The wrong guy to love

Ava Thorne just turned 20 years old. She had also just gotten admission into the same college her elder brother attended, so life was already starting to feel like it was finally going somewhere good.

Then Nathaniel called.

His voice came through the phone warm and familiar, telling her he had organized a surprise birthday party for her. Just hearing that made her feel like the happiest person on earth. But then he said something that caught her off guard. He didn't want her to bring Valerie. Her best friend. He said he wanted it to be just the two of them. More like a date.

She let it slide.

He arrived at her place and picked her up on his bike. That was one of the things she loved about him. He was a biker boy, and something about that always made her feel something she couldn't quite explain. She climbed on behind him, arms around his waist, wind hitting her face, and for a little while everything felt right.

Then they arrived.

Ava got down first and stopped moving completely.

Everyone she had graduated with in high school was there. Every single one of them. Her eyes moved across the crowd and her stomach sank immediately. He had said it would just be them. So why were all these people here? Her body tensed before her brain could even make sense of it. Something was wrong. She could feel it but she couldn't name it yet.

Nathaniel gently took her hand and led her toward the gathering. She spotted the banner. "Happy Birthday Ava." Big and bright. And even with that strange feeling sitting heavy in her chest, her heart warmed just a little bit.

"Sit down sweetheart." He said it easily, like he had no care in the world. She sat.

"This is a surprise party for you and I have an announcement to make." He walked over to one of his friends, collected a wireless microphone and climbed on top of the table like he owned the whole place.

Ava watched him from her seat, confused but waiting.

"We are all gathered here because of one person. Ava." He began slowly, voice carrying across the whole place. "Not only have you made me the happiest guy on earth, you have also managed to make me the richest."

She didn't understand that last part. Her brows pulled together slightly. Around her people were already laughing, like they knew something she didn't. She could feel every eye turning toward her and her stomach twisted hard.

Nathaniel then signaled one of his friends. The guy stepped away and came back holding a hat.

"Okay guys, I won the bet." His voice was loud and completely shameless. "I was able to take her pants off yesterday."

The crowd burst. Money started dropping into the hat, laughter filling every corner of the place.

Ava went completely still.

She just sat there for a moment, not moving, not breathing. The noise around her suddenly felt distant, like she was hearing everything from far away. Yes, they had been together yesterday.

Yes, that had happened. But a bet? He was standing on a table announcing it like it was some kind of achievement, like she was a trophy he had finally gotten his hands on.

She stood up.

Her legs carried her to the table before she even decided to move. She looked up at him, jaw tight, something burning behind her eyes.

"Why..... Are you... Doing this?" Her voice broke before she could stop it. Tears pushed forward and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her palm. She was not going to cry in front of all these people.

Nathaniel looked down at her without even a drop of shame on his face.

"You know you are the most beautiful and popular girl in high school." He said it into the microphone, still performing for the crowd. "They found it impossible that you could date an average guy like me so we made a bet."

Ava felt like the floor was being pulled from under her feet.

"So this whole relationship was just a bet to you." Her voice dropped, shaking. "Just a way for you to sleep with me and boost your ego."

"Exactly." He said it with a smile.

Then out of nowhere, red wine splashed all over Nathaniel. Ava spun around.

It was Valerie, she stood there, chest rising and falling fast, eyes burning with the kind of anger that didn't need to be loud to be dangerous.

"You should be ashamed of yourself." Valerie's voice was sharp and steady. She grabbed Ava's shoulder without waiting another second. "Come on let's go, let's leave these losers."

Ava turned back to look at Nathaniel one last time.

Her chest hurt. Like something inside had been squeezed too tight and couldn't go back to its original shape. She had been real with him. Genuinely real. And he had taken that and turned it into a game played in front of an audience.

She let Valerie pull her away.

They were out on the street before either of them said a word. Ava's nose was running. Her throat was burning from holding everything in. She had been through bad relationships before but not this kind of bad. First one was a cheater. Second one was just using her. And now this one made her a bet.

"Ahh I think I am cursed." She cried, her voice breaking between a sob and a tired laugh.

Valerie rubbed her back slowly without rushing her.

Then a thought came out of nowhere and cut right through everything.

"How did you know I was here." Ava looked at her, genuinely confused.

Valerie's face shifted just slightly. "They posted your pictures in the group chat and gave the location for more people to come."

Ava felt her heart drop all over again.

So it was never just a party. He had advertised it. He had invited an audience on purpose. She was never the guest. She was the show.

Her chest tightened so fast she couldn't get ahead of it. Her breathing went shallow. Her nose wouldn't stop running and the world around her started to blur at the edges.

Then everything went black. Right there on the street, Ava fainted.

It had been two years since Ava got humiliated by Nathaniel. Two whole years. And since then she had avoided men like the plague. She didn't want to associate with them at all, not even for friendship, not even for something as simple as a hello in the hallway.

Because of this, boys in her school had decided she was proud. Not like she cared about what they said behind her back. Let them talk. She had her books, she had Valerie, and that was enough.

She was in her second year now and doing well in her studies. No distractions meant better grades. Simple math.

"Why don't you just read at my house, since your brother is too loud and won't let you study." Valerie suggested, chewing her bubble gum loudly beside her ear.

"I will just read at the library, that will be fine I can manage." Ava reached over and took Valerie's notes from her bag. "I will return this to you tomorrow." She ran off, waving without looking back.

She headed to the library, pulled out her headset and placed it over her ears. She jotted down a few things in her notebook and settled into her reading, music low in the background, the world completely blocked out.

She stayed there for at least two hours.

Then her phone buzzed. A text from her elder brother.

"Hey, I need your help. I think I am about to burn down the kitchen. Please hurry up and save the day." He had added a crying emoji at the end.

Ava sighed heavily. Her brother was a complete disaster in the kitchen and he knew it. They were living alone, far from their parents, because they wanted to be near school. She began shoving everything into her bag, tucked Valerie's notes under her arm and headed out.

On her way out she stopped to buy a coffee. She held the cup in one hand, the notes in the other and started walking.

Then bang.

She crashed into someone. The notes slipped from under her arm and hit the ground. The coffee tilted forward and splashed across a white T-shirt, the last few drops landing right on Valerie's notebook.

"Fuck." He cursed under his breath.

Ava looked up.

Her breath almost stopped.

He was insanely attractive. A lip piercing sat at the corner of his mouth. A black earring on the left side of his ear. A piercing through his eyebrow. He looked like the kind of person who didn't apologize for taking up space and was completely fine with that.

He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Hey. So now you are quiet. What are you going to do about my shirt." His jaw tightened as he looked down at the coffee spreading across the white fabric.

Even doing that was cute.

Focus Ava. He is a man. His gender almost ruined you three times. She swallowed hard and pulled herself together.

"I am so sorry." She bowed her head slightly.

Then her eyes dropped to Valerie's notebook lying on the ground, pages soaking up the coffee like a sponge.

Great. More problems for her. She bent down and picked it up.

"Is that all? What am I going to do about this." He pointed at his shirt, voice flat and unamused.

"I already said I am sorry." The words came out sharper than she planned, her voice climbing before she could stop it. "What more do you want."

"I can't believe you are yelling when you are the one at fault." He looked at her like she had just said something completely unreasonable. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. "Take it. Clean it."

She snatched it from him and narrowed her eyes.

"And then what, what about my notebook that is now ruined." She held up the coffee stained pages, frustration bleeding into every word.

"How is that my problem." Flat. Simple. Like the answer was obvious and she was wasting his time.

This was beginning to really irritate her. "Do you want me to go on my knees and beg then." It came out more out of frustration than anything else.

He looked at her. A slow mischievous smile crept onto his lips, and something behind his eyes shifted in a way that made her stomach turn.

"If you will be kneeling before me, you should be doing something more fun with that." He paused just long enough for it to land. "Maybe choking."

Ava understood exactly what he meant.

Something cold and sharp moved through her chest. She stared at him for one more second, the smile still sitting on his face like he was proud of himself, and everything she felt in that moment folded neatly into disgust.

"You disgust me." She hissed.

She threw the handkerchief straight at his face, turned around and walked away with so much anger burning in her chest she could barely breathe straight.

As soon as she got home Ezra opened the door and she walked straight in without a word. She immediately rolled up her sleeves, tied her hair up in a ponytail and dropped her bag on the chair like she was already done with the day before it even ended.

Then she walked into the kitchen and stopped.

"Come on Ezra, why is there water everywhere." The frustration in her voice was not hidden at all. She looked around at the mess like she was trying to decide where to even begin.

"I was trying to make pasta, my best friend is coming over." Ezra grabbed a towel and started dabbing at the water on the kitchen counter, looking only slightly guilty about the whole thing.

"You mean your imaginary friend." Ava teased, the corner of her mouth lifting just a little as she opened the fridge.

"Come on Ava, what am I, twelve?" He almost rolled his eyes. "It is not my fault you never got a chance to meet him."

Ava pulled out what she needed and started chopping onions, her focus already shifting to the food. The kitchen smelled like burnt water and poor decisions.

"He should be here any moment from now." Ezra leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, his voice dropping into something that sounded more serious than usual. "Let me warn you Ava. Don't try to fall for him. He is my best friend and I will not approve that kind of thing."

Ava didn't even look up from the chopping board.

"Relax. I no longer find guys attractive. You are all full of lies."

Ezra opened his mouth to respond but before anything came out, there was a knock at the door.

"That should be him." The excitement that jumped into Ezra's voice was almost funny. He moved quickly to the door and pulled it open.

A few seconds of muffled greeting passed and then Ezra's tone shifted.

"What happened to your shirt Jace?" Concern colored his voice as he looked his friend over.

"Some uncultured brat did this to me." The irritation was still fresh, still sitting right at the surface. "She was even the one yelling at me."

Ava slowly put down whatever she was holding.

Something about that voice made her stomach do something uncomfortable. She wiped her hands on the kitchen cloth and walked toward the living room, telling herself she was just curious.

She stepped through the doorway and looked up.

She froze.

Ava walked toward them slowly, eyes moving from Ezra to the guy standing at the door. She looked at Jace for a second and then something between disbelief and amusement crossed her face.

"Don't tell me this is your friend." She stopped a few feet away, shaking her head slightly. "Well. You attract what you are."

Jace looked at her, then at Ezra, then back at her. He folded his arms across his chest, unbothered.

"It is quite unfortunate that this is your sister." His voice was calm but the words had an edge to them. "It is really the opposite of how highly you described her."

Ezra stood right in the middle of them both, head turning from one side to the other like he was watching something he didn't fully understand yet. He let out a small uncomfortable laugh.

"So you two know each other?" He looked between them. "I actually like the fact that you are both starting off on the wrong foot."

"Remember the brat I was telling you about, the one who did this to my shirt." Jace pointed directly at Ava without blinking. "Well look at her standing right in front of you."

"Brat." Ava scoffed, the word landing on her like a slap she refused to feel. "Don't forget you tried to make advances at this same brat."

Ezra's head snapped toward Jace. "Advances. Jace is that true?"

"No." Jace's voice went up a little, not quite a shout but close enough. He turned to Ezra with the kind of expression that said he couldn't believe this was even a conversation. "Come on, will you believe her. I mean you have seen me with different girls before. You should really know my type."

Ezra thought about it for half a second. "True."

Ava looked at them both and felt the irritation rise sharp and fast in her chest.

"Oh, why don't you fix him a meal yourself then." She turned around before anyone could respond. "Because there is no way I am cooking for this jerk."

She marched straight to her room, chest heaving, each step carrying the full weight of her annoyance.

"Ava, don't do this, I am so hungry." Ezra scrambled after her, his voice dropping into the kind of desperate tone only a hungry person could manage. His footsteps followed close behind her down the hallway.

What came next was a loud bang. She shut the door right in his face.

Ezra stood there staring at the door for a moment like he was hoping it would open again on its own.

"Just let her go." Jace's voice came from behind him. "I can do the cooking." He reached for the hem of his shirt and started pulling it off.

"No, no, no." Ezra spun around fast, eyes wide, voice suddenly very high. "Do not take off your shirt here. Please put something on." He shot a nervous glance toward Ava's door like the walls had eyes.

Jace paused, looked at him, then slowly pulled the shirt back on. He took a slow breath through his nose like he was doing Ezra a favour.

"Your sister is not that attractive so relax." He turned and walked back toward the kitchen, already scanning the counter to see what Ava had started.

Ezra followed behind him quietly. "I agree." He muttered.

A few hours passed before hunger finally won.

Ava came out of her room quietly, the anger mostly gone now, replaced by the very loud and very insistent reminder that she hadn't eaten anything. She looked around the living room. No sign of Jace. She figured he had already left and felt the tension in her shoulders drop just slightly.

She went straight to the kitchen, grabbed a plate and a spoon and scooped out a reasonable amount of food. Then she leaned back against the kitchen counter, plate in hand, and took a huge bite.

She spat it out immediately.

It was so salty it was almost impressive. She stood there staring at the plate, tongue still processing the damage, when she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned around.

Jace was leaning against the kitchen doorway, arms folded, that smug look sitting on his face like it had always lived there.

"You really thought I would cook for you to eat." A short scoff left him like the idea alone was entertaining. "You are so delusional."

"So you did this on purpose." She set the plate down on the counter, the sound of it hitting the surface carrying every bit of frustration she was feeling.

"Of course." He didn't even blink. "And I don't mind doing it over again."

Ava looked at him for one long second, then brushed past him without another word. He followed her out of the kitchen like he had nothing better to do. She walked into her room, grabbed a few clothes and stuffed them into a bag. Then she turned around and found him still there, leaning now against her doorframe like he owned the place.

"Before I come back tomorrow, you should be gone by then." She shouldered her bag and made her way toward the front door.

"I will think about it." He lifted one hand and waved her off slowly, that annoying smile still sitting right where she wanted to wipe it from.

She left without looking back.

She flagged down a cab and climbed in, dropping into the seat with a long quiet exhale. While the city moved past the window she pulled out her phone and texted Valerie.

Sleeping over tonight. Will explain when I get there.

When she arrived, Valerie already had food waiting for her. She didn't even ask questions, just handed Ava a plate and let her eat in peace. That was the thing about Valerie. She always knew when to talk and when to just be there.

After eating, Ava pulled out a fresh notebook and started carefully copying out everything from Valerie's coffee stained notes. The writing was still visible underneath the damage, just barely, and she was going to get every single word out of it before it got any worse.

"Ava." Valerie sat up in bed, watching her with tired eyes full of concern. "There is too much for you to write. Come to bed. You don't have to do this tonight."

"Don't worry I can manage." Ava kept her eyes on the page, pen moving steadily. "When I am tired I will come to bed. I promise."

Valerie looked at her for a moment longer, the kind of look that said she knew exactly how that promise was going to go.

"I know you won't agree." She sighed softly and pulled her duvet up around her shoulders, eyes slowly closing as sleep quietly took her.

Ava kept writing.