The Final Project

Chapter 111

Ava

The lights are a blinding red, green and blue, Liam's hand in mine. I remember coming here last year, a bittersweet feeling coating my stomach. I remember seeing him with Ivy. I remember feeling jealous. I remember sitting on the curb of that road and crying my eyes out. God, I'm so thankful for that curb anyway.

We're dressed as skeletons, the makeup a hassle to replicate on Liam, but it was worth it. He looks good, and Ava from a year ago wouldn't believe we're dating now. She wouldn't believe that Ivy and Liam are something of the past. She wouldn't believe Ivy's someone I haven't thought about in ages.

And then, I see her. At first, it feels like the lights are playing tricks on me-that the girl dressed as an angel isn't Ivy but simply a figment of my worst imagination. But that imagination comes true when I see Aaron walking beside her. She's real. Flashbacks haunt my mind. Ones that used to keep me up in the middle of the night...

"Hey." Liam waves his hand in my face. "What're you looking-" Before he can see her, I bring his face back toward mine.

"Kiss me?" I ask. You're so horrible, Ava. You're so horrible. You're so horrible. He doesn't like her. He's your boyfriend. Trust him. Just trust him. But we kiss anyway, this one tasting of regret and rage and a fit of jealousy I can't seem to satiate. He's mine now. You can't have him. He's mine.

But when they start approaching the dance floor, the jealousy turns to nerves. At least they haven't seen us, though. At least- "Ava? Liam?" I hear someone say. I turn to find Penelope, Ivy's best friend, talking to us.

"Oh, hey. Penelope, right?" Liam asks.

"Yeah, it's so good to see you guys! Are you," she waves her hands awkwardly, "...official?"

"Yeah," Liam laughs a little. "We're official. It's only been a few weeks, but...."

"That's amazing!" She smiles at me as if I'm the only one that should be happy about it. That I wanted it more. That it was always so apparent that I liked him. I'm reading too much into it. "Anyway, it was nice meeting you guys!" she says after a moment, and as she's about to leave, Ivy comes rushing towards her.

"Pen, I missed you!" No. Please, no. "How've you been? Sorry, I'm late. Aaron was..." I drown out her voice, my eyes falling on Liam, and to my surprise, his are on mine too. He's only looking at me... He's only worried about me. It's like he knows that I'm intimidated, but when he holds my hand, it all falls away. Nothing else matters. We're together. We're in this together.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! I HOPE ALL OF YOU HAD THE BEST DAY <3333