24. Declan
DECLAN
Two days until OA Con
I’m leaning against Ava’s locker when Hiro comes tearing down the hall in a flustered panic. He skids to a stop in front of me, hands on his knees while he attempts to catch his breath. “Dude. I swear I was trying to help, but”—he grimaces up at me—“I think I messed everything up.”
The thing about Hiro is, he’s a total drama geek. So I’m not overly concerned when I ask, “What are you talking about?”
“Ava found out about her dad coming to OA Con, and I may have let slip that you told me. Then when she asked when I told you, I panicked and said it was actually Stasia who told me. Which, I know, was not the most brilliant move since it’s only a matter of time before—oh crap.
” He blanches, his eyes widening as he stares off to the side.
My head is still reeling from his initial onslaught when I see the furious brunette storming down the hall.
Hiro lets out a whimper. “Hide me.”
My gut clenches at the look of righteous fury blazing across Stasia’s face. Ava knows. She knows, and she thinks I’m hiding it from her. I push off the locker and head straight for the front entrance.
Stasia snags my arm when I pass. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To find Ava and explain things.” I try to brush her off, but her grip is shockingly strong.
Her gaze is pure steel as it pins me to the floor. “Ava already has too many people messing with her head, so if you wanna talk to her, I’m gonna need you to look me in the eye and swear you were planning to tell her the truth. Then maybe I’ll consider letting you pass.”
“I swear on every prop I’ve ever made, I was waiting here to do that very thing. I meant to tell her last night, only we got… distracted.” My cheeks warm at that last bit, and Stasia’s glare softens.
“All right.” She releases my arm, her mouth curving into the barest hint of a smile. “I guess you can go.”
I’m off before she can say another word, elbowing my way through the crowded hall and out the front doors.
I jog to the top of the steps and scan the parking lot, but she’s nowhere in sight.
I’m pulling out my phone to text her when I catch a glimpse of blonde hair through the window of a passing Jeep.
They’re gone in a blink, but it doesn’t matter—I’d know that profile anywhere.
But why is she leaving school?
And who is she leaving with?
Hiro appears at my side, having apparently escaped Stasia’s wrath unscathed, and I point at the retreating vehicles as it peels out of the lot. “Whose car is that?”
Hiro shades his eyes, squinting after the Jeep. “Pretty sure that’s Tyler’s. Why do you ask?”
My stomach sinks, and I press my palms against my forehead as the beginnings of a headache trickle in. “Because he just drove off with Ava.”
“Oh. That’s…” Hiro winces. “Did I mention I was sorry?”
I sigh and turn to trudge inside as the warning bell rings. “It’s not your fault. I should have told her when I had the chance, but at least now she knows, I guess. Did she happen to say anything about the workshop?”
“That’s why she texted me. She, uh, kind of found out that I made up the whole anniversary party thing.
” I whip my head around to glare at him, and he offers me a guilty smile.
“I was playing matchmaker. Don’t act like you aren’t happy I did.
Anyway, she asked me to cover for her at the convention.
You know, so the workshop wouldn’t get canceled. ”
A spark of hope flickers to life in my belly.
She wasn’t just going to abandon me.
She cares.
I’ve gotta make sure she knows the feeling is mutual. That I understand how hard it would be for her to see her dad at OA Con. As much as I’d love to have her at the workshop with me, I get it. She’s not ready, and that’s okay. I can wait. I’ve had plenty of practice.
The second bell rings, and I mutter a few choice words as I jog the last few steps to homeroom.
I duck inside, trying to blend in with the wall as I schlep to my seat.
I pull my phone out as soon as I’m at my desk, mulling over the best way to explain things to Ava.
The moment I start to write my text, however, the phone is nipped straight out of my hands.
“No phones in class, Declan. You know the rules.” Coach Adams gives me a pointed look as he looms over me, my cell looking like a child’s toy in his massive hand. He heads back to the front, and I want to cry when he says, “You can get this back at the end of the day.”
It might as well be an eternity.