After Ava made it back home, the first thing she did was plop on her bed staring at the ceiling and internally debating how she was going to go about revealing Jared's feelings for Justine. She intended to let it slowly unfold, but after assessing the situation, it had been on hold long enough. Truthfully, Ava was starting to understand Jared a little better and could sense how incredibly lonely he was, despite being such a popular guy at school. He needed someone like Justine. She was outgoing and social, and a genuinely good person at heart. She couldn't imagine two better people deserving each other. The sooner they realized their feelings for each other, the better. Ava had already had a suspicion that Justine liked Jared more than she currently let on, so she was pretty sure things would end well for those two.
Ava wasn't one to beat around the bush, so she decided to just be upfront with Justine. Just tell her. However, she had already rationalized that since she intended to set up Justine with Jared, she wasn't going to tell her about that uneventful kiss. That information would likely cause more complication in the long run, and frankly, she and Jared mutually agreed that it meant nothing.
After taking a deep, confident breath, Ava grabbed her phone to call Justine. Her friend answered before the second ring.
"Ava! How was your swim date?!" Justine was anticipating her call all afternoon.
Ava could hear the excitement in her friend's voice.
"It was...fine. I...I learned to float." Ava was trying her best to keep the new revelations about Jared aside until she got the sense that Justine was ready for it.
"Well, I guess that's a start, but tell me...what about you and Jared? Anything official yet?" Justine was trying her best to sound positive and encouraging, but it was killing her inside to know that if Ava and Jared ended up as a serious couple, she would have to let her feelings for him crash and burn before it destroyed her heart any further.
"Honestly, I think we're better off as good friends. He's cute and great guy and everything, but I just don't feel that way about him. He's just not the guy for me." There was a brief silence on the other line. Ava could tell that Justine was processing this information.
"Hmm. So, you guys aren't dating anymore?" Justine tried to not sound too excited.
"Anymore? We never dated. Going on one date doesn't count. You were basically on that date too, so technically it was like all three of us were on a date." Ava underhandedly wanted Justine to assess how plausible it would be for her and Jared to go on a real date, with just the two of them.
"I guess you're kind of right. We all had a good time too. He's such a nice guy. He deserves to be with someone who sees him as more than the rich kid. You and I both know how down-to-earth he really is. He's not a spoiled snob like people assume he is. He is still okay with being friends with both of us, right?" Justine was hoping that Jared wasn't just going to ditch them if he knew Ava wasn't romantically interested in him. Those few moments she got to spend with Jared as a friendly trio were enough to make her smile every day. Sure, she wanted more, but to lose that little bit of camaraderie would make her heart ache even more.
YOU ARE READING
Induction
Ficțiune adolescențiShe's your average unseen teenager who has learned to cope with being in the shadows over the years, but something, or rather someone, changed that comfortable state of obscurity during Ava Mai's junior year of high school. While dodging her sister...
