AVA
Colton motherfucking Thompson. I hate the guy, and I can officially say it aloud to anyone who asks. He’s the most confusing and irritating person ever. What the hell was that? Coming up to Grace and me, flirting with me, touching me, and then just a stupid “you’re welcome”? Is he for real?
I whirl around, trying to figure out where the fuck Grace is. Is she stuck in the bathroom or what? I make my way through the crowd and finally see her. She is standing with her back pressed against the wall, watching people dance. I frown and stomp over to her, feeling my blood boil. Why did she leave me alone with him in the first place?
“Hey,” I say, and she looks up, focusing her gaze on my face.
“Hey,” Grace echoes.
“Why didn’t you come back to me?”
“You and Colton were having a moment.” A smile stretches across her lips. “He has the hots for you.”
“He doesn’t.” I sound unconvincing. I better up my game so she believes me. “He just wanted to help me.”
“Help you?” Grace grimaces. “With what?”
I explain what happened to me because of Thompson’s actions at the last party. My voice is low, and she leans in to listen to me closely.
“You were bullied?” Grace yelps so loud, I wince. “Layla never mentioned it.”
“She doesn’t know. I haven’t told anyone.” I lick my lips, looking around, avoiding eye contact with her. “He knew because he saw what my roommate did with her slushy.”
“Ava.” Grace takes a step forward, wrapping me in her arms. Her hand smooths my hair. “I’m so sorry. That’s absolutely horrible.” She leans away. “Never do that again. Ever. Why do you have friends if you can’t lean on them?”
“It’s not that simple,” I argue, taking a step back. “I have never been in a situation like that. Usually I’m the one everyone wants to be friends with and—”
“People are different everywhere, Ava,” she interrupts me. “Do you really expect everyone to like you? That’s unrealistic.”
I turn around and storm away from Grace without answering. She calls my name behind my back, but I ignore her. I was trying to explain why I kept this mess to myself, and she made me sound like a self-centered asshole with a huge ego. She made me feel worse than I already did after my dance with Thompson. My emotions are all over the place. I blink and suddenly start crying.
Oh God. Is it my karma? Why do I always end up in some shit when I go to parties? Is Drake right when he says I create trouble out of nothing?
I beeline through the crowd, farther and farther away from the living room and all these people. Tears stream down my face. It’s like I turned on a damn faucet, and now it’s flooding. I hate this place.
“Hey.” An arm wraps around my wrist, stopping me. I know it’s Thompson without even looking. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” I whine, trying to wipe these traitorous Niagara Falls tears off my face.
He slowly turns me toward him, gently taking my chin between his fingers. He makes me look him in the eyes, and I feel myself drowning. His brown eyes are so dark, they remind me of a starless sky. He gazes at me with tenderness, making my knees give in. What is it with this guy? I have no idea what he wants from me, but what’s more, I have no idea what I want from him.
“Are you going to tell me, or should I guess?” he asks, and I chuckle, still crying.
“Dancing with you turned out to be a big mistake.”
“When no one dares to bother you next week, you’ll see it wasn’t a mistake,” Colton says softly, his long fingers tracing my jawline. “I don’t like seeing you so upset.”
I gulp down the lump in my throat, unable to produce a sound. “Yeah, me either. I look horrible.”
“Never. You look like the most—” Thompson doesn’t have a chance to finish this sentence, as someone shoves him away from me. I stumble backward, and the back of my head hits the wall.
“Ouch.” I whimper. I rub the back of my head in hopes of getting rid of this sudden pain. “Ow…ouch.”
“Ava, are you alright?” I center my attention on the person hovering over me and see Drake. His face is tense; his lips are pursed into a thin line. “What did he do?”
“I did nothing.” Thompson roars from behind Layla’s brother. “You misunderstood the whole situation.”
“Misunderstood?” Drake spins around and comes face-to-face with his teammate. “You kicked her out of the last party. Now I find her crying her eyes out right in front of you. Are you going to tell me you weren’t the reason?”
“I wasn’t, Benson.” Colton’s voice is an octave higher as he glares at Drake. “I just tried to help.”
“Do you think I’m going to believe you?” I take a step closer and put a hand on Drake’s forearm. His muscles flex under my touch. When he focuses on me, his gaze is heavy. “What did he do?”
“Nothing.” My eyes dart between the two guys. “Colt was trying to calm me down. Promise.”
“Colt?” Drake’s eyebrows almost reach his hairline.
“That’s my fucking name, asshole,” Thompson grumbles. For some incredibly stupid reason, I find it amusing. He doesn’t have anything against me calling him Colt, does he?
“I know.” Drake runs his palm over his face. “Sorry if I took it wrong. Just seeing her cry, and you beside her…”
“I get it.” He takes a deep breath, sneaking a glance at me. “I’ll go. You’re a way better person to deal with all this…” Thompson points at my face, and I instantly feel insecure. I probably look even more dreadful than I think I do.
“Thank you, Colt,” I say as he takes a step back. Our eyes lock, and he doesn’t look away.
Hesitating, he slowly opens his mouth. “You’re welcome, Ava.” He finally calls me by my name. For the first time since the day we met.
Drake grabs my hand and leads me to the nearest bathroom, leaving Thompson behind. As soon as we are inside, he closes the door. I decide not to pay attention to his gaze on me and just go to look at myself in the mirror. If he wants to know what happened, he can always ask me. Nicely. Right now, I’m far too emotional for my usual poker face.
“Are you going to enlighten me?” he asks when I’m done cleaning my face.
“About what?” I lean my back against the sink.
“Why were you crying?”
“Because people are impossible,” I mumble, and he smirks.
“Care to explain?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Grace just pissed me off.”
“What did she do?”
“She left me alone with Thompson,” I explain, and his face darkens.
Drake takes a step closer but stops himself, hiding his hands in his pockets. “I saw you two together. I just happened to go to the kitchen and… Why did you dance with him?”
“Because he asked me to keep him company,” I blurt out nervously.
“And you agreed?” Drake laughs. “Just like that?”
“H-he wanted to make things right for me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” Another step closer, but this time, the expression on his face is the one that I classify as “worried-and-confused Drake Benson”.
“Remember how you thought there would be consequences for me after the last party?”
“Yeah, why?”
I look away and focus on the wall behind him. “Well, you were right. I had two weeks from hell because everyone thinks I’m his enemy.”
“How does Thompson know that?”
I suck in a breath and finally look back at my best friend’s brother. “Colton saw my roommate being extra bitchy to me one day. He knew his actions at the party started it, so… He was just trying to make sure people know there is no bad blood between us.”
I don’t mention my talk with Thompson in the bathroom. The less Drake knows, the better. He already looks weird, as if he’s on the verge of yelling at me. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened, but usually it’s because I do something stupid. Now, there is something else in his gaze too, and I can’t put my finger on it.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” He raises his voice. “I’m always there for you. Always. I could have—”
“I didn’t want anyone to know.” I swallow hard. “Not even Layla.”
“So, if Thompson hadn’t stepped in for you…it would have continued happening?”
“Probably.” Oh God. I’m an idiot.
“Ava.” Drake walks up to me and stares me in the eyes. “If something like that happens again, or if what Thompson did today doesn’t work…tell me about it. Please.”
“Okay,” I reply, sighing deeply. I’m ready to leave this room and probably this party. I’m just too wound up. “How was your night?”
“It was okay.” Drake’s arm slips around my waist. He lifts me and positions me on the countertop with ease, as if I weigh nothing. Now we’re on the same level, and I look him in the eyes. “I was worried about you. I need a moment to get myself together.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I shouldn’t have hidden it from you. You’re my friend, just like your sister.”
Drake keeps his hands on the counter, not touching me. It soothes my nerves and helps me forget all the bad things that happened tonight. He sure has a calming effect on my fucked-up state.
“Do you want to stay at the party?” His voice is husky as he gently tucks my hair behind my ear.
“Not really. I want to go to my room and watch something.”
“Let’s go to my place? We can watch something together.” Drake grins cheekily and steps back. “I wouldn’t mind your company.”
“Sounds good.” I jump to my feet and give him a smile. “I love spending time with my friends.”
Drake holds my gaze for a moment, acknowledging the hidden meaning behind my words. Sex with him is mind-blowing, but I’m honestly not sure we should continue.
“Whatever you want, Ava. I’m up for anything.” Drake ambles to the door. He opens it and lets me walk out first.
“That’s good to know. I hope you don’t backpedal when we start looking for a movie. I have very peculiar taste.”
We continue our banter, going down the hallway and straight to the exit. I’m in such a good mood, as if I wasn’t just crying my eyes out moments ago. It feels great, right, until I feel someone watching me. I turn my head and lock eyes with Thompson. A strange energy surges right through me, and my heart starts beating faster.
As I leave the house, I’m aware of three things, and they all scare the shit out of me. For some reason, Colton Thompson likes me, and now he’s jealous. This leads to another realization: he thinks Drake and I are hooking up behind Layla’s back. The third one? I’m a messed-up idiot who likes the guy I’m not supposed to like at all, and he’s not the one I’m leaving this party with.
See? The biggest idiot ever.
