The Speech

Chapter 6

Theo's POV

Monday. First day of Junior year, the start of a new school year. As soon as I pull into the parking lot I'm ready to turn around and drive away. Without warning, Avery opens the passenger side door and hops inside my car.
"Where the fuck have you been?" She asks, swatting my arm.
"Ow." Is all I say. Eyes bugging out of her head she expectantly waits for me to answer her question.
"Seriously Teddy, last I heard from you was in my kitchen when you said you were going to take Jackie home. And I haven't heard from you since then even though I've called and texted you. And I know you didn't take Jackie home so either you're covering for her or you just straight up lied to me for no reason." She blurts.

"Honestly? I went home and slept most of the day and when I woke up I hadn't charged my phone so I plugged it in and didn't touch it til this morning. So I didn't know you had called or texted. And as far as the Jackie thing goes, I did go looking for her around your house and couldn't find her. I just assumed she ubered home or something. Wait, why did you think I was covering for her? What would I be covering?" I question. I honestly don't know what she means by that. She lets out a sigh.
"When Jayden and I got to Mango's yesterday we saw her there, on the patio... Eating breakfast with my brother."
"Oh fuck." I say from shock. She shoots her eyes at me.
"Do you know anything about this? Cause I'm trying really hard to give her the benefit of the doubt and not jump to conclusions or anything but I can't think of any sane reason they'd be getting breakfast together." She folds her legs up in the seat, turning her body to me.

"I'm sure it's nothing, it's probably just Mays' accusations from the other night causing you to read into this. They hung out that night after she left the never have I ever game so I'm sure he just offered a ride home and they stopped for food on the way." I say, trying to rationalize this for her. She stares at me confused.
"Wait, I just assumed she went to the guest room that she loves and crashed in there. They hung out together?" She asks. I nod.
"I mean I assume they did. I found her asleep on his bed that night so I figured they had been talking and passed out." I calmly say.
"Oh god please tell me he wasn't in the bed with her." She says with a look of disgust.
"He wasn't. He was sitting on the floor." I reassure her. She gives a sigh of relief.
"So there was no touching of any kind right?" She asks. Shit, I have to tell her.
"Well..." I reluctantly say. She jumps in her seat.
"Well! Why did you have to say well?!" She waits on the edge of the seat for my response.

"Okay they may have been holding hands while they were both asleep, but that's all." She flops back in her seat.
"Oh god! Theo that's so intimate! What if they are fucking? Maybe May wasn't crazy? I mean she's definitely crazy, cause I know he gave her that shirt cause he spilt beer on her. But maybe the suspicion was right? Fuck.. I mean do you think there's anything going on?" She asks desperately.
"I don't know, I mean I know I teased Jackie about him giving her his shirt, saying it was a move, but I was just joking around. Cause if it was me, I would've just given her my jacket. Not my shirt." Her eyes widen again and I know I'm not helping her calm down anymore.
"Oh my gosh you're right. He totally made a move on her, how did I miss that!" She says, more as a rhetorical question.

Jackie's POV

I didn't hear from Avery at all yesterday so I'm assuming I'm in the clear and they didn't see us at the restaurant. I know Avery would be fine if I told her what had happened. That if I just said "I checked on him that night after May left and he seemed like he could use some company so I sat in his room till I fell asleep. And he offered a ride to me in the morning so I wouldn't have to wake you, and we grabbed food because I was hungover and about to puke in his truck." If she just hears that from me, she will understand. She might still be a little weirded out, but she would get that, it was just a sympathy chat and a hangover breakfast. And I'm positive she didn't see us yesterday, cause if she had she would've bolted out there or blew up my phone with questions.