book and skimmed through five chapters of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? while Eric played through three more songs.
Eric started up a slower tune. It was smooth and jazzy and he didn’t sing this time. Lacey snuggled herself beside him on the piano bench. I ignored the pang I felt at seeing my old place taken over by someone new. I didn’t want that place back, anyway.
“I love to dance,” Lacey was saying to Eric, “but it’s hard to get Mari to come out with me these days. We should go sometime.”
His voice pitched low, I couldn’t hear his response.
“Ha, no kidding. But Ava never comes,” Lacey said.
“Why is she here?” Eric asked. This he said loud enough for me to hear.
“She just graduated from Juilliard. She’s staying until she can get her own place.”
Whatever Eric replied, he made sure to lower his voice again. Lacey laughed.
My foot swung absently to his tune. I held the book face-level so I wouldn’t have to see Lacey and Eric pressed together on the piano bench. I didn’t matter to Eric anymore, and he wouldn’t matter to me.
Chapter Thirteen
Juilliard had been my escape. Escape from a future I was afraid of, from the regret of my mistake. A way to start fresh. I never would have come home if I had known I’d be living in a twisted version of my old life.
When Eric wasn’t at the studio working on his new album, he was at Charlie’s, testing video games or who knew what else. Charlie and Eric had rekindled their bromance, while I had become the third wheel—unwelcome and unwanted, at least in Eric’s point of view. Sometimes I wondered if he came around just so he could ignore me.
I was relieved when orchestra practice took me away. When it didn’t, I made sure to have other plans—even if those plans were just going down to the beach to read, or today’s girls time at the movies. Avoiding Eric was easier, and preferable, to being in the same room and trying so hard to ignore his existence while he so easily ignored mine.
“Earth to Ava,” Lexi said, waving her hand in front of my face.
“I think I’d rather be somewhere else,” I said, even though I didn’t mean it. The movie theatre was mostly empty, just the four of us, and another couple of girls sitting a few rows down.
Lexi pouted. “I’m hurt.”
Lacey leaned over Mari so she could see me. “You don’t want to see this movie?”
“Sure. It sounds…” I couldn’t even remember what we were seeing.
“It’s going to be great. Look who’s in it!” She leaned back, turning her attention to Mari. “We should have invited Charlie and Eric.”
“Charlie never would have come,” Mari replied. “It’s too much of a chick-flick.”
A man in a baseball cap holding a giant popcorn walked into the theatre all by himself and took a seat near the front. Mari and Lacey giggled.
“Eric would have convinced him,” Lacey said.
Lexi nudged my elbow. I ignored it.
“You should have been there yesterday, Ava,” Mari said. “Eric did the funniest thing. We all went down to the beach and…”
I tuned her out. Mari was always regaling me with the many wonderful aspects of Eric Wentworth. He had taken on godlike status in her mind. She didn’t seem to realize how little I wanted to talk about him. Or see him.
“Lacey just about died ,” Mari continued. Lacey nodded her head. “She ran out of the water and—”
“Hey, let me tell this part,” Lacey interrupted.
I cranked up the volume of the Andrew Lloyd Webber song that had been stuck in my head ever since we started practicing it for a Philharmonic performance next month.
“Ava, are you even listening?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Is this weird?” Lacey asked. “Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about it.”
Oh how I wished they wouldn’t.
“I thought you’d be okay with it,” she continued. “Mari told me you would be…” She trailed off when Mari shot her a dirty look.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Mari and
Eric started up a slower tune. It was smooth and jazzy and he didn’t sing this time. Lacey snuggled herself beside him on the piano bench. I ignored the pang I felt at seeing my old place taken over by someone new. I didn’t want that place back, anyway.
“I love to dance,” Lacey was saying to Eric, “but it’s hard to get Mari to come out with me these days. We should go sometime.”
His voice pitched low, I couldn’t hear his response.
“Ha, no kidding. But Ava never comes,” Lacey said.
“Why is she here?” Eric asked. This he said loud enough for me to hear.
“She just graduated from Juilliard. She’s staying until she can get her own place.”
Whatever Eric replied, he made sure to lower his voice again. Lacey laughed.
My foot swung absently to his tune. I held the book face-level so I wouldn’t have to see Lacey and Eric pressed together on the piano bench. I didn’t matter to Eric anymore, and he wouldn’t matter to me.
Chapter Thirteen
Juilliard had been my escape. Escape from a future I was afraid of, from the regret of my mistake. A way to start fresh. I never would have come home if I had known I’d be living in a twisted version of my old life.
When Eric wasn’t at the studio working on his new album, he was at Charlie’s, testing video games or who knew what else. Charlie and Eric had rekindled their bromance, while I had become the third wheel—unwelcome and unwanted, at least in Eric’s point of view. Sometimes I wondered if he came around just so he could ignore me.
I was relieved when orchestra practice took me away. When it didn’t, I made sure to have other plans—even if those plans were just going down to the beach to read, or today’s girls time at the movies. Avoiding Eric was easier, and preferable, to being in the same room and trying so hard to ignore his existence while he so easily ignored mine.
“Earth to Ava,” Lexi said, waving her hand in front of my face.
“I think I’d rather be somewhere else,” I said, even though I didn’t mean it. The movie theatre was mostly empty, just the four of us, and another couple of girls sitting a few rows down.
Lexi pouted. “I’m hurt.”
Lacey leaned over Mari so she could see me. “You don’t want to see this movie?”
“Sure. It sounds…” I couldn’t even remember what we were seeing.
“It’s going to be great. Look who’s in it!” She leaned back, turning her attention to Mari. “We should have invited Charlie and Eric.”
“Charlie never would have come,” Mari replied. “It’s too much of a chick-flick.”
A man in a baseball cap holding a giant popcorn walked into the theatre all by himself and took a seat near the front. Mari and Lacey giggled.
“Eric would have convinced him,” Lacey said.
Lexi nudged my elbow. I ignored it.
“You should have been there yesterday, Ava,” Mari said. “Eric did the funniest thing. We all went down to the beach and…”
I tuned her out. Mari was always regaling me with the many wonderful aspects of Eric Wentworth. He had taken on godlike status in her mind. She didn’t seem to realize how little I wanted to talk about him. Or see him.
“Lacey just about died ,” Mari continued. Lacey nodded her head. “She ran out of the water and—”
“Hey, let me tell this part,” Lacey interrupted.
I cranked up the volume of the Andrew Lloyd Webber song that had been stuck in my head ever since we started practicing it for a Philharmonic performance next month.
“Ava, are you even listening?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Is this weird?” Lacey asked. “Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about it.”
Oh how I wished they wouldn’t.
“I thought you’d be okay with it,” she continued. “Mari told me you would be…” She trailed off when Mari shot her a dirty look.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Mari and
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