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She stares at him with a dreamy look in her hazel eyes as he continues to speak to her, and with that incredible smile breaking out on his face, it’s clear he is also enjoying her company.
I wonder if anything has ever happened between them?
Obviously, she has a major crush on him, but does he feel the same way?
And why does the thought of that bother me?
They have been friends for years, and I’m just someone he got lumped with on an English paper. Once that is finished, we probably won’t hang out anymore. My stomach sinks at the thought. I’ve really enjoyed spending time with him over the last few weeks and the thought of that coming to an end makes me feel a stab of disappointment.
Shaking off my thoughts, I blow out a deep breath and compose myself, then saunter over to them.
“Hey,” I squeak.
Jesus Christ. Be cool, Ava.
Mason’s eyes light up when they land on mine. “Hey, Ava.”
I glance over to Lily, looking at me as if I’m a foul smell, not even bothering to mask her disappointment at my arrival. The tension around us suddenly becomes thick, and my eyes skate back and forth between them.
Mason continues to watch me with a goofy grin on his face while Lily stares me down as if she is trying to conjure up some voodoo spell that makes me disappear into a cloud of smoke.
After a moment, she looks away and reluctantly stands up. “Can I text you later so we can arrange to meet up?” she asks Mason, looking hopeful.
“Sure,” he replies casually, not bothering to look her way as his eyes stay firmly planted on me.
Her shoulders slump, and she walks away, casting me a seething glare as she leaves. I return the sentiment and glare back. I really am getting tired of her bullshit. While I understand her reasons for disliking me, I have never once called her Poodle. I have never teased her, and I don’t deserve this shit from her.
Deciding against sitting on the sofa across from him. I make my way over and sit down next to him.
Feeling him watch me as I get comfortable, I bite the inside of my cheek to hold back a giggle. “I thought we weren’t working on the assignment this lunch?” he asks, and I shrug my shoulders. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you wanted to spend time with me.”
I arch my brow at him. “Cocky much?”
He smirks as those brilliant blue orbs of his dance with mischief. “Well, you haven’t denied it. So you do want to spend time with me then?”
“Actually, I just happened to be passing by.”
“Oh really?” He flashes me a playful smile—clearly not believing a single word—and heat rises to my cheeks. Damn, I really love his smile. “You do realize the cafeteria is at the other end of the school, right?”
My face drops. I forgot about the cafeteria for a moment. I know he is only teasing, but the stark reminder of where I just came from also brings forth those images of Hadley and Logan together, inevitably turning my mood somber again. “Yeah. I just came from there.”
His smile fades as he studies my face, and I make a feeble attempt at hiding my inner turmoil by forcing out a weak smile. He most definitely isn’t buying it. I really would make a terrible actress.
“What’s wrong?” he asks with a frown.
“I kind of needed a break,” I admit.
“Is it Logan? Is he giving you trouble again?”
“Not exactly,” I sigh, fumbling with my hands.
“What happened?” he presses on, and I blink up at him. I’m not sure if I should really be talking to him about this. We have grown closer over the last few weeks, but I would have thought the topic of Logan would be an uncomfortable conversation for him. Especially considering their obvious disdain for each other. Not to mention, even though he didn’t admit it, he didn’t deny it either when Logan asked him if he was putting flowers in my locker. And if he has, then that would mean he has a crush on me. But not once has he made a move on me or asked me out on a date, so it’s more probable that he was just fucking with Logan’s head.
He notices my hesitation and pushes me further. “You can talk to me… about anything. I must admit I suck at advice, but I am a good listener.”
Letting out a long breath, I nod my head and decide to start from the beginning. I tell him all about how Logan and I grew up together. About how he was there for me when Blake passed and how we started dating when we turned fifteen. I left out the intimacy, of course. He definitely doesn’t need to know that.
I explain that even though I knew Hadley had her sights set on Logan for a while, I never really believed it was something I had to worry about. I know he would have heard about that fateful night I found them together but, I tell him my version of the story anyway and how watching them flirt with each other in the cafeteria today hurt more than I wanted it to.
