Page 49 of Reaching Avery
Chapter Thirteen
Maverick
Avery might’ve been small, but the guy was stronger than he looked. My face ached the next day, and as I crawled out of bed and went to the bathroom, a reminder of my stupidity was there for all to see.
I wasn’t mad at him. I had deserved the punch. What hurt most was how he’d looked so distraught afterward, how he’d gotten this look in his eyes that made my stomach knot. I couldn’t place it, but it made me uneasy. Not for my sake but for his.
It’d reminded me of someone at the end of their rope.
When he’d taken off into the woods, I’d tried following him, but he’d been too fast. I debated on getting back in my car and driving to his house, but I didn’t want to make matters worse, so I’d just gone home.
I’d tossed and turned in bed all night, haunted by that freaking look in his eyes.
At school, I walked from the student parking lot and to the main building. Crowds of people were everywhere I looked, but there was only one person I wanted—needed—to see. If only just to make sure he was okay.
Giving a quick scan of the area, I found him.
Avery was sitting under a tree with his head tilted down over his book. His long hair fell into his face, so I couldn’t see him as well as I’d like, but I was relieved that he was there. Ben wasn’t around, so he was alone.
I started walking his way, but was stopped by Travis and Ricky.
“Dude, you have to come see this,” Ricky said, grabbing my shirt and tugging me along with them. “Craig and Will are racing to the baseball field and back to see who’s faster. Loser has to stand up on the table at lunch and shout their love for Laura Rodriguez.”
Yeah… wouldn’t want to missthat.
I cast one last glance at Avery. He was in the same spot in the shade, but he was now looking up—staring at me. I was too far away to see his expression, but something in my chest broke a bit.
That feeling I’d had on the first day of school returned, the one that made me want to help him. Except now, it wasn’t just a protective urge but an affectionate one as well. I knew enough about him to be thoroughly intrigued by his shy smiles, witty personality, and the way he made my pulse quicken with just a glance.
Some people would call itsmitten, but I didn’t know about all that. All I knew was I liked him. A lot.
We made it over to the other guys just as Craig and Will were beginning their race. I only half-watched them because it all seemed kind of immature. Craig won, and the guys pushed Will around afterward, joking and saying how they looked forward to his love proclamation at lunch.
As for me? I looked forward to first period, so I could see Avery.
“Okay, dude, you gotta tell me what happened to your face,” Travis said, studying me with humored eyes.
Crap. I hadn’t really thought about what I’d tell people.
“Um.”
“Did ya get smacked in the face during a dance number or something?” Ricky asked in a taunting tone before doing a stupid impersonation. He kicked his foot up in a prissy manner and flipped around like a clumsy ballerina.
The guys laughed and shoved me. I rolled my eyes. I’d let them believe whatever they wanted. It was better than telling them the truth; that I’d come on to someone and gotten rejected the hard way.
When the first bell rang, I said bye to my friends and went to class, not surprised at all to see Avery was already there. He was in the back of the room, slumped at his desk, and his hair fell over his face again. He was normally awkward like that, but he seemed even more so that day.
Tired of being in my head and coming up with all kinds of theories, I decided to ask him myself.
“Hey,” I said once at his desk. He looked up and I smiled, even though it was forced. I was too nervous. “You good?”
“Crap, that looks awful,” he pointed out, staring at my cheek. His eyelids drooped a bit, and dark circles were beneath his eyes, as if he hadn’t gotten much sleep either. “I’m so sorry.”
It didn’t go unnoticed that he hadn’t answered my question.
“I’m okay. I deserved it.” I shifted my weight to my other foot and adjusted the backpack strap on my shoulder. “I don’t know what exactly happened between us last night… but I’m sorry, Avery. Please know that I never meant to upset you. That’s the last thing I wanted. I hope we’re still friends.”
I didn’t know what else to say, but I also didn’t want to stop talking. There were feelings I couldn’t describe and words I didn’t know how to form. And they all revolved around him.
