Shout

Chapter Fifteen - Your Opinion Wasn't In the Recipe

The next few days of school whizzed by. Alexander had to pick up extra days at his internship because they had a huge client they were trying to impress so he wasn't in class the last couple of days. The classes were long and tedious without him.

He did text me a lot but I found myself missing his company in person. I didn't realize how close I'd gotten to him until he wasn't around much anymore.

Thankfully Aaron was also away for the last couple classes so it had been a quiet pause in my life. If I had to guess, Aaron was throwing an excessive party for his friends and was too wasted to show up. His parties were notorious for lasting days - people sleeping over, renting houses hours away, spending days just wasting away. I always avoided them and it was a constant point of contention in our relationship. I wanted him to stop and take things more seriously, he wanted me to live it up and party with him. He was adamant that he had to let out steam because come a couple of years from now and all his time would be spent working for his dad's company.

I scampered around my bedroom the next morning throwing on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt before tying my hair into a messy bun. Avery told me to come by her house for breakfast but I was running late. I grabbed my phone and wallet before heading out the door.

Avery only lived a couple blocks away so I walked the short distance. I was careful along the walk since Aaron lived pretty close by as well. It was an obnoxious nook of expensive houses that I desperately wanted to separate myself from. Avery thankfully lived a little ways away from the pomp, in a quaint little white house with a picket fence, rose bushes and all.

It was a wonder to me that people like my mother and Aaron's parents could look down on Avery's family. Avery's house was filled with more love and laughter than I'd ever seen in my house or Aaron's my entire life.

In retrospect, I should have known the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. But when you're with someone for that long, you learn to make excuses to stay together. He's having a bad day or It's just a phase he's going through. Because the idea that I just wasted two years of my life on someone who was an arrogant cheater and on a group of friends that would cast you out in moments when you needed their support the most was a more difficult reality to accept.

I walked up to Avery's house and before I could get a chance to knock, the door swung open.

"Hey, Olivia!" Tommy greeted in a chipper tone.

"Hi, Tommy! I miss you!" I gushed.

We walked inside to the wafting aroma of waffles and bacon. Yum. My stomach grumbled.

"So, uh, you notice anything different about me?" Tommy questioned.

I paused for a moment looking him over, "Is that a new shirt?"

"If you must know, my voice has decidedly gotten more masculine. If you're interested." Tommy grinned at me.

I laughed before Avery's booming voice interrupted, "Get away from her you perv."

"She loves me!" Tommy wailed.

"It's true," I shrugged.

"Olivia! We've missed you!" Larry, Avery's dad walked out of the kitchen. He was wearing an apron that had Mr. good lookin' is cookin' inscribed on the front. His short salt and peppered hair tucked under a chef's cap.

"Hi, Larry," I grinned at him. "Whatcha cooking?" Larry was the chef of the household. In another lifetime I'm positive he was a chef. His food was to die for but he ended up as a psychologist.

"Olivia!" Margaret ran up to me and pulled me into her warm embrace. She pulled back before gently slapping my arm. "Where have you been?" She crossed her arms.