Chapter Seventeen
Maverick
With the arrival of October, several things were happening in my life.
One, the production of Beauty and the Beast was coming along awesome. We’d had several line rehearsals and were starting to practice the songs and dance numbers. We hadn’t done full-costume and set yet, because they were still being made, but it was only a matter of time until we did.
Two, me and Avery were officially friends. Ever since the night by the water, we’d started sitting together at lunch every day, and he’d even started hanging out after school for theater rehearsals and helping out with set design.
Nothing romantic had happened—just strictly friends—but I’d catch him looking at me in a certain way sometimes that sent my heart into chaotic palpitations. There was something between us, even if I was unsure of what it was yet.
And three, I was happy.
Not that I’d been depressed or anything before, but I just felt happier and more like myself. Dad had stopped hounding me about the musical, and I could tell he was trying to do better as a supportive parent. He’d sat down with me one night, and we’d looked up science programs in nearby colleges, because I didn’t want to move away after graduation.
Port Haven was my home. My life was here. Family, friends, the park I used to go to every day when I was a kid, the slide I fell off of and busted my nose, the rock I loved to escape to, and Avery—who was in a category all of his own.
“Dude, where’s your head?” Garrett asked, waving a hand in front of my face. “That pumpkin spice isn’t gonna make itself.”
Blinking, I focused on him.
He was wearing a green beanie that day, and his wavy, blond hair stuck out at the bottom. He’d switched out his usual stud lip ring for a hoop, and I tried not to stare at it too much.
Avery would look sexy with one of those.
“Mav!”
“Sorry! On it.” I put my hands up in surrender before starting the latte. It was a Thursday evening at work, and it wasn’t too busy, but it was busy enough to where I needed to get my head out of the freaking clouds.
Garrett smirked and watched as I made the coffee. He’d already made the other three drinks in the order. That’s how behind I was. Once I finished the pumpkin spice, I set it on the counter and called it out for pickup.
“What’s up?” Garret leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “You’ve been out of it all day.”
“How do you know if you’ve been friend zoned?” I asked, studying him.
“Ah, man.” He shook his head as he exuded a drawn out sigh. “That’s tough.”
I spent the next ten or so minutes explaining to him everything that’d happened with Avery: the brief conversations in the beginning, the nights spent together at the train tracks, the one time I’d kissed him and how he’d reacted, and the past few weeks of pretty awesome friendship.
“Okay. Has he showed any interest?” Garrett asked, bobbing his head to the music playing through the overhead speakers.
“We’ve held hands a few times,” I answered, remembering the night on the rock, and a few times since then when we’d met at the railroad tracks.
A smile crossed Garrett’s face, and it seemed a bit mocking. “Aw, how cute. You guys held hands.”
I pushed his shoulder. “Screw you.”
He chuckled. “You wanna know what I think?” I opened my mouth to tell him where he could shove his opinion, but he continued, “Ask him out. Don’t go in all hormone driven like the time you kissed him, but ease into it. Take him to dinner or a movie. Or both. Give subtle hints that you want more. Then the ball will be in his court and you’ll figure out what he wants.”
I bit back my former retort and nodded. “Thanks. That’s actually good advice.”
“Actually?” he questioned, raising his brows. “You say that like I never have good ideas.”
“That’s because you don’t a lot of the time,” I teased, bracing myself for the incoming list of all of his brilliant ideas.
“Remember when I combined the mocha and the peppermint latte? That was a kickass idea.”
“Dude,” I said, trying not to laugh. “There’s already such a thing as a peppermint mocha. All you did was make one and call it original.”
He played with his lip ring with his tongue. “Okay, what about the time I—”
“Excuse me?” a guy said from the front counter, getting our attention. He looked to be in his early twenties with long, brown hair pulled up into one of those man-buns. It looked good on him, though. “Not to interrupt whatever conversation you guys are having, but can I order now?”
I stifled another laugh at the expression on Garrett’s face.
“Sorry, man,” Garrett said as he neared the hot guy. I knew the flirty look he had on his face without even having to see it. “What can I get for you?”
I wiped down the back counter and checked the coffee pot, making sure there was enough for the moment. I must’ve been extremely oblivious in the past for not seeing the way Garrett flirted with not only cute girls but guys too.
It was funny now to think about.
After work, I drove home. Hardly any other cars were on the road, so it was a quiet drive. I debated on stopping by the tracks to see if Avery was there, but I was too tired.
When I made it home, it was nearly midnight. I yawned as I trudged up the stairs and to my room. Too sleepy to change out of my clothes, I collapsed on my bed fully-dressed and was asleep minutes later.
***
The next morning, I thought a lot about what Garrett had suggested as I got ready for school. And I actually fixed my hair before leaving the house, putting some mousse in my hand and running my fingers through the light brown strands, giving it that controlled bedhead look.
Right when I got to school, I searched for Avery. He was under his favorite tree in the courtyard, and I plopped down beside him.
Looking up from his book, he smiled. “Hey, big guy.”
My stomach fluttered every time he called me that. “What are you reading?”
Avery marked his place before closing the book and showing me the cover. A shirtless dude surrounded by smoke was on it, and a city scene was beneath him. “It’s called Seeing Red: Scorched by T.C. Orton. Ben let me borrow it. I think he meant it as a jab at me because it’s about vampires and a rock band, but I actually really like it. So, joke’s on him.”
I pressed my arm to his, and the contact made my skin tingle. I wanted to grab his hand, but I didn’t.
“I’m not much of a vampire guy. More into superheroes,” I said, looking from our touching forearms to his black-lined, pale blue eyes. “Maybe you can convert me, though. Are the vamps hot?”
“Oh yeah.” Avery smirked. “The lead singer is named Nicolai, and I’m pretty sure he’s my future husband.”
His words caused several feelings. One, he just admitted that he was for sure into guys, so it gave me hope. As for the second… I mean, it was crazy to be jealous of a fictional character, right?
“Not sure I like this Nicolai. Sounds like a douche.”
Avery fiddled with the pages of his book as a shy smile spread across his face. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he lowered his gaze. Unsure.
I lightly bumped his arm, trying to help ease his tension. When he peered back up at me, a strange look was in his eyes.
“Thanks, Mav.” His voice was soft. Vulnerable.
“For what?”
“For being you,” he answered in a more confidant tone. “For helping me discover myself. Before you, I was lost. I still am sort of. But you’ve helped me see clearer. Although the path is still hazy, you’ve helped guide me through the fog.”
I tried to figure out how I could’ve helped him. I’d been his friend, but I doubted that was what he meant.
“I’m glad I helped,” I said, still unsure of the meaning. “What are you doing tonight?”
The question had slipped out beyond my control. Maybe it was Avery’s closeness or the way his eyes focused on mine, but I was under some sort of spell. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to snap out of it.
“Nothing,” he answered, back to his somewhat awkward self. “Why?”
“Do you wanna go see a movie?” I blurted out. “There’s a good scary one that just released. If horror is your thing.”
“Are you sure it’s your thing?” he asked with a playful grin. “Wasn’t it you who screamed like a little girl a few weeks ago when I approached your car?”
Not that I’d admit it out loud, but I liked when he teased me. No one else really did, either out of fear that I’d beat them up or because they were always kissing my ass. Avery was refreshing. He didn’t care about my popularity or size.
“Hey, it was dark, in the middle of nowhere, and your pale face popped up at my window,” I said in a matter of fact tone. “Of course I screamed. Don’t judge me.”
“I like that about you,” he said. “You’re this big guy, but you aren’t ashamed in admitting when you’re scared. You don’t try to be the tough guy. You are just you.”
“Thanks,” I responded as warmth spread through my chest. “Being something you aren’t is too exhausting. So… about that movie tonight.”
He pressed his lips into a line before opening his mouth.
The ringing of the bell interrupted whatever he was about to say. Stupid thing. We gathered our things before standing. All I had with me was my algebra book, but he had a backpack that he slung over one shoulder. He winced and touched his upper thigh when we began walking.
“You okay?” I asked, cocking my head.
Avery nodded as an odd expression crossed his face. It reminded me of the day I’d first started talking to him; guarded and shut-off from the world.
We were at that point in our friendship where it was hard not to push him to talk, but I forced myself to cease with the questions. At least for the time being.
Then it struck me that while we’d hung out a lot lately, he’d still not told me much about his personal life. He never talked about his mom, and he only briefly mentioned his brother. Never invited me over to his house, even though I’d invited him over to mine—which he’d refused every time.
What was he hiding?
“See you in class,” I told him. “I have to go by my locker first.”
He didn’t say anything before walking away.
I stared after him and my chest did a cracking thing that was hard to explain.
It wasn’t until we were in history class, waiting for Mr. Jones to begin the lecture, when I realized Avery hadn’t given me an answer about that night. Perhaps that had been what the damn bell had interrupted, so I made a mental note to ask him again at lunch.
For the rest of class, I found it hard to focus, but I somehow managed it. Kind of. Although I liked learning about the Civil War, the reconstruction period following it was snooze-worthy. My attention kept jumping from the rebuilding of the South to Avery and the several times I’d seen him limp and wince when he thought I wasn’t looking.
And whenever I asked about said limping, a certain look flickered in his eyes. One that worried me. I’d seen the same look the night I’d kissed him too. Before he ran off into the woods and left me chasing after him.
“Mr. Blake?”
Hearing my name, I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at the teacher. “Yes, Mr. Jones?”
“In what year did the Radical Reconstruction begin?” he asked, leaning on the corner of his desk. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, showing off his toned forearms. “And what was the significance of it?”
“Um.” My scalp prickled and I heard the blood rushing to my ears. All eyes were on me, and my brain went blank. Normally, I didn’t mind being the center of attention, but I felt like running out of the room in that moment just to escape it. Come on, Mav, you know this. “1867?”
“Correct,” Mr. Jones said, nodding. “And the significance?”
“For the first time in American history, African Americans had a voice in the government,” I answered, feeling less nervous.
“Good,” he said before looking at the rest of the class and moving on. “Years later, however, new groups formed that threatened to reverse all of the progress from the Radical Reconstruction period.”
I breathed a relieved sigh and looked down at my textbook, pushing all thoughts of Avery aside and forcing myself to follow along.
When the bell rang, I half expected Avery to quickly leave the room like he usually did when things were weird between us, but he didn’t. He approached my desk and gave me a shaky smile.
“Thought we could walk to bio together,” he said before glancing down at his feet.
I grinned as my heart did a strange fluttering. More and more, he was stepping out of his comfort zone around me and initiating conversation.
“Awesome.” I grabbed my history book and pen. “I need to go by my locker.”
“Why don’t you use your backpack and just put your books inside?” Avery said, giving me an incredulous look. “It’d save you an extra trip between classes.”
“Because I’m difficult,” I answered as we walked toward my locker. “I hate carrying a heavy backpack.”
He chuckled. “With all those muscles, and you’re afraid of a little extra weight to carry?”
“Shut it, dork,” I said, bumping his arm. “The point of lockers is so you don’t have to do that.”
“Dude,” Avery said, stopping in the middle of the hall and shaking his head. “Not cool.”
“Umm. What?” I wracked my brain, wondering what the hell I said wrong.
“Just because I have a dick doesn’t mean it’s okay to call me one,” he answered, rolling his eyes. With all the black eyeliner, the action kind of made him look like the scary chick from Lights Out. But, like, a sexy version that I wanted to push up against the lockers and make out with. And of course, I then got sucked into the fantasy and ended up just staring at him like a weirdo as I imagined all the things I wanted to do to him. “Mav? Did I break your brain?”
Wait. What?
“A dick?” I asked, because yeah, that was the best response. Totally.
Avery laughed and nudged my arm before walking again. “Visit Google later, big guy, and look up the history of the word dork.”
Trailing after him, I was still trying to work out what he’d said. The phrase stunned stupid had never been truer. Eventually, I caught up to him.
“What time should I pick you up tonight?”
His blue eyes flickered to mine. “Huh?”
“The movie,” I reminded him.
“Oh.” He bit his bottom lip. “I’ll have to check with my mom first. Not sure when she’s going into work, and I need to make sure Declan gets dinner.”
“Isn’t he, like, fourteen?” I asked as we got to my locker. I worked the combination, popped the door open, and shelved my history book before grabbing the biology one. “He can make his own food, right?”
After I shut my locker, I faced Avery. His expression was shielded again. And maybe a little peeved.
“Sorry if it inconveniences you,” he snapped, taking a few steps back. “But he’s my baby brother and I need to make sure he’s looked after, Maverick. With my mom gone all the time, I’m all he has.”
Beneath the anger, I saw pain. An emotional one that burned in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Avery.” I wished we could go back to the playful banter from moments earlier. Before I opened my big mouth and upset him. “He can come too, if you want.”
To be honest, I wanted it to just be me and Avery, but if his brother tagging along was the only way to see him, then I’d take it. Plus, it’d be cool to finally meet Declan. The kid was in high school, but since he was a freshman, he had a different lunch time and separate classes. Maybe meeting him would help me get to know Avery even better too.
Avery’s face softened. “Really? You’d let him hang out with us?”
“Sure,” I said, knowing I’d probably say yes to anything he wanted at this point. “I can take us to dinner and then we can catch a movie after.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Avery said, looking at me with eyes that made me weak in the knees. “We better get to class before we’re late.”