Chapter 10 Avery
Chapter 10: Avery
Thursday, August 28, 3:30 PM
Avery pulled out of the library parking lot, sneaking a peak of Gabe in the rearview.
Dang it, Gabe. Why do you have to be so charming?
She had been upset with him after leaving PE the day before and helping the student to the office. But then running into him today at the library changed everything. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stay mad at Gabe for very long. Bumping into him was a surprise. A good surprise. She enjoyed helping him find his book, he had apologized for what happened during PE, plus he opened up about himself.
Something Marshall never did. How was it possible to know someone for so long but not feel like you really “knew” them? No matter how much she did for him, he never opened up. As their relationship progressed, he quit talking about school. And forget about talking about emotions. Which was why she finally ended things. She needed more vulnerability, but hadn’t realized it until she had wasted a lot of years on him, hoping they would grow closer, hoping he’d ask her to marry him.
A ding sounded on her phone. A text.
CLAIRE: How did the interview go? Are you a librarian yet?
AVERY: It went really well. They’ll let me know.
CLAIRE: Want to come over tonight and pick out a dress for that dance thing?
AVERY: Hmm. I’m not sure. Are you free Saturday?
CLAIRE: You know Saturdays are crazy here at the gym. What about Friday night?
AVERY: Maybe. It’ll depend on how Mom is feeling.
CLAIRE: Give her my best.
AVERY: I will.
She headed back toward home, where Mom was thankfully still napping in the recliner. Every time Avery left the house now, she worried her mom was going to get hurt. The ER stitched her up and gave pain meds, and she was to check in with her regular doctor next week.
But Avery couldn’t always be home. The ambulance ride and the ER bills would be coming in, and she needed to work as much as possible. Her mom had some insurance, but it wasn’t great and wouldn’t cover everything. They were working on getting her covered now that she wasn’t working, but until then they had to figure something out.
She really needed this library job. Or anything that was steady. As much as subbing had grown on her, she wasn’t sure it was going to cut it much longer.
Friday, August 29, 7:30 AM
The library at Desert Scorpion High School was probably the best spot in the whole school. Second was the choir room with the piano. Avery’s mind wandered back to Tuesday in choir/band where she practically spent the whole day with Gabe. Fun. Playful. Safe.
Wednesday should have been like that. But it wasn’t so great. Gabe had not been careful, and a student had gotten hurt. Then seeing how fragile Mom was petrified her. Hopefully once her mom could recover, she could get back to work and more independence. But Avery would stay with her as long as she needed.
To be honest, Avery needed her just as much.
In the sub binder, the librarian left instructions for Avery to shelve books, go through a box of donations, tidy up the room as needed, and assist with students. It looked like there would be a history class coming in for part of each period.
A certain history class being taught by none other than Mr. Manwaring.
Avery shook her head. Did he set this up? Or had the teacher he was subbing for set it up? Surely, it was in the lesson plans already.
The bell rang. She pushed the cart of books and started re-shelving them, straightening books on the shelves as she went. This had nothing to do with her, of course. Gabe was merely doing his job. The students needed books, and she would be lying to herself if she said she hadn’t enjoyed seeing him every class period.
He had asked her out on a “semi-date” a few days ago but hadn’t brought it up since. If he brought it up today, she’d know he was still interested. Avery smiled at the thought of going out with Gabe, but she quickly shook her head. Was it wise for her to let someone become close with her so soon after breaking off a long-term relationship?
She finished shelving the books and pushed the empty cart back into place. It was almost time for Gabe’s class to come in. She grabbed her phone and wondered if she should text Claire and tell her about Gabe, the hot substitute teacher. The superhero. The sweet, goofy guy. Avery wanted to tell Claire about him, but she also didn’t want to. Because that would prove she had real feelings for Gabe. At least while they were secret, she could pretend they weren’t there.
Or maybe Claire would tell her to forget about Gabe and give Marshall another chance? Avery definitely didn’t want that. She had expected Claire to say something about Marshall by now, but she hadn’t. So either brother and sister hadn’t talked about the details of what happened in Flagstaff, or Claire decided to stay out of it.
Avery put her phone down as the students started trailing in and directed them toward the large tables in the middle of the library. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the door.
There he was. He looked different. Ahh, his hair was shorter. She walked over to him. Still as cute as before.
“Did you get a haircut?” she asked.
He mussed his hair with his hand. “Yeah. Do you like it?”
She nodded and smiled. “I bet you can see better without the mop in your eyes.”
His mouth dropped open. “What you meant to say was, you like my haircut because you can stare into my eyes.”
Avery scrunched her eyes and nose. “Uh. Whatever.”
Okay, maybe he was right. He had lovely eyes, which had a devious feeling behind them.
“Alright class, you know the drill,” Gabe said. “Go find books to help with your project. Miss Williams here can assist you.” He turned and they locked eyes. “She was very helpful when I was searching for a book yesterday…” he trailed off.
“Oooooh!” some students said, as others shushed them.
Avery cleared her throat. “You won’t be checking out any books today, since the other students are going to need to look at them, too. So if you find good quotes for your projects, make sure you type the title and author to include in your notes.”
A student raised her hand, and Gabe went to go talk to her, while other students walked around, searching for books. She waved air on her face with her hand. Was it hot in here? Avery went to check the thermostat on the wall. It was a reasonable temperature. Or maybe having so many people in the room made it feel warmer.
Who was she kidding? Gabe’s comment warmed her. Why did he have to have that effect on her?
She walked slowly around the room, taking note of students who looked confused or like they needed help. Most were after ancient Egypt books, which were located in a far corner. As a student found a book, they found their seats and flipped through the book while taking notes, showing pages to each other.
After helping a few students find what they were looking for, for the most part they were all working at the tables. Avery went back behind the librarian’s desk and realized a pile of books on the floor were supposed to be shelved. She bent over and picked up the tall stack.
As she stood and lifted the books, the weight was more than she realized. Gabe was making his rounds at the tables, talking to the students quietly. As he was leaning on one table listening to a student, he glanced up, his eyes fixated on Avery.
Her breath caught in her throat and gravity took over as she dropped every book on the floor, each one plopping on top of the next one.
She bent over in embarrassment behind the desk. Why did she do that? You’re such a klutz, Avery. Another Marshall-ism popped in her head. It made her feel ill.
“You okay? Here, let me help.” Gabe quickly appeared at her side and started stacking the books, each one fitting perfectly next to his arm muscles.
“Thanks.” Her face warmed.
“I think it’s cute,” Gabe said.
She looked at him quizzically. “What?”
“I think it’s cute someone as smart and pretty as you is that klutzy.”
He stood with the pile of books as she stood and playfully whacked him on the arm.
“Excuse me. Who are you calling klutzy?” Avery grew stiff and defensive, but only for the split second before she saw his face.
“Shhhhh, this is a library,” Gabe said, his eyes wide and a goofy grin spreading across his face.
She rolled her eyes, then pointed him toward the cart where he deposited the books.
“Have you given any more thought to the dance tomorrow?”
She started pushing the cart and he followed. “Maybe.”
“Come on. You can’t leave me there alone. I’ll have to dance with the janitor, and he dances way too close.”
Avery held her hand over her mouth trying to cover a laugh. She stopped the cart and handed Gabe a book, who quizzically looked around until he figured out where to shelve it.
He was like a lost puppy, and she had a thing for lost puppies. Had Marshall been a lost puppy? No. More like a mooching cat who showed affection when it was convenient. Gabe was a playful, happy puppy.
Surely Avery couldn’t abandon Gabe in his time of need. And anyway, this was kind of a work thing. They were going to chaperone. No harm in that.
“What time?” she asked.
“I’ll pick you up around 6:30 PM. Can I text you?”
She pushed the cart, stopped, and handed him the next book. “Oh, I thought I couldn’t handle texting you.”
He smirked as he took the book from her, his fingers grazing hers. “I think you’re ready.”
Avery’s heart leapt as she raised her eyebrows. So, whatever this Gabe thing was, it was apparently going somewhere.
At the end of class, she handed her phone to him. “Promise you won’t send me memes,” Avery said as he typed in his phone number.
“I will promise no such thing.” He handed her phone back slowly, his eyes meeting hers, a smirk spreading across his face. Avery furrowed her eyebrows and took her phone back.
“I’m regretting this already,” she said playfully.
Gabe and the students exited and all was quiet again.
The bell rang and a minute later a text notification dinged her phone.
GABE: I’m fine with substitute teaching math, science… even music.
AVERY : Okay….
GABE: But art class is where I draw the line.
AVERY: Wow.
GABE : You said no memes. But you said nothing about jokes.
She found herself smiling. Gabe was so playful. Flirty. Unlike Marshall who was serious, Mysterious. But mostly annoyed at her. This flirting with Gabe was fine, right? She switched to text someone else.
AVERY: How do you know if a guy is being nice or if he’s flirting?
CLAIRE: Flirting. The answer is flirting. Is the janitor bothering you?
AVERY: Yeah. He won’t leave me alone. LOL
Claire: So really, who is it? What did he say?
AVERY: Just a guy. He’s friendly so I can’t tell if he’s being himself or if he likes me.
CLAIRE: Who, the principal? A bus driver? Who?
AVERY: Another teacher.
CLAIRE: What school are you subbing at?
AVERY: It’s a new one. Desert Scorpion. Don’t worry, none of our old teachers from high school have moved here.
CLAIRE: Yuck. Can you imagine? Remember Mr. Peterson?
AVERY: Don’t remind me. Always walking by us in the back of history class, trying to get us to tell him the latest school gossip. Granted, you did know all the latest school gossip.
CLAIRE: Yes, thank you. People magazine had nothing on me.
Pretty soon the door opened and students rolled in, followed by Gabe again. Avery tried to act natural, though internally she was smiling. When he was around she felt… good.
They went through the same spiel, the students got to work, then when things settled Avery sat behind the librarian’s desk and Gabe leaned on it.
“So. What’s your favorite flower?”
“Why?” she put her hand on her hip.
“Well, you can’t go to a dance without a flower.”
Avery thought back to her last birthday. Marshall had stopped by after work, stayed long enough to eat, then left. Not so much as a “happy birthday” let alone a gift. After he left she drove to a florist shop and picked out an arrangement and brought it home.
She even wrote on a card. “To Avery, you are worth more than this.”
The memory was bittersweet. Marshall’s lack of care and attention had hurt her, but it had also made her realize she didn’t want to live like that. For the first time, she started to think of life without him.
“Purple flowers. I like purple flowers.”
Gabe smiled, his dimples appearing. Gosh she loved those dimples. “Bright purple, like your shoes?”
“Can you two quit flirting? I need help over here.” A student whisper-yelled.
Her face flushed in embarrassment as Gabe turned around and headed over to help the student. He stayed at the tables the rest of the class period.
Finally the group of students left, and Gabe waved as he passed. Avery pulled out her phone and texted her mom.
AVERY: How are you feeling?
MOM: I’m fine. Gonna have leftovers for lunch pretty soon.
AVERY: Be careful. The neighbor said she could come over if you need her to bring you anything.
MOM: I’m fine. Promise. Just a little bored.
AVERY: We’re not getting a cat.
MOM: But what about a dog?
Like her mom needed more things to worry about. Except an animal would keep her company and probably make her feel better, at least emotionally. But not a puppy. Cute as they were, they were too much work. A calm adult dog that would watch out for her. Plus, at her last doctor’s appointment, the doctor had cleared her to do a bit of walking, and suggested she keep up a regular routine of short walks. A dog could be good for that, too.
Hmm. Gabe had mentioned he had a dog.
AVERY: Where did you get your dog?
GABE: Why, you gonna steal it?
AVERY: Just wondering.
GABE: So you’re a dog-lover?
AVERY: Depends on the dog.
GABE: I got him before I moved back to Arizona.
AVERY: Where all have you lived?
GABE: How much time do you have?
The rest of the school day was pretty chill, students working fairly quietly on their projects and Gabe chatting with her every once in a while. Avery found herself humming. She was happy. Obviously she loved being in a library, and that alone made the day fly by. But it was more than that. Gabe made her happy.
By the end of the day, she was ready for the weekend. For the dance.
“I don’t know how teachers do this every single day,” Avery said as she handed her binder to Doreen.
“Me neither,” she said. “They tell me it takes a few weeks to get used to it. I’m sure you’ll adjust.”
Avery hoped she didn’t have to get that far. Besides, she was supposed to hear back about the library job soon. Being around books today had been great. Being around Gabe had been great, too.
“You gonna go to the Fall Fling tomorrow?” Doreen asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Avery said, trying to hide a smile.
“I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun.” She smiled.
Avery headed to her car. Gabe’s truck was still in the parking lot, even though much of the rest of the lot was cleared. What was he up to staying later than usual? She could go back inside. But no. She didn’t want to come on too strong. She’d see him tomorrow.
Saturday August 30, 10:30 AM
Avery finally opened her eyes when she could no longer stand the sunlight peeking out from around her curtains. She half regretted staying up late watching standup comedian specials with Mom, but it was so good to see her laughing and not in pain.
There was a lot to do today, including picking up more meds, helping Mom take a shower, doing laundry, grocery shopping… the list went on. By the time it was 4 PM, the list was done but she had forgotten to text Claire about borrowing a dress for the dance.
AVERY: So sorry! Can I come borrow a dress? It’s been a long day.
CLAIRE: Girl, I’m having a day myself. A piece of equipment broke and a new hot guy wanted me as his personal trainer. Couldn’t say no.
AVERY: Obviously.
CLAIRE: Anyway, I won’t be home til late. Go grab something. Key is under the gnome.
Avery stared at Claire’s open closet, something she had loved to do in high school. Claire had the best clothes. She was always into fashion, and gossip, and guys. It seemed like she had a different love interest every week. Avery couldn’t be more different from her in that respect.
She pulled out a few dresses, most of them too flashy or too short or too revealing up top. Finally she settled on a simple sage green dress, with a fitted top and a flowy skirt that came to her knees.
As she went to leave, she passed a photo of Claire and Marshall hanging in the hallway. The sister-brother duo had the biggest effect on her teen and young adult years. Avery studied it, realizing Marshall’s features weren’t as attractive to her as they had once been.
“Why couldn’t you be the person I needed?” She had thought he was, at first. In high school all of his attention was exciting, plus it was easy to be around him a lot since Claire was her best friend. After he graduated, he always visited her. So it was an easy decision to follow him to college up north to Flagstaff.
She shook her head. “I was so young and dumb.”
After she moved up there and started taking classes at Northern Arizona University, they hung out and were “together” officially. Finally they were boyfriend-girlfriend. What she had always dreamed of. Life would be so great.
But things were different. He was always too busy to make time for her. She wrote it off as him being dedicated to his studies. Plus she had plenty to do, like school and work, so she buried her head and thought this part of their relationship was a phase. Things would be hard for a while.
Avery didn’t realize until it was too late that he had strung her along for years.