The Final Project

Chapter 33

Ivy

I find Ava sitting at the bleachers. "What?" she asks when she sees me approaching. I sit beside her, and notice her reddened cheeks, and puffy eyes. She's been crying. We sit in silence for a moment before I introduce myself.

"I'm Ivy." I extend my hand, and she scoffs.

"Yeah, I know who you are. He sent you here, didn't he?" More silence.

" Liam's a good guy, you know? And he really cares about you."

"No, he cares about you. He always has."

"He didn't even know me then, Ava, but he knows you, and he's worried about you. There's no reason to be insecure. I promise we're only friends."

"Maybe to you, but to him... He's practically in love with you, and of course he is; you're fucking perfect." I shake my head.

"No one's perfect-"

"Oh, don't give me that 'no one's perfect' bullshit. You're perfect. Your life is perfect. Everything gets handed to you because you're perfect. All you do is walk around with your perfect face, and perfect hair, and perfect grades, and perfect boyfriend. Who are you to say no one's perfect?" She gets louder and louder as she talks, and eventually I can't take it.

"Who are you, Ava, to assume I'm perfect, or that everything gets handed to me because of it? I work my ass off for what I have, and I'm sorry if you're insecure, but that doesn't mean you can take it out on me." I try to calm myself down, and say what I came here to say. "Liam cares about you, okay? Hell, he might even love you, and I don't know why you can't see it."

I walk away before she can respond, tears in my eyes.