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Ava nods, but her stare is worryingly blank.
“Ava, are you okay?” I ask.
Her eyes start to shine, reflecting the light as they fill with water. Yeah, that’s a sign that she’s not okay.
“I’m sorry, guys,” she says.
“For what?” almost all of us ask at the same time, frowns on our faces.
“There are rumors going around about us right now, apparently. Some parents are going to bring this up to the superintendent and my principal said I could get fired. He also said the parents may try to publicize this.”
“Publicize what? The lawsuit? That could only be bad for Joseph and good for you,” Liam says.
“What does the lawsuit have to do with the school?” Nathan asks.
“Not the lawsuit,” Ava says as tears fall down her cheeks. “Us. Our relationship. What if this gets into the news and affects your business? You’re trying to expand, aren’t you?”
I huff a big, relieved sigh as I tighten my arms around her shoulders. “That’s it? You were worried about us?”
“Yeah. I know you’ve all been working so hard, and now drama from my life’s bleeding into your business.”
“Ava, you’ve just lost your ex’s stupid lawsuit, and you’re about to lose your job,” Mason says. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, Ava. We’re more worried about you. Who cares what people think about us?” Nathan asks.
“But what about your expansion?” Ava asks, concern dripping from her voice.
“Don’t worry about it,” Noah says. “People will still want cheap medical care in holiday destinations, even if news about our relationship gets out.”
“Yeah, we’re confident enough that our products can stand against our competitors’, and we doubt our customers care that much about our personal lives,” Nathan adds.
“Are you sure? I’m thinking of just pre-emptively quitting my job before those parents do anything too extreme,” Ava says.
“I’m really glad you decided to talk to us before doing that.” I give her a smile. “And I’m really glad you’re thinking of us, but we’re more concerned about you, Ava. How do you feel about losing your job? Have you always wanted to be a teacher?”
Ava pauses to think. “It was actually my parents’ idea. I like my job okay, but I wouldn’t say it’s a life-long dream or anything.”
I let out a big exhale. “That’s good. I was worried you were set on teaching, because I can see that being a difficult career path for you because you’re seeing us.”
“Yeah, I don’t want you to have to choose between a career you love and us,” Noah says.
“Maybe this is an opportunity for you to change gears and find something you’re really excited about.” Liam gives Ava a serious look.
“Maybe . . .” Ava agrees tentatively.
“You know what?” Mason asks. “It’s not so bad. We lost the lawsuit—so what? At least we’re done with the case, and we don’t have to deal with that creep anymore.”
“I agree,” I say. “And if you’re not super attached to your job, I change my mind about you quitting. I want you to find something that makes you happy.”
Ava tears up again, but I can tell she’s crying with happiness this time.
“You’re all too kind to me,” she says.
“No, we’re not. You deserve to be treated with all the kindness in the world.” I give her a quick peck on the temple.
“I . . . I can’t make any decision either way yet about my job. I still don’t know what I should do next,” Ava says. “But I know I have to decide quickly because this group of parents who hate me may do something soon.“
“A lot’s happened in one day, Ava,” Noah says. “Just let everything go for now, and sleep on it. We’ll come back to this in the morning.”
I have no clue what our next step should be. Looking at the expression on Ava’s beautiful face, though, I can’t help but say, “We’ll think of something. We’ll fight back.”
Ava
I can’t believe this. I came home in the foulest of moods, and now I’m ugly-crying from how happy I am.
“Thank you guys so much,” I say, gratitude flooding my chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt so loved.”
“Oh, Ava, you poor thing,” Ollie says with a small laugh that triggers my own giggles. He wraps both his hands around me and gives me a peck on the cheek, while Liam chuckles and ruffles my hair.
Even though my parents never did anything I’d consider cruel or abusive, they’ve never been very warm or loving either, and we certainly don’t share the same closeness that the Hunters do.
Besides, my parents would never do what the Hunters have already done for me—defend me against Joseph and give me protection, even if their reputation will suffer.
All my parents ever talk about is other people, and they spend the rest of their time fearing that other people will talk about them, too.
