Revved & Reckless – By R. Snow #5
I nodded in response, and she continued.
“Do you remember the kiss, or who you kissed I should say?” Her voice was almost a whisper now, and I took a step forward to hear her better.
“Can you get to the damn point, Avery? What does a school dance from four years ago have to do with why you hate me?”
“I’m getting to the point! Just shut up, Tyler. For once in your life, just. Shut. Up.” She was shaking as she glared up at me.
I reached out and placed my hand gently on her arm. “All right, my bad.”
“Like I was saying, the kiss. If you remember, the lights went out, everybody froze, the song changed to a slow dance song, and you pulled her close to stop other people from bumping into you, too. Then, lights lit up overhead, and it looked like everyone was dancing under the night sky. The DJ said it was time to show the person you cared about just how special they were. You leaned down, held her chin steady, before you kissed her.”
She looked up at me, and then I knew why she was so mad. It all came rushing back.
“It was you? The girl I was dancing with that night? Who, after that kiss, I pulled through the dance hall and into the classroom next to it? The one I really wanted to sleep with, and the one that turned me down. All this time, it was you, Avery?” I shook my head in disbelief.
But, yeah, at the same time, I knew it was true.
There weren’t many girls with red hair like Avery’s in high school.
And when she turned me down, it pissed me off.
So much so, that when I walked out of the room and bumped into a girl who had hit on me for the entire year, I didn’t even think.
All I wanted was to get over what just happened, so I shoved her up against the wall and made out with her right in front of the girl in the blue dress.
I knew she had stormed off behind me after she watched us make out, but I didn’t care at that point.
After that night, Avery avoided me like I was diseased.
I think I always suspected that it might have been her, but I was never brave enough to ask.
She slowly pulled away from hanging around the group, and then we graduated.
I’d never seen her again until this week.
Tears spilled down her cheeks, and my heart lurched in my chest.
I’m such a dumbass.
“Look, I’m sorry about that night. I was young and dumb.
Fueled by hormones, all my other friends had been laid by that point, and I didn’t want to graduate as a virgin.
I knew Jessica was into me and had wanted to get with me before, multiple times.
So, when the girl in the blue dress, you, turned me down that night, I was pissed and emotional.
I acted like an immature kid. But why didn’t you tell me?
Why are you still mad about that? You moved on.
You went to college, and from what I’ve been able to see, have a dope job, too.
Why be mad at a loser like me who still doesn’t know what he’s going to do with his life? ”
“Because I still love you, you stupid idiot! I loved you for years and you never even looked at me in the same way.”
With that, she jerked away from my hand and glared up at me. Tears streamed down her face in full force as I stood there, shocked by her confession.
“I had no idea you felt like that.”
It was the truth. I didn’t. Avery was always just one of the guys. I could talk to her about car shit or bands I liked, what sports I hated playing, video games I loved, typical teenage boy stuff.
Thinking back on it now, I was a damn fool. But before I could say anything else to her, she turned on her heels and took off around the corner and back into the crowd. I tried calling her name, but there was no way she was going to hear me over all the noise.
What the fuck do I do now?
I stood there as I watched her disappear into the masses and ran my hand through my hair, frustrated.
“Dammit!” I swore under my breath.
“Sooo, should I pretend I didn’t hear some of that or not?”
I quickly turned my head to see Rosalie standing awkwardly at the edge of the restroom wall. She had clearly heard at least the last part of my conversation with Avery based on how she was fidgeting with the edge of her shirt. She always messed with her clothes when she was uncomfortable.
“Fuck, sorry. I didn’t know anyone else was around. No point in pretending it didn’t happen, though.” I shrugged. It was the truth. There was no point in acting like I just hadn’t made mistake after mistake with Avery.
Rosalie walked over and patted my shoulder.
“It might be none of my business, but...” She smiled up at me, “If I was in her shoes, I would want someone to run after me. Especially if the guy I just confessed to felt the same way that I did.”
I thought about it for a minute as Rosalie gave my shoulder another couple of pats before she walked over to the restroom door.
“But what if I don’t know if I feel the same?” I asked her before she pushed the door open. She stopped and glanced back at me.
“Tyler, you are literally blushing so hard right now. You definitely like her. So stop being lame, and go for it.”
With that, she pushed the door open.
I reached up and rubbed my chest. I felt my heart pounding fast. I thought about the past week and way back to high school.
All the times I talked to Avery, I would get a little nervous.
It didn’t stop me from being around her, but I had never crossed the line.
But now, I couldn’t figure out why. I had obviously been into Avery.
She was sexy as hell, and her attitude pushed my buttons in ways I enjoyed.
So, what the fuck am I waiting for?
With determination filling my mind, I left the space behind the restrooms and pushed my way through the crowd toward the area Avery had parked her car. As I got closer, I saw her red hair catching the sunlight, and I called her name.
“Avery!”
She turned her head and blinked a few moments as I waved at her before biting her lower lip, saying something to the guy she stood next to, and then she ran down the parking lot toward the exit like her legs were made of Nos.
Dammit! Why is she running?
I went to run after her, but the guy she’d been talking to blocked my path.
“Not so fast, dickhead. I know you did something to her to make her cry. Leave my cousin the fuck alone.”
I scowled at him. “Look, man. I don’t know what she told you, but it was just a big misunderstanding, and I need to clear it up. So move out of my way.”
He shook his head. “Not gonna happen, dude.”
Just when I thought I might have to start a fight just to get past him, Rosalie popped up out of nowhere next to his side.
“Hey! Aren’t you Jackson Cross?! Drag racer champion of the San Francisco Dragsters Competition FIVE years in a row?! Can I have your autograph?” Rosalie piped up, excitement oozing from every inch of her as she held out a napkin and a pen.
I was confused at first, until Jackson turned to face her, and she winked at me. I smiled at her as the realization of her distracting him settled in.
Fucking good one, Rosalie! I owe you big time!
I nodded and took off while he was distracted toward the direction Avery had run in. I tried to catch up to her, but she was too fast. She was out the gate and out of sight by the time I got to the area where I’d parked my car. Then, I realized.
My car.
I could catch up with her easily if I was driving, and most everyone was still up by the burnout competition. I jogged over to it and slid inside. I drove through the lot, honking at a few people who were loitering in the middle of the road. I got to the gate and told them to open it up. I
waited for it to be barely above my car before taking off. I had to find her. She couldn’t have gone far.
I cruised down the road, getting farther and farther away from the concert hall when I finally saw her. She was standing under the shade of a palm tree, wiping sweat from her forehead. I rolled to a stop next to her as I rolled my passenger side window down.
“Avery!” I called her name and her eyes snapped to mine.
She backed away, and I knew she was about to bolt again.
“Wait! Just get in the car. We need to talk. I promise I’m not going to be an ass again.” She turned away from me but hesitated, so I kept talking.
“Look, I’m sorry, all right? I really fucking am, Avery. Please, hop in the car and we can go somewhere to talk calmly about it?” I leaned over and shoved the door open from the inside as another car rolled up behind me and honked.
She glanced back, and I could see her tear-stained cheek as she glared at me. But she wasn’t angry as much as she was sad. I could tell her fury was wearing off, even if she didn’t want it to.
“Avery, please. Let’s just get out of here. You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. I just don’t want to leave you out here like this.”
After another honk and a moment of hesitation, she finally walked over and got into the car, slamming the door before she buckled up. I flipped off the guy who was still honking at us and drove away.
I kept driving until we got into the city, and I found a nice, mostly empty parking lot to pull into. Once I put the car in park, I turned to look at her.
Time to make this right.
I reached over and opened my glove box then grabbed some napkins from inside and held them out to her.
“Here.”
She hesitated, her eyes narrowed as her body stiffened. Then she finally reached out and grabbed them from me, using them to wipe her face.
“You’re super confusing, Tyler. Everything you do is a walking contradiction,” she said as she crumpled the tissue up in her hand.
I sighed. I couldn’t blame her for thinking that after everything I’d done and the way I’d been acting. The fact is, I still didn’t know if I was going to say the right things. But I had to try.