Joker

TWO - Avery

Before, I was so confused as to why Amaya never invited me over, but now I realise she's simply insecure about where she lives. I hate that she feels that way; it's not like I'm going to leave because her house is small, or because she doesn't have a ton of money in the bank.

Beneath the blazing sun, we walked past the tall, cherry blossom trees that stood tall not far from our school. They looked really out of place; the pink popped out against the dull, dark greys. "Excited?" I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
"Not really."
"How come?"
"I still haven't recovered from the social embarrassment of passing out in the middle of the classroom."
"I almost forgot about that."
"Well, almost isn't enough! I really don't want to go in there."
"Neither; it's going to be weird not having Mrs Winson for maths."
"Yeah, I really liked her. I wonder what our new teacher will be like."
"I heard he's a super old guy."
"Seriously?"
"That's what Aiden said."
"Can you really believe anything Aiden says, though?"
"Touché." I slipped my hand away from Amaya's as we reached the gate.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"Everything is great, except I'm not out yet."
"Oh, right. Wait, neither am I."
"Have you told your Ma yet?"
"No. I haven't even told Noah. What about you?"
"Similar situation over here. Obviously Aiden knows, but I don't plan on telling my parents anytime soon; my Father in particular."
"What's he like?" I paused; no one had ever asked me anything like this before so I had no idea what was supposed to say.
"Who? My Father? Yeah, he's cool." I shrugged, hoping my answer was convincing enough.
"You don't sound too sure about that."
"You want me to be brutally honest? He makes me feel so intimidated to the point where I feel like I should just keep quiet around him incase I say or do something stupid. Oh, and as for school, I don't dare talk about my grades unless he asks. Even then, I only tell him about my best results."
"Avery, all of your results are incredible."
"Mostly, yes. I got an A in Maths last year, though."
"I haven't even known you for that long, but why are you so hard on yourself? An A is outstanding, but you're so used to getting A*s that you beat yourself up over it."
"I guess I've just managed to get myself into the mindset of 'if it's not perfect, it's not good enough'."
"I don't think that was you."
"What do you mean?"
"To me, it seems like your parents expect very high of you, and you feel pressured to meet their standards."
"What are you on about? My mother's lovely, although I can't help but feel like she's not herself around us."
"Are you trying to change the subject? Also, I don't think you are when you're at home either."
"No, and obviously! Did you forget I'm closeted?"
"Hmm."
"Stop stressing about Noah; he'll be fine. Actually, I think I have something that can help."
"Don't you dare-" Amaya knew exactly what was coming as soon as the words left my mouth. I slipped my hand into my pocket, pulling out a shiny, purple stone.
"It's amethyst. You can keep it." I insisted.
"Avery, you know I don't believe in this stuff."
"Yeah, but it's worth a try."
"Fine." She reluctantly took the crystal from my hand and placed it in her pocket. "What do we have first?"
"Now who's the one trying to change the subject?"
"Shut up, I just want to know where we have to go."
"Why don't you check your timetable then?"
"I... er... I lost it."
"Music, but it was emailed to you! How could you possibly lose it? Anyway, you still haven't commented on my new hair."
"I don't think you can call it 'new hair'; all you did was get it cut."
"For your information, it used to be down past my waist, and now it doesn't even reach my shoulders."
"Your 'new hair' looks beautiful, Avery. I shouldn't have to say that for you to know it. It doesn't matter what you do with your hair, or what clothes you're wearing, or if you try something new with your makeup, you always look stunning." Her words burned bright and warm, setting my roaring heart on fire. Flattered, my cheeks flushed red with a mix of embarrassment and happiness. "You're blushing." Amaya said mockingly.
"Well would you look at that! I've found the real-life Sherlock Holmes." Amaya covered my mouth and I immediately wrenched her hand away from my face. "You had that coming. When will you learn that if you say something stupid, I'll reply sarcastiacally?"
"Whatever, the bell's going to go in approximately 3 minutes and 49 seconds and we have to get all the way over to the music room."
"We're almost there, stop panicking."
"I'll race you."
"Oh, come on! That is so unfair!" Just like that, she was running to the music room and I found myself trailing behind her, struggling to keep up.