears, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I look back at Lily, who is watching me with her lips pressed into a tight line. “You two have been spending a lot of time together.”
I stand up and gather my books, pushing my chair into the desk. “We are a bit behind on our English paper and need to catch up,” I state plainly. It is mostly true but also partly a lie. We have been working on it. But we have also been spending a lot of time talking about anything and everything. One being our mutual love of books which usually ends in a feisty debate over which genre is better. That is one topic I thoroughly enjoy stirring the pot over.
“I could really use your help on the psych exam we have coming up,” she continues as we walk out of the library. “Do you think we can meet up and study together?”
“Sure,” I reply, letting out a sigh. I really don’t want to blow her off again. But between Ava and training, I’m unsure where I can fit her into my busy schedule. She continues to rattle on as we walk toward class, and realizing I forgot my psych book, my steps falter.
“What’s wrong?” She stops, looking at me with a frown.
“I forgot my book.”
“Hey, guys,” a voice calls out, and we both look over to Grant, standing outside psych waving us down. Grant is the only other person in this godforsaken school that I actually consider a friend. Just like Lily and me, he has also been thrown into the outcast basket, but unlike Lily, he chose to adopt the sameI don’t give a fuck attitudethat I have. He’s genuinely a good guy and one of the most intelligent people I know. He is also someone I know I can trust and one of the only people I actually confide in.
I wave back, and Lily turns to me. “I will go with you.”
“No, you are here now. I will quickly run and grab it.”
She looks slightly disappointed, and once again, I’m confused by her strange behavior. She never acts like this, but she doesn’t have many friends, so I guess she feels a little insecure about Ava taking up all my time.
I give her a reassuring smile. “I won’t take long.”
Giving me a weak smile back, she nods her head, and I turn around, heading off down the hall.
The momentI open my locker, my body rears back as a tidal wave of trash spills out and comes crashing down to the ground around me. It’s the oldest prank in the book and one that I haven’t had the pleasure of in years. It looks like spending time with one of their own has put me back in the spotlight.
