something.
“To talk. Just to talk.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. How about right after
school?”
“That’s good.”
“Okay, see you then,” she replied and slammed her
locker. She walked off down the hallway holding her head regally
like a queen. I sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy.
The rest of the day went by in a slow haze. Maybe
daze was a better word. I couldn’t concentrate on anything. We were
in the home stretch towards graduation, and most of us were feeling
the burn out. That coupled with Jake’s death meant we didn’t give a
shit about anything anymore. I knew my college acceptance was good
to go, and there wasn’t much I could do to screw it up.
When the bell rang at the end of the day, I bolted
out of my seat and practically sprinted to the parking lot. I made
the familiar drive through the tree-lined suburbs of Governor’s
Ridge, one of the richest areas of town. Avery lived a house you
might see on an episode of Cribs . Her parents even had one
of those crazy televisions in the bathroom mirror. It’s insane.
She’s an only child, and her dad is some multi-millionaire. I’d
been to her house for parties before. But the house was most
memorable to me because I’d had a pretty hot hookup there with
Avery’s cousin from out of town during our February break.
As I pulled into the driveway, the opening dum, dum
music from Law and Order played in my head. I could see it
flashing across the screen now: Tuesday. 3:45 PM. The home of
Avery Moore.
God, I seriously needed a life.
After she let me in, Avery led me upstairs to her
room—in the East Wing of the mansion. I couldn’t help but remember
the comments Jake had made about Avery’s pageant crowns and
trophies. He always teased her by calling her Honey Boo-Boo, even
though Avery was the farthest thing from a redneck diva. He’d
always snort back a laugh and say, “Man, the second you step in
Honey Boo-Boo’s room, you’re blinded by the light radiating off the
rhinestone tiaras.” Then he’d grin his wicked grin and say, “Sometimes it’s kinda sexy because you can almost catch your
reflection in the trophies while you’re doing it!”
He hadn’t been lying. Well, at least about the
tiaras. From the looks of it, Avery had participated and won every
single pageant imaginable since she was a toddler. One entire wall
of her room was dedicated to her winnings. It was intense.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Avery
asked.
“Jake.”
“I thought so.” She sat down on the leather love-seat
and motioned for me to join her. “Noah, I’m really sorry about what
happened at the funeral home—you know with the urn and all.” She
shook her head. “I don’t know what came over me.”
I snorted. “I do. It was jealousy.”
She pulled her shoulders back and then shot me a
death glare. “Yes, I realize it might initially appear like
jealousy, but you have to understand that I was also under a lot of
stress at the time. Do you know what it’s like to love someone like
Jake?”
With a smirk, I replied, “Well, no, actually I
don’t.”
She dismissed my smartass comment with a wave of her
hand. “I did love Jake. And I know he loved me…in his own way. It’s
just when he died, everyone…” She glanced at me. “Every girl was fighting for a piece of him. I just wanted to protect
mine.”
“I’m not here about that night, Avery.”
“Yeah, well I just wanted you to know that.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes. Time was
ticking, so I cleared my throat. “So did you guys have a special
song or something?”
She gave me an odd look. “Why do you ask?”
“I just wondered. You know, I’m just trying to gather
as many memories as I can of him,” I replied lamely. Damn, I
sounded like a complete tool. Peeking up through my shroud of hair,
I tried to gage whether Avery believed me. Her skeptical expression
spoke volumes.
“I’ve heard a rumor, Noah.”
“You have?”
“Yeah, about something
“To talk. Just to talk.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. How about right after
school?”
“That’s good.”
“Okay, see you then,” she replied and slammed her
locker. She walked off down the hallway holding her head regally
like a queen. I sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy.
The rest of the day went by in a slow haze. Maybe
daze was a better word. I couldn’t concentrate on anything. We were
in the home stretch towards graduation, and most of us were feeling
the burn out. That coupled with Jake’s death meant we didn’t give a
shit about anything anymore. I knew my college acceptance was good
to go, and there wasn’t much I could do to screw it up.
When the bell rang at the end of the day, I bolted
out of my seat and practically sprinted to the parking lot. I made
the familiar drive through the tree-lined suburbs of Governor’s
Ridge, one of the richest areas of town. Avery lived a house you
might see on an episode of Cribs . Her parents even had one
of those crazy televisions in the bathroom mirror. It’s insane.
She’s an only child, and her dad is some multi-millionaire. I’d
been to her house for parties before. But the house was most
memorable to me because I’d had a pretty hot hookup there with
Avery’s cousin from out of town during our February break.
As I pulled into the driveway, the opening dum, dum
music from Law and Order played in my head. I could see it
flashing across the screen now: Tuesday. 3:45 PM. The home of
Avery Moore.
God, I seriously needed a life.
After she let me in, Avery led me upstairs to her
room—in the East Wing of the mansion. I couldn’t help but remember
the comments Jake had made about Avery’s pageant crowns and
trophies. He always teased her by calling her Honey Boo-Boo, even
though Avery was the farthest thing from a redneck diva. He’d
always snort back a laugh and say, “Man, the second you step in
Honey Boo-Boo’s room, you’re blinded by the light radiating off the
rhinestone tiaras.” Then he’d grin his wicked grin and say, “Sometimes it’s kinda sexy because you can almost catch your
reflection in the trophies while you’re doing it!”
He hadn’t been lying. Well, at least about the
tiaras. From the looks of it, Avery had participated and won every
single pageant imaginable since she was a toddler. One entire wall
of her room was dedicated to her winnings. It was intense.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Avery
asked.
“Jake.”
“I thought so.” She sat down on the leather love-seat
and motioned for me to join her. “Noah, I’m really sorry about what
happened at the funeral home—you know with the urn and all.” She
shook her head. “I don’t know what came over me.”
I snorted. “I do. It was jealousy.”
She pulled her shoulders back and then shot me a
death glare. “Yes, I realize it might initially appear like
jealousy, but you have to understand that I was also under a lot of
stress at the time. Do you know what it’s like to love someone like
Jake?”
With a smirk, I replied, “Well, no, actually I
don’t.”
She dismissed my smartass comment with a wave of her
hand. “I did love Jake. And I know he loved me…in his own way. It’s
just when he died, everyone…” She glanced at me. “Every girl was fighting for a piece of him. I just wanted to protect
mine.”
“I’m not here about that night, Avery.”
“Yeah, well I just wanted you to know that.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes. Time was
ticking, so I cleared my throat. “So did you guys have a special
song or something?”
She gave me an odd look. “Why do you ask?”
“I just wondered. You know, I’m just trying to gather
as many memories as I can of him,” I replied lamely. Damn, I
sounded like a complete tool. Peeking up through my shroud of hair,
I tried to gage whether Avery believed me. Her skeptical expression
spoke volumes.
“I’ve heard a rumor, Noah.”
“You have?”
“Yeah, about something
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